Thank you all for your reviews and your patient with me. I'm sorry that my updates takes so long time now days, but I'm very slow in the writing process and don't have so much time with it as I'd like to.

Tarun / Tanya Thank you for kind words. I would be happy to answer you questions if I only can, for example through the private messages in this forum. If you haven't signed up yet, I can recomment it. Unfortunately, I haven't seen the Agents of SHIELD but I would love to see that show. And I would definitely love to see that upcoming Loki series.

… …

"Now you're actually scaring me a bit," Emma said, unsure was she being sarcastic or not.

She pulled a light-grey sweater over her head, getting dressed effortlessly into her new clean clothes that Storm had left for them.

Greatly confused, Loki got off from the bed and picked up his own clothes from the armchair. "I do not understand. All I said is I want to marry you, not sentence you to death," he assured, getting a feeling that she was suddenly avoiding his gaze.

Like she would have been in hurry, she slipped into the sweatpants and turned at him with questioning eyes. "Why?"

Loki stared back at her, only a bundle of black and green clothes covering his private parts. "Because… I want you to become my wife. What say you?"

Her whole body felt tensed but she was gawping with a small smile. "Loki, you don't know me well enough. I don't know you well enough…"

"On the day they were wed Odin knew of Frigga less than I know of you now. Emma, we have the rest of our lives to get to know each other better. I am being more than sincere, my love." There was that sweet softness in his voice as he spoke with a passion of a bard. "If I would have my sword with me now I would give it to you."

She grimaced. "To fall on it?"

Loki looked at her gloomily but then took a solemn expression. "As an engagement gift. Since we have already shared the bed," he stated, not liking her of making jests about the matter.

In traditional Asgardian weddings the groom's ancestral sword was given to the bride to past down once to their future firstborn son. He knew more than well that there hadn't been anything traditional in their short courting that had led straight into a liaison but he wanted to do something right.

Maybe he had slipped the thing out of his mouth without thinking it over as if his silver tongue would have taken a day off, but he wanted her to be to him as Frigga was to Odin; a faithful companion, always devoted, obeying with a right to disagree. He wanted Emma to be his own and he wanted the whole world to know it.

"Yeah, a sword is just what I need," Emma murmured, combing her fingers through her wild locks, pondering was he only joking with her because that's what he loved to do every now and then. And if not, she didn't want to hurt his feelings by laughing at the madness of the whole idea, reminding herself that this was a guy who had tried to kill himself and it wasn't so long ago. He was planning major things concerning her again without even asking her opinion about the matter.

"Even this is very sweet in a creepy kind of Shakespearean way, but… Loki, things are happening too fast. I don't think we are ready for something like a marriage yet," she explained cautiously.

He moved closer in bare feet and completely naked, holding only his clothes to cover himself. "You wish not to marry me?" he asked sounding hurt and offended, his dark brows arcing in a displeased frown.

She heaved a breath, taking a step closer to him. "Look, I love you. I love being with you. Last night was amazing and beautiful, and I want a lot more of those. And I don't want you to leave me but…"

There was a pondering looking in his eyes as he listened to her. "Oh, you think I should ask your hand in marriage from your father?"

"No! Absolutely not!" Emma exclaimed, lifting her hands at him and then face-palming herself. "Don't do that, please. Logan would flip out. Besides, he has no right to decide on my behalf. He's been my father only for a day."

"Then maybe I should seek your mother's approval?" he suggested and she let out a tiny frustrated snort. "Or, maybe not?"

She looked somewhat troubled again, staring at him and yet loving to look at him. He was so gorgeous and last night together had been so wonderful. Maybe she was the crazy one for not accepting it right away.

"Could we talk about this later? We probably should get going. Could you please get dressed?" she begged, finding it hard to talk seriously when he looked that good without his clothes on. She just wanted to rip her clothes off and shove him on the bed for another round between the sheets.

There was a playful smile on his lips as he moved closer. "Not until you say yes."

She shrugged, spreading her hands in disbelief. "Even I'm not a big fan of marriage, but it is not something you can take lightly."

"Being more committed to each other… it does not mean we can not still have fun."

"What does that mean? It was just another joke to you, huh?" she asked, upset, and slipped her shoes on.

"Of course not," he assured, getting upset too for her questioning his integrity about the matter. "Would you prefer to remain only as a warmer of my bed rather than being my wedded wife? Are you so much drawn to your mother's philosophy of life that you would settle for less?" he asked but already regretted the words that had left his mouth way before her expression altered. And so did his, sorry taking a shape on his face. "Emma…?" he sighed then in a sorry tone.

She breathed at first, trying to figure out what he said. "Was that some fancy way to call me a whore?"

He lifted his hand. "That is not what I meant. Do not twist my words!"

Every time her mother was mentioned it sent a rush of emotions through her, and Loki knew what she felt about her. To her that had been a mean comparison, and resentment flashed in her blue eyes. "Oh, that's got to be the best proposal ever!" she snapped before she turned and walked to the door. "You know nothing about my mom!"

"Emma, please stop! We must speak," he cried out after her as she stormed out from their room, the door slamming shut behind her.

Loki closed his eyes, cursing in silence for the lack of his natural consideration. It seemed that the more he tried to accept the responsibility of his actions, dropping his calculative perceptiveness with her, the harder it got to understand the whole thing. Everything about last night had been so perfect, their closeness and the love they had shared that he didn't want to go back to his old-self. Not with her anyway. She was so easy to be honest with, maybe even too much so.

The old professor had talked about the miracle of hope, and Loki had been optimistic about his relationship with Emma, wanting to cement that with an engagement before he would return to Asgard. And he couldn't understand why she needed to hesitate at all if she truly loved him, if she felt the same.

He let out an annoyed groan while pulling up his black leather trousers. Frustrated to his own clothing that took much more time to get them on, he dressed himself with his magic in a flash, polishing his looks, and dashed after her.

When Emma entered the corridor it was already buzzing with life; students roaming lazily through the long hallway and it got her wary. The mutant students, she realized, even they all looked pretty normal to her except one very big guy who bid her good morning politely.

Feeling uncomfortable, she walked slowly along the corridor but stopped and leaned her shoulder against the wall, regretting that stupid exchange of words with Loki and her own childish reaction to it. She didn't need to create any more drama in her life than she already had. They came from two different worlds, so of course they would have different kind of values in life and approach of things. In some cases he was as old-fashioned as her grandparents had been. With that thought, she bit her tongue and heaved a long sigh, pondering would her grandmother had approved Loki as her companion.

It was obvious that the new day had brought back the old troubles. They were still going after the Tesseract and he was still planning to go back home. All of it troubled her, making her speak before thinking. Maybe it troubled him too. Maybe he longed for something more solid with her.

She heard the door opening behind her and Loki's hasty steps as he strode to her.

Loki noticed a few young students and let them pass before he approached Emma, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Please, forgive me what I said. It was not fair of me to speak to you like that. You misunderstood me. I would never think so low of you," he said in the most humble voice. "I admit I have high expectations of us. I thought…" his explained and the tone of his voice quivered as he stepped next to her, "I thought that you wanted to be mine."

Emma closed her eyes and turned at him, leaning her back against the wall and then looking up at him. "I do. I am. I'm sorry I snapped at you." She took a breath, her voice trembling too and a sad smile flickering across her face, her hand climbing on his chest. "It's just that… my mom never had any luck in love. I guess it wasn't easy when being a single parent and all. She tried so hard to find a decent guy, but every time when they got to the point of making their relationship more official, it didn't take long when she figured out that he was a cheating bastard. She waited months or years wasting her time, waiting something that never came, being always the second…" She didn't even know why she was telling this to him.

The trickster god took her hands on his. "You will always be my one and only. You must believe me. I do not want to imagine this world without you anymore. We are good together, yes?" he asked gently.

"Yes, but for how long? I have learned to live one day at a time, and I haven't really yet thought about our future so far ahead. But when I do, it almost scares me," she said in a small voice, holding on from his hands. And seeing him in front of her again in his green, gold and black, his long hair slicked back once more and his looks radiating everything but mortality, it only confirmed her fears. "Loki, I want us to be together forever, but… maybe forever was meant to you, not for me. If I've inherited all my father's genes I might live longer than an average human being, but I see a marriage as a promise to stick together no matter what and to grow old together." She paused looking into his eyes, the thought paining her. "And I will grow old… and you will eventually grow tired of me…"

"No," Loki whispered and pulled her near, closing his arms around her. "It doesn't have to be like that. There are means to fulfil that dream. You once said there is hope for us and I believe in that now more than ever. And I am willing to do what ever it takes to keep a smile on your lips." He cupped her face with his palm, his uncertain small smile seeking an answer from her eyes. "Please, say yes."

She touched his hand on her cheek, falling for those emerald eyes, returning his smile. "Oh gosh. Tell me that you're not just messing with me."

"Not with something this significant."

"Then you must be plain mad."

"Yes," he smiled, "madly in love with you."

She smiled a bit too. "Then I must be as mad as you are."

"What a perfect match we are, you and I. Don't you agree?"

"Have you really thought about this over? I mean… I'm a mortal girl from Earth you've just met. There comes no dowry with me, and I don't accept Tudorian style divorces…"

His finger on her lips stopped her silly reasoning. "I want nothing but you."

It was the most insane idea ever, but at the same time, it felt like the best idea. He was totally making her the most indecisive person there was.

She smiled to herself. She smiled to him. "If we are going to do this for real, then let's do it properly."

"Hm?"

"Kneel!" Emma said in a quiet but determinate voice, a tiny challenge in her eyes.

"I am sorry?" Loki looked at her a bit lost, glancing to his side at a couple of mutant kids walking by.

"I said; kneel," she said again more softly, studying his eyes that showed genuine confusion.

They didn't pay attention to a distant sound of a doorbell coming from downstairs, their focus remaining only on each other.

Emma gave him a sad smile. "On her deathbed my grandmother told me never accept a proposal unless the man would pop the question down on his knees. So, I'm going to stick to that promise I gave her when I was twelve." She swallowed. "Um… Well?"

A surprise filled his eyes and smile was slowly conquering his face, bringing those sweet dimples on his pale cheeks. He would have laughed at the idea if she hadn't been so adorable. She was truly challenging him, an Asgardian prince, to kneel before a small mortal woman, as if last night had not been enough. There was something he understood, though; she wanted an ancestors' blessing that was sought also before any Asgardian marriages. And he wanted to have her as his own in a way that her grandmother would have approved gladly. He was such a fool, a fool for her.

She was waiting in uncertain silence, pondering if she had crossed the line. But a gesture like that would have proven him to be serious about the future of their relationship.

As she recalled the stories told to her, her grandparents had gotten engaged only after three weeks of going out, just before her granddad had gone off to the war. So, she was beyond granny-Emma's reproaches in this matter.

A loud shout of a young man came from downstairs, breaking that moment of truth. "Hey! There's some big guy with a hammer at the door asking for Loki!"

Emma saw Loki's face clouding with a thought of Thor arriving, that playful smile fading from his eyes. He heaved a deep duty-filled sigh, and she felt her heart sinking with his. Were their time together already over?

She leaned closer to him, lifting her hands on his face, caressing him. "You go and save the peace of the Nine Realms and do what ever you have to do there but come back to me. Please, just come back and if you still feel the same then ask me, and I promise that my answer will be yes," she said as for an encouragement, seeing a small glimmer returning in his gaze. "A deal?"

He nodded, kissing her palm. "It is a deal," he whispered and he leaned down to kiss her lips. That had been yes. That was good enough for now.

Heavy running steps carried Logan up the stairs and he stopped at the other end of the corridor when he noticed them kissing. "There you are. Morning. Loki, your idiot brother is here asking for you!" Logan announced.

That brought an agreeing smile back on Loki's lips. "Thank you, Logan. And good morning to you too," he said, taking Emma under his arm. Their talk was hardly over, but he knew her answer now and he would wait only for a perfect moment to propose her, properly.

"Better scrub that stupid grin off your face, buddy," Logan warned as Loki's smirk was telling him more than he wanted to know about their night spent together.

"Morning, Logan," Emma said to her father and squeezed herself tighter against the side of her guy.

Logan's thick brows furrowed when he noticed her beginning to glimmer. "Emma, you're… glowing!" he said pointing his finger at her.

At first, she thought it was a compliment but then she glanced down at herself, seeing her outfit changing. Her quite comfortable grey sweatpants turned into black slim-fit jeans and her sweater changed into a tight-fitting black leather corset, embroidered with delicate golden patterns. And the long, absinth-green hem of the tunic underneath it looked like a mini skirt. Her new conjured outfit looked beautiful and perfectly fitting, clearly a mix of the features from both of their worlds and accompanied with high heel shoes. Green, black and gold! She grinned, lifting her gaze at Loki, feeling like a modern Xena. "Yay! Team colors! Thank you, Loki."

Her smile was thanks enough and Loki smiled too. "I am glad you like it."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Oh great! Now you look like a damn Robin Hood's girlfriend," he grunted.

"Hey, maid Marian was a high-class broad. Besides, we are going to steel from SHEILD. I think this is fitting, don't you?" she grinned back at him and turned to Loki. "I like it. But high heels again? Come on! Really?"

"I am sure you will adapt," Loki promised with a grin.

… …

As they made it to the downstairs the main hall was filled with young mutants, some of them kids, majority of teenagers and a few older male and female. All of them staring curiously at their guests and whispering to each other, making Emma uncomfortable for the attention they were receiving. Logan looked like he was at home, greeting some of the kids casually. And after Loki bid them good morning, some of the young ones gathered a bit closer more curiously.

"You're Loki of Asgard, aren't you?" a black-haired boy, about 16 years old, finally asked, excited, stepping in front of the big Asgardian deity.

Loki smiled a bit and nodded. "I am. And you are, young sir?"

The boy gave him an endearingly eager smile. "I'm Artie. I love snakes. We've seen your tricks in the net. You wanna see ours?" he asked and flicked his blue lizard-like tongue out.

Emma gasped in surprise and the boy frowned at her.

"Oh, very nice. I defiantly want a tongue like that too," Loki approved and the boy smiled stepping aside.

Then came the others who were eager to show their powers to the Trickster. One older boy made an ice serpent with his powers, a girl ran through a solid wall and others made things Emma or Loki had never seen, all of them wanting to show their own tricks to their guests like it would have been a circus around them.

Loki was fully enjoying the show around him, complementing and encouraging them to give all they got. And to Emma it looked like they were all proud of what they were, being able to show their powers to someone new. She on the other hand wasn't so eager to show her own powers to any of them, feeling an outsider even among her own kind.

"All right! Great show. But we should get going soon. Don't you guys have classes to attend to today?" Logan shouted to the group of kids and received some disagreeing grumble. "And would someone let that annoying hammer guy in?"

Emma watched at Logan who seemed to fit in to that place and coming along with the kids as if he would have been a teacher or a father figure to them. She thought that she would have hardly fitted in there, but her life would have surely been different in that place. She might have even met her father there years ago.

Logan noticed her sad and pondering look. "Everything all right, Ems?" he asked.

She gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I was just wondering what kind my life would have been if I would have lived here."

Logan had no heart to say a word about her erased past and when he lifted his eyes he saw Loki staring at him gloomily like the alien boy would have known something about that.

When the kids were clearing out of their way that is when Loki noticed his brother coming towards him across the main hall.

"Brother," Thor smiled broadly, as he approached Loki letting out satisfied chuckle. "A glorious morning, isn't it?"

There was a pretty, brown-haired woman on Thor's arm and Loki had a good hunch who she was, doing his best to hide his mischievous grin. So, he was finally meeting Jane Foster.

"Indeed," Loki answered, being more than enough sated after his night with Emma. No one was going to take that away from him, ever.

"Oh shit! He brought a dame with him?" Logan grunted in a quiet voice, rolling his eyes. "Meet me in the kitchen, I'll go find us some breakfast," he said before he left.

With a growing worry, Emma stared at Thor and his lady friend when they met in the middle of the hall. Oh shit! This got to be that Jane Foster, she realized and squeezed tighter on Loki's arm. Maybe she should have said yes in the first place to keep him happier.

Thor seemed be in a jovial mood as he nodded in a greeting to Emma and turned then at his lady. "Jane, I want you to meet my brother Loki, the prince of Asgard. And this is Emma…" he begun his introductions.

Jane stared at the smirking dark Asgardian as it occurred to her that he was responsible for destroying half of the town of Puente Antiguo and jeopardizing all the people there including her friends when he sent that destroyer after Thor. And he just kept grinning like an evil smug.

It took only two seconds but Emma could feel the tension tautening between them, or maybe it was just her own nervousness.

Loki bowed lightly with his charming grin. "Delighted to finally meet you, Jane Foster. You must have heard of me?"

Jane gawped at him in anger. "You're Loki?" she grunted and on a whim lifted her hand to punch him in the face.

Without blinking the god of mischief stared down at her, noticing that her fist had stopped only two inches away from his face. And as his eyes took a glance at his side he found Emma's hand around Jane's wrist, pushing the woman's clenched fist farther away from him.

It took Jane for a surprise and even more so as she saw three icy spikes drawing out from between Emma's knuckles.

"Back off, Cupcake! I have a monopoly on that. Try to lay your hand on him again and I'll snap your little wrist in half!" Emma snarled at the woman, her feral side defending her territory. Her claws thrust all the way out, before she freed Jane from her cold grip.

"He's all yours!" Jane gasped, stepping back in a mild shock, giving up for her 'that's for Puente Antiguo' -punch.

"A shame," the god of mischief smirked, glancing at both of the ladies, his grin laced with irresistible mischievousness. "I would have loved to see a good fight."

Emma's obvious jealousy of him felt somehow strangely exciting. No one had ever been jealous over him before. Since when had she claimed an exclusive domination over him?

"Loki," Thor disapproved the idea and took a defending stand, taking Jane under his arm, pondering was this another joke of his. "And this is Emma Morgan. Emma, do not dare to threat Jane again!"

"Hey, you saw it. She started it!" Emma grunted, pointing her claws at the woman.

"She's an Asgardian too?" Jane asked cautiously and whispering, rubbing her sore wrist.

Emma pulled her claws back in, staring daggers at the woman. "I'm a mutant from Earth and goddamn proud of it!"

Some approving clapping caught their attention and they found three boys standing in the doorway and applauding at the demonstration of her powers and it got Emma uncomfortable and dropping her attitude. When the boys saw her expression, they saw it wiser to run off.

"Shit!" she hissed and gave Jane an apologizing smile. "Ah. Sorry about that. I know it's no excuse but I've had quite a rough week."

Jane only nodded. "Yeah, tell me about it."

"I believe there is some breakfast served here if you are interested," Loki said changing the subject fluently, pointing his hand towards the kitchen's direction where Logan had gone. "Please."

"Thanks," Jane murmured and was more than pleased to get away from the crazy ice-claw woman. She wasn't sure which one of them scared her more, the trickster god or his overly jealous mutant girlfriend.

While passing by his brother, Thor gave Loki a silent and angry frown as if asking was Emma mad for pulling her claws out like that to Jane.

After Thor and Jane were out of their sight, Emma closed her eyes letting out a groan.

"What is wrong with me?" she whined turning at Loki who only smirked at her playfully.

He lifted his hand on her shoulder and pulled her closer. "Oh, you are my hero," he whispered into her ear endearingly.

"Don't!" Emma whimpered, being embarrassed enough for her overacted reaction. "Your brother's girlfriend seems nice. Jeez, this started well."

Loki couldn't stop smiling. "It served that dreadful woman right. I am most certain that she will not dare to approach me with such violent intentions again," Loki jested, squeezing her under his arm.

"Yeah! Now she thinks that I'm some crazy person who wants to kill her."

"I know the feeling. You threaten someone a bit and they immediately jump to conclusions. What a mad world this is."

Emma looked up at him, meeting his smile that was only growing, and she chuckled with him as they followed the others to the kitchen. Yeah, she had to be a little bit nuts for promising a positive answer for his future proposal. They really deserved each other.

… …

Breakfast was on the kitchen table and Logan, Thor and Jane already helped themselves, sitting at the table in an awkward silence. Cheerful voices of younger people carried from the next room, the dining hall, where the students were eating.

Logan didn't feel much of a homemaker, and he didn't bother to get up from his ass as Emma and Loki finally joined them at the breakfast.

"We've got coffee and tea. I guess there's some cereals over there if you like, Emma. Help yourselves," Logan said and took a sip from his coffee mug, glaring at Thor who was already happily stuffing himself with toast and scrambled eggs.

"Thanks," Emma said and checked the offerings on the tables. It was like a small-scale hotel breakfast and it looked nice. That cereals-part especially made her smile at her father.

She noticed Jane Foster watching at her uneasily as she sat next to the woman. "Look, I'm sorry, Jane. That was not the real me back there. I'm not at my best before breakfast," Emma explained in a sorry tone.

"It's fine!" Jane stammered and handed her plate with an untouched toast and her cup of coffee to Emma hastily. "Here, you can have mine. Coffee?"

Emma shook her head with a mild smile and sensed the woman's obvious nervousness with her. That was something new. "No thanks. Caffeine has this same kind of crazy effect on me as the full moon has on a werewolf, you know?" she joked with a serious face.

Logan lifted his gaze from his cup at her frowning. "No shit! Really?"

Emma cracked smiling as Jane pulled her cup far away from Emma, and her grin broadened and she shook her head again slowly. "No! Sorry. I'm just messing with you. Don't worry! It's not like I'd try to kill you or anything," she said and went for some orange juice, exchanging glances with Loki. He seemed to love her slightly mischievous humour, and actually so did she.

Jane tried to force a smile but it looked more like a painful grimace that she hid behind her mug. "Great! Ha-haa."

Logan snorted, amused, not believing the company he was being with. "Trust me, she's the least person you should be worried about here," he assured to Jane.

"Yeah? If you ask me, you look the only normal person around here, Mr. Logan, was it?" Jane said, taking a bite from her toast.

"Don't let the looks fool you. Emma is my kid. I'm worse than she is."

"Oh? That's… nice. Families are nice," Jane murmured and stared at Thor and his brother who sat opposite each other, challenging themselves with the mortals' strange breakfast.

Thor gulped his cup empty. "This coffee drink is great. You should try, Loki," he said, lifting the mug. "Can I have another cup, please?"

Loki's forehead furrowed with pure bewilderment. "Since when have you learned to ask nicely, brother? And no more smashing cups? I am impressed."

While getting herself a bowl of cornflakes Emma refilled Thor's coffee mug just for being friendly and handed Loki one too. "So, you do like smashing things up for real, Thor? Did he break anything while being with you, Jane?" she asked for making conversation.

Jane chewed her mouth empty and shrugged. "Well, only one huge robot-monster sent from Asgard that was destroying a small town in New Mexico," Jane said sharply and eyed Loki suspiciously.

"Oh?" Emma turned at the trickster god too, putting down the coffee pot. "You don't happen to know anything about that, my dear?"

Loki dropped his gaze shortly and lifted it again with a small smile and a cinnamon roll. "Please do accept my sincere apologies for any inconvenience…"

"Inconvenience?" Jane cried out angrily. "You tried to kill your brother! That fire-beaming thing tried to kill all of us!" she yelped and accidentally knocked over her coffee mug, being so worked up.

"Luckily I was able to stop it," Thor announced, visibly proud of himself for that moment.

While still standing, Emma handed her some paper towels for the mess. "Right," she murmured. Her gaze darted back at Loki. He had that sorry rascal-grin on his face as he kept staring back at her, as though asking what she would think about that. All the secrets of New Mexico exposed now. "You know what? Maybe you should have deserved a little punch in the face after all, Loki," she agreed and sat down next to Jane, pouring her a refill.

Jane nodded at her, lifting her hand in agreement. "Yeah, thank you."

Thor and Loki glanced at each other as if it hadn't been a big deal and kept concentrating with their breakfast, murmuring a few brotherly words;

"It was indeed spiteful of you to send the Destroyer after me, brother. What were you thinking?"

"Yes, I admit it now. It probably wasn't the best idea. Will you forgive me, brother?"

"It is forgiven. I am glad to have you back, Loki."

"Was mother very upset with me for borrowing the Destroyer?"

"Would it surprise you if I say yes?"

After listening a while the deranged conversation around him, Logan put slowly his mug down, his dark brows knitted in a way he was obviously planning to shove his claws out to make some shish kebab from the alien boy. "You tried to kill innocent people?" he asked, repeating Jane's earlier words, his gaze nailed at Loki like asking what the fuck. Then he looked at Emma gawping. "What the fuck? Don't tell me I helped you to free some psycho alien killer out from the SHIELD's prison?"

"Nooo! Of course not!" Emma swore and scooped another spoonful of cornflakes into her mouth. "No one got hurt in New Mexico, right?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Jane murmured pondering.

"See. Everything is fine! SHIELD always overreacts," Emma hurried to assure to Logan, also relieved with that information. "Everybody; happy thoughts now!"

"We need to talk," Logan announced to his kid, looking her straight to the eyes.

"Sure. Let's just finish this first."

Emma watched a while at the people around the table, the Asgardian brothers joking with each other, Logan commenting their talk every now and then, and Jane Foster who seemed to be a bit lost there but trying to engage into their conversation. When Emma asked what Jane was doing for living, she found out that they have been both working on the same field of science, astronomy and there was a lot more to talk about.

As her pondering gaze met with her father's who sat opposite her, that moment felt actually like home. It was not the place, but the people around her that suddenly made her feel like she had found something she had been seeking for eight years. She had a father and a boyfriend. That was the closest thing to a family she had and that small moment on the breakfast was her home. She didn't have to pretend to be something else that she was. She was a mutant and it was okay, and there sat people with her who cared about her. If felt so empowering.

"You're OK there, kid?" Logan asked her after seeing her getting a bit sentimental again and Loki's concerned gaze met with hers too.

Emma smiled to them both. "Yeah. This must be what the normal life feels like. God, I've missed it. I'm glad I have you two with me. Actually, I'm glad that you all are here now."

A small silence filled the breakfast table, people glancing at each other, and all finding something to agree on with her.

It reminded Jane of her own friends. "Oh gosh, I have forgotten to send a message to Darcy and Eric that I'm fine. They must be worried sick," she said picking up her mobile phone.

"Her friends are very nice. You should met them," Thor told to Loki.

Emma's focus landed on Jane's mobile that was turned on. "Please, tell me you've got a prepaid SIM card in that, bought with cash?"

"No, it's my own." Jane gulped as the phone began beeping with every new text message she was receiving, all sent from Darcy. She lost count after the fourth one and the messages just kept coming. "Oh… no," she sighed realizing her mistake. "Sorry. I didn't…"

Emma grabbed the phone, and with hurry, tossed it inside a microwave oven and turned it on. The oven started sparking and cracking and the shells of the phone was turning into a puddle of melting plastic before it burst into flames with more sparks and a minor explosion inside the oven.

"And we're out of here!" Emma stated, returning to the table and finishing her glass of juice with a one big gulp, standing. "Thanks for the breakfast. This was nice. Let's do it again some times."

Jane stared at her gawping, glancing over her shoulder at the microwave that beeped. One well-done and crispy mobile phone ready! "W-what? What just happened? That was my phone! You couldn't just turn it off?"

"You can never be too safe."

Certain cautiousness filled Loki. "What is it?"

"My wild guess is that SHIELD will be here in… about 30 minutes if they registered her phone's signal. We need to go. Right now!"

"Oh shit!" Logan grunted, stuffing the scraps of toast into his mouth and getting up. They needed to borrow a car to get away from there and fast. "Those of you who don't want to stay here chatting with the agents follow me!"

Thor got up. "I think Emma is right. They can find anyone with those Midgardian magic contraptions. Tony Stark showed me how it works."

Jane stood still when people around were already moving out from the kitchen following Logan. "I'm sorry. I didn't do it on purpose," she said nervously, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"It is all right, Jane," Thor promised with a gentle smile, his hand on her back, propelling her to follow the others.

"No. It is not all right, Jane," Loki murmured, a darker undertone in his voice, shooting her a glare under his brows, which made Jane more troubled.

Emma registered that remark and scooped Loki's hand in hers as they walked side by side. "Let's not get into crazy vikings now, okay?"

Rolling his wheelchair in the main hall, Charles Xavier got the whole group stopping in front of him. "Leaving so soon, Logan?" the old professor asked with a small smile. "I see that your pack has gained a couple new members," he added, greeting Thor and Jane with a friendly nod.

"Yeah, I'm afraid you might get some visitors from SHIELD soon, Charles," Logan said with repentance.

"Don't worry. It is nothing I can't handle," Charles assured. "Go to the hangar and take the jet. If they ask I'll say that you stole it."

Logan puckered his forehead. "You know damn well I can't fly it."

"No," Charles admitted and turned at Emma, "but she can."

"What?" Emma felt like all eyes were on her and she glanced at Logan and then at Charles again. "I can?"

Charles drove his chair closer to her and she took a few steps backwards. "Trust me, Emma. Keep it open minded and you can accomplish anything. I feel regretful that I failed you to feel secure on your first stay here with us," he said like there would have been a deeper meaning behind those words.

Emma clasped her hands together. "It's okay. And I feel bad about the things I said to you. I don't think clearly when I'm nervous. I'm sorry for the way I behaved last night."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. Please, remember that you are always welcome back here."

"Thank you, Professor Xavier."

Charles's gaze turned to Loki by her side. Their nightly discussion had been quite interesting and enlightening for both of them. "Loki, I still encourage you to remain on the path you've chosen even if that path may lead you through the darkness. I can only wish you good luck for finding what you are searching for, my friend," Charles said to the dark Asgardian and offered his hand. "I can guide you to the Tesseract but from there on you are on your own."

Loki stepped closer and shook hands with the old man. "Thank you, Charles. I do hope that our stay here will not cause you and your students too much trouble with the SHIELD. Very gifted and delightful young ones you have here to shepherd."

Emma and Logan exchanged glances pondering what had happened between Charles and Loki since they seemed to come along a bit too well comparing for the last night.

"Go now, Logan. I wish we see again," Charles said, leaving goodbyes unsaid.

… …

"Wow! I honestly didn't know I can even get this airborne!" Emma exclaimed, thrilled, holding on from the jet's control wheel and pulling it, clicking a few buttons like a pro pilot. She felt the power of the engines below lifting the aircraft slowly off the ground.

"I thought Charles said you can fly this thing!" Logan barked, ridiculously alarmed, his fingers digging into his seat's armrests. He hated flying. He hated it even more when the pilot wasn't a real pilot at all.

The x-man's dark-silver jet had been stubbornly shaking like a rodeo-bull in the underground hangar, before Emma had managed to get comfortable with the controls. The guiding voice of Charles Xavier inside her head had given her some aiding and she had seeing it wiser to accept the unexpected help even it had freaked her out at first. That's what he had meant by asking her to trust him.

"Just give me a minute to get the hang of it!" she shouted back at Logan, concentrating hard with the controls and maneuvering the hovering jet out from the hangar. She knew how to fly a helicopter but this was very different, even the Quinjet had been way different to pilot than this jet.

"You are doing marvelously, my dear," Loki encouraged her in his own roguish way, enjoying of creating some emotional turbulence among the passengers. "Now try not to hit anything and get us all killed."

"You know what, Loki? I think I'll give that a try," Emma said in a monotone, her focus remaining on steadying the jet, and she managed to fly it out and in the open air.

The jet rose surprisingly smoothly above the treetops and the landscape of the X-mansion opened before their eyes.

Jane squeezed Thor's hand, sitting beside him, pondering what the hell was she doing on board. She shouldn't have ever come there. "So, where have you received your pilot training, Emma?" she asked, her voice shivering.

Emma grinned. "I have only received some training for flying a helicopter. But I'm a hell of a fast learner. I do have some experience of flying a jet, though. I've done it once. Piece of cake."

"Once?" Jane cried out, pulling her seatbelts tighter, pale and ready to hyperventilate. "You have flew only once?"

"I would not worry. I think Emma managed to pilot that air-vessel rather well," Thor had to hand it to her.

"Yeah, no thanks to you, Thor," Emma retorted gently. "You're sure to keep that hammer of yours in the overhead compartment during the whole flight."

Loki grinned, loving that newly found confidence of hers. "Yes, and as I recall the aircraft was lacking a rear hatch and all passengers dropped off in a mile height," he told, casting a significant glance at Jane and his brother.

"What?" Logan exclaimed, thinking more and more that this was a very big mistake.

"What is the matter, Logan? Are you scared to place your life in your daughter's hands?" Loki smirked. "I told you, you should have let me fly this aircraft."

"Shut up, Loki!" Logan growled, the knot tightening on the bottom of his stomach. "Look, Ems. Why don't you take us down? We'll take a car…"

Emma checked the meters and took the right heading towards the Mojave Desert, taking in all the guidance she was receiving from the old professor in the mental level. "It's all right, Logan. I can do this," she promised, feeling as high as the jet that was already reaching the sky, the adrenaline coursing through her veins. "I hear voices in my head. They are telling me what to do."

"What? Is it Charles?" Logan hoped, uneasily.

"Oh god! Oh my god! You hear voices? You are crazy?" Jane mumbled in panic, her stomach protesting the fly and she was cursing herself for tacking along with them.

"It's okay. We've got two gods on board. We'll be just fine," Emma promised, gazing at Loki who sat the closest to her. She placed her hand on the throttle levers, her eyes smiling at him, her heart throbbing with vast excitement. "You said once you enjoy speed, Trickster. Now, this baby goes supersonic. Are you ready?"

"I'm not ready!" Jane protested loudly from the back.

"Always," Loki smiled back to Emma, his soft voice and his smile like a promise to be there by her side, always. "Just fly, my Valkyrie."