Chapter Twenty

Awkward Moments

Her chambers were in utter disarray. Gowns of various hues were draped over chairs, thrown on the coverlet or lay like autumn leaves on the floor. It appeared as though every gown in Asgard littered the room, yet the mortal remained naked before the mirror. Loki navigated the sea of silk with a bemused smirk, eventually laying a hand on her hip. "Undergarments are probably a good start," he purred, as his hands snaked up her body to cup a breast. "Though I do enjoy you in this state."

Alex slapped the hand away, scowling at him through the reflection. "Being a perve is not helping, Loki."

"You need not worry so much."

"Not worry?" Alex wrenched herself from his grasp to look disparagingly into the nearly empty wardrobe. "I am dining with the queen and crown prince of freaking Asgard. Of course I'm freaking worrying."

"You dine with a prince every night," Loki retorted, smirk not leaving his face, "and on one."

"You don't count. You're just a seedy git. Your mother and Thor are not."

"Oh, I would not be so sure about Thor." Loki's smirk widened. "After all, he refers to you as my fuck buddy."

Alex laughed, despite the fact she was now in a state of panic. The idea of Thor saying fuck buddy was a thing of great hilarity in itself. This momentary elation was short lived, however. While she had never been one to care about what others thought of her, Alex was still a creature wrought by nerves. She felt them profoundly before interviews and interrogations, and in a way, she suspected dinner with Frigga would be a bit of both. She was also mildly terrified of conversing with Thor in an atmosphere where her relationship with Loki could not be ignored.

"Wear this." Loki's voice finally cut through her personal reverie. A swab of silk was thrown at her. It was a shift of forest green, almost sheer and shockingly low-cut as was the fashion among the young of Asgard. Alex shot him a dark look.

"Because nothing screams "I'm Loki's personal whore" like this dress."

"You are my personal whore, little one. My mother knows it, Thor knows it, and if you wear this dress, I will know it too."

oOoOoOo

The smile that graced the eternally beautiful features of Queen Frigga seemed perfectly genuine to Alex. She could do nothing but smile in return. The green gown seemed indecent under the scrutiny of the queen, and Alex felt the strangest urge to slap Loki across the face for 'suggesting' she wear it.

"It is an absolute delight to see you, my dear." Frigga gently kissed Alex's cheeks, gesturing for her to sit on the opposing chair. "I was beginning to think my son would never invite you."

Alex did not exactly know how to respond to this, her eyes drifting toward the son in question. Loki sat casually on a love seat by the window, his legs spread wide. He always sat this way, but it somehow seemed more obscene in the company of his mother.

"I thank you for inviting me, majesty."

Frigga handed her a cup of wine. "Please Alexandra, call me Frigga."

"Frigga." The word seemed odd on her tongue, yet Alex could not help but feel privileged. She suspected she was one of the few in Asgard with permission to call the queen such.

"I suspect my son had something to do with your choice of attire this evening?"

Alex blushed, a stain of red splashing across her skin, clashing terribly with the hue of her gown. A quick glance at Loki only intensified her embarrassment. A smirk distorted his handsome face; his legs, if possible, stretched wider. Alex bit the mouthful of profanities she yearned to throw at him: git and wanker the least offensive among them. Somehow, she did not think this would improve the queen's opinion of her.

"I planned to wear something a little more modest, but Loki was stubborn."

Frigga laughed. "Ah yes, both of my sons are known for their stubbornness. It has been that way since they were children. I remember, when Loki was very young, it took me many years to convince him that princes wear trousers, not skirts."

"MOTHER!" It was now Loki's turn to blush. Alex could not hold back the stream of giggles that left her mouth. The dark glint in Loki's eyes made it very clear that she would pay for her giggles at the conclusion of the dinner.

Any further tales of Loki's propensity for cross-dressing were soon pushed aside with the arrival of Thor. Alex was disappointed. She was hoping the queen might breach the topic of Loki's shape shifting abilities. His appearance as Lady Loki was, apparently, breathtaking.

"Lady Alex!" Thor's booming voice seemed to resonate from every surface of the room. She was scooped into a somewhat familial hug that made her wonder whether or not Thor had been drinking with Sif and the Warriors before joining them.

As always, there was a small shard of sadness mingled with Thor's joviality. As much as he loved his home, his family and his friends; everything reminded him that under the current regime, he would never be with Jane.

Despite the undercurrent of sadness, dinner ended up being a thoroughly pleasant affair. The food was delicious: huge platters brimming with sweet meats, bread, fruit, vegetables and legumes. Meat was provided for Thor and Loki, though Frigga chose to nibble on the vegetarian options with Alex. Much to Alex's surprise, the queen was fascinated by Australia, one of the few places in Midgard she had never visited. Thor, who had spent several weeks at Geraldine station, was happy to interject every now and again with tales of jumping beasts and soil the colour of flame.

The only person who did not speak much was Loki. Boredom was etched into his every movement. While Loki may have taken great interest in her body, he had never seemed particularly keen to discover more of her past.

It was not until the wine had gone and the tiny smattering of food left on the platters was cleared by the servants, that Frigga breached the topic of Alex and Loki.

"Alexandra, do you believe Loki deserves further punishment on Midgard?"

It was a question that made Alex thirst for more wine, not just to dull the senses, but also moisten her suddenly dry throat. The question itself did not call for a simple answer; it yearned for an entire essay. It had been a year, but Midgard still called for vengeance upon he who had attacked it. Loki had been the one to open the greater human population up to the idea that extra-terrestrials did exist and unfortunately, most of them would be happy to annihilate the human race. The US and Germany in particular were keen to see justice. Only recently, a S.H.I.E.L.D agent had lost his job for drunkenly revealing the Geraldine project to the patrons of a pub in Perth, Western Australia. Now S.H.I.E.L.D also had to contend with a furious Australian public, determined to know why they had to share their country with the monster, Loki.

But what about her?

There was only one answer, and she doubted it was the one either Frigga or Loki wanted to hear.

"Yes."

Frigga seemed to take a while to absorb the answer. Even Thor seemed knocked from his wine induced stupor. The queen sipped her wine thoughtfully. "Yes?"

Alex fought back the uncontrolled urge to run out of the room. "Loki feels guilt for what he did here, but he does not care about the lives he took on Earth. Until he does, I feel punishment is the only option."

"But what of your relations with him?"

"What I personally feel for Loki does not change the fact that thousands of people back home want to see justice."

Frigga frowned. "I thought you were of the opinion that my son's punishment was not in aid of his reform, yet you want it to be extended?"

The grave had been dug, now all Alex had to do was lie in it. "His punishment here in Asgard has done little to reform him. Loki has not changed. Every night he does what he likes, with little repercussion. At Geraldine, we hope he will provide us with information."

"I will do no such thing." Loki's voice was the epitome of dark, his expression murderous. He had moved from the loveseat now, his slick steps taking him toward the door. Alex watched his retreating back.

"I hope you do. I don't want you to be in prison for my whole life."

Loki did not reply, shutting the door in his wake. No doubt, he would sulk and brood, before returning to Alex's chambers to 'punish' her. The queen's expression seemed to soften somewhat, perhaps influenced by the tone of sadness in Alex's voice.

"You love him, don't you?"

"No."

Frigga smiled. "I think you do. You simply do not know it yet."