Hey there lovies! How's everyone's lives going? I'm fairly happy to present this chapter to you. Life has been a bit crazy for me. My grandma had passed less than a week ago. Rather than letting it debilitate me, I'd like to use her memory and flare for all things creative to inspire me. Excuse me if I'm bringing anybody down. Side note, I keep checking out my summary for Show Me Love. Looks a little boring, don't ya think? If anyone has an idea for something better, feel free to DM me with suggestions.

ALilSweetNSour, I'm so happy you're hooked! I think Loki and Erin are pretty cute as well. :)

Sparkel, I really don't know where the ideas for characters come from. Anna seems like a suitable balance for Erin without being too similar or different. No one is one dimensional though. I would like to have more interactions between her and Loki though because isn't pain needed? It's beautiful to write about when done properly, and I hope to deliver. :)

Well, here it is, guys! I hope to share more soon. I love you all! RinFox out B)

The skies were clear and blue, with a cool and gentle breeze that came in through an open window and caressed the form of a sleeping woman. Awaking, she turned to the love of her life, sleeping soundly next to her. She ran her hand over his chest, bringing her lips to his warm skin and laying kisses over his chest. "Good morning," her voice was low and sultry, her hands running seductively over her lover's body. He stirred only slightly, letting out a sigh of content at the feel of her hands. She slid lower, bringing one hand to rest on his stiff erection, grasping firmly. He let out a groaned at the welcome contact as she move her hand in rhythmic motions up and down, eventually pumping faster and faster. The man, now stirred into consciousness, was thrusting his hips into her hand, aching for more of her. She slowed to a stop, causing a strangled groan to slip from his lips.

"You're not being very fair." He pouted at her, his hand running over her naked body.

She smirked at him, her hair falling in front of her face as she lifted herself to straddle her lover, positioning him at her entrance. "This isn't fair," she asked as she slowly lowered herself onto him, tossing her head back and letting out a low breathy moan. He joined in with her, his hands grabbing her rear as she took all of him inside of her.

"Well, it certainly is a good morning," he commented with a smirk as she rocked her hips on top of him. Building up speed, the woman continued to pump her body, lifting her completely off of him before taking him in again completely, each thrust releasing a more powerful moan before it grew into a cry for more.

Her lover had her rear in a vice grip, guiding her as his own thrusts grew more aggressive. He could tell she was close to cumming, he could always tell when she was close. Feeling her walls tighten around him, he came inside of her, feeling the rush of adrenaline coursing through him from his release and faintly hearing her cry out as she collapsed on top of him.

The woman smiled into his chest, kissing his sweaty flesh. They lay like that for a few minutes, enjoying their shared orgasm. "Ready for round two?"

He lifted himself up and kissed her heatedly, his fingers twisting in her hair before using them to pull her away and bend her towards the top of the bed. Gripping her ass again, he positioned himself at her entrance once more, her heat dripping with a mix of both their juices. He pushed himself inside her, smirking when she called out his name.

Loki's body ached. It ached from the the cold morning air that quickly settled into his bones. It ached from the unnatural position it was forced to endure throughout the night - his torso twisted onto the side while his long legs stretched before him, his knees and calves unsupported and the muscles pulling at his body uncomfortably. His arm ached of pins and needles from supporting his head, and his eyes ached from the daylight threatening to burn his pupils if he dared open them. He would have moved, if it had not been for the warm body resting soundly next to his. Just when he thought he could continue to ignore the silent screams of his body, a shrill noise pummelled his aching ears, and then a leg struck him, causing his hand to rub at his now aching face.

He opened his eyes slowly, fighting the tears as he clutched at his nose in pain. Next to him was a leg, the warmth that he had clung to throughout the night, the warmth that had betrayed him by kneeing him in the bridge of the nose. Above him higher up on the bed, Erin scrambled to silence the angry sound coming from her phone, effectively dismissing it after several attempts. She then sunk back into her pillows, he face burying into them. Loki noticed her hair was uncharacteristically wild compared to most days that she had flattened it out with her odd hair flattening tools. He thought he quite liked it. Turning to the face the ceiling, Loki tried falling back into a half conscious sleep, glad to dream about happy things, until one of the "things" in question shot up from her place on the bed, suddenly frantic.

Erin rubbed at her eyes furiously before noticing the man laying at the foot of her bed in the same spot he was in as last night before she fell asleep. "Loki," she started, her voice rough and startled, "what are you doing? Did you fall asleep here last night?" She didn't even allow him the time to answer because a stronger question plagued her mind, "What's today?" She picked up her phone once again, squinting at the bright screen, "February, 24th… Saturday… Oh, fuck!"

Like a bat out of hell, the woman leaped from her bed and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Loki observed her abnormal behavior with more than a little concern. He could hear her rushed movements inside the bathroom as she opened cabinets and emptied objects into the sink. Rising from the bed and stretching his strained muscles, he followed Erin's path to the bathroom, stopping outside of the door. "Darling, is something wrong?" he asked, his voice smooth and tone relaxed, attempting to let it have that effect on the woman on the other side of the door. Erin opened the door abruptly, causing Loki to take a step back.

With a toothbrush dangling from her wet lips, she informed him in a tight voice, "My nephew - today is his birthday." Seeing that he required more of an explanation, she continued, "I got an invitation to his party today by my brother, but I haven't seen him since my nephew was born and before that it was even longer. I told myself I would go even though my brother and I haven't spoken in a long time, but now I overslept and I have to hurry or else I'll be late."

Loki nodded slowly, trying to understand.

Erin resumed scrubbing at her teeth, turning to the mirror above the sink and taking in her appearance. She groaned, using her fingers to attempt to comb out the tangles in her hair, "I guess I'll have to make do."

Loki continued standing outside the bathroom, shifting his weight to either foot, unsure of what he could do for the distressed woman. He was surprised at the selfless nature that had befallen him because of this woman, and when she suddenly turned to him, her eyes big and pleading and surrounded by her fiery locks, he knew that there was nothing in this realm or the next that he could not and would not deny her.

"Would you… would you come with me? I could really use someone to be there with me." she tugged at her lip slightly with her teeth, afraid that her need was too much to ask for from the god.

Loki nodded, attempting to throw off his eagerness to go with her with a small joke, "Anything would be better than spending the day alone in this house." The statement was delivered dry and was partially a lie because he knew that a day alone in this place would easily be doable if it was with her. Loki could see a grateful smile stretch her lips across her face and she wrapped her small arms around his middle, squeezing tightly, "Thank you so much." Loki could only respond by placing his own arms around her lightly, physical contact like this still foreign to him.

Pulling away, Erin turned back to her reflection, continuing her preparation, her smile now slight but still present.

Thirty minutes later, Loki found himself dressed in his black trousers and an emerald green sweater that Erin had bought him a week ago, proudly presenting it as if she had made it herself. This weather had been surprisingly cold lately and Loki discovered that he wasn't as immune to the chill the longer he was on Earth.

Erin had been rushing from bathroom to bedroom, hopping as she continued to move while pulling on her black tights and boots. She soon emerged from her bedroom, dressed in an oversized off white sweater that just covered her bum bum and was mere inches away from meeting her blacks boots that just covered her knees. Loki took her in, firmly deciding that he adored the way her copper curls danced their way down her shoulder blades. Grabbing a darker beige scarf and peacoat, she grabbed her car keys and turned to Loki, "let's do this."

Making their way out to the car, Loki can already sense something was different in the girl. She sucked on the inside of her cheek and kept smoothing down her hair though there was no wind to ruffle it. She unlocked their doors and together they embarked on a two hour journey to her brother's home.

After an hour of driving down what Erin called a 'turnpike' with only the sound of her fingers drumming frantically on the wheel, Loki had to put an end to the madness. "Darling, you seem to be a bit nervous. Everything alright?"

"Aside from not having seen or talked to my brother in practically a year? Actually having to see and talk to him." She heaved a sigh at the irony of what she had said.

"Why go then? You don't seem seem to have a need for him."

"Loki, it's more than a need. He's my brother, and we're family."

Loki sneered, bitterness in his voice. "That doesn't mean anything."

Erin snuck a peek at Loki, sensing the tension radiating from the passenger seat. "Is that what you think about Thor?"

"That oaf is nothing to me than an obstacle in my way." Loki's voice was tight and angry, but it was only a thin layer barely masking the hurt that was threatening to escape him. "I don't need him anymore than he needs me." He felt that the words weren't true, and he knew that Erin could sense it as well, but Loki could not open up about it now, no matter how much he wanted to.

Although the topic of conversation wasn't very lighthearted, Erin found the talking calmed her slightly, especially feeling that it deflected from her current predicament. "I remember hearing once that you should not blame the son for the sins of the father. That's why I'm going to this party today, because my nephew is only a child and -" she paused, inhaling deeply, "- and my brother shouldn't be blamed for the sins of our mother." A heavy silence hung in between the two of them, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

Erin's hands were shaking slightly on the wheel and Loki, noticing her struggling with her warring emotions inside of her, hesitantly reached out for her hand. His fingers found hers and he pulled them into his lap, stroking her smooth skin with his thumb. She cleared her throat, trying to focus on the miles of road stretched out before her. "You know, just like I shouldn't condemn my brother or his son… maybe you shouldn't condemn Thor for the actions of Odin."

Loki did not respond. The person he was before would have never let another being - let alone a mortal - into his world as he had let her in. The Loki he was before would have shrugged her off and cursed her for not knowing her place. The Loki he was now, the Loki that she had helped him become, had let her words turn over in his head like changing tides and he now found himself questioning the person he once was.

The sky grew cloudy as Erin's beat up white Toyota pulled in front of a polished townhouse with freshly cut grass. Her brakes squealed as the car slowed to a stop and she placed it in park before turning the ignition off. Shaking her hands free of any nervous jitters, she mentally prepared herself for the next few hours she was about to endure.

Getting out of the car, they walked across the lawn to the front door, a silver banner with the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY was pinned neatly across the front. Erin smoothed out her clothes again before raising her fist to the door, hesitating.

"Hey, hey," Loki clasped her shoulder, "everything is going to be fine. You'll do great and your brother will be thrilled to see you." He rubbed her backed comfortingly before his hand settled on the small of it, "I'm right here, darling, you don't have to worry."

She smiled up at him, grateful for the support he offered. Mouthing a 'thank you' to him, she knocked on the door. After a few moments, a woman a little older than Erin answered. She was a little shorter, with brown hair falling flat on her shoulders, and green eyes free of makeup that shone behind her black rimmed glasses. Her face conveyed a look of surprise as she greeted her new guests. "Erin! Welcome, I didn't think you were going to come." She reached for the woman, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug.

"Hey, Erica. It's good to see you."

Erica pulled away, holding Erin at arms length to look her over, "You look great. Joey will be so excited to see you. Come inside." Leading them through the front door, the short woman guided them into the living room where there was a sizeable crowd conversing. Pulling them towards a man talking genially with an elderly woman, Erica caught his attention. "Sweety, come see who made it to the party."

The man, Joey, turned to face his sister. Loki had to admit, the two of them didn't look anything alike. Whereas Erin's skin was fair and freckled, her brother's was tanned so that it made his pale blue-green eyes stand out. His hair was short and combed back, with strands of gray running through his mostly black hair. He appeared shocked to find his sister standing before him.

"Hey, Joe." Erin managed a small wave, shifting her weight on her feet.

Not uttering a word, he pulled her against him, crushing her to his chest as he hugged her. Erin brinked back tears, telling herself not to cry as she returned his hug. Time seemed to stand still for them.

He pulled away, a warm smile on his lips, "I'm so happy you're here."

"Me too," she smiled, stepping away to stand next to Loki, "this is Sam. Sam, this is my brother, Joseph, and his wife, Erica."

Loki stepped forward, shaking Joseph's hand firmly, and awkwardly returned Erica's enthusiastic hug.

"We're very happy you could both make it today," Erica beamed at them, "it's been too long!"

"I know I'm sorry for that - it's been, uh, difficult to find the time." Erin stole a glance at Loki standing beside her, his hand ghosting over the small of her back - a silent reminder that he was there if she needed him.

"Well, you're here now and that's all that matters. Wyatt will be so excited to see you."

"Speaking of, where is he?"

Erica surveyed the living room, "I'm sure my mother has him somewhere, taking hundreds of photos. I'll go get him and be right back." She then disappeared into the crowd, leaving Erin and Loki with Joseph.

"So, um, is Mom here?"

Her brother was silent for a moment, his face serious, "She's been away for the past month or so. I don't know when she'll be back."

Erin rolled her eyes knowingly, disapoinment and anger flashing across her features briefly. "Do you really think she's gonna change?"

Joey sighed. "I don't know, but we have to hope. I want her to be there for my son."

"She wasn't there for us, Joey, what makes you think that she'd be there for him?"

"Erin, please, let's not talk about this now. Today is a special day," Joey squeezed her arm, "I'm so happy you're here."

Before Erin could say anything, Erica reappeared, an infant straddling her hip. "Guess who's here? She beamed at her son, pointing to Erin excitedly, "It's your Aunty Erin! Yes it is! She came all this way to see your handsome face!"

The little boy turned his large blue eyes on his Erin, his eyes wide with curiosity. Forgetting the conversation she had just shared with her brother, her eyes lit up at the sight of her nephew. She took him into his arms, smiling and cooing his name, "How's my little nephew? I missed you so much!" Wyatt, still taking in her appearance, reached out and touched her face, his little fingers grabbing at her nose and cheeks. She smiled at hm and allowed him to continue while she memorized his face. Her gaze broke briefly and she turned to her brother and his wife who were watching their son interact with his aunt. "Thank you guys, so much for having me here. I'm so happy to be here with you all."

A few hours into the party, Erin had long surrendered her nephew to the other eager women looking to see the boy, and searched for Loki, who had disappeared after he got caught in a long winded conversation with Erica's very talkative mother. It was starting to get pretty late and because they put Wyatt to bed, her mother was looking for anyone to focus her attention on. Loki happened to be the unlucky victim and once he saw the opportunity, Erin noticed he slipped out the sliding door and out into back yard. Erin followed him, eager to have a moment to herself as well.

She stepped out into the backyard, taking in the beautifully paved patio, the cobblestones cemented in an intricate pattern. An outdoor speaker was installed on the side of the house, playing gentle mood music to fit the ambiance of the party. She joined Loki, who was standing on the edge of the patio overlooking a clearing that was surrounded by tall, bare trees.

"Hey," she called softly, coming to stand beside him, "how are you enjoying yourself?"

"I must admit, I'm not really the type to be a part of gatherings such as this, but your brother seems like a good man with a good family," he glanced sideways at Erin, "I'm mostly happy I can be here for you."

"Thank you, by the way. I don't think I'd be able to do this without you."

Loki smiled, staring straight ahead, his fingers lightly brushing hers at his side. Only slightly could he feel her returning his simple caress.

"You asked about your mother." He felt her freeze. "Where is she?"

Erin was silent, raking her fingers through her hair. "Rehab. My mother has had many problems, and she felt that her children were not worth her cleaning up her act. She and I have never been close, but my brother still thinks that she can change. She'd likely change for him before me."

Loki didn't know what to say to that. He felt as though he and Erin were kindred spirits and had many similar experiences in their life that had caused them to grow so close, but Loki had loved Frigga with his whole being. She was the only person, now apart from Erin, who could truly understand him without judging the person he was. For Erin to not to not have a mother figure in her life had saddened him greatly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

She turned to him, smiling. "Sorry for what? I'm great, never needed her, never will." Her eyes glistened, the excess moisture threatening to spill onto her cold and reddened cheeks. She turned away, wiping at her eye.

His heart breaking, Loki grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, cradling her head to his chest. She stiffened under him in surprise, before wrapping her arms around his middle, squeezing desperately at the material of his sweater. Loki could feel her body shudder, from the cold or her emotions he couldn't tell, but true to his word he was there to comfort her. "Shh," he hushed her, his hand running over her back soothingly. After a few minutes, he could feel her breath deepen and she lifted her head to look into his eyes, a warmth to them that he had never had with anyone. His face was so close to hers that he could make out the flecks of gold reflecting in her brown eyes. Loki brought a hand to her cheek and ran his thumb over her cheek, wiping at a stray tear. She leaned into his palm, bringing her own hand up to cover his. They stayed like that for a long moment, before she pulled away. "We should get back to the party."

He nodded, allowing her to lead the way back inside.

As the party drew to a close and nearly everyone had left, Loki found himself standing next to Joe as Erin was talking to Erica across the room. He watched as she laughed with the other woman excitedly about something he could not hear.

"She's great. Always has been great, my sister." Joe commented. "She seems a lot happier though. I don't know if you have anything to do with that," he smirked. "You seem good for her; I hope you plan on sticking around for awhile."

Loki frowned, never before wondering of how long he would be able to stay with her. "I'll stay as long as she'll have me."

"Well, if that's the case, then there will be plenty of more opportunities for us to get better acquainted." Joe laughed, slapping Loki on the back happily.

Erin then made her way over to the two men, smiling at the undoubtedly awkward conversation that must have transpired between the two of them. "We should get going, it's a pretty long drive back home."

"Of course," Joey pulled Erin into another big hug, speaking into her ear, "It was great seeing you, please come back. Wyatt needs his aunt."

Erin nodded, pulling away, "I promise."

Joey smiled and extended a hand to Loki, shaking his hand. "Sam, feel free to come back as well. It's been a pleasure having you here today." Loki smiled in return and thanked them for their hospitality.

Erin and Loki soon climbed into their car and drove home. Most of the ride was silent like before, but this time there was no tension or discomfort, but relief and during the ride, their hands had found each other's and rested comfortably intertwined in between them.

Once they made it home, they got out of the car and staggered towards the door, Erin looping her arm around Loki's for additional support, longing for the comfort of her bed. "I can't wait to crawl under my covers tonight," she groaned, reaching to unlock the front door.

"I'm definitely in agreement with that, darling." Loki actually welcomed the stiff cushions and thin blankets.

Finally pushing the door open, she stepped in and began to take off her coat, "What do you say I get a movie tomorrow and make some popcorn?" she asked, searching for the light switch in the living room

"I wouldn't say -" Loki froze as the light filled the room, revealing a familiar figure seated in wait.

"Hello, brother."