Epilogue

"So… Do you have a date for tonight?"

Lori shook her head. She pretended not to see her father's look when he saw her dress. Even after all this time he still had trouble with her dressing even remotely sexy, although he never said so anymore. Lori had learnt to see it for fatherly worry instead of disgust with her body type. The dress she was wearing was a deep green; it clenched her waist in all the right places, flowed around her backside, and accentuated her breasts with a sweetheart neckline. She had wondered if she should wear long gloves to cover as much skin as possible, but decided against it. She had taken peace with her birthmarks; the rest of the world better did so as well. She hadn't picked a daring dress because she wanted to impress boys; the only person she wanted to impress was herself. And maybe Loki, if he happened to be looking down on her from wherever he was. After all, you graduated only once in your life, and if you couldn't even look princess-y on the graduation prom night…

"Then… I guess I'll drive you there?"

"Yeah… I guess."

(Pagebreak)

The past two years had been eye-opening to Lori, and she had Loki to thank for that. The time they had shared her body had taught her so much about herself… How she had never tried to make real friends because she deep down thought they would reject her for her looks, by example. Or how she had never taken pride in her results or pursued her own interests, because what she did was almost solely determined by what her father valued.

Eye-opening was an understatement, and after finally realizing these things Lori had decided to do something about it. She had gathered all her courage and joined the school's science club, finally admitting her interest in biology. She had met and made friends with people who were interested in other things than the colour of her hair or the size of her skirt. She had learned to shrug and not let it get to her when people said mean things, and she had found that not everyone was like Liz Harrison. Speaking of which… After her stint with the cursed scissors Liz had lost a lot of her popularity, but she had taken it surprisingly well. She had stunned everyone by ditching her ultra fashionable girly style in favour of clothes that went better with her new blonde buzz cut, and that without losing even a bit of her outwards confidence. That said little about how she might feel on the inside, but Lori admired it nevertheless. If you saw her now she could easily pass for a man. A somewhat feminine man, but still. It seemed that while Lori had discovered herself, Liz had gone through something similar... She and Lori weren't friends, but there was a tentative understanding between them now.

Lori felt a little self-conscious when she noticed that many boys followed her with their eyes, but the feeling turned into satisfaction when she saw they were looking appreciative and not disgusted. It was hard not to think every time she saw someone looking, "oh no, another person who is judging me on my weight"… but she was getting better at it. It helped to imagine what Loki would say about it…

Ah, Loki… Lori missed him a lot. She wondered if he still thought about her sometimes… she certainly thought a lot about him. She hoped he had kicked his adoptive father's ass and was having lots of fun causing mischief all over the universe. Maybe he had even found himself a lovely alien lady –or lord, she wasn't judgmental- to share his days with… Lori smiled to herself. If anyone deserved to find someone to love, it was Loki. It was unlikely that they would ever meet again, despite what he had told her, but… she wished with all her heart that wherever he was, he was happy.

(Pagebreak)

The sound rumbled loudly through the party hall, and it made the glasses and plates tremble in such a fashion that some people panickedly screamed "EARTHQUAKE!" and dove under the drinks table. Given that the rumbling stopped after a couple seconds, it was somewhat amusing to see. But then came the screaming. People who had gone outside for a smoke ran back inside, screaming something about an attack, causing panic all around… Yet Lori's heart leapt up hopefully. Could it be…?

And yes. When in the door opening a silhouette became visible, she knew for sure. Tall, with a sweeping cloak, and a pair of ridiculous horns on his head. Lori's mouth fell open when the once-would-be-despot from Asgard strode into the room, looking around as if searching for someone. The whole hall had gone eerily silent, with people cowering against the walls and anxiously eyeing the uninvited guest, and only the background music still made for sound. Lori became uncomfortably aware that she stood alone, and somewhat in the centre of the room… Loki's eyes found hers, and a wide grin appeared on his face when he recognized her. His ominous armour shimmered around him and disappeared in favour of a smart black suit with a green tie, and a moment later he stood before her, towering over her as always. He made a bow, and dramatically stated,

"Milady… it appears I am late. Could you forgive me my insolence and grant me this dance?"

A gasp went through the room, and Lori couldn't contain herself anymore.

"You came!"

Before Loki knew it, she had pulled him in for a hug. Grinning, he patted her on the back.

"Of course I came, you silly little mortal. I promised it, didn't I?"

"I missed you, Puny."

Loki chuckled.

"Right back at you."

There was a lot of whispering in the crowd, but everyone stayed safely out of the way of the unlikely couple… Neither Loki nor Lori cared about it. They hugged, and eventually Loki said,

"So, about that dance?"

"I have to warn you, I can't dance. I will crush your toes."

"I sincerely doubt it."

Loki pulled Lori onto the dance floor, and spun her around. It was odd, surreal actually… But in all its weirdness it felt incredibly comfortable and familiar.

"So, what have you been doing?"

"Ah well, you know. I've been around."

"Kicked some ass?"

"Hmm, how do you mortals say that again… Duh?!"

Lori laughed as Loki ruffled her hair.

"Ah, don't do that! It took me hours to get it that way!"

"Oh, so missus Donuts On The Couch has become a little fashionista?"

Lori elbowed him in the side and Loki laughed as well.

"Still feisty I see… What have you been up to?"

"Studying… I think I'm going to study biology next year…"

"Biology?"

"Yeah."

"And you will start right away next year?"

"I… Well yeah, I guess."

"I have heard that some people take… what is it called again, a gap year after high school? You know, travelling from place to place with friends, seeing the universe? No plans for that?"

Lori shrugged.

"Not really… Besides, I don't know anyone who would go with me…"

Loki sent her a mischievous grin, and Lori raised an eyebrow. What was he on about? She poked him.

"Come on, what is it Puny?"

Loki imitated her shrug.

"Oh, nothing… I had just been thinking that the universe is pretty big to travel on your own… Even puny gods sometimes miss company…"

Lori's eyes widened.

"What?"

Loki chuckled and spun her around again.

"What I'm saying is, little mortal, I could use a companion to travel with."

"You… Y-You would take me with you?"

"For a year. I doubt your family would appreciate it if I would keep you from your studies much longer." Now Lori's mouth hung open. "Do close that mouth. Any further and I can see what you had for dinner."

Lori shook her head in disbelief.

"You're serious. You would seriously take me with you. To see the universe."

The god laughed –he laughed a lot more now than he had done before, Lori thought- and patted her on the head.

"I am."

At that moment, police sirens sounded outside, and Loki rolled his eyes.

"It seems they have found me. Hold your breath, little mortal."

"Wait! You're not going to take me with you like this, are you?"

Loki chuckled.

"Of course not. I'm all for travelling in style, but a prom dress is not exactly suitable attire. Not to mention that I'm not really into the entire "alien abduction" thing. We'll tell your father first."

Tell, not ask, Lori noted. She grinned and took a deep breath.

"Very well then."

And just as the police stormed into the room, Loki and Lori disappeared into the ether, to the astonishment of all the onlookers…

(Author's Notes)

Would you believe it? I finally finished this story! FINALLY! After all the hopeful comments from readers, I found that at long last I couldn't postpone it anymore. I rewrote what I already had, and bring you hereby the epilogue to Learning TO Share!

I thank all my reviewers for encouraging me and not giving in to my writer's block/apathy that caused such a hiatus to this story xD

Alas, it is finished! Please review, tell me what you think! I hope it doesn't disappoint!