A/N: THIS ISN'T ACTUALLY A NEW CHAPTER! I messed up big time. I forgot to post the real chapter 6 so I just now added it in. It's supposed to be between the chapters titled "Amendments" and "Insults". I'm really sorry about that. Sheesh. So, it should all be good now. I have no idea how this happened as I usually post chapters right after I finish writing and editing them. My bad. Thanks for your understanding. :P

"Has she settled in without issue?" Loki asked Romanoff as he tucked away a few papers, tired of his work for the day and setting it aside at a good stopping point.

"If you mean Her Majesty, then yes. She's been unpacking and reading a book that she brought with her. There hasn't been a peep from her for hours and she hasn't left her rooms."

"Behaving herself. How boring," He stretched and then strode over to the door, "I'd say a visit is due, wouldn't you?"

"It's not up to me, but I think she needs time to get used to her surroundings," Natasha stated, arms crossed and no emotion on her face. Loki was noticing that was how it had been with this one. She never showed her feelings around him and she was always offering suggestions. Suggestions that he usually followed due to their logical nature. He wondered if the effects of the scepter were beginning to wear off and she was secretly trying to undermine him with these hints and tips.

"No," He decided, "She has had more than enough time to acquaint herself with the place. Why don't you go assist Barton with whatever he's up to?"

Romanoff nodded and wandered off. Loki watched her go with suspicion. She was acting the same as she always had these past six months, but how she'd always acted was stone faced and quiet. From what he'd seen of her before the scepter, she was always executing some plan or scheme. The question was, what was the plot this time and was it with mal intent toward him?

Problems for a later time, he decided as he headed toward the elevator. When he arrived at the door to Lusca's suite, he glanced at a nearby mirror and smirked. He ruffled his hair slightly and used magic to change into something more casual. He'd taken to wearing Midgardian suits recently, as they were a lot more comfortable than his full Asgardian armor - though his time in Lyron had been spent mostly in his traditional look - and he thought something as simple as a black shirt and pants might be just the thing to intimidate Lusca. For extra measure, he frowned and opened the door without knocking.

The young queen was sitting, curled in an arm chair in the living area. She jumped slightly when he slammed the door behind him and waltzed in. Rather than give any sort of greeting, he strode over to the mini bar and poured himself a drink. As an afterthought he poured one for her as well.

"It would be appreciated if, in the future, you knocked before entering my rooms." Lusca commented as he sprawled out on another arm chair as if it were a throne.

"Why should I? I own this building, do I not?" He handed her the glass of spirits.

"I might have been dressing. Or sleeping."

Downing his own beverage in one swallow, he stared at her with a slight frown.

"We are to be married. It would happen eventually."

Sipping at her own drink and then setting it on a coaster, Lusca looked back to her book and shook her head slightly. Turning the page, she clucked.

"And here I thought you might be gentlemanly."

"Majesty," He laughed harshly, reveling in her flinch, "There is nothing gentle about me."

"Hmm," Her finger followed along with her reading, underlining the words with an imaginary guide, "I'd still prefer if you knocked."

"What are you reading?" He asked. When she didn't respond, he snapped his fingers and the book landed in his lap, "'Norse Myths'. Trying to figure me out, are you? I can tell you that you won't find anything accurate in here."

He snapped his fingers again and the book vanished from sight. Now, with the book gone, Lusca had nothing to hide behind and had to face his sneer. She seemed to squirm under his gaze and he reveled in her discomfort.

The words she'd said on the plane must have flashed through her mind because she began to straighten up. Unwinding her legs from beneath her, she placed her feet on the floor and folded her hands neatly in her lap. Shoulders thrust back and chin lifted, she appeared to be trying to maker herself bigger.

"Is there something I can do for you this evening?" She asked briskly.

"Not at all, I just wanted to see how you were getting on."

"Fine. You have a lovely home. However, I am very tired from the trip."

Smirking at her attempt to politely get rid of him, he leaned in closer and reached to grab her drink. Lingering in the close position he held eye contact and Lusca held her breath. He pulled back with the drink in hand and swallowed it all. She winced.

"Might I inquire if you are drunk?"

With an overloud laugh, he smashed the glass on the floor and leaned back in his chair. Staring at the ceiling as if it were far more interesting than his current company, he briefly wondered how he was ever going to make this marriage thing work. Though he was displeased with Odin, he'd always wanted a marriage as happy as his parents. To begin with they had married for political gain, but they'd fallen in love after their first few meetings and had kept that love going for the past couple of thousand years. Being married to a Midgardian, Loki felt, would never result in anything more than a slightly less bitter relationship than they had now.

"If I were to get drunk, it would not be on two servings of this weak liquor," He met her curious gaze with a cold one and laughed again, "Why? Would you like me better if I were?"

"Not likely. You just seem to be in a… jolly mood?"

"I have officially conquered the entirety of your world. I'd say that constitutes being jolly, wouldn't you?" His hand snapped out and caught her chin, "On top of that, I've just gotten engaged. Who wouldn't be totally thrilled with the current events? Oh, apart from you, of course, you sour thing."

"If you would be so kind to release my face, I might not feel so sour."

"My dear Majesty, is that an order…" He leaned in so close that one more inch would have had them kissing, "Or a request?"

Lusca went stiff as a board, but she didn't try to pull away. "A request."

"Then you've learned already," He let go of her face, but didn't move, "You are a queen with no power. You no longer give orders."

"Sir, there's a security breach I thought you might want to know about."

Loki sighed and finally distanced himself from Lusca, whose hands were shaking. Sending a glare to the doorway, where Romanoff stood at attention he was tempted to roll his eyes. A small smirk played at the corners of her mouth, but was quickly banished.

"Security breach?" He asked.

"Yes. A reporter snuck into the kitchens. When we caught him he claimed that he works there, but his ID badge doesn't check out and none of the other staff with vouch for him. Besides that we found a notebook with the outlines for an article in it. From what we can tell the article was going to be about the work conditions here in the tower."

"What did he have to say about those conditions?"

"He wrote that part in code so we aren't entirely sure."

"He wouldn't feel the need to hide it unless it was not in our favor. Bring him here."

"To my rooms?" Lusca asked at the same time Romanoff nodded and exited.

"Why not? That will make quite the story, will it not? I had hoped to get used to the idea of you myself before telling the world of our relationship, but I won't waste a good opportunity."

"So you are just going to flat out tell this strange reporter about our arrangement?"

"No, no," Loki grinned, "He'll see it for himself."

"What do you want me to do? Shove the ring in his face and let him figure out the rest?" Lusca raised an eyebrow, "Shouldn't you tell the people about Lyron before you announce that you've decided to marry the queen of a newly discovered country?"

"No one needs to know that we are engaged yet." He eyed the door, waiting for the sound of footsteps down the hall. It was a good fifteen minutes before he heard the elevator arrive on the floor. In those minutes Lusca had been asking him questions, none of which he answered.

"Give me your ring," He commanded. She fell silent and slipped the golden band from her finger, handing it to him. Tucking it in his pocket and out of sight, he heard the footsteps get closer, "Remember what I said about you being powerless? Keep in mind that if you don't play along things could get unpleasant for your people."

"Play along with what?"

The footsteps were only a few feet from the door now.

Loki took Lusca's wrist and pulled her over to him, standing as he did so. Grasping the back of her head he placed a kiss firmly on her lips. Shocked, she didn't move. He kissed her again right as the door to the room opened. Holding the position longer than was probably necessary, he grinned as he pulled away. Lusca was about ready to scream, it appeared, but his warning must have crossed her mind because she put up a very fake smile.

"Whoa! Uh… I think I might be in the wrong room."

Loki turned to see a young man, probably about eighteen covering his eyes and blushing a bright red hue.

"Ah, the security breach, I presume?"

"Yep, that's me. Can I look now?"

"Yes." Lusca squeaked.

"Sorry, um, the agent lady told me to come in here and I wasn't expecting to, err, uh… interrupt."

"No need to apologize," Loki slunk over to the boy and took the notebook from the guard who entered behind him. He scanned the pages and found that the English writing fizzled into numbers and symbols halfway down, "I don't suppose you'd care to explain this bit to your king, would you?"

The boy looked about ready to object before Loki silenced him with a glance.

"Oh don't go spewing that rot about 'you're not my king' or 'someone will stop you' because I'm getting extremely peeved at having to execute people who say that. I think the media is a bit bored with it too," He flipped through the other pages of the notebook nonchalantly, "Ooh, I rather like this."

Lusca snuck a look over his shoulder to see the amusing drawing of big headed Avengers taking on an even bigger headed Loki. The characters stood in front of an intricate design of bubbly circles.

"Could you please not look through my private property?"

"He's not very good at that," Lusca muttered and then smiled falsely again when Loki gave her a wry look.

"What's your name, reporter?"

"Layn, Lewis Layn. I work for the Daily Bugle."

"Hmm, I've heard of them," Loki continued to flip through the notebook until he'd seen it all, "It doesn't look like there is much in this besides doodles and case notes."

"Not really," Lewis' eyes narrowed for the briefest of moments and Loki smirked, "Just interview notes and drawings. Nothing important really."

"Oh good, I'd hate it if this," Loki tossed the notebook in the air and it was enveloped in green flames, disintegrating within seconds, "Happened to something important."

"My notes!"

"His notes!" Lusca agreed.

"Your notes," Loki nodded, "All gone. Oh except this," He held out the previously seen drawing, "I'm keeping this."

"But, but, but…"

"Now, if you ever want to walk the streets as a freeman again you'll listen to my bargain."

"I don't like making bargains with evil dictators, thanks all the same."

"Lewis, Lewis, Lewis…" Loki put a hand on the boy's shoulder, "You don't really have much of a choice."

"Hear him out," Lusca said quietly, causing Loki to raise an eyebrow, "Whatever he has in mind might not be worth dying over."

"Precisely, and I'm sure you'll agree once you hear my proposition."

"I doubt it."

"Very noble of you to say so," Loki stepped away with a swagger and smiled, "Of the notes I read it seems like your stories make it into the papers frequently. It seems Jay Jonah Jerkface, or whatever his name is, is a fan of your writing. The front page articles in the Daily Bugle all seem to be written by you."

"So? Is that a crime?"

"Not in the least. The content of those articles borders on treasonous, but you haven't crossed the line so far so I'm willing to let it slide," He sat down again and steepled his fingers, making eye contact with first Lusca and then Lewis, "I'll even let your security breach slide if you do one thing for me."

"And what's that?"

"I want you to write an article about an island. A magical island in the Caribbean."

A/N: Not that that many people read this story anyway, but to possibly deter more of you, I just wanted to let you know that this story might have too many OCs. And I might use the OCs too much. But whatever, this is fanfiction, right? I can do what I want. I'm going to try to use more canon characters than I normally do to kind of balance out the OCs, but no guarantees about that happening. So if you are opposed to lots of OCs then leave now and never return (jk, you can do whatever you want, it's fanfiction, right?).

Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave the very first review! Or you could join those 3 awesome people who favorited, or the 7 wonders of the fanfic world who followed. Totally up to you. Do it. Now. Feed my ego. Lol, jk, jk... but seriously.