Poodle warriors: lightening the mood was the plan :) glad it worked.

Doctor Loki love: more cute chapters to come at some point. I'm trying not to rush things as much as I want to. Lol

Max is a chick name: very happy everyone enjoys the children. I'm very proud of their development in the story.

Sorceress of the trees: you have no idea how patient this villain has been and will be. ;)

Kat snowstorm: omg I totally missed that typo. I agree it is funny. And tony and Loki are also a pair I enjoy toying with.

Authors note: chapter 75 will be a treat from Thors POV!

Chapter 74: Teach me

"How are the children?" Bruce Banner asked Cephera. He had been doing some new lab experiments at SHIELD's head base lately and it happen to coincide with her now three times a month visits.

"A handful." She said with a laugh.

"A yes. I believe Stark is still reconstructing his pool." Banner chuckled but Cephera felt her face turn a little red with embarrassment over her children's behaviour last month.

"I should have gone with Thor that week." She cursed herself.

"Nonsense. You can't be everywhere with them. They need to learn control around other people not just when your present." She sighed. He was right.

"True. Got any suggestions on how to calm down two very hyper active four year olds that doesn't involving tranquillizing them?" Bruce laughed again.

"If I find one I'll let you know." Cephera gave him a kind smile and then stopped walking. She was peering into an all glass room full of large matts and a variety of weapons.

"I'll see you next visit then." Cephera said taking her leave. Bruce gave her a nod and watched Cephera stepped into the room. In the middle was Clint Barton in a choke hold between Natasha's ankles. Both agents were alerted, by their keen senses, immediately upon her intrusion. Natasha released Clint and he got to his feet.

"Mrs. Fair-O'lite." Natasha greeted.

"Just Cephera. My meeting with Fury is over." She said. After her last couple of years as a go between for Asgard and earth she had a lot more freedom to roam then she used too. Fury and herself had finally come to an understanding.

Shiaji purred into her ear from her shoulder and gazed intensely at Barton. Barton didn't like the cat. Neither did Tony. "What brings you here?" Clint finally asked tearing his eyes off the guardian.

"Intrigue." Cephera replied. "If you had time I was hoping you might show me some earth battle techniques." She was prepared for the shocked looks she got. "My daughter recently began to take an interest in battle herself and I was thinking perhaps I should know a little something too. I admire your use of your own body." She told Natasha.

"It takes time." Natasha said smoothly.

"I have time. I'd imagine fighting is not much different then learning a dance. How to read your partner like an opponent. Would you show me?" Clint looked to Natasha and shrugged.

"Can't hurt. Just don't leave any permanent marks. Don't want the husband freaking out." Cephera laughed at this. She would heal herself before loki ever got to see anything that might get left on her skin.

"I assume you're headed home?" Natasha asked.

"No actually. If you have time I can make time now." Natasha smirked.

"I can't imagine loki liking this idea." She said while Clint moved out of the way and Cephera removed the sweater she wore. Each trip she took to earth she had begun to slip back into her earth clothing.

She wore leggings beneath most dresses to stop loki from arguing about the length. Though he didn't seem to care about the length once he got her home and had very little to pull up while he fucked her against a wall, the vanity, wardrobe or anywhere else he placed her. She couldn't count the number of leggings she had to purchase as loki was a fan of tearing them off her.

"I'll worry about my husband." Cephera told her waving off the red heads concern.

"Alright." Natasha began to circle Cephera. "First I'd like to test your pain reception. How much can you take?" Cephera gasped when the backside of Natasha's hand struck her across the face. Cephera's lip split and she could taste the blood.

Cephera wiped the blood from her lip and looked to the agent who was waiting for her reaction. "That was surprising." Cephera said. Aside from the initial blow the only real lasting thing she felt was the shock not the pain.

"Good." Natasha moved forward quickly grabbing Cephera by the arm and twisting it behind her back hard. A certain way she would press caused pain to shoot up Cephera's arm. "How does that feel?" Natasha asked.

"Painful." Cephera replied under a heavy breath. Natasha pressed forward.

"And now?"

"Worse." Cephera tried to contain the grit in her voice.

"Not bad. Your not a wimp anyway." She said amused. She let Cephera go. Cephera stumbled a step forward. "I can work with this." Natasha grinned and crossed her arms. "You still want to continue. I can't guarantee I won't break bones."

"I'll heal." She meant it literally but Natasha didn't know that much about her.

Every month, three times a month for the passed five months Cephera spent a few extra hours with Natasha in that very same room they began in. Cephera had even stored a tank top and shorts in Natasha's work locker to wear. Natasha clearly enjoyed having someone to teach.

Cephera had been right to a degree. Fighting was much like dancing only with fighting there was pain were in dancing you only had to worry about stepping on the other persons toes.

Learning the moves was easy for her but carrying them out with the other person landing blows on her hard was difficult. Natasha really didn't believe in holding back. Cephera's first day she was riddled with bruises and aches in her lower back.

Once Natasha found out Cephera could heal Natasha began being that much harder and had once broken Cephera's arm in two places. Tough love she called it. Cephera would remember that when the time came that she could finally take on Natasha equally which could take years but Cephera was patient.

"My daughter is into combat lately. She's been training as well." Cephera said to Natasha while they got dressed.

"You're obviously not bothered by it but how's loki taking it?" Natasha and her had come to chatting terms much more lately.

"He'd rather she stayed his little princess but he hasn't forced her to stop." Cephera pulled her dress on and zipped it up at the side.

"I can't picture it." Natasha said shaking her red head. "Loki being an attentive, loving father."

"He's changed since earth. He's no longer the man you remember."

"I noticed the change at the wedding but it just seemed like a dream or and act rather then reality." Natasha pursed her lips togethers in thought.

"Everyone changes. I think I'm stronger now then ever because of him. He accepted me for who I was when I thought no one would. I think his changing began before me even though most think it's because of me. I think he longed to get away from the hatred and jealousy and I became the excuse to act."

"Well however it happened I'm glad that's one less person we need to worry about."

"When Diana is old enough, do you think you could teach her a few things?" Natasha laughed.

"I'm not getting any younger and I won't stay this spry forever. Why don't you show her yourself?" Cephera paused. She'd never thought of herself capable of teaching her daughter such things. She always wanted to teach her dancing but her Diana wouldn't be interested in something that girlie.

"I never thought of that. Can you do me a favour?" Natasha looked at Cephera waiting. "I want to arrange something for Thor. I've been working toward this master plan of mine for years now. Becoming ambassador, even though it wasn't my idea, actually helped make things easier."

Natasha sat on the bench. "I'm listening." She said leaning forward interested.