A/N: I am starting a time jump here. Loki and Ava are about sixteen while Thor and the others are around eighteen (or the Asgardian equivalent). I hope you guys continue to like this. Please read and review.

The years passed and Loki and Ava's friendship only grew stronger. They alternated days on who would do the traveling. Whenever Loki would come to Asgard, he would take and change his form and put on the Asgardian clothes. Occasionally, they would be joined by Thor and his friends, but most of the time it was just the two of them.

On this particular day, Ava had traveled to the Jotunheim to visit Loki. It was also the night before her birthday. She had been trying to convince him to come to her party the next night, but he had been refusing. "I should probably be heading home." Ava said after a while.

"I wish that I could see you tomorrow." Loki replied.

"You could if you would come to my party." Ava countered. "If I could get away, I would, but my mother wants me to spend the entire day with her."

"I understand." Loki said.

Ava sighed as she stood up. "I wish you would come to my party...it won't really be a party without you...my best friend." She then did her best puppy dog pout, trying to get him to come.

Loki looked at her, her emerald green eyes, wide and pleading him, her lower lip jutted out slightly. She had convinced him to do so much with that face and she knew he could never say no to it, but he was going to say no this time. "I'm sorry...but you know I can't. I would love nothing more than to come to your party and celebrate the day of your birth...but I can't. I'm not ready to deal with a large social setting in Asgard."

Ava sighed. "You can't blame me for trying."

Loki gave her a grin. "Yes I can." He teased.

Ava smiled back and playfully slapped his arm. "If you change your mind, I'd love for you to come to my party. It will be at the palace. You can't miss it."

"I'll keep it in mind." Loki replied. He then hugged Ava before she stepped through the wall in the fireplace and disappeared back to her own realm.

Loki felt the cold of his realm biting and stinging at his flesh as soon as Ava was gone from his side. It was as if she took all the warmth with her. As of late, he had found himself longing to keep her closer, holding her longer whenever they hugged. His thoughts would frequently travel to her whenever she was not there.

His eyes wandered the room around him, every place in the temple carried a memory. Some were memories he'd had before Ava and others were memories he shared with her. The memories he shared with Ava were far happier than the ones from before he met her. He let out a sigh.

"I want to go and see her...but I'm not sure I can handle all of the people." He muttered to himself. He then headed back to the palace. He made his way to his room and sat down on his bed. He looked around his room, and that was when he spotted the box he had so cleverly hidden.

"Oh no...I forgot to give her her birthday present." He muttered to himself. He had wanted to make sure she had it before her birthday. He thought about his options and decided he had only one choice.

Ava...

Ava stood out on the balcony that was outside of her bedroom. It overlooked the garden below. The sweet fragrance of the flowers drifted on the breeze up to her nose. Ava smiled as she remembered the first time she had brought Loki to the garden. He had been mesmerized by the flowers and their beauty. Ava had actually used her magic to preserve one of the flowers for him as a gift. They had been very young children still at the time.

She sighed as she thought about Loki. "I wish he would come tomorrow." She muttered to herself. She thought about him often and wished that things were different. She wished that he could stay with her or she could stay with him...that their people didn't hate each other so.

Though his skin was cold to the touch, Loki was always warm and Ava never hesitated to hug him. In fact, as of late she was content to stay in his arms as long as she could. She found herself thinking about him often and always wanting to spend more and more time with him. She let out a sigh as she turned and headed for bed.

The next day she spent with her mother. "I can't believe how much you have grown." Frigga said as she helped Ava pick out a dress for the party.

"Mom." Ava said.

Frigga turned to her and smiled. "What? A mother can't be a little sentimental about her daughter growing up?"

"It's not like this is the birthday that declares me eligible to wed." Ava replied.

"No, but you are eligible to be courted." Frigga told her daughter. "And I imagine many young men will be ready to court you to try and win your heart."

Ava just shook her head. "I'll have to get Thor to help keep them away."

"You say that now, but once you meet the right boy, you're mind will change."

"Can we just pick out my dress already?" Ava asked.

"I think you should wear this one. The lilac color brings out your beautiful green eyes."

"Okay." Ava agreed with a smile. She took the dress from her mother and went behind the changing screen. She slid out of her robe and pulled on the lilac dress. It was floor length and sleeveless. The neckline was conservative, revealing her collarbone. Once she had slipped into the dress, Ava stepped out and her mother helped her with her hair.

She pulled part of Ava's hair back in a style of braids and curls, weaving beautiful white and purple flowers in her hair. "You look beautiful." Frigga told her.

Ava smiled. "Thank you, Mom."

Frigga bent and kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Alright, it's time to get you to the party."

The mother and daughter walked out of Ava's chambers and headed for the great hall, where a large feast was spread and the kingdom was gathered to celebrate her birthday. There were dignitaries from the other realms there to celebrate as well. Likely, they were there to present suitors who could on the next large celebration, the one for her coming of age, to try for her hand.

Ava sighed as she thought about all of this. She couldn't help but to feel a little sad that Loki would not be there. She bit back a sigh as she heard her father making a speech. "Tonight, we are gathered here to celebrate the occasion of my daughter's sixteenth birthday. I am pleased to welcome all of you here and thank you for joining us."

The double doors opened and Ava and her mother entered the room. Ava plastered a gracious smile on her face as they entered and she gazed at the sea of faces around her. The room erupted in cheers as she entered the room. Her big brother cheering the loudest for her.

Ava couldn't help but to laugh at his brutish nature. Lady Sif and the warriors three were not far from her brother. Fandrall had been taking a sip of his wine when she had entered the room and spit it out as soon as he had seen her. That made her laugh as well.

She and her mother took their seats across from Thor and his friends. The feast then began. Ava was approached by several young men and asked to dance and she was obligated to accept each and every invitation to the dance floor. As soon as she was finished dancing with one potential suitor, she was being pulled into the arms of another.

She was dancing with one of the dignitaries from Vanaheim, when Fandrall approached them. "May I cut in?" He asked.

The man Ava had been dancing with stepped aside and Fandrall held out his hand. Ava fought back a sigh as she accepted his hand and he placed one at her waist while she placed her other hand on his shoulder. "Ava, I would like to apologize for being so mean to you when we were younger." He told her.

"Why would you be apologizing now?" Ava asked.

"Well...because I was a very very stupid boy. I had no idea that when you grew up you would be so beautiful."

Ava looked up at Fandrall and rolled his eyes. "Even if I did find you the least bit attractive, your reputation would keep you out of the line of being a potential suitor...any girl with sense knows to stay away from you." Seeing that she had made Fandrall speechless, Ava smiled and then pulled away.

She managed to slip away from the party and out to the garden, where she could be alone for a little while. Ava began to walk along the paths, enjoying the feel of the night air around her. The sounds of music and merriment carried from inside the palace walls.

"You look beautiful tonight, Ava." came a familiar voice.

Ava looked ahead and watched as Loki stepped out of the shadows in his Asgardian form. A grin instantly spread across her face as she ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad that you came!"

Loki smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her tighter. "I had to come see you on your birthday." He replied. "Especially since I forgot to give you, your present last night."

Ava pulled back and looked up at him. "You being here is present enough."

Loki smiled as he held up a small box made of stone. "I made this for you."

Ava took the box and opened it up. Inside was a beautiful flower made of ice and snow. She recognized the spell, one she could never quite master, but Loki had. The flower would never break nor melt. "It's beautiful." She said.

Loki smiled. "Do you like it?"

"I love it." Ava answered, smiling back at him. She then stretched up and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

Loki smiled, glad that she liked it so much and glad that she had kissed his cheek. He liked the way her warm lips had felt on his cool flesh. "Now, I know you've been having to dance with a lot of men tonight, but I was wondering, if you had it in you for one more?"

Ava grinned. "I think I have one more dance in me." She then used her magic to send the box and flower to her room, displaying elegantly in her window.

Loki then took one of Ava's hands in his and placed the other at her waist. Ava placed her free hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad you came here." Ava told him.

"I'm glad I did, too." Loki replied. "I would have missed seeing how beautiful you look tonight."

Ava felt her cheeks flush slightly. She looked up into Loki's eyes. "You look very handsome tonight." She said.

They stayed there in the garden, dancing for a while and lost in each other's eyes. Both of them glad that he had come for the party...even if he wasn't in the actual party. Ava was happy that they were alone in the garden. She was also glad that she had the cloak of night to help hide her blushes.