The song for this chapter is "Disease" by Matchbox Twenty. There's also a mini comic for it on my deviantArt site. Remove the spaces from this to get the url: fav .me /d5vmizf
Chapter 47: A Declaration
It was much later when Natasha found Loki, sitting on the rock and still staring out across the ocean. The music had ended, and he guessed that the party had, too.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she called up softly.
"No," he said sullenly.
She shrugged, and thought a moment. "Do you want to break in the room?" she asked half-jokingly.
He sighed in a relieved sort of way, and jumped off the rock to stand next to her. "Yes," he admitted.
She smiled. "Well, come on, then."
Afterwards, she lay in his arms a few minutes, as she was becoming overly fond of doing. Then she sighed, got up, and dug in her suitcase for her pajamas.
Loki pouted. "Surely you're not cold?" he teased.
Natasha laughed. "No, but when were you planning on switching? I'm not sure She'd take kindly to waking up in bed with me naked."
"It can wait until morning," he insisted. "And anyway, you might be surprised. She thinks naughty things about you, too, and not all of them are my fault."
Natasha gave him an incredulous look.
He laughed. "No, really. She's very... curious. Don't be surprised if she asks you about it."
She sighed and climbed back into bed with him. "If you say so. I'm not so sure, though. She's my friend, and I don't want to ruin that. I don't want to risk hurting her."
He pulled her back against him possessively, fitting himself to the curve of her body. "It would certainly make my life simpler," he argued.
Natasha frowned, not sure she agreed. But she said nothing, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. Her last conscious thought was to wonder why it felt so right to do so in his arms.
When Loki returned, she noticed it was early morning. She also noticed the small, elderly woman in front of her, scared half out of her wits.
"I'm sorry-" she began, but the old woman only muttered a few words in a language she didn't understand and made a strange hand gesture before shuffling off in a hurry.
"No terrorizing the natives," she scolded inwardly. Her only response was a vague sense of amusement. She sighed, and decided to go for a swim. When she reached the beach, she realized she was not the only one who had that idea. Darcy, Tony, Jane and Pepper were already staked out on the sand. They waved in greeting as she approached.
"You call that a swimsuit?" Tony said jokingly, glancing at her over his dark-tinted sunglasses.
Loki looked down at her board shorts and modest tankini top, tugging the shorts a little lower. "I'm still not 100% comfortable in this body, you know," she mumbled.
"Oh, honey, it's just fine," Pepper said comfortingly. "Tony's just being an ass, as usual." Her voice was oddly affectionate, despite what she said, and she leaned over to claim a kiss from him.
"Besides," Darcy put in as she was rubbing sunscreen on her arms. "What if you accidentally lied?"
Tony gave a very exaggerated shudder. "Right. Carry on then," he waved a hand imperiously.
Loki rolled her eyes and laid out her towel next to Darcy's.
"This whole owning an island thing is really going to his head," Jane complained quietly.
"Well you know what they say," Loki sat gracefully. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Darcy laughed, but Jane took it more seriously, marking her place in her book and thinking.
"Here," Darcy held out the bottle of sunscreen. "You'll need to put this on if you don't want a nasty sunburn. You're pretty pasty."
She helped Loki make sure that she didn't miss any spots. Just as she was finishing up, they heard Tony whistle.
Natasha was coming down the path to the beach, wearing a very revealing bikini. What little fabric composed it, Loki noticed, was green.
"Now that's more like it!" Tony said approvingly, and then winced when Pepper smacked him with her magazine. "What, I can still look can't I?"
"Ugh," Darcy said with heartfelt jealousy. "Is she even human? So unfair."
"I apologize for my husband's lack of manners," Pepper said when she was in earshot.
Natasha laughed. "Oh, I'm used to it, I don't mind. I've spent a lot of time on beaches in Europe and South America."
Tony frowned, thinking. "What, like, topless beaches? Wait a minute," he looked around. "I own this beach..." He sat up, raising a hand in the air. "I officially declare this a topless beach!" he announced.
All five girls leveled the same disgusted, incredulous look at him.
"What? You can't blame me for trying!"
"I can," Pepper laughed, and they dissolved into a cheerful bout of squabbling.
"Disgusting," Darcy shook her head.
"I think it's cute," Jane smiled.
Natasha refrained from comment and laid her towel down next to Loki's. Loki, who had yet to do anything except stare at Natasha with her mouth slightly open, suddenly thrust the sunscreen in her direction.
"Here," she said lamely. "I could help you get your back," she suggested.
She looked amused, and a little suspicious, but shook her head. "I don't need it," she explained.
"I thought gingers burned really easy?" Jane mused.
"I'm not really a ginger since I don't have the freckles," Natasha reasoned.
Darcy grinned. "So do you have a soul, then?" she joked.
Natasha looked less than amused. "That remains to be seen."
Slowly everyone trickled down to the beach, until all of them were either lounging on the sand or playing in the water. Darcy introduced Loki to the concept of sandcastles, and they quickly had a massive structure going, reinforced with small bits of Loki's magic. Darcy managed to drag Clint into the project as well, and he and Loki managed to get along well enough to keep her happy.
When the sun had risen high in the sky, Tony stood and shouted to get everyone's attention. "Lunch is at the clubhouse in half an hour," he announced. "No need to dress fancy, but it's a no shirt, no shoes, no service kinda deal. See you there."
There was some laughter, and the people who had been out in the water waded in. Everyone split up to go to their separate rooms and change. As Natasha walked with Loki, she noticed a troubled expression on her face.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Loki shook her head. "I dunno. I just have a weird sense of foreboding."
Natasha's expression now matched Loki's. "Is it some kind of premonition?"
"I don't think so," she fingered her ruby pendant absently. "I just have a bad feeling about lunch."
Despite Loki's misgivings, lunch was a pleasant affair. The food was excellent, and after desert everyone sat around chatting. Thor gave a meaningful glance to Tony, who tapped his water glass with a knife to get everyone's attention. Thor stood, and the attention turned to him.
He cleared his throat nervously, and smiled. "During my time here, I have come to see you all as my family, and I think my sister would agree," he lifted his glass to Loki, who sat at the end of the table.
She lifted her glass in agreement. "We certainly bicker like one," she offered, which got her a few laughs.
"Which is why I wanted you all to be here for a very important moment in my life. Jane," he turned to her, and she was looking up at him with a mixture of confusion and dawning realization. "I have travelled all the nine realms and never once met a woman with your intelligence, beauty, passion, and kindness. Which is why I would ask you," and here he dropped to one knee by her side, "If you would do me the very great honor of becoming my bride?"
There were excited and surprised murmurs from around the table, which were quickly hushed. Jane, for her part, was the picture of delighted shock, her mouth opening and closing rather like a startled fish. Thor gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and she laughed. "Of course!" she said. "Yes!" and she flung her arms around his neck.
Now there were cheers around the table, although Loki remained inconspicuously quiet and Natasha watched her carefully. When they were quiet again, Darcy fished a box out of her purse and handed it to Thor, who presented it to Jane.
"I know it is customary here to give a ring, and I will get you a ring," he added hastily, "I just didn't know what sort you would like best. In Asgard, we give our betrothed a gift with meaning and history."
Jane lifted the lid carefully, and gasped at its contents. Several of the guests stood slightly to get a better view. It was a beautiful pearl and sapphire necklace.
"Does daddy know you have that?" Loki asked suddenly, and the appreciative murmurs from around the table died out.
Thor looked up, wary. "No. Mother gave it to me."
Loki stood and walked to stand between Jane and Thor, fingering the necklace lovingly. "A good choice. This necklace was given by Odin to Frigga, his queen, upon the birth of his third and youngest son, Baldur, the only Asgardian prince of full Aesir blood. But it has been in our family for many eons before that." She plucked the necklace from its cushion, and deftly undoing the clasp, placed it around Jane's neck. "You must wear it with great honor and pride."
Jane's fingers fluttered over the jewels. "I-I will," she stammered nervously.
Loki smiled serenely, although there was little mirth in it. "Then let me be the first to welcome you to the family," she offered, and bent to place a kiss upon her cheek.
There was another round of cheers, and Loki stepped back as the other girls crowded around Jane to congratulate her and admire the necklace. She made to disappear entirely, but Thor caught her before she could escape.
"Let me go," she pleaded in a hoarse whisper.
"Not before I thank you," he said gently. "I know that was hard for you, and I-"
"Please," Loki begged, tears forming in her eyes. "I still..." she choked on the words, and sighed. "I suppose, deep down, I knew it was never going to work. But I still..."
"I know," he said, not without pity. "Which is why what you did means so much to me."
"You're welcome, then, and I wish you both great happiness, really I do. But please let me go before I make a scene after all," she whispered.
Thor released his hold on her wrist, and she made a silent, unnoticed exit from the room. Mostly unnoticed, anyway. When he turned back around, Thor saw that Natasha had been watching them. He nodded to her, and she rose from her seat, making an equally graceful and subtle departure.
Natasha did not catch up with Loki until she reached their little cabin. She must have run all the way. She found her sobbing on the couch. Crouching down next to her, she rested a hand on her back.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked gently.
"No," she said sullenly, unconsciously echoing the night before.
Natasha sighed. Her solution of last night was not appropriate here. She was fairly certain that Loki would take her up on the offer, and gladly, but only because she was heartbroken and wanted to be loved. That wasn't what Natasha was offering, and it would be wrong to take advantage of her emotional turmoil.
"What can I do?" she asked awkwardly, unused to giving comfort.
"Just stay with me," she pleaded, turning to cling to her.
Natasha moved to sit on the couch next to her, holding her tightly. In a small way, she could understand this. There had been several times in her life that she had cried her heart out, wishing she had someone-anyone-to hold her fast through the storm. It had been many years, but you don't forget heartache like that.
Slowly Loki calmed, her sobs giving way to silent shaking, and then dissolving to sniffles. Finally Natasha released her, wiping the tear stains from her cheeks. "Better now?" she asked.
Loki nodded with a heavy sigh. "I knew it would come to this, but..."
"But it still hurts?"
Loki wiped at her eyes and laughed a little. "You probably think I'm an idiot for bawling my eyes out," she joked.
Natasha shook her head. "Better to get it out. Locking it up does things to you, twists you..." she looked away.
She studied her profile, realizing she spoke from experience. "Is this why love is for children?" she asked softly, "Because only children would risk getting hurt like this?"
Natasha looked back at her, but said nothing. She didn't need to. She stood, peering out through the blinds at a thunderstorm that had whipped up quickly, and now dumped buckets of rain on them.
"It won't last," Loki explained. "If I'm not careful with my emotions, the magical energy can affect the weather around me."
"I see," Natasha said quietly. She could tell from her awkward manner that Loki wanted a little privacy now, but she wasn't prepared to leave her alone and the storm gave her enough of an excuse. She picked a book out of her suitcase and stationed herself in the hammock next to the sliding glass doors.
Loki found the remote control and turned the TV on, searching for a distraction.
A/N: Poor Loki, Natasha will make it all better... *cackles gleefully* Finally moving into the phase of the story that I know a lot of you have been waiting for.
Also, I have finally managed to convince my muse that I will not write my next story until this one is done, so now she is super motivated to finish it! I've written two chapters in two days, so my buffer should be up to scratch in no time. Thanks for all your wonderful reviews and encouragement-it really helped!
On Saturday, tune in for Chapter 48: Inquiries
