As I mentioned on Saturday, this chapter begins a new section of the story, which is a lot more light-hearted than the rest. It will only last for about ten chapters, though, and then we'll get back to the angsty broodiness lol.

The theme song for this chapter is "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga. Just for fun.


Chapter 43: An Announcement

From the floor, Natasha's cell phone beeped. She lifted her head immediately, and made a small sound of complaint before sitting up. She made to stand, when Loki caught her around the waist and pulled her back, pinning her under him and playfully biting her shoulder.

She smiled, but rolled her eyes. "Loki, my phone beeped."

From the other side of the room, a single pizzicato note sounded from Loki's phone as well. He paused for a half second, and then began nibbling at her ear. "It can wait," he purred.

She shoved at him half-heartedly. "No it can't. It's probably SHIELD."

He pinned her more securely. "I don't care."

Natasha huffed and made a more serious attempt to leave, but Loki still wouldn't let her go. She frowned at him, and he merely smiled, a challenge clear in his eyes.

Fine, she thought, I can play this game. She began to struggle in earnest, but he had the advantage in strength and used it effortlessly. He chuckled darkly, tilting his hips against her, and she could feel precisely how much he was enjoying this.

A thought occurred to her, and she changed tactics. She made her struggles less realistic, whimpering and wriggling against him provocatively. He responded immediately, groaning and capturing her lips in a hungry kiss. She played along a little more, before pretending to lose interest in escaping. Eventually he released his hold on her, and she flipped him onto his back. For one brief moment he grinned, waiting to see what she would do next. Then she rolled away and off the bed, casually sauntering over to her phone.

Loki cursed and sat up as well, panting. "You're going to pay for that, little spider," he threatened.

"Maybe later," she said absently. The text message on her phone was from Tony, mysteriously asking her to come to his office at 8 pm. She looked at the time at the top of the screen—7:45. "Shit," she cursed, and started grabbing her clothes.

Loki sighed heavily, looking just a little repentant. He got up and checked his own phone, gathering his clothes as well. "What...?" he asked, bemused by the message.

"I don't know, but we're going to be late," she said darkly.


Natasha drove her motorcycle like Loki had never seen her do before, dodging between cars and ignoring traffic lights entirely. He had never cared for riding pillion, but with his arms around Natasha, leaning low over the bike, it was exhilarating. They made it to Stark Tower in record time, but it was still 8:01 when they walked in the front doors.

The elevator ride was fraught with simmering tension, as Natasha struggled to keep her expression blank, inwardly seething at Loki's amused smirk. She was gorgeous when she was angry, and he eyed the stop button on the elevator console longingly. But alas, duty called. When the doors opened, the waiting room was empty and quiet. Natasha strode forward clearly, almost stomping, and pushed through the door to the office proper.

She stopped short, however, when she saw the room was nearly full of people. All of the Avengers, plus Director Fury, Agent Hill, Dr. Bryardie, Pepper, Jane, and Darcy. What was going on?

"Oh good, you're here," Pepper said pleasantly.

"Sorry—" Natasha began, but Loki stepped up behind her and interrupted.

"My fault entirely, I'm afraid. As I have no transportation of my own, Natasha had to give me a ride." He said it without a trace of innuendo, but Tony sniggered and Clint glared.

Natasha closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "What is this about?" she asked in a no-nonsense voice.

"Right!" Tony clapped his hands together loudly. "I suppose you're all wondering why I called you here," he said melodramatically. "Pepper and I have an announcement to make." He turned to Pepper, who smiled nervously.

"As you know, Tony and I have been engaged for some time. We were supposed to have a big, fancy wedding come December..." she began

"But who wants all the fuss and paparazzi?" Tony joked.

"So... with a little persuasion from Darcy," she gave a smile to her new assistant, "We've decided to elope."

"And you're all invited!" Tony said excitedly.

There was some laughing and a few claps. Steve gave a shake of his head. "How is that eloping?" he joked.

"Times change, old man," Tony joked back. "I have... acquired a private island in the South Pacific. I think it's high time we took that vacation! Housing's a little tight, but I think we can squeeze you all in."

"That won't be necessary," Fury said, a little amused. "I'm afraid I don't have time for a vacation right now, especially if you're all going to be gone for..."

"A week," Tony filled in. "That's cool, just didn't want you to feel left out."

Fury chuckled and made his way out of the office.

"I'm afraid I will have to decline as well," Rowena piped up. "I'm flattered, a little surprised really..."

Tony jerked a thumb in Pepper's direction. "Her idea, not mine."

"...but it wouldn't be appropriate. Plus, I do have other clients to see. Not many, but a few," she reminded them.

"But what if I have a nervous breakdown?" Tony whined, jerking her chain.

She pressed her lips together to fight a smile. "Then you can call me. Any of you can call me whenever you like, don't worry about the time difference." She gave Bruce a meaningful look.

"Thank you, Dr. Bryardie," Bruce said quietly, "But I'm not sure I'll be able to go."

"Aw, come on," Tony said, seriously this time. "I was gonna ask you to be my best man!"

"Well, I'm honored, but I assume you'll be flying there?" he asked, a little uneasily.

"Two planes," Pepper explained. "One for the guys and one for the girls."

Loki shifted in his seat uncomfortably, but no one noticed. Bruce adjusted his glasses. "I don't do so well with planes," he admitted.

"You could always go sedated," Rowena suggested.

"You can't prescribe medication," Tony pointed out.

Rowena rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, I forgot, I'll have to consult a medical doctor." She pretended to look around the room, stopping back at Bruce. "Dr. Banner!"

"Yes, Dr. Bryardie?" he played along.

"I have a client who has some anxiety about flying, and I think he would benefit from some tranquilizers. He has an unusual medical history, though. What do you recommend?"

He laced his hands over this stomach, grinning. "Well, considering his... condition, I think I would recommend elephant tranquilizers. Hey Tony, do you know where I can get some elephant tranquilizers? Dr. Bryardie's client needs some." Everyone laughed.

Tony rolled his eyes, but grinned. "Yeah, alright."

Rowena waved, and left as well.

"Anyone else?" Pepper asked kindly.

Maria bit her lip, but then shook her head. "I have 62 days of leave saved up," she admitted. "I think Fury can manage without me for a week." She glanced at Steve and smiled a little.

No one else spoke up. "Great! Jarvis, take the party poopers off the guest list and pull up the room assignments."

"Of course, sir." A map of the island appeared on the wall behind Tony's desk. There were a series of one-bedroom structures, most of them with two names beside them. One listed only Bruce, and one was empty.

"Wait a minute," Steve said, sitting forward when he saw his name listed beside Maria's.

"I must object as well," Thor laughed, finding his name next to Jane.

"Jeez, you guys are quite the matchmakers," Darcy rolled her eyes at the little house labeled 'Clint and Darcy.' "I'll fix it." She hopped up, and began swiping the names around. "Let's see. Jane and I can room together, and Clint can stay with Steve. Maria can have her own room." She stepped back.

Thor frowned at the diagram. "I suppose Loki could stay with me then," he suggested.

Loki snorted. "Oh, She'll be thrilled," he pointed out.

Thor blushed, and frowned deeper. "Oh." He stared harder at the map, thinking.

Natasha crossed her arms, smiling. "I appreciate the chivalry, Thor, but you don't need to break anything. I don't mind sharing with Loki."

Thor looked at her, bemused. He looked to Loki, and his smug smile. "You said you hadn't—" he started.

"I said no such thing," Loki interrupted. "I said it was impolite for you to assume."

Thor looked around the room and saw no surprised faces, and laughed.

"Wait how is it I know about this and you don't?" Steve demanded.

Loki frowned. "I don't know, how is it that you all know?"

Steve looked at Maria, who pointedly looked away.

Thor turned to Jane, who laughed. "I thought you knew! Darcy told me."

Everyone looked at Darcy. "I tortured Clint," she announced. Surprisingly, Clint laughed.

"What about you, Dr. Banner?" Thor asked.

Tony spoke up. "After Clint's temper tantrum this morning, I figured it was public knowledge. So of course I had to call my bestie and share the gossip."

Bruce chuckled.

Loki shared a look with Natasha that said so much for secrets, huh? "Well that settles it," he announced. "I have just one question."

Everyone looked to him, curious.

He smiled wryly. "Which plane am I going on?"


A/N: This chapter was way hard to write. It's always really hard to write scenes with that many people in them, and make sure everyone has a couple lines. It's one of the reasons I respect Joss Whedon so much, he's really good at working with large casts (dinnertime on board the Serenity, anyone?).

I've been in a bit of a writing slump lately (don't worry, I've still got about a month's worth of buffer chapters) and I could really use a little encouragement. I've never written a story this long, and finishing things isn't really my forte. You guys leave the best reviews, here and on Pity for the Devil, and I really appreciate it. Any kind of review helps, but especially anything in-depth always makes me inspired. Don't be afraid to criticize, either! I always see that as an opportunity to make the story better.

On Saturday, we have more Avengers fun with Chapter 44: Shenanigans.