Chapter Fourteen

When I was younger I used to have terrible nightmares about Gods from other worlds coming to ours. They were giant, and scary with blurred out faces that were always smiling with a mouthful of sharp teeth. These Gods would laugh and poke fun of me before snarling and opening their jaws to devour me. I'd always wake up right before they swallowed me whole and I'd cry out for my parents to save me. It was always my father who ran down the hall despite the late hours of the night to comfort me.

He'd hold me tight and run his fingers through my tangled hair while I sobbed and explained what had happened. Unlike most parents who would have forbade their child from reading the stories I grew up on my father encouraged me to continue even more so. He'd look at me with deep brown eyes and smile as he'd tell me tales of heroic Gods who didn't take so kind to those who feasted on little girls in their sleep. As time grew on my nightmares ceased but my father's fierce protectiveness remained the same.

I chewed on my lip as I stared out the taxi cab window watching the palm trees zoom by. Uncomfortably I shifted in the pleather seat, lifting my leg off the sticky material, regretting that I'd worn tights under my skirt and a long-sleeved button-up. My hair was tied in it's usual bun but the stray strands that slipped down my neck were enough to cause me to want to shave all of it off. I'd complained about the New York winter but Southern California was easily hitting 80 degrees and it was barely even noon and I definitely wasn't dressed for it.

Sully sat next to me, panting hard as he hung out the window snapping at the wind. I sighed and leaned back into the seat.

"Where do you need me to drop you off at exactly?" asked the driver, his dark grey eyes looking at me from the rear-view mirror.

I tilted my head to look through the window up front and pointed to a quaint two-story house with white window shutters and a picket fence that lined the plush, green yard. The taxi rolled to a stop and the trunk popped open. I opened the door and slid out with Sully bounding out after me. He rolled in the patch of grass near the sidewalk as I walked over and payed the cab driver with the company card. It felt weird not having to pay for something myself so I tipped him with my own money. He took the cash without saying thanks and grunted that I grab my suitcases quick.

Slightly disgruntled, I huffed and pulled my bags from the trunk, slamming it shut. The driver took off the moment I was finished leaving me on the side of the road with several suitcases in the dust. Coughing, I waved the exhaust smoke out of my face and set to getting my things inside the house.

"Oh, Hayden darling don't worry about your bags," a small, sweet voice called from the front door. Sully took off, running toward the fence and jumping up to greet the voice. I looked up to see my mother standing on the porch wearing an apron over her dress. A small smile slipped on my face. She was always wearing an apron. "Tommy!" she shouted turning to the inside of the house, "come carry Hayden's things in for her!"

Seconds later my cousin Thomas bolted down the porch stairs, opening the gate for Sully—who dashed in nearly knocking him over as he licked and jumped at my mother—and into the street without even looking both ways. I cringed, controlling myself to not reprimand him as he made his way to where I stood. He reached down, grabbed most of the suitcases and stood up wearing his typical goofy smile and moppy brown hair that he had to constantly flip so that he could see.

"Hey Hay Hay," he said in a mocking valley-girl accent. I rolled my eyes, suppressing a smile at the ridiculously long-running joke. "Go inside. I got your bags for you."

"Thank you, Thomas," I said with a small smile.

He shrugged and nodded his head toward the house. "Go on now."

My mom held out her arms as I walked to the porch, embracing me tightly that I thought the buttons on my shirt might pop off. She pulled me away, holding onto my shoulders and smiled warmly; the crinkles around her fading blue eyes deepened.

"My, my, my. Look at you Professor Hayden." She looked me up and down, spinning me so that she could get a better look. "You look like a New York model."

I blushed, knowing how ridiculous she sounded. "Hi, mom."

"Come on girl, let's get you inside and fatten your model ass up. You look like you haven't eaten in months." I laughed as she steered me inside wishing I could tell her how I'd pretty much been living off of fruits and vegetables instead of the strange meats they served in Asgard. But, I couldn't tell her. "Everyone look what the East Coast wind blew our way!" she exclaimed as we entered the living room.

"Hey, Hayden!" shouted various members of my family as they briefly turned from the football game that was playing.

I walked around greeting Aunts and Uncles and cousins that I hadn't seen in months—some even years—making my way to my father's mother. She sat in my father's tan recliner, with her little legs covered in a quilted blanket. I bent down, kissing her atop her white curls inhaling the smell of peppermint from the oils she used for her arthritis. She looked up slowly, her light blue eyes focusing on my face as her brittle hands gently squeezed mine.

"How is my Hayden doing?" she asked, reaching up to pull me down so that she could place a small kiss on my cheek. I closed my eyes and smiled. "You look beautiful, darling."

"Thank you, Granny," I whispered, trying to choke back tears. "I've been good. How are you?"

"Fighting the good fight," she answered, her response every time someone asked her how she was. I pursed my lips together in a tight smile and tilted my head. "How is New York?"

I shrugged, not really wanting to lie to anyone in my family. "It's New York."

"Have you been keeping busy?"

I laughed. "Oh, yes. Very much so."

"Did you find a nice young lad to sweep you off your feet?" she asked with a wink.

I hesitated. There were so many things wrong with that question. Did I find a nice young lad to sweep me off my feet? How could I possibly even answer that? Well, Granny I found a God if that qualifies. Young? He's a good 1,000 years old. I guess that's young for a God, right? Nice, you ask? Hmm. He did try to take over a world and killed a lot of people in the process with little remorse. And, as for the sweeping? More like shoved me up against a wall and did things that I never thought I'd ever experience in my life thanks to a drunken stupor.

Blushing at the memory, I looked down at my hands and shook my head. "No, Granny, no nice young lad for me." Slowly, I brought my gaze to her and shrugged. "I've been far too busy to get in a complicated relationship."

"Sometimes a girl just needs a good buffing than a relationship."

My mouth dropped.

"Mother!" cried out my mom, her eyes wide as she covered one of my younger cousins ears.

"What?" she asked as though it was completely normal to talk about casual sex with your grandchild. "It's true."

My mom leaned down and uncovered the giggling Annie's ears. "Don't listen to Grammy, she's a crazy old coot, okay?" Annie giggled even louder and run off into the kitchen—probably heading out the backdoor into the yard. My mom put her hands on her hips. "C'mon Hayden. You probably want a shower. Dad's sleeping right now so we'll head up after dinner in a few hours to visit him."

I nodded, jumping at the sudden shouts and cries from my Uncles and cousins as they shouted profanities at the TV. Rolling my eyes, I followed my mom up the stairs into my old room. My suitcases were thrown on the bed and my mom set about grabbing a towel for me to use.

"What is it?" I asked her as she handed me the towel with slightly trembling hands. "Mom?"

She sniffed and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm just glad to have you home Hayden. We've missed you. Your daddy is going to be so happy to see you." I squeezed my lips tightly together and nodded. "Oh, look at me. I'm just a mess."

"Mom..."

She shook her head and patted my hand. "Go get washed up, dear."

"Aunt Carol!" shouted Thomas from down the stairs. "One of the pies fell to the floor and the kids are trying to paint with it and Sully's eating like half of another one."

"Oh for the love of God," she muttered tossing her hands into the air and walking down the hallway. "You know Thomas you're sixteen you can help clean up a damned pie, lazy ass boy," she shouted, her voice growing farther away as she descended down the stairs, her rant drowned out my the shouts of glee from the football viewers.

Sighing I walked into my room and plopped down onto the old mattress. The smell of old books lingered around, like an old library, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Instead of having dressers piled with make-up and posters of band members and actors my room was filled with bookshelves all along the walls filled with thick, leather bound novels and stories. Several maps of Mythological worlds—including a map of Middle Earth—hung on the pale blue walls.

It was exactly as I'd left it when I went off for college. Biting back tears I sighed and stared at the cotton towel in my hand, wringing at the material with tremble fingers. I felt as though I'd been away from home for years. Everything was the same from the smells to the sounds to my mother yelling at my cousins for getting into pies yet everything was different. There was a somber mood that hung over the house like a dark, cloud.

My father missing from the buzz of it all felt wrong. He should be down there sitting on the couch—because he was a good son and always gave his mother his chair when she visited—drinking a beer and shouting at the game with his brothers. Then after the game the family would gather around the table to eat and everyone would laugh and tease one another. Aunt Susan would talk about her kids and Thomas would roll his eyes as she'd gush about how he was going to get a full-ride to college on a football scholarship. Then Uncle Lewis was talk about hunting and the guys would shuffle off to the garage to look at dad's rifle collection and the latest elk he'd taken down while my mother did the dishes and wrangled up a child or two to help her.

But, this wasn't a family get together for the hell of it. Everyone was here because my dad was in the hospital. Inhaling unevenly I stood up and walked to the bedroom door, leaning my head against the doorway for a moment as I listened to Annie cry about how Thomas took away her barbie and hid it. Smiling to myself I closed the door shut and headed into the bathroom attached to my room, twisting the water until steam filled the small room.

Tossing the towel onto the counter I walked back into my bedroom and rummaged through my suitcases to find something more suitable for the California weather to change into. There wasn't really anything in my bags so I turned to one of the old dressers and found a pair of cut-off jean shorts and a plain green tank-top. Sighing, I grabbed for them both and started to unbutton my long-sleeved top, pulling it over my head and tossing it onto the floor when a small almost maniacal laugh caused me to jump and scream.

I spun around to see Loki lounging on my bed, a devious smile planted firmly on his face. Gaping, I started toward him when my Uncle Oscar's voice came through the door. "Everything alright, Hay Hay?"

"Uh, yeah!" I shouted back feeling as though I was about to throw up. "Um, I thought I saw a disgusting insect" I seethed turning back to face Loki as the word insect slipped from my lips. He chuckled to himself as I continued, "it's nothing. I'm just jet-lagged is all."

"Alright," he said through the door before shouting as he headed back downstairs, "I told you she probably just saw a spider."

"Hay Hay?"

"What are you doing here?" I snapped rushing to Loki and grabbing his wrists, pulling him off of my bed. "You can't be here!"

"And why is that? Last I knew I go where ever I please. I am after all a..."

"God, yeah I get it. But, my family doesn't."

Loki shrugged his shoulders. "I can assume that they have heard that other worlds do indeed exist and that the Gods they once worshiped are far from myth."

"That's not the point. They think I'm a teacher in New York. They don't know that I'm actually an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D and that this entire time I've been in Asgard rather than giving lectures and assigning homework." I ran my hands through my hair, untangling the bun so that the tresses fell down my back. "Oh god," I cried rubbing at my temples, "this is so bad. This is so very bad. S.H.I.E.L.D is going to find out you're here and they're going to arrest you and...oh god...this is so, so bad. Fury is going to kill me."

"Hayden I can assure you that everything will be fine," he soothed placing his hands on my shoulder gently. "S.H.I.E.L.D. does not need to know that I am here. And, I can assure you that when it comes to your family I will act as a civil..." he paused, his nostrils flaring, "Midgardian."

"Why are you even here?"

"Sheer curiosity."

"Of what?"

"Must I answer all of your questions? They are rather boring and I—"

"Whatever," I snapped flinging my hands in the air. There was no use in trying to argue with him. Not at that moment anyways. Right now you need to calm down, Hayden. I breathed, closing my eyes and trying to relax myself. "Stay here and don't leave. I'm going to shower and when I'm done I'll find you something else to wear and then..."

"These are the finest robes Asgard can offer," he said, almost offended.

"Even so, you can't walk around like that." I folded my arms. "You should know that."

"Very well. If you insist."

I squinted my eyes, unsure of why he was surprisingly so willing to do as I said. "Okay," I said slowly. "Just—just stay here."

Loki nodded and raised a brow. "Do you require assistance in the bath house?" he asked, reaching out and pulling at my bra strap.

I slapped his hand away. "Don't...don't do that."

He smiled and walked in a little closer, his hand brushing at the side of my neck as he moved the pile of brown hair out of the way. I stiffened at his touch, my gaze carefully moving down to his long fingers. They trailed along the bone of my shoulder down my arm and back up once again until his hand gripped the back of my neck and pulled me in closer.

He leaned in, his breath hot on my face as he twisted his lips up. "I assure you that this will be an enjoyable visit despite the loss that will soon take place," he whispered.

I blinked. "Just stay here," I repeated and walked into the bathroom to shower.

Inhaling deeply I opened the door, the steam invading my lungs as it poured out around me. The moment I was inside, the door shutting slowly, I felt my knees grow weak. My back began to slide down the wood as I landed on the cold, hard floor and the tears came before I could stop them. I brought my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms tightly around them, my head resting on the stretched tights as my body began to shake from the involuntary crying.

"Oh it's just like Hayden to keep her boyfriends hidden from us," I heard my Aunt Susan's voice echo through the house as I stepped out of the bathroom after blow-drying my hair.

My heart dropped. Quickly I looked around my empty room, groaning loudly as I pulled open my door and ran down the stairs. I slowed my pace as I reached the last few, horrified to see Loki dressed in a plain blue button-up and black slacks. His dark hair was combed neatly back, his pointed face laughing at something one of my cousins had said.

He was comfortably positioned in between my Aunt Susan and Aunt Kathryn with one leg crossed over the other. Both women were clamoring over him and I could feel my entire face scrunch up as I stopped at the end of the stairs. My mother turned to me and as she did the rest of the family—Loki included—followed her gaze.

"Ah, Hayden dear," he said standing to his feet and rushing to where I stood. He grabbed me by the waist and lifted me into a hug that I awkwardly reciprocated.

"What are you—"

He pulled apart from me, holding onto my hands as his face looked deep with sorrow. I couldn't help but glare at him the entire time he spoke. "The moment you left I realized that it was not fair for you to deal with this alone and that I should be there for you." He slipped his arm around my shoulder and with his free hand gestured to my relatives that stared at us, "and your family was ever so kind to allow me to stay."

"Great," I said flinching my eyebrows upward. "And what exactly did you tell my family?"

"He told us everything," shouted Annie, a giant smile on her face.

I turned to Loki, gaping. "Everything?"

"Of course my love. I am tired of us having to hide in the dark. I told them all about my father and his wealth and how he disapproves of our love. But, I shall fight all the Gods of the Nine-Worlds if it meant being with you."

Thomas made gagging noises and Annie started to giggle. She turned to our cousins Addie and Michael (Aunt Kathryn and Uncle Oscar's children) and whispered amongst them. The three of them were overtaken by a fit of laughter and took off running through the kitchen.

"Shut that damn door," my mom shouted after them, "you weren't born in a barn." More laughter ensued, followed by the sound of the glass door sliding shut. She inhaled deeply and stood up. "Well, Lars, it was nice to meet you. Hayden? Can you help me in the kitchen for a moment?"

I exhaled slowly and turned to Loki sharply, "Whatever you're doing it's not funny," I snapped under my breath. "And, Lars. Really?"

"Hayden?"

"Coming mom," I shouted as she entered the kitchen. "Don't do anything more stupid than you've already done," I said leaving Loki to deal with the jaws of my other family members.

I entered the kitchen, the smell of homemade bread and pies wafted upon my entrance. I inhaled deeply, saliva filling my mouth as my stomach growled. It'd been a while since I actually ate something besides rabbit food.

"It smells amazing, mom," I commented as I started to head toward the sink to do the dishes.

She grabbed at my wrist and spun me around so that I was back against the wall. "What is he doing here?" she snapped, her eyes wide.

I shifted uncomfortably. "He just came to visit so that—"

"I am not a fool, child. Who do you think gave you all those books to read? What do you think I teach in my classes? You don't think I'd recognize the God of Mischief sitting on my couch? That man is a terrorist, wanted for murder and he's ruining my upholstery with his damned ahh—"

"Mom!" I reached over and turned the kitchen sink on so that the water drained out our conversation. "Does the rest of the family know?"

She scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Your Aunt Susan and Kathryn are pretty much throwing themselves at him and your uncles don't know the difference between anything unless it's beer and hunting." I closed my eyes and sighed in relief. "What is going on, Hayden? How in the world did you get mixed up with the likes of him?"

And how was I supposed to answer that? I was sworn to secrecy by S.H.I.E.L.D. If Fury found out I blabbed—even if it was to my own mother—he'd be furious. Who knew what he would do to me or how I would be punished. There was a reason why we had an alibi that I was offered a teaching job in New York. My parents weren't supposed to know about the things that I knew. I couldn't just tell my mom that I was spending time in Asgard instead of sightseeing and spending my weekends at the Met like I told her I was.

But still I had to tell her something. She knew that Lars was really Loki. Of course she'd know. I don't know why I thought we'd be able to pull it off that he was someone else. Though if he had just stayed in my room instead of taking it upon himself to greet my family we could have avoided this entire situation completely.

"Hayden, I'm still waiting for an answer."

I shook my head and blinked a couple of times. "Mom, he's powerless. He can't harm anyone here and—"

"Do not tell me that you are harboring a fugitive." I didn't answer fast enough. "Hayden Jessica Waltham if you are hiding him from—"

"Mom, he's here for an Asgardian form of probation. His father took away his powers and until he can redeem himself he's harmless."

She folded her arms. "Harmless? That man murdered thousands of people in a day Hayden. There's nothing harmless about that. Magic or no magic." I ran my fingers through my hair, feeling slightly weird that it was still down. My mom pulled my hand away and sighed, "stop playing with your hair. You'll get it all oily."

I smiled a little and stepped forward, hugging her tightly. "I promise you nothing bad is going to happen. We'll visit dad, stay here for a little while and then head back to As—as soon as possible—we'll head back to New York."

"And then what? You're in New York with a man that basically destroyed that entire city?"

"Okay it wasn't the entire city, it was like—"

"Are you standing up for him?

I blinked. "Oh—no—I was—" oh crap I was standing up for him. "Mom, just go along with it, please?"

She stared at me for a few moments. Those blue eyes had seen me from birth through graduation through heartbreaks through success through tears and through smiles. I hated lying to her. It felt wrong but I knew it had to be done. Even though I knew that she could tell I wasn't telling her the complete truth. After all, she was mother. They knew when something wasn't right.

"You're an adult, Hayden. I trust that you'll make the right decisions." I smiled though I knew it wasn't exactly the answer I was hoping she'd give me. "And I mean the right decision with everything that creature will throw at you."

I shifted once again but nodded. "He's not my boyfriend. You don't have to worry."

"Good," she said sternly before widening her thin lips into a smile. "Dinner's ready everyone!"

A/N: Thank you guys once again for reading/reviewing/commenting/favoriting/following and everything else awesome that you guys do. I know I say it a lot but I mean it every time. I actually was having a rough day the other day and feeling down and just reading the comments after I posted the last chapter really brightened up my mood. Knowing that I'm able to bring joy to others through something I love doing (writing) lets me know that I'm going down the right path. So, thank you.

Guest: Thank you, I hope I don't disappoint! And I have no life so it's fairly easy for me to update pretty quickly. (:

Guest: Haha even if you can't just know that the one comment was enough to make me laugh a lot. I even showed it to be my best friend and was like, "look at how awesome this comment is" lol and thank you so much. I'm really glad to know that.

Poodle Warriors: Yeah, she's kind of a push-over for sure. Nothing really seems to go the way she plans it-but again that's how it is for most people. But, she'll toughen up. After all, can't be with a guy like Loki if you're just gonna let him walk all over you, right? haha

Ellize Avalon: It's Loki! He does what he wants! haha.

Apples10: Was that quick enough? :D