"Y/N," Loki smiled as you walked up to him, wearing a blue evening gown. "You look beautiful."

"I could say the same about you," you smiled, bowing to him. "Enjoying the festivities?"

"I would rather find a quiet place with you," Loki dipped his head, a heat creeping up your cheeks. "Besides, this celebration is for you because my personal guard."

"I feel like I've always been your personal guard," you laughed. "Not much changes."

"Doesn't it," Loki took your hand and pulled you away from the party. He took you behind a pillar and kissed you. The kiss deepened and you wrapped your arms around his neck, flushing your body against his. "There's something I have to ask you."

"What is it?" he pulled away from you slightly, taking you hands into his.

"I would you do if I asked if-"

"There she is," Thor came up and slapped Loki on the back, causing him to stumble towards you.

"Hi Thor," you caught Loki and pulled away to give Thor a hug. "Thank you."

"Now you really are is personal guard," Thor patted you on the back and pulled away.

"We were in the middle of something, brother," Loki put a hand on the small of your back, and glared at Thor.

"Don't be mean," you kissed Loki on the cheek, a smile forming on his face. "What did you need to take to me about?"

"It can wait," Loki gave you a quick kiss, and started guiding you to the dancefloor. "I think it's time for a dance."

You brain pulsed in your skull as your eyes fluttered opened. You looked around to see that you were in a hospital, monitors beeping and the artificial lights flickering. You began to stretch your body and hissed at the pain in you stomach.

"Y/N," you turned to see Loki sitting up, dark circles under his eyes.

"Hello there," you smiled and Loki's eyes glistened with tears. "Don't cry."

"I'll cry if I want to," Loki laughed and took your unbandaged hand and kissed the knuckles. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a train," Loki helped you sit up. "Where are we?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D." Loki sat on the edge of your bed. "You've been out for almost a week."

"What happened," you asked, Loki grabbed a cup of water and had you drink.

"When Thor and I got to Asgard I asked Heimdall to keep an eye on you," Loki began. "It took more time than I wanted, but we worked it out with Father that he would rescind your banishment. But then there was another matter to attention to."

"What matter," you asked awhile Loki refilled the cup and brought it back to your lips.

"That can wait," Loki reassured before continuing. "We had planned to come home the next day, but Heimdall alerted us that you had been kidnapped and he lost track of you. He said that once you were rendered unconscious, someone turned on a device and he couldn't see you anymore. We came back as fast as we could and met up with the rest of the Avengers."

"How did you find me," you asked, breaking from drinking for a moment.

"Your necklace," Loki played with the necklace he had given you in Cairo around your neck. "I had Stark fit it with a tracking device in case you bolted again."

"My very own stalker," you laughed.

"I can live with that," Loki chuckled before continuing. "Once we got you location, we came knocking on the front door."

"I heard," you nodded for Loki that you finished drinking.

"You can imagine how scared I was to see you stumble out the way you did," Loki's eyes glazed over as he remembered the day.

"Hey," you broke him away from his thoughts, your free hand holding his cheek. "I'm okay."

"You were unconscious for a week," Loki leaned his head against your shoulder, using his hands on either side of you to keep him balance. "I was terrified you wouldn't wake. I can't lose you, Y/N. Not again."

You held Loki as best as you could while he cried, soothing him that you were okay and that you were there and that you and the baby. . .

"Is the baby okay," fear racked you mind realizing how severe you wounds were. Your breathing began uneven as you started to panic.

"It's fine. It's fine," Loki pulled away to calm you down. "No miscarriage and the doctors confirmed that you're still pregnant."

Loki helped you take a few deep breathes and a nurse came in and got the doctor. They gave you a quick check up and informed you of the surgery you had to undergo.

"You should have known to keep the knife in the wound for best chances of survival," the doctor lectured.

"Unfortunately I had to return the blade to his owner," you answered and the doctor quickly stopped the lecture to let you know that you would be spending a few days there to make sure that you were fit to go home.

"We'll inform Director Fury and the rest of the Avengers."

"Thank you," you nodded and the doctor left.

"Your. . ." the nurse began and gestured to Loki, not knowing how to refer to him.

"Husband," you joked and you noticed Loki smiling.

"Your husband," the nurse nodded before continuing. "Was by your side the second you came out of the Operating Room. One of his first questions was about the fetus."

"That's enough," Loki laughed and ushered the nurse out the door.

"I'm just saying," the nurse stopped in the doorway, giving you a wink. "He's a keeper."

"He is," you smiled to yourself and watched him turn about to you, trying to hide his embarrassment.

Natasha was the first one in the room, followed by the rest of Avengers, Fury bringing up the rear. After reassurance that you were okay you told them everything that happened with Ahmed and what happened in Cairo in 1989.

"You helped Ahmed Jobrani," Nick seemed almost surprised at your story. "We've had our eyes on his organization for years."

"He was kid who was getting beat," you shrugged, wincing at the pain in your shoulder. "Couldn't help it. Ended up talking with the boss and made a deal to not fuck with any of the kids in their territory. Once they were adults, then free game, but let kids be kids."

"What kind of deal?" Fury asked.

"Paid the kids protections fees plus extra to not drag the parents into shit involuntarily," you explained. "Got the transcripts somewhere. The boss ended the deal in the early 2000's. I'll give you a copy."

"Why did the deal end," Bruce asked.

"Boss was retiring and since the organization went more legit than when they were just gangsters, he felt like it wasn't necessary," you explained. "Good guy. Bad past."

"Like most people," Natasha agreed. "How did you know if they were upholding their end of the bargain?"

"Some families back in Europe know about me," you began. "In the first few centuries I spent there, I helped some families and told them about me. Some families betrayed me but a few pledge their loyalty. I keep in touch with a couple of families, but most either didn't tell their kids about me, like I was just a tall tale, or their descendants pull some shit and lost my trust. There was a family in Cairo that I had known since the Ottoman Empire and whenever I went there, they offered their home to me."

"Why didn't you visit them when were went there?" Steve asked. "We would have loved to have met them."

"There wasn't a lot of time," you told him. "Plus, showing up with members of the Avengers would just overwhelm them."

"Are there families in the Americas that know about you?" Fury asked.

"A couple," you nodded. "There was a family that let me tag along when they first came to America that I'll see at family events. Though I'm the distant cousin or aunt for the ones not in the know. I went to Germany with one fella and made sure he got home. I still talk with his kids sometimes, may he rest in peace. I could probably count on one hand the families that truly know my secret."

"We're going to need names," Fury said, heading to the door.

"As long as they stay safe," you nodded.

"Learn something new everyday," Clint joked.

After awhile the nurse came and told everyone that visiting hours are over.

"The husband can stay though," nurse nodded to Loki and you saw his face turn slightly pink.

"Husband?" Bruce looked between you and Loki.

"See you guys tomorrow," Natasha gave you a quick hug and started pushing people out the door. You and Loki laughed, and you winced at the pain.

"I get you a cot," the nurse told Loki and walked out the door.

"Why didn't you get one sooner," you asked Loki as he sat in the chair he was in when you woke up.

"I couldn't sleep," Loki took your hand, rubbing the knuckles.

"I can tell," you pulled his hand towards you. "I want to cuddle."

"You're hurt, Loki stood as you shifted over to make room for him to sit behind you.

"I want to cuddle," you used a whiny voice and pull him towards you. "Now."

"If my wife says so," Loki laughed and sat on the bed, pulling you into his arms.

"I do say so," you smiled, breathing in his scent. He smelled clean and you were so glad he wasn't wearing any perfumes or colognes. "Everything is turning out okay, right?"

"I would say so," Loki kissed you on the head. "Once you're recovered, we can go to Asgard."

"Shhh. You're ruining the mood," you leaned you head back against Loki's chest, looking up at him.

Loki was silent as the nurse came back with a simple cot and sheets and left.

"Well," Loki adjusted himself and he took his hand to grab something. "Let me bring back the mood."

"I don't think I'm healed enough to handle what you have in mind," you laughed, kissing the arm that was around your chest.

"Get your head out of the gutter," Loki laughed and wrapped his other arm around you again. "I mean this."

In his hand was a small black box. He used his thumb and flicked it open to reveal a silver ring. The design looked similar to the necklace as the Celtic knot, enclosed around an emerald with an Ascher cut. You saw something written inside the ring the took it out to read what it said.

"til tidenes ende"
("to the end of time")

"So," Loki cleared his throat, you could hear his rapid heartbeat. "I've been meaning to ask you something for a long, long time. . ."

"And what would that be," you smiled, looking up at him, clearly nervous.

"Will you marry me," Loki whispered, taking the ring into his hand. You offer him your hand and he slipped it onto your ring finger.

"Of course," you turn around to face Loki, taking it slow to not reopen your wound, and kissed him.

You move your legs so you could straddle his lap and wrapped your arms around him as you deepened the kiss. Loki's hands held your hips, you could feel his excitement underneath yours. Loki move his attention to your neck, you sighed with pleasure until he bit your shoulder. It wasn't hard, but it was sensitive after having a bullet removed from it. You hissed from the pain and immediately Loki stopped and looked at you with concern.

"I didn't say stop," you leaned down and started teasing his neck, his member stiffening up again.

"I'm going to have to say no then," Loki pulled you away gently and shifted out of bed, helping you to lay back down. "We'll have plenty of time together later."

"I'll take that as a promise," you were slightly disappointed, but couldn't argue.

"Of course my love," Loki gave you a quick kiss and turned to set up the cot.