The storm was all but gone by the time Sophia went to school. She hoped that it would have been closed, but the only luck she ever had was bad luck.

All through the day, people had come up to her, congratulating the guy that was with her mom that had punched off her jerkoff of a dad, Loki. They asked her if he was her stepdad, to which she replied 'one day, maybe'.

DAY 18: 1548 HOURS

Bella leaned over and turned the tap off, "okay, you two, this is the third hose-fight I've broken up, the second with actual hoses!"

Both Loki and Sophia glared at her for a long time, leaning over the half-washed Impala on the street with twin looks on their faces which said it all.

Blast, spoiled again.

"You're mean," Sophia crossed her arms as her mother reeled in the hose. Loki chose not to say anything out of self-preservation.

She grabbed the trigger nozzle, "you pair, get back to work."

"Or what?" Loki arched an eyebrow.

Bella turned on the tap and squeezed the trigger, wetting them down with the high-pressure jet, "or this."

DAY 21: 20:30 HOURS

"Doors open, Thor!" She shouted just before the doorbell rung. He entered the house, looking very pretty in his Asgard clothes. She met him in the hall.

"How goes it?" he asked her. She merely mentioned with a finger for him to follow her, and she led him up the flight of stairs. She pushed open a door that was slightly ajar, just wide enough for them to hear everything that was going on inside.

"And I was hungry, so I ate it all, but Lough was, and probably still is a practical joker, and of course part fire demon, so he didn't just eat the meat. He ate the trough too, and if he wasn't Wildfire, he'd get wood chips in his teeth," Sophie laughed as Loki told her the story, "no need to say I lost, but what a ride, and besides, Wildfire's my best friend." He smiled and leaned back a little, "so, my pride stinging, I went over to check on Thor, who was busy trying to lift up this scraggly grey cat with one eye," Sophia kept laughing, knowing that the good bit was coming up, "and he falls ass over head. I am the kind of brother that is loving and supporting, and so I do what any kind, loving, supporting brother would," he paused, "and fell over laughing."

"Great moral support," Sophie sighed, and grinned at him, "keep going."

He crossed his arms, " I did warn him that the support would be amoral at best," his lips twitched into a scheming grin, "so anyway, Thor leaped up, claiming the whole thing was a farce and threatened to bash Utgardaloki's face in. He gave us a counter offer 'wrestle with Ellie, and you will be redeemed for these failures', and it hardly helped Thor's nerves that the woman that presented herself was some old, frail piece of leather with bones," he sighed, "and I being the voice of reason-."

"Quote unquote," Sophia interrupted him, but all he did was smile.

"I kept telling him that nothing was as it seemed around here, but he wouldn't listen."

"She beat him up, right?"

"Two words. Hulk. Smash, and believe me, I know Hulk Smash," he laughed himself, "and I think that was about when old Utgarda decided that he felt sorry for us and let us stay the night," he shook his head, "and so when we were getting ready to leave the next day, Utgarda came up to us and informed us quite jovially that the cat was the Midgard Serpent, Lough was fire, but that one I knew, and the old leather jacket was in fact old age. And Thor got angry again. He grabbed the hammer and whacked it down on Utgarda's head. But he had disappeared, and then so did the castle and we were back out in the woods. We both looked around, and I turned to Thor and said-."

"I knew we should have turned left," Thor smiled at his brother.

"Thor. What an unexpected opportunity for sibling bonding," Loki's face changed, resembling shock, and he turned to face Thor, "you remembered? You do realize that was over five hundred years ago."

"Of course I remember, Brother," Thor assured him, and he smiled, "I believe that was the most fun questing I have ever had."

"Goodnight, Loki," Sophia whispered to him.

He stroked her hair and smiled, "sweet dreams, little one." He left the room with a small nod to his brother.

"You sure can tell a good story," Bella put her hands on her hips, "you really should write them down."

"I had to learn something over the last thousand odd years," he replied blankly, "as I failed the 'alien invasion class', as Sophia puts it."

Bella couldn't help but smile back, "what are you gonna do now?"

"Basement. I'm sure I can find something to make."

"Please, I don't need any more presents," Bella sighed, "I mean, what am I gonna do with that throne, or that massive writing desk?"

"Sell them on E-Bay for all I care," Loki shrugged, "at least you'll get the cost of the materials back." He walked casually down the stairs, "evening."

As soon as Loki was out of earshot, Thor spoke again, "What did you do to him?"

"I really have no idea," Bella shrugged, "it's not like I even did much but offer him a hand to hold."

Thor nodded, "never underestimate friendship."

She offered him a seat in the darkened lounge and she sat beside him, "His attitude has definitely improved, though," she continued, "no broken crockery, no demands. In fact, he is always the first to offer help, and he's fixed a lot of shit around here. A few days ago, he and Soph had a hose-fight washing my car," she smiled wryly, "several."

Thor nodded, slightly confused, "it is good to hear that some improvement has been made."

"There's still a lot of shit under the surface, believe me," Bella said, "he's dead scared of heights and storms, I believe he's still scared that you'll grab him by the neck and throw him into a rocky outcrop in the middle of Germany."

Thor decided against saying anything. The only way Bella would know that is if Loki had told her, and while he was doing the wrong things for the right reasons, it was the only option he saw at the time. He had beat his brains out over it ever since.

"He trusts me, for some strange reason," she seemed to read his mind, "and for this to work; he needs someone that he can trust someone honest, not judgmental. In other words, the only reason he would go to Odin's funeral would be to make sure he's dead. He still loves you, but he's scared of you. Every time it storms, he curls up next to me and just hugs me. I guess I give off the wide-shoulder vibe."

Thor bit his lip, "I had no idea . . ." he trailed off, "I have to apologize . . . "

"No. These scars need a little more time to heal."

"I understand," he said.

"Do you?" Bella asked, "do you, Asgardian?"