Woo, chapter 10! After a monumental writer's block and endless stolen minutes on library computers, I have squeezed out this chapter in the hopes it will tide you over until I can *think* again.

"I want a pony." Nala called from the living room.

"Don't you already have three?" Loki replied from the kitchen, where he was building his own sandwich: nutella, popcorn, ham, cheese, and mayonnaise.

"Yea but I want another." Nala's voice had taken on the higher pitch Loki associated with her kidding around.

"So get another." Loki pressed the two slices of bread together, running his finger around the perimeter of the sandwich to stop any mayonnaise and nutella from leaking out. They had already finished that morning's chores and were relaxing for the afternoon. Dark gray clouds had gathered in the morning and now a light drizzle misted the windows of the house. Loki walked back to the living room, his concoction on a plate and a glass of sprite in his hand. Nala wrinkled her nose.

"Asgardians certainly have interesting taste buds." she grimaced as Loki took a huge bite, a kernel of popcorn falling out as he did so. "What do you normally eat on Asgard?" she asked, leaning against the armrest with a huff.

Loki chuckled. "One day, Nala Monroe, you shall taste for yourself." he tossed the popcorn in the air and caught it playfully in his mouth. Nala smiled as she stared off into space.

"What was your favorite food?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest. Loki paused mid-bite as he contemplated the question. So deceptively simple, yet it made him think. Loki generally didn't dwell on such simple matters, preferring to occupy his mind with higher order thoughts.

"Honey nut cakes." He finally decided, remembering the heaping slices of the crispy dessert, drowned in honey cream and heaped with lingonberries, that seemed to melt on his tongue. Loki had always had a bit of a sweet-tooth, stealing pastries from the palace kitchens and splitting them with his brother in secluded corners.

"What do they taste like?" Nala pressed.

"Valhalla." Loki replied with a hint of amusement.

"What does Valhalla taste like?"

"Nutella." Loki took another bite of his sandwich, licking the accumulation of hazelnut spread from his lips. Nala smirked. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, Loki finishing his sandwich and Nala lost in thought. They traveled back to when she first hit him with her car. When she first found out who he was, how much she wished she had killed him then and there. Did she still wish the same now?

"How much longer do you think you'll stay?" she asked suddenly, sitting upright. Loki frowned. He hadn't given it much thought. Already, during the short week and a half he had been here, it seemed more like home then Asgard. His position, precarious in the beginning, had solidified into something more. He hadn't anticipated her asking this question because he didn't think she had to. He was tempted to avoid the question entirely, but he knew that Nala would bring it up again, and she wouldn't let it go. She would've pressed the matter more if the doorbell hadn't rung.

Nala bolted upright, chucking a pillow at Loki before adjusting her shirt and calmly walking to the door. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Ms. Monroe." Phil Coulson. That bastard.

"Mr. Coulson." Nala replied in an equally bored tone. She prayed that Loki had gotten out of the living room and hid somewhere Coulson wouldn't see him.

"This time we aren't playing around. Where is Loki?" His tone was even and smooth, almost friendly if Nala hadn't picked up on the subtle urgency and demanding quality of it.

"Loki? The guy that invaded New York?" Nala feigned ignorance, and hoped that three years of acting classes at high school had helped.

"Yes. We know he's in this general area, have you seen him or are you currently in contact with him." Dammit. He knows.

"No, I haven't. I think I would notice if a god was walking around my house." she replied, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"We have sources that inform us that he is mortal. That being said, he is still very dangerous." Somewhat taken aback by the fact that Loki was now mortal, Nala tried to mask her surprise with mild concern, but the back of her mind whispered he lied to you.

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