Oh God I am tired. I am uploading this past midnight. But another chapter finished! Yay! Hopefully, another will be done soon. I am very excited about the events in next two chapers! I hope you enjoy and review :)

Let me know if there are some spelling or grammar mistakes.

I own nothing but OC and plot.

XVIII

Sun was just rising as the door closed behind her. Fresh air filled her lungs and oddly, made her smile. Milla knew it was going to be a long and maybe a little painful day, especially the dusk. And that was the main reason why she chose to wake up early and prepare the surprise. Emma had always been saying that the mood in the morning defines your whole day. Milla had a some opposite experiences, but she chose to believe it this time. She was actually looking forward to this. An idea that invaded her mind since the third glass of whiskey last night.

She chuckled. After a darker moments, the alcohol hit both of their heads and the atmosphere changed. Thor had more than enough stories from the battlefields and the parties after them and he told her about his time on Midgard. There was not much for her to say and she was glad Thor didn't ask about her life. She believed that would happen if they stayed up a little longer, but Milla sensed when enough was enough. He told her a lot about his life and she loved to listen to it.

Thor introduced her a few people who had a dear place in his life. The warriors three, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg. She laughed a lot while he was talking about Fandral. All the adventured they experienced while they escape the supervision and went to inns to meet girls were as ridiculous as she could imagine. Fandral was a big sweetheart when it came to women, but also a deadly warrior in battle. Thor said he used that reputation to make women admire him.

Hogun, on the other hand, was the silent one. Milla was happy to hear he was born in Vanaheim but left the place to fight for Odin long time ago. Loyalty and courage caught Thor's attention, later respect and friendship. He said there were times when Hogun was the only one Thor could talk to openly and without secrets. Times when Loki hid himself from world and Thor lost a brother for a few days. She poured them another glass then.

The last of the company was the biggest sweetheart of them all. Sincere and funny, honest Volstagg who desired nothing more than peace and good food and fine company. He reminded her of young Aaron who was the same. And oddly, they both chose the warrior future. Thor said it was impossible to keep a straight face when talking to Volstagg and it was so easy to forget the horrors of battle with him. Milla saw on Thor's face he wished they were with him now.

Later, there was lady Sif. He said they would get along, but Milla argued about that. There was not a big chance that lady Sif, a warrior and a woman in one, who had been trying all her life to be equal with men and to make them respect her at the battlefield would get along with a woman pretending to be a proper lady who looked that she would cry as soon as she saw blood. Thor augmented that it was not true. "As far as I know, your wars are won by words, not by blood and they are as important as any others."

"May be that they are, but until she saw me fighting, I would be just another rich and dull lady."

However, the longer he was talking about her, the more she wanted to meet her. From his words it was obvious that she fancied Thor, but he chose not to see it. Although, since early age, everyone was saying Sif would be Thor's queen when it was time for him to pick one. And that might be true if Thor didn't come to Midgrd and fell in love. Jane was her name and his face lit up in different way as he was talking about her. Jane was a scientist, an intelligent and very humble, but curious and brave girl. She laughed as he said how they met. She drove him over by a car. And they fell in love the way she fell in love with Loki - somewhere between the night's conversations, smiles during breakfast and curious looks while she was working.

"I would like to meet a girl who stole King's heart." She said a little drunk, curled up in a chair, looking at the blond God in front of her. If the time wasn't so complicated, she would go to Midgard with him. She couldn't. It was not like she wasn't thinking about it. A thought, that maybe, just maybe, if Loki saw her standing at Thor's side, he would stop and listen. But she threw the idea away. If he cared about her, if he loved her, he would be there instead of Thor now. She won't go.

"Maybe one day, you will." He smiled. But then, it was late and Thor needed rest. She made him stand up and go to sleep.

And after four hours of dreamless sleep, she woke up tired, but ready to face the day. She took a shower to wash tiredness away, took a basket and packed all she needed. Fruit, pastry, cheese, wine. She was still a little drunk but at least it helped her courage. With thinking about last night and humming some melody, she stepped outside and slowly walked across the city.

The streets were empty except a few old people taking care of their gardens and little shops preparing for another busy day. Milla noticed a few curious looks from other people when she was passing by, but she didn't care. She let them think whatever they wanted. She smiled and looked up, glad that the sun was hidden behind clouds today. She was not in a mood to spend a day on a burning sun, no matter how much she loved it. She wanted to see, not to frown.

It took her a while to find the right door. They were all the same, simple, oaken, with no name around. She had to ask a kind looking older man walking around her to show her his door. Luckily, he knew him. She took a deep breath and knocked. And then she waited.

When the door opened, it was hard to say who was more surprised. An awkward silence lasted longer than expected. He was taken aback by her appearance this early in the morning and she was amazed by the great body that stood in front of her. He wore nothing but a bed sheet around his waist. It was hard to look away from his perfect muscles. She found herself in need of touching.

"Milla?" he said after a while and broke the buzz in her head. Quickly she licked her lips and looked him in the eyes, blushing violently. She tried to remember why she came here and put her mind in order.

"Leo, hi, yes," she took a step back and created as charming smile as she could. She was happy to see that he was red in face as well, but on the other hand, he looked satisfied with the effect he had on her. "I see I woke you up. I'm sorry."

"It's all right." He frowned in confusion. "Come in, don't stand outside." He moved from the door to let her in. She went past him with her head down, swearing how stupid she could be for forgetting herself for those long seconds. She had to make an advantage from it.

"The reason I came...well, I told you I want to make it up to you. I was not in a happy place yesterday and I'm sorry again, so I thought..." this time, she looked at his body with obvious interest. She loved to see him shiver under her gaze. "...how about a picnic at the beach?"

His face changed from anticipating to puzzled and she almost laughed. Yes, of course she almost changed her mind seeing him like that, but then again, she was still a little drunk and she would regret it. So instead of sex with gorgeous man, she suggested food. And Leo smiled widely as she bit her lower lip. "Are you sure you don't want to eat here?" he suggested. He clearly knew what he was doing.

Milla raised eyebrows and put the basket on a table. "I was really looking forward to the sea." she said taking one step closer. "I got up earlier only for this, you know?" she was talking the first thing that came to her mind, focusing on being as sane as she could be at that moment. She took another step and now, she was only some inches from his face. He was looking down at her, hunger in his eyes. And she loved to see that. She loved to see that she was still able to create a desire in a man even though she did not feel like it for some time now.

"I'm sure you could stay some time here if you want." His face moved closer to hers and she didn't move. Her eyes were fixed on his eyes, but his were moving between her eyes and lips.

"Or you could just take and advantage. I'm still drunk from last night." Somewhere in the corner of her mind, a tiny voice was saying how badly this could end. But as she was this close to him, she was not even trying to listen to it. Maybe it was time just to forget and to live, at least for this little while. What was the worst that could happen?

She felt his hand on the small of her back. As she lifted hers to touch his neck, she saw him smile. Just a corner of his lips. "Will you fight?"

"Only if I don't like what you do." She whispered back. Not a heartbeat after she said that, his lips touched hers in fierce, hungry kiss. She almost started laughing at the eagerness of it. But he didn't let her. The moment Milla opened her mouth a little, he slipped his tongue inside. She let him. His arms around her tightened and shortly after, she was an desperate need of air. So she did what she always had done to her clients long time ago - she bit his tongue, gently, but enough to get the message. He pulled away just for the time she took the control. Milla kissed him now, differently. She licked his lips and then bit the lower one for the effect. And just after that, she kissed him properly. And he liked that. She felt it against her tights.

He pushed her against the wall. And she laughed then. It was so absurd. Her fingertips traced his soft skin, from his shoulder to his abdomen, from neck to his hair. She pulled it and he seemed to like it. But Milla was not sure if she liked it all too. Of course, the kissing was pleasant, the warmth of his body was something she could get used to very easily, but there was something else. She did not feel the adrenaline she ought to. She liked touching him, but she was surprised that it did not satisfy her the way she imagined it would. There was not real desire in her. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe her expectations were too high. But it just did not feel right. It reminded her more of a duty she had as a whore to a client than a real want she felt...with Loki.

Leo's hand slipped down and touched her bottom. She opened her eyes rapidly and gently, very gently, she pushed him away. At once, she did not want this to go any further, she did not want him to touch her more than he already had. She looked in his confused eyes and tried to be as kind as she could. She felt horrible for stopping it all, but it was a mistake. Obviously, she was not ready for a relationship like that, not even friends with benefits. It would end badly for both of them. But how to tell him without sounding like a bitch?

"No," she whispered. "Not a good idea after all."

"Did I do something wrong?" he was worried. She smiled and tried to step away from him.

"No, of course not," she felt horrible. "Just not a good idea for me. It wouldn't end well." She looked at him, still puzzled, still half naked. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," he said. It wasn't. "Whatever you want, I'm not a guy who would force you."

"Thank you." She breathed. She really hoped he was not offended. "So how about you get some clothes and we go for that picnic?"

Luckily, he smiled, but she didn't really believe it. "Give me five minutes."

Stones on the beach were pleasantly cold against her bare feet. She had not been here for so long she almost forgot what a beautiful view this place provided. It was always windy in this part of town and waves were always too high to let anyone swim in the water. But that wasn't important. Nobody wanted to destroy the feeling they got by fighting with waves. People came here to listen to them. To feel the power and absorb the energy. Inhale and exhale and close your eyes. The world outside stops and that was the exact thing those who missed something were looking for.

Milla chose the dark blue, almost black dress with loose chiffon skirt and now, as she was standing on one of the large builders, the fabric was blowing behind her. She loved that feeling, being so close to nature, to unstoppable force that won't hurt her but it will clear her head. She faced the wind and let it mess her hair and she laughed. As a young girl, she used to the same on a cliff not far from home. Indescribable freedom.

"What are you doing?" she heard Leo behind her. He was there earlier that she expected, holding her basket full of food and wine. She ran the moment they reached the white stones. Luckily, he did not run after her. It was probably too early in the morning for him although he seemed quite woken up earlier.

"Flying." She replied, still not opening her eyes. If she could, she would be gone for a long time now.

"I see," he stepped back, avoiding water. It was cold today. "I have always been afraid of hights."

"Maybe because you had no one to catch you if you fell." She said silently, opening her eyes and looking somewhere in front of her for a few moments before jumping back to dry land and taking a blanket from the basket.

"No, I don't think it was that," he shrugged. "It is the unknown up there, probably."

"You are afraid of unknown and yet you want to travel. A paradox?"

Leo laughed and sat down on the blanket. Stones were making it uncomfortable, but he didn't want her to see him complaining. So emptied the basket, putting everything on a plate that somehow appeared there. Milla took an apple, Leo took a glass of wine.

"People are the same everywhere. It is the universe that can be scary." He explained and she nodded. Her brown eyes were fully focused on him and he had to control himself not to fidget. She was not even blinking and neither did he.

"Have you ever seen Bifrost?" She asked all of a sudden. Leo shook his head and she continued. "Me neither, but I've seen drawings and an Asgardian described it to me to the last detail." She took wine as well and looked inside the glass. "A Rainbow Bridge, glowing in all colours you can imagine, long and wide and magestic, forcing you to respect it as well as Heimdall, the guardian and defender of Asgard. But you know what is the most important? When it's dark, when sun goes to sleep, Bifrost isn't the only source of light. Wherever you look, you see an empty space, endless and menacing. It is said that some people were so charmed by the lights in the distance that they fell through the Bridge. That they are lost in the void for eternity." She became silent and then took a sip of wine. Milla was thinking about the eternity Loki was supposed to spend in nothingness. But he didn't and he fell to Vanaheim. For a long time she was trying to figure out how, but there were no answers. Later, she gave up and focused not on how, but who. And now, she sometimes wished he never found a way to this realm. To her. "I understand what you mean by scary." She smiled at him and winked.

For some time, he was silently studying her. The way she was talking about everything, it was like she was telling a story. She was looking away from people as if she was remembering, choosing the words carefully so that the story never fails to interest. Every sentence carried new thought. And with the wind playing with her long hair, cheeks red from the morning cold, and bags under her eyes were barely visible when she smiled. All his father ever said about the creature next to him was not accurate enough to describe her. Milla was a mysterious woman with so many faces and Leo wanted to see every one of them. And of course, all his being wanted her to want him. To let him touch her more than earlier in the morning. She was the most interesting woman he had ever met and he was determined to have her.

"And what scares you, my lady?" He asked softly. She smiled at him.

"Not much. I've been through a lot so it is hard for me to name a true fear." There could be some named, but she was not ready to look weak in front of him. Vulnerability, any kind of it, was an unwanted emotion this morning. It was supposed to be calm and Milla was determined to have it that way. "The more interesting question would be, what pleases me?" she said that with an actual intention of teasing him. It could be cruel, but she liked that playful smile on his face whenever she said something with double meaning.

"So what pleases you, my lady?" Leo shifted his position to be closer to her. Milla considered that maybe he was trying to use this situation to kiss her again, but she was not about to allow it. Only to keep him interested.

"I'll tell if you tell." she winked and poured some more wine.

"I'll tell if you tell." He repeated and she laughed.

"Well, then I'll wait till you start." Milla stood up to jump into the water again. Finally, a playfull mood. "But as a motivation for you," she leaned to his ear. "I love neck kisses."

That woman. Leo had to swallow up his lust. She was toying with him and he knew and let her. He will find a way to make her beg for him. Somehow, in time. He was raised as a decent man, a gentleman, taught to never force a woman into anything, to charm her and let her to come in her own will. He was meant to do this now, as many times before, but his patience was damaged. Again, her scent filled his nose, the reminder of her skin so close to him. Leo almost felt her hand in his hair. He wished she was in his presence all the time.

Milla changed to a light white dress in the afternoon to balance her mood. She knew it was going to drop so maybe lighter colour will help. Or not.

Thor was helping her jump across the puddles of melted snow and afterwards, he still held her hand even though she wore as comfortable boots as he was. Milla wasn't complaining. Thor probably needed some sort of comfort, a courage that touch brought. She could feel how stiff his muscles were, how concentrated and nervous he was. Yes, he was going to a realm he knew, but the task in front of him was anything but easy. And Milla felt helpless not being able to help him.

They had not spoken a word since they left house. Thor in his full armour, Mjöllnir swinging at his side, not a hint of a careless man she had the opportunity to see once. Once in a time, Milla was looking over to him just to see his face hard as a stone, a mask he mastered almost as well as his brother. But not quite. His eyes gave him away.

"When you come back, thank your Mother for believing in me." Milla finally heard herself say.

"I will," he nodded, his deep voice echoing among the lifeless mountains around. "She would have liked you, you know?" Thor looked at her and smiled a little. Milla tried to smile back, but failed. She knew. Loki told her dozens of times.

"Maybe when this is all over, I could come and visit you. I would really like to charm Fandral before he makes his move on me." First, she thought there was no way she was going to Asgard when this all was over. But as the time passed by, she was still toying with the idea.

Surprisingly, Thor laughed. "I really want to see that."

"And maybe play a drinking game with Volstagg. I am surprisingly good at drinking games."

"You cheat, don't you?" he looked at her the way Emma did when she did not follow the rules. Milla did puppy eyes.

"I have no idea what are you talking about." But then she winked. "I got my house in a drinking game. Once, a group of friends saw a fair young lady drinking at the bar and as bored as they were, they convinced her to play a little drinking game. But she was not as drunk as they thought. You know, it is easy to fall on high heels and giggle like a maiden." She smiled when she remembered that. Thor seemed to be interested in the story and she realised she had never told him one before. He knew very little of her. "So she asked what was the price. And one of them, apparently some kind of a leader, certain of his win, he offered his new house and half of his fortune as a joke. And she accepted." Milla giggled. The sheer panic on the men's face was the most beautiful sight in her whole life. That was the night her life changed forever. "Replacing the beer with apple juice was the first trick I learned as a whore. As a moral of the story, never use girls in bars for fun, or you spend the night throwing up in some alley while she walks out with a paper proving the property and fortune is hers."

Thor laughed and she was smiling with him. She should have thought about this sooner. There were so many stories she could tell. "You devious woman," he said. "You are clever. Very clever. Some time ago, maybe even Loki would have liked you." And surprisingly, there was no hurt in his voice. But there was a load in her eyes.

She did not answer.

"Wait," he said a few seconds later. "A whore? You?" he asked in a disbelief. Not she smirked.

"Yes, me, for quite some time. There is a lot you don't know Thor."

"I would like to."

"Then come back and I'll tell you a lot more." She looked at him and stopped. They reached their destination. Thor looked over her shoulder to the cave they were standing in front of and took a deep breath. Milla was happy for the cold air around, it made her breathing easier as well.

"I will." He nodded, but he was not sure. Thor was about to confront his brother who, according to all he knew, had gone completely mad. Nothing was certain at this point. And they both knew it. And they were afraid.

"This is a farewell for some time, my prince. I am so sorry we didn't meet under more pleasant circumstances." She faced him and forced a smile. He did too.

"If the circumstances were different, we would have never met. I would regret that really." The hug was so unexpected, that when she realised what was going on, tears filled her eyes.

"Are you saying thank god Loki lost his mind?" Milla whispered.

"In a way, yes." He pulled away with a sad smile. Very fast, Milla turned away to wipe her tears. She did not want to think about all this. Another good soul that Loki broke. She should hate him. Thor should hate him. Struggling with these thought, she quickly drew symbols on a wall and stepped away. Thor slowly walked on her place and looked at her for maybe the last time.

"Farewell Milla. Take care of that kid Leo, he likes you."

Milla laughed which caused more tears. She tried to ignore them, to stop them, but it was too hard. "I will. And I will see you again, you understand?" Seeing another Asgardian prince leaving was breaking her spirit in two again. She didn't think it would all hurt her like that. She didn't even know him. But it was Thor's good, genuine nature, a man she wanted to be friends with and yet she could not tell him so many things for she would risk all. She hated it.

Thor nodded. Milla closed her eyes, calmed down and said those nine easy words. A passage, colourful as the space was appeared in front of Thor. He looked a little frightened and Milla understood that. It was scary after all.

"And Thor?" she said quickly as he stepped forward. "When you find him...when you find Loki...tell him to be more careful about promises next time, would you?"

The portal closed as suddenly as it was opened. And Milla leaned against the wall. There was nothing more she could do. Only wait. But for what? There was no possible happy ending here. She knew that all along, didn't she?

And yet, she hoped for a miracle.