No Seriously You Have To Read This: Thank you for the reviews I received yesterday! It's been wonderful writing for you, keep them coming! Importantly though, this chapter switches back to present day so... keep an eye out for that so there's no confusion!
Anyway, I may not be able to update tomorrow (heading out of town) so... give me some nice reviews to come back to!
You know the drill kids!
Read, Review, and above all... Enjoy!
Kaleria found herself in Loki's chambers. She looked around to take in her surroundings, noticing she was wearing a very elegant green dress; one very different from her normal one. She looked like a Princess in this gown. Kaleria heard footsteps behind her; she turned around quickly to see Loki standing in his full Asgardian armor. However, on his head was a golden helmet with horns adorning the top. He held Odin's staff in his hands as he looked at her.
"My dear wife." He spoke as he placed a hand gently on his chest as he eyed Kaleria. "Pledge your allegiance with me, and there will be no consequence."
"Wife?" Kaleria asked as she stared at Loki. "What is going on?"
"I know what you are planning, Kali." Loki hissed menacingly. "I know your sister has been convincing you that I am not a fair ruler. I am, Kali, I am." Loki began to close the gap between them, only causing Kaleria to take matching steps backwards. "I am your husband, Kali. You are to honor me, respect me, and fear me."
"Loki…" Kaleria whispered as her back touched the cold wall behind her, her heart in a panic as Loki was practically on top of her, grabbing her wrist.
"I am King." His skin began to turn blue and his eyes turning red. "You cannot leave me. No, you will not leave me."
Kaleria stared wide eyed at her wrist as it burned, not from heat, but ice. "Loki, stop!" Kaleria gasped. "You're hurting me!"
Loki let go of Kaleria's wrist, leaving a blue hand print behind. "You will not disobey me further, is that clear?" He repeated as he pulled her roughly to his chest.
Kaleria struggled and panicked until she did the only thing she could do. She touched Loki's side and quickly heated her hand up, causing him to jump back in pain as she bolted for the door… leaving the screaming Loki in her tracks…
She sat up straight, gasping for air. This time, her curtains were on fire. Kaleria cursed loudly as she waved her hand, stifling the flames. However, the curtains were almost completely gone. Kaleria sighed, catching her breath as best she could, her head in her hands. "These nightmares…" She gasped. "The blue skin… his red eyes…" She breathed. "Something is wrong…"
Kaleria quickly removed herself from her bed and exited her room quietly, making sure no one was around to see as she headed to his room for the second night in a row.
She knocked loudly, panic in her knocking. She could not control herself this time as Loki opened the door. "Are we making a habit of this?" He asked as he lazily hung onto the door; his snarky expression quickly softening as he noticed the fear in Kaleria's eyes. "Come in." He said quickly, moving aside as Kaleria rushed in. He checked to make sure no one was watching before closing the door and looked at Kaleria. She was facing him when he turned from the door, before he could speak, Kaleria rushed over to him, wrapping her arms around his midsection tightly as she sobbed. Loki was stunned by the gesture as he placed a loving arm around her and a gentle hand brushing her hair. He gently knelt down to pick up Kaleria in his arms as he walked her to his bed, lying her down gently as he in turn lied down next to her. "Oh Kali." He started. "What am I going to do with you?"
Kaleria choked through her tears, trying to laugh. "It was frightening."
Loki leaned over, kissing the top of her head softly. "And you will tell me all about it."
"You called me your wife." Kaleria said, still teary eyed.
"That does sound nightmarish." Loki teased, causing another choked laugh from Kaleria.
"You were threatening me… you demanded I pledged my loyalty to you and to fear you…" Kaleria began to breathe easier as she talked. "You then grabbed my wrist and you left a blue mark on my skin…"
Loki pursed his lips. "You truly see me as a monster." He tried to joke. "Was I blue again?" Kaleria nodded as Loki pulled her closer to his chest. "I promise you this, Kali." His voice was soft. "I would never hurt you."
Kaleria relaxed in his arms, breathing normally as she curled into him. "I have to stop waking you up at night…" She joked, receiving a soft chuckle from Loki.
"At least wake me up a little earlier." Loki replied. "Or come before I fall asleep."
"We'd never get away with it." Kaleria said as she pulled away slightly from Loki, looking up at him.
"We already are." He said, leaning forward and brushing Kaleria's lips with his. The heat from her lips and cold from his sent shivers down her spine as their kissing became more profound. Kaleria placed her hand gently on his chest; feeling sparks from the temperature difference. Their bodies moved closer and soon Loki rolled on top of Kaleria.
Their kisses were full of need, comfort, and desperation; their need to kiss, the comfort of being in each other's company, and the desperation to touch one another. Loki pulled away first, catching Kaleria off guard. He sighed in somewhat frustration before looking at Kaleria sincerely. "This is not the comfort you need right now." He said as he pulled himself off her reluctantly. Oh how he wanted to continue, he knew she was his in this fragile state… but he respected her too much to take what he wanted. This realization shocked him, yet at the same time gave him comfort.
Kaleria sat up, matching Loki shoulder for shoulder as he sat in front of her. She just smiled reassuringly before moving forward and kissing him softly. "Then hold me tight while we sleep."
"That is something I can do." Loki smiled genuinely before kissing Kaleria once more. They both lied down, Kaleria snuggling close to Loki as he wrapped a secure arm around her midsection once more, his head resting on the back of Kaleria's neck. He would keep her safe for the night, and vowed for the rest of his life she'd be safe in his arms… even with the lingering doubt in Kaleria's mind…
Present Day...
Kaleria adjusted in the hard folding chair, her hand rubbing her enormous belly as she exhaled. Steve looked at her sympathetically. "How far are you, Ma'am?"
"You can call me Kali, Steve." Kaleria smiled as she reminded him. "Eight months, well, a little over."
"You must be excited." Steve replied. "Do you need to get up and walk around, or do you need to rest?"
Kaleria was about to stand up when Steve rushed over and offered his hand. She took it graciously and stood up, stretching. "I just need to walk around for a moment. Pregnancy is a wonderful but truly awful experience." She joked.
"I wouldn't know." Steve returned the joking tone.
"So this Loki guy…" Steve asked, running a hand through his hair. "Is he…"
Kaleria smiled slightly. "I have not finished my story yet."
"It's really interesting Kali." Steve cleared his throat. "But how did you get here? What are you doing here?"
Kaleria lost her smile all together now. She sighed as she looked at Steve. "The same way you came here, by complete accident."
Steve was truly curious about Kaleria; her story was already full of difficulties and challenges. Now there was a puzzle to complete; who was this Loki guy, how did Kaleria get here, how did she become an Agent, and who was the father of her child? He wanted to know more, he was feeling so at ease with Kaleria. She was someone he could easily talk to and not feel so out of place because she too was out of place. He was the soldier out of time and she was the misplaced Asgardian Goddess. There was definitely a companionship to be held there.
The two were interrupted by a jittery Agent Coulson, whom smiled like a kid in a candy store at Captain America. Phil Coulson grew up in the era where the Captain was still popular and still idolized as an America hero. He collected all the trading cards, paraphernalia, you name it and he had it. "I see you two are getting along." He commented.
Kaleria smiled. "Steve, I assume you've met Agent Coulson before." Steve nodded, smiling faintly. Oh, he had met Coulson. Coulson bombarded Steve the first chance he got about signing his Captain America trading cards. Kaleria turned to Steve once more. "It's getting late, I need rest. I can finish the story later."
"I'm holding you to it." Steve replied with a warm smile.
Kaleria turned to Coulson. "Care to walk a lady home?"
Coulson smiled. "Of course I will." He held his arm out, Kaleria taking it playfully before turning her head to call back to Steve.
"I will expect you here 10:30 sharp, Captain."
Steve saluted playfully. "Yes Ma'am." He watched as Kaleria and Coulson left the training room.
"How you do think it's going?" Coulson asked as the two walked towards the apartments. Not many Shield Agents lived on base; however, Kaleria lived on base by her own accord as well as some talking to by Fury.
Kaleria smiled. "I like Steve." She looked at Coulson. "And I think you really like Steve too." Coulson chuckled as the two continued to Kaleria's apartment. "He just needs a friend, like I did."
"Well you're a great choice for a friend." Coulson replied as the two arrived at Apt 2B. "Get some rest Kali."
Kaleria placed a hand on her stomach. "This child is draining me." Coulson just smiled as Kaleria entered her apartment alone, closing the door gracefully behind her.
The apartment wasn't much, it had a twin sized bed, a desk, a closet which was now full of maternity clothes, Kaleria's Agent attire, and of course her Asgardian outfit. There was a bathroom and a small bookshelf, filled with Shakespearian literature. Kaleria was so happy to be introduced to new books to read on Midgard.
Kaleria walked to her closet, finding a long night gown to wear. The nightgown that reached her knees was a little bit higher than normal thanks to her giant belly. She sighed as she walked over to her desk, opening the top drawer and eyeing the silver ring. She carefully picked it up, holding it in her palm as she marveled it. "Oh how I miss you…" She barely whispered as she put the ring on her finger. Her heart felt heavy the more she thought of him. "It only hurts when I think of you…"
With that she reached with her right hand to turn off her lamp, stopping for a moment to look at the way her silver ring shined in the light… and then her eyes trailed down to her wrist… the feeling of pain coming back as she stared at the terrible reminder that has haunted her for the past 8 months… the blue hand print on her wrist…
Final Thoughts: Egads! A blue hand print on her wrist... I wonder what happened... Review to find out more! Thanks for reading!