Chapter 9

Maria stirred from her dreams, her brown furrowing before she'd even open her eyes. "Ow." Her hand lazily trailed to her head and her fingers sleepily brushed over her forehead, tracing lightly around the thin cut above her eye. She groaned and slapped her hand down again.

Finally she stopped fighting the heaviness that tugged on her eyelids, and surrendered to the comforting warmth that embraced her body. She wriggled her hips and rolled her shoulders, slipping her hand under her cheek as she set her head down to sleep again. Why couldn't she always sleep like this? It was wonderful! She didn't know what it was that warmed her like this but she didn't care. It was just so...comforting. Like being in a hot bath, or hugging a hot water bottle. It tingled at her hips and waist and back, at her front, at the side of her neck, as if the very air itself was heated up just for her. She revelled in it.

Smiling groggily, she trailed her hand down her body, searching for the particularly focussed heat at her waist, longing to delve her fingers in the warmth. Her fingertips touched skin - and she froze.

Her eyes snapped open staring widely ahead at the living room in front of her. Her mind was static with panic, her body going numb. Mouth slipping open in dread, her fingers finally found enough courage to explore. Her hand lightly traced around her waist - but it wasn't her skin she was touching. Her hand flattened tentatively over a long, thick bulge draped across her waist, it's heat enflaming the skin at her side. Her bare side, she realised with horror, finding her nightshirt crinkled up at her ribcage.

A small, frightened squeak escaped her lips.

Suddenly she became very conscious of the heat over her front and beneath her palm. Terrified, she lifted her head from her hand, and crept her eyes upwards.

Words failed her as she stared up at Thor's sleeping face.

The god was sprawled over the couch, head propped up on the arm rest, with Maria's body stretched over his, his arm wound protectively around her waist. Maria hardly dared move for the petrifying fear of waking him, frozen in position, curled up on Thor's chest.

She snatched her hand away from above his heart as he inhaled a deep slumbering breath.

Oh my God, Maria screamed in her head. Her alarm only grew when she glanced down and realised that Thor didn't just have his arm around her waist, but his palm was flattened against her exposed, flat stomach. Even in his sleep, his grip was firm. There was no way she was getting out of that unnoticed!

She was too shocked for even tears. She hovered in place, her head peeled away from the god beneath her. Her hand trembled over Thor's, pressed possessively at her middle, as if she could levitate his palm away from her skin.

Her brain started swearing when the arm tightened. Her eyes shot to his face, eyes so wide it hurt as she watched him stir. Oh God, her mouth formed soundlessly, oh dear God! His head tilted back against the couch, arching his neck so his adams apple stood out boldly. He groaned, and the sound reverberated through his chest, rumbling deeply beneath Maria.

She couldn't bring herself to move. Not that she could if she wanted to; Thor's arm at her waist locked her body to his, even when the rest of his stretched out, his body arching from the couch, his hand moving up her warm back as he stretched his tricep, hugging her tighter to him than before. Finally, he slumped limply in the couch and stilled.

Maria released a long held breath, praying it was over.

Then Thor's head lifted and she instantly found his bright blue eyes, squinting with sleep. He blinked at her a few times, Maria just gaping at him, horrified.

Something in her snapped: the god awake at last, Maria tore herself from him frantically, scrabbling away as if he were going to kill her. She clawed at his arm - which even though he was awake and sitting upright himself his arm seemed attached to her waist. Maria consciously shoved at her shirt, tugging it down to her mid thighs hysterically.

"Maria."

She caught Thor's hands moving forward to her and she panicked, leaning back sharply - far too much to keep her balance! Her gaze met Thor's, just an instant before Maria overbalanced and rolled backwards over the edge of the couch.

A high pitched yelp accompanied the thud.

"Maria!"

Thor was alert. He was most definitely awake now! He slipped from the couch and rushed to the end of the couch, gazing down at the gap between the couch and the wall with concern: Maria was a tangle of shirt and hair and legs.

She continued to struggle with herself and Thor kept his distance, watching her carefully until she righted herself and flipped her hair back from her face. Her eyes found him in an instant, holding with a steadiness that didn't match her swaying body. Her hands gripped the couch's back to hold herself upright.

"Are you alright?" Thor asked, stepping forward.

Maria scrambled back, her eyes as wild as her hair. "What happened?" she half screamed. "What the -" she gasped breathlessly. "- on the - we -" she ripped her hands through her hair in frustration.

Thor stood by silently, letting Maria rave freely. His frown was etched firmly on his face. He had no idea what it was that had Maria so distressed, but she wasn't angry and she wasn't scared, so he was satisfied it was nothing he needed to be too concerned with. Perhaps, he thought considerately, she was remembering last night. Maybe she's embarrassed, he thought; after all, he had coaxed out of her worst fear.

But the more he watched her, the more uncertain he became and his furrowed brow deepened. His mind jerked back to when he'd first met Maria, when he'd first started having to decipher her actions and personality, and he cursed women for being so complicated.

"Jesus." Maria finally sighed, stilling her hands at her sides at last. Her eyes lifted to the god. "What happened last night?"

Thor cocked his head to the side, confused. She didn't remember? How could she not remember something as traumatic as what happened lat night? "You... don't remember?" he phrased carefully, making sure he was understanding her right. She bobbed her head affirmatively. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Your brother-"

"No, not that!" she shrieked, Thor glimpsing her hysteria again. "After that! After he'd gone, after you'd sorted the cut-" her hand waved up to her head.

She doubled over and lost her hands in her hair. Her mind was scattered. Finally she snapped upright again, eyes drilling over Thor. Trousers, she thought, eyes rolling back in her head in relief, he's wearing trousers. Thank God! That was a good sign. Her eyes travelled northwards and met the hem of his black short sleeved shirt. Her knees almost buckled.

Her hands wound round to cover her eyes. "Oh my God." she breathed. Nothing can have happened if he was fully clothed, she reasoned reassuringly.

Still, a voice persisted in her head, you were asleep together on the couch with you in a shabby man shirt - that was ridden up way high with his arm filling the gap! That's not normal!

Maria took a deep breath. "Right." she tried to keep her voice steady. "Three questions. One: why were you sleeping on the couch? Two: why was I there with you?" her voice squeaked slightly at the last note, and she cleared her throat awkwardly. "Three: what day is it?"

Thor's frown eased slightly, relieved that Maria seemed to have found her senses again. "I can only answer two of those." he said slowly and calmly, as if worried he might set her off again. "Back in my world we do not name our days like you do here, so I do not know what today would be called."

Maria ran her hand over her mouth nervously. "And the other two questions?"

"You were distressed." Thor explained carefully, easing closer. Thankfully, Maria didn't back away this time. "You were injured and distressed. I promised I wouldn't leave you." He gulped, his throat suddenly ridiculously dry. His heart thronged boldly in his chest. "I kept my promise."

Thor watched nervously, as the fire in Maria's eyes lessened to a smoulder, but burned into his just as powerfully. Just a different sort of power. A gentler, more intimate power. One that made the breath catch in Thor's throat as he watched her; her meaningful blinking brown eyes amongst her wild shock of her, her slender body dressed in the huge shirt that hung off her shoulders and fell to her thighs, her shapely legs gracefully crossed ... words could not describe how adorable she was to him at that moment. His mouth opened uselessly. He'd heard of angels before in this world. Maria was more wonderful than them all, he decided.

She wrenched him from his thoughts as she advanced a step. "You... you stayed with me? Just for that? Because you made a promise?"

"I stayed." he nodded nervously, his chest feeling tight, as if his usual breaths of air were no longer enough. "You were distraught... I couldn't leave you like that. I couldn't leave you alone."

His eyes locked with hers as she drew to a halt in front of him, trying to read her gaze. It was useless.

Maria's lips parted and she drew in a shuddering breath.