Chapter 10

"Ember! You're late for school! Get up!"

Ember jolted out of her slumber in a panic. "What do you mean I'm late?!"

She ran to her room and hastily dressed and brushed her teeth and hair. When she came peeling back still slightly disheveled, Em was greeted by the sight of Niki and Loki sitting on the couch holding back laughter, watching her.

"What's so funny?"

The two on the couch lost it and broke into raucous laughter. "It's Saturday, silly," Niki said between gasps of laughter. "Plus there's, like, two feet of snow outside! I can't get in to work and there wouldn't be school even if it wasn't the weekend."

After a pause to digest this new information, Ember glared at her sister and 'guest', arms crossing over her chest. This just sent them into new fits of laughter.

"That wasn't funny," Ember said grumpily.

"Oh yes it was," Loki said, whipping his eyes. "Your reaction was better than Thor's when I told him he must dress as a bride to retrieve his hammer from the giants."

"You're so mean," Ember yelled. "I bet this was your idea!"

"Oh come on Ember," Niki said, sitting up. "It's all in good fun. Don't ruin it. Besides, it's a snow day! Let's go outside!"

The younger sister perked up immediately and ran back to her room to change into warmer cloths.

"Come on, Chilly Willy," Niki said, nudging Loki as she stood. "You too. We're gonna go have fun in the snow."

"I must pass on the invitation," he said settling further into the couch. "I derive no pleasure from frolicking in the cold."

Niki rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm. "Bull. Now come on Frosty. House rules if you won't come on your own. You must have fun." By this point she was smiling and tugging on his arm with all her might.

"I told you, I don't want to!"

"Too bad, now come." With a final heave she yanked him off the couch and went sprawling backwards, landing on her butt, Loki tumbling after her. "Get off me!"

"It's not my fault," he yelled back as he tried to avoid her flailing. "This is your own doing, I told you I didn't want to go!"

"Um, do you guys need help or privacy," came Embers voice from above them. They froze and looked up at her.

"Hah, in her wildest imaginings I'd assume," Loki said while he got up.

"You wish, Frozone," Niki replied, taking the offered hand and sticking her tongue out. "Now that you're up, go get that nice winter coat I bought you with Fury's money! We're going outside and having fun whether you like it or not."

Ten minutes and lots of yelling later, the three of them were outside, Niki and Ember engaged in a snowball fight while Loki stood by the (locked) door with his hands stuffed in his pockets and his face half hidden by a massive green scarf. Then came the errant snowball that caught him in the shoulder.

"Oops, sorry," Ember yelled from across the lawn.

With a face of disgust, Loki brushed off his arm. "You did that on purpose!"

"Payback for making me run around like crazy this morning!"

"That was your dear sister's idea, not mine!"

"Niki!"

The sister in question was doubled over in laughter. "This is far, far too easy!"

Two snowballs hit her in rapid succession knocking her to the ground. "Hey! No fair, I wasn't ready!"

"As she said," Loki grinned. "Payback."

The next ten to fifteen minutes were filled with Loki and Ember teaming up against Niki as they chased her about the lawn throwing snowballs at her. Really, it was rather unfair because Ember would chase her until she ran into the snow ambush Loki had prepared.

"Enough," Niki gasped sinking to her knees in the snow. "Two against one isn't fair. I'm done!"

Ember giggled, doubled over and panting from the chase. "You brought that on yourself sis."

"Not for that long!"

"You deserved it," Loki chuckled.

Niki groaned in defeat making the others laugh. Ember came up next to Loki and bumped him with her elbow. "We make a pretty good team, huh?...Uh, Loki? Um, why are you turning blue?"

There was a moment's pause before the sisters watched as Loki turned and ran back inside (the door having been unlocked by Niki while she was trying to get away but not quite succeeding). Quickly the two rushed after him, removing their boots at the back door and coats deposited on the rack. They were in time to hear receding footsteps and a door slam before everything was still and silent.

Niki and Ember shared a look before going to Loki's door. They didn't try to open it, guessing correctly that it was locked. Gently, Niki knocked while Ember pressed an ear to the door.

"Loki? You in there? Are you alright?"

Silence.

"Loki, nothing's wrong. Em was just asking a logical question, she didn't know."

"Wait, that means you did," Ember yelled turning to her older sister.

"Yeah sorry," Niki said wincing. "Fury told me and I forgot to tell you. Sorry."

"You're helpful," Ember said accusingly before addressing their upset guest. "I didn't mean to make you mad Loks. I didn't know."

"Come on Loki, open the door," Niki pleaded.

Still silence.

First Niki, then Ember sank to the floor on either side of the door, leaning against the walls of the hallway. The silence stretched on for what felt like hours. Occasionally the sisters thought they heard sniffling or something from the other side of the door but one look from Niki silenced any questions. It wouldn't help to ask the angry god in the next room if he was crying. Bad things would happen then.

Slowly, the sun outside began to set and still they remained in the hall, waiting for a word from the Norse deity on the other side.

Finally, Niki broke the silence. "You know, blue always was my favorite color."

The sound of the door unlocking had both sisters getting to their feet and slowly opening the door. Inside the room was dark but in the light from the setting sun they saw a figure huddled against the headboard, knees drawn up and his head resting on his arms. Carefully they approached, Niki walking to the other side of the bed before they both clambered up to sit next to their guest. Ember snuggled up close to him and wrapped her arms around his torso. Niki opted for just sitting there before gently taking his hand and holding them between her own occasionally rubbing his hand with her thumb. Again they sat in silence, no one making a sound except their quiet breathing.

"Loki," Ember finally said in a small voice. "Please don't be upset. I think it's kinda cool that you can turn blue. Niki always liked that color and I swear half her wardrobe is blue."

"Color is not the problem," came the quiet answer. "It is a reminder of what I really am."

"And what's that?" Niki asked still holding his hand. "A living legend? Someone once thought to be a mere myth who's actually a really person? A…"

"A frost giant," Loki growled, head snapping up to look at her. "A monster living up to his title. A thing of nightmares."

"No," Niki snapped back while Ember clung all the tighter to him. "You are NOT a monster. You are Loki. No one else can decide what you are besides yourself. So you've been dealt a tough hand. So what. Don't let the past own you. No one said you had to be a super villain and no one said you had to be just like the other frost giants. Also, you've been given so many chances that others would kill for! You were raised by a loving family, don't deny it! And now you're being given a second chance at life. Don't just throw that away."

There was another period of silence before Niki grasped the hand she was holding and yanked the moping deity off his bed. "Come one! Enough misery and self-pity. Let's go have some hot chocolate!"

Ember squealed with delight and ran off to fetch mugs and start the kettle while Niki kept her hold on the hand she had taken and guided her house guest into the living room. After making sure he was settled on the couch she started a fire in the fire place and draped a large blanket around Loki's shoulders. Soon Ember came back with three mugs of creamy hot chocolate and handed them out after Niki scolded her for carrying all three at once. The remainder of the evening was spent talking and sitting in companionable silence.

It was well past midnight when the fire died and the sister had fallen asleep; Ember sitting on the floor curled up against the Norse god's legs and Niki sitting next to him, her head on his shoulder.

Neither heard the quiet "thank you."