"Yeah, no. She won't go for that." Tony said as he turned to face Thor. "And neither will I."
"What say have you in this?" Thor demanded.
"She's my little sister," Tony replied quickly. "Granted, she's adopted. But she's my sister nonetheless. Everything she does, I have a say in, whether you like it or not."
"You care that much for her?" Loki's query was met with looks ranging from disbelief to dismay.
"He does." A suddenly commanding tone coloured Alexis' voice as she watched the scene unfolding before her. "And I, he. We may not be related, but we are family. There are few things I do not want him to have a say in."
"Lexie," Tony began, ushering her out of the room. "Be a good kitty and play elsewhere for the time being."
"While a bunch of people who don't know me decide my fate for me, I don't think so! I'm staying right here." Alexis stated as she dodged Tony and pulled up a chair to watch the 'goings-on' of the room. "I will not be sent to the back of the classroom with the safety scissors and glitter-glue."
"Fine." Tony replied. "Just…stay there til I get back, please?"
Tony then darted from the room, watched by Alexis, and one other.
"An eloquent one, isn't he?" Loki whispered from somewhere close behind Alexis, making her jump.
"Buzz off." Alexis snapped. "Shouldn't you be off making mischief somewhere?"
"Whoever said that's not what I'm doing now?" Came the soft spoken reply which left tingling chills all the way down Alexis' spine.
"You're not doing a very good job of it, for the God of Mischief." Alexis looked up at Loki subtly.
"I tower over you in this, as in all things." Loki stated confidently.
Alexis smirked. "Honey, if we were in prison… you'd be my bitch."
"In what sense would I be your dog?" Loki looked at her, confused.
"In the sense that I can kick your arse any day of the week, both here and on Asgard." Alexis stood and crossed her arms across her chest defiantly, making Loki take an involuntary step back.
"I am a God!" Loki fumed. "A prince of Asgard and no mortal shall ever-"
"Hit a soft spot have we?" Alexis asked, a soft smile played upon her lips and her eyes filled with mocking laughter. 'Oh, this will be fun.'
The day drew to a close and nothing had been decided. Sick of the bickering between supposedly mature adults, Tony excluded, Alexis quietly slipped away from the squabbling and made for her room, thankful that it was exceptionally far away from them…no…him. He was infuriating, and irritating, and wicked, and… and… ridiculously gorgeous!
Alexis rolled her eyes at herself and escaped into her own room with a frustrated huff, slamming the door and bolting it behind her. Satisfied she was safe and exhausted, Alexis collapsed onto her bed. She was asleep within seconds…
The lock on the bedroom door clicked open, and the door opened silently. Hushed whispering filled the room. Five shadowed figures flitted swiftly into the room, quietly contemplating the sleeping girl. A harsh voice broke the uneasy hush,
"You cannot do this! You'll terrify the poor girl!" a narcissistic voice broke the silence.
"Quiet Stark! You know how important she is in this." Lightening followed the voice, lighting the room for a split second.
"No, I really don't see that, at all!" Stark fumed as quietly as possible.
"Asgard needs her, Tony Stark of Earth." A hushed, gruff voice penetrated the rising whispers.
"Since when has a God ever needed a weakling mortal?" A silver toned voice, even in whispers, filled the atmosphere with malice.
"Since the realms have been turned topsy-turvey with the threat of the end of all things!" The lightening flashed again, flashing across bared teeth.
"Enough!" the harsh, gruff whisper filled the room. "If we do not do this now, the girl will not make it, and I promise you Loki… you will be sorry. But not in the way you imagine."
"I accept that you have made this decision, Father, and I respect that," the light, silver voice replied. "But I will not follow it and shall argue it with you until-"
"Until you're blue in the face?" Stark butted in then glared at Odin. "Fine, if we're doing this, then do it now!"
Odin looked calmly at Stark and then up at the ceiling of the room. His eyes flickered closed as the ceilings' matter began to shift. There was a low rumbling sound above the shadowed figures. There was a blinding flash of white-gold light, and the occupants of the room were gone...
Alexis was awake. Awake, but refused to open her eyes. Something wasn't right, and to open her eyes would be to acknowledge that 'non-right' thing. But she had to open her eyes. She had to. Because the bed was too comfy, and air didn't have the same smell that her room at Stark Tower did…and there was a soft light and a gentle breeze coming from an open window somewhere to her left. Something definitely wasn't right.
Hesitantly, Alexis opened her eyes. The sight that met her made her eyes widen. Alexis clamped a hand over her mouth to strangle the scream that threatened to escape and alert anyone nearby to her state of consciousness. As her eyes scanned the room, a gentle warbling sound, like that of a young magpie, came from the open window on her left. As she looked round, her gaze fell upon a small, black bird perched on the windowsill. It gazed back at her and cocked its head to one side as it ruffled its ebony feathers, the sun glazing the feathers an emerald green for a split second.
Alexis watched the bird for a moment, listening to its sweet song fill the air. The sound of a door clicking open to her right made her jump suddenly and spin towards the sound violently, a shriek escaping her lips.
"Could you scream any louder?" Tony asked as he closed the door and walked over to where a confused Alexis now sat, tangled in the silk sheets and drapes of the canopy bed she'd been put in. "No, seriously… ;coz I think I'm only deaf in one ear. Think you could even that up for me?"
"Tony…where are we?" Alexis' voice shook, and her shaking made the surrounding silk rustle audibly.
"We're on Asgard. Believe it or not. And it was one hell of a ride getting here." Tony leant against one of the bed posts. "You should be happy you were unconscious for that part."
"I'm sorry… I'm… where, exactly?"
"Asgard, child." Odin said from the doorway which made Alexis jump and grab desperately at the sheets, even though she was completely covered. "You are on Asgard."