Thor traveled through the Bifrost to New York the next day. The Prince was impressed with what he found. Though many of Central Park's trees had been decimated in The Attack, the city had laid down fresh sod and new landscaping. Though Manhattan was still out of order (reconstruction of the skyscrapers had begun but in their current state they towered over nothing), most of the animals from the Bronx Zoo had been located and returned to their exhibits. LaGuardia was still out of commission on account of one of the huge Chitauri slug-like aircraft lay in ruins on what were Terminal B and C, but Thor witnessed several plane landings while passing JFK. More or less, New York City was functional.

Upon entering the Waldorf, he knocked out seven of Loki's Chitauri and three agents in order to get to his brother. Apparently they had orders to fire at will if the God of Thunder made an appearance. A second squad of chittering aliens skittered into the lobby, clicking amongst themselves and pointing at Thor. The Prince tightened his grip on Mjölnir and prepared to swing when the Chitauri squealed and dropped their guns, shaking their ugly little heads. They motioned for Thor to follow them through the doors to the Throne Room. There, the King sat on the golden throne, his long legs splayed wide open as he glared.

"Go home," growled Loki

"I am here to aid in the retrieval of your woman."

"I have no need for assistance."

"Do you know where to find her?"

Loki hesitated, straightening in his seat. Again, Thor spoke.

"I had good Heimdall locate your wife, brother. I know where she is."

Loki perked at the news, then quickly dropped the hopeful expression and nonchalantly pushed his hair back from his face. Slowly he nodded.

"If you insist."

Thor looked over his shoulder and motioned at the pile of groaning agents and aliens near the doorway.

"Have you fresh men?"

The King chuckled. Watching his brother bowl his men over had been mildly irritating, but thoroughly entertaining. Nodding, he summoned a Chitauri soldier and gave orders to gather a small troop and to ready the aircraft.

x

Becoming Queen had officially rubbed off on Annalise. In the midst of her kidnapping, she did not scream and fight as she once would. Instead, she settled for a single stiletto stabbing of one of the Chitauri and called it a day. The girl didn't have a thorough understanding of Chitauri anatomy, but she was pretty sure the creature wouldn't be walking independently for some time.

To the best of her knowledge, she was currently inhabiting some sort of Brazilian… sex motel. The room was decked out with mirrors on every surface save for the floor. A glass partition separated the bedroom from a large Jacuzzi and when she had turned on the TV, every channel featured different shades of copulating couples. The room was surprisingly clean, but she still couldn't bring herself to sit on the bed. She opted for a chair instead.

Annalise had been sitting alone for hours. She caught herself nodding off again and again. Never had a dubiously sanitary bed looked so inviting, but she refused to let herself sleep. She needed an escape plan. Anxiously she tapped her foot, racking her brain for a way out. Easily distractible, she caught a glimpse of an errant silk thread on one of her shoes. Plucking the Louboutin from her foot, she picked at the golden strand when the sound of a key in the lock made her jump.

With a hand on her belly and the other ready to launch the shoe at her captors, the scent of food caught her off guard. Her stomach rumbled and she realized she hadn't eaten since the day prior. Kicking off the other heel, she clutched the first in her hand to use as a potential weapon. Resourceful, no?

A creature entered her room with a bag of what appeared to be food that smelled mouthwateringly divine. Hiding her shoe behind her back, she rose and held out her free hand, greedily accepting the bag and a bottled water. The Chitauri clicked something at her but she ignored it, she couldn't understand the beast anyway. As it turned, she paid careful attention to its armor. The Queen made special note of what looked like a small pistol strapped to the alien's calf. It shut and relocked the door, leaving her alone once more.

Annalise dug into the bag of food, pulled out something that looked like a turnover and groaned as she bit into it. It was fried and wonderful. As she ate, she paced and thought. Earlier that day her shoe proved a worthy weapon, but she'd gotten lucky. She couldn't rely on the brutal heel of the stiletto to break out. It was a nice idea, but not realistic. She needed that damn gun she saw on the Chitauri sooner rather than later. If she had to wait another twenty-four hours for them to come back in and feed her, she'd go insane.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, her hand hit something stiff. Her eyes widened. Her hair was still partially styled with pins. Immediately she yanked one out and rushed to the door, bending the metal open. She hadn't the faintest idea how to pick a lock, but she had nothing but time on her hands.

Twenty minutes later, she took a break. Her hands were cramping. Pushing herself to her knees she managed to stand, unsteady on her feet. Annalise took a deep breath while flexing her tired fingers. She nibbled at her food and took a few sips of water before returning to her task. An hour and three more breaks later, the lock finally popped. Groaning in relief, Annalise pushed up off the floor and glanced around the room. She took one more bite of her pastel and finished the water, then deposited them in the garbage. Grabbing her shoes, she headed to the door. Goodbye, creepy sex room mirrors.

To her surprise, once opened the door led to a private entrance. Glancing from side to side she tiptoed out, shielding her eyes from the bright sun. Sticking close to the building walls, she padded through grassy landscape in an attempt to find... something. What was useful when you were the newly escaped Queen of Midgard? Not daring to stop, she continued scaling the wall. When she turned a corner she gasped, immediately clapping her free hand over her mouth. Two Chitauri turned towards her, clicking at each other. Desperately she wanted them to get closer so she could make a grab for one of their weapons, but she didn't have a chance in Hel in overpowering the aliens. Instead, she turned and ran. Annalise tore through vegetation that bordered on jungle until she was forced to stop. A small, familiar aircraft blocked her way.

Several hundred yards away, she caught sight of Thor swarmed but Chitauri. However, he looked as if he had the upper hand. The aliens were literally flying in all directions as he wielded Mjölnir. Annalise pivoted when she heard a familiar growl to find Loki pressed up against a tree. Two huge Chitauri held his arms as The Other gripped his throat, squeezing mercilessly. Her stomach rolled in horror. Her husband was turning blue.

Annalise took off. Working up speed, mid-run she slid to the grass feet first so she careened towards the Other. Gripping her shoe at the toe with an iron fist, she wound and swung, sinking the heel into the monster's leg as he held Loki against the tree. With a roar he released the King, his attention switched to the Queen on the ground and he backhanded her, launching her petite body away from him.

In the midst of the confusion, Loki broke free of the Chitauri and snatched the scepter from the ground. Quickly he executed the aliens and turned the beast. While The Other watched Annalise fly through the air, Loki lunged forward, plunging the spear tip into chest. The creature stumbled, his eyes wide as they flicked to Loki. The King parried when The Other swung and after a moment the beast fell to his knees. Loki violently wrenched the spear from the creature's chest before driving it into his throat with a guttural growl as The Other collapsed. For at least a minute the King stared at the body on the ground, daring it to get up so he could run it through once more. It twitched once or twice, then lay completely still, eyes open and glazed over.

Satisfied that The Other was dead, Loki whirled on the group of Chitauri that betrayed him. He advanced.

"Benevolence is not in my nature, but I have tried for the sake of my kingdom. However, your betrayal has damned you," he hissed.

The creatures began to retreat but the King fired off shots of blue energy from his scepter that injured and slowed the beasts down enough for him to thoroughly dismember each and every one of traitors that participated in the capture and ransom of his Queen. Panting heavily, he spun and rushed to Annalise once he was sure all of the alien creatures were finished. He didn't dare breathe as he slowed, dropping to his knees next to her. He almost collapsed in relief when he saw her chest rise and fall with shallow breaths. He cradled her head and propped her up, her head lolling back as she lay limp in his arms. He quickly looked her over, running his hand over her swollen belly.

"Annalise," he murmured, stroking her hair from her face. Slowly her eyes cracked open and grew wide upon seeing him. She looked as though she wanted to embrace him, but she was wary. She thrashed, only to have each of her little fists caught by Loki. The girl growled and glared dubiously at the man that looked like her husband.

"How do I know it's really you?"

Loki looked down for a moment in thought. When he returned her gaze, the corner of his mouth quirked up.

"The night before we married, you tried to obliterate me with your engagement ring. And then there was the christening of the dining table."

The little Queen sagged against him, clinging to his neck as she simultaneously laughed and burst into tears of relief.

He smirked and stroked her cheek with the back of a knuckle. After a moment, his face dropped and his brows furrowed. His tone was accusatory.

"Did you escape?"

Annalise hesitated and looked away, shrugging her shoulders.

"I didn't do a very good job, but I tried. Kind of."

The King scowled down at her as his hands openly roamed her body, though likely for the first time not sexually. The concern on his face made her heart flutter as he checked her over for injuries. Her mouth was cut where The Other had struck her, but otherwise she had been incredibly lucky. To her knowledge, nothing was broken and though the air had been knocked from her when she landed on her back, she was able to protect the baby from the brunt of the fall.

"You should not have done that. You put both," he worriedly stroked her belly, "of you at risk."

The Queen placed her hand over his and stuck out her chin.

"Self-preservation, my King. Besides, I believe I've been thoroughly pumped full of your Asgardian… essence. Nothing hurts as it should after a blow like that."

Loki nodded and visibly relaxed in relief.

"My little peach. I suppose I should expect nothing less than an impromptu escape attempt."

Loki stood, hefting her up into his arms. She squirmed, demanding he let her walk, but he refused to lower her to the ground and silenced her with a stern glare.

Not loving the damsel-in-distress look but completely and utterly exhausted, Annalise eventually complied. She twined her arms around his neck and lay her head on his shoulder as he rose and headed to the plane, barking orders at his men to ready the aircraft.

His pace was slow, almost delicate, as if not to jar her. Wiping her short-lived tears away she rolled her eyes and lifted her head so she could look him in the eye. It was incredibly strange to be on his eye level.

"You can walk normally. I'm not going to break."

"You don't know that," he huffed, maintaining an agonizingly slow pace, which truly wasn't all that slow because of his long stride, but Annalise was impatient to get back to New York.

The girl snorted and lay her head back down, burying her face in his neck and breathing deeply. He smelled like home. Crazy, despotic, bossy home, but home nonetheless. Boarding the plane's inclined ramp, Loki took a hesitant breath. She heard him open and close his mouth.

"What?"

"Before we get back to the palace, there's something you should know."

The Waldorf had been the United States' wedding gift to them. He felt guilty for demolishing part of it.

She shifted, raising her head as he sat with her in his lap. When she attempted to slide off into a seat of her own he held her fast, nonchalantly keeping her prisoner on a plane that was rightfully half hers. Tilting her head, she narrowed her eyes.

"What did you do?"

"I may have destroyed a wing of the Waldorf while you were away."

Gently she smacked his chest and he chuckled, relieved that his penance seemed to consist of only the insignificant whack.

"They'll rebuild it," she yawned.

Loki nodded, idly stroking her hair. She squirmed until she was perched sideways with her legs draped over his lap and once again lay her head against his chest. She mumbled something about thank you for rescuing her, but it was slightly slurred with exhaustion. Slowly her lids fluttered shut. Loki glanced down.

"Oh no you do not. Stay awake until you've had something to drink. You are not full Aesir. You still have some human needs."

The Queen groaned and turned her face against his chest but Loki gripped her chin as an agent handed him an uncapped bottle of water.

"Drink. This is for both of you."

When she tried to wrestle the bottle from his hands he ignored her and instead brought it to her lips and tilted.

She drank, pushing his hand away when she'd had enough. Annalise grumbled while he let her breathe before force-feeding her several more gulps. When she refused more he handed the bottle back to the agent and wrapped his arms around her, ensuring that she could go nowhere aside from his lap.

She fell asleep quickly, leaving Loki alone with his thoughts. A deep rumbling voice cleared his throat behind the King. Loki turned, but only so much as to not move his wife.

"Ah, Thor," he hesitated as the Prince took a seat next to him. Loki sat up straighter and cleared his throat.

"Thank you, brother. For your aid," he grit. This was agonizing. The King sighed. "She," he paused and looked down at his sleeping Queen, "… is valuable."

Thor gave a knowing smile.

"You are welcome, brother."

x

Annalise sighed as she towel-dried her hair, looking in the bathroom mirror. Never had a shower felt better. Being kidnapped was disgusting. There was no time to dilly dally with showers. Hanging up her towel she exited the bathroom, wandering nude to her bureau to fetch something to sleep in. She was cut off as she tried to pass the doorway.

"Have you had enough time to recuperate?"

His voice startled her, making her heart race. She turned curiously towards Loki, brow arched.

"Um, yes? I think so?"

"Good."

He advanced quickly, herding her against the bed. Her brows raised in confusion until he picked her up and set her on the raised mattress, considering her thoroughly. His brow creased.

"I told you not to go to Brazil."

She groaned and rolled her eyes.

"That's what you needed to tell me? I'm delirious, let me get ready for bed."

Annalise pushed against his chest in another attempt to jump off the bed so she could reach her dresser. He tutted and firmly gripped her hips, keeping her in place. Loki kneed her legs apart, spreading them widely as he stepped between them. The King sighed. Stalling for a moment, he traced his fingertip along her collarbone.

"No, I suppose that is not what I desired to say. Not that it is not true. I just—I… apologize."

She nodded wearily as he ran his hands along her swollen middle. He hesitated.

"I am glad. That you are unhurt."

Annalise huffed with a laugh and leaned forward, resting her forehead against his chest.

"Thank you for rescuing me," she mumbled.

"They took what was mine. Of course I rescued you," he growled.

The Queen shivered and leaned back to look at his face.

He wet his lips with his tongue, an action that never failed to make Annalise squirm with longing, much to her dismay. His eyes narrowed.

"And you're mine."

Her cheeks flushed with arousal and she nodded dumbly, her voice caught in her throat. He said it with such earnestness. She'd pay money to see someone challenge his claim again. Loki would skin them alive.

The King leaned forward and captured her mouth with his. She moaned, fisting his crisp, white shirt in her hands as she kissed him back with fervor. Loki buried his hands in her silky chestnut hair, taking complete control as he drank from her mouth greedily.

"I killed them all for you," he muttered against her lips.

"I know," she whispered.

With a whimper, Annalise tore at his belt and buttons, causing her husband to smirk against her mouth.

"Patience."

Defiantly she shook her head, yanking at his shirt until several buttons went flying. The King chuckled, tilting his head to kiss her even more deeply as he pushed her back on the bed and followed her down. Impatiently the girl dug her heels into the mattress to arch herself against him but his chilly hand slid down her middle, over her rounded belly to her pelvis and he forced her hips back down. She moaned in relief when she heard the clink from the metal of his belt as he dropped his trousers to the floor and kicked them aside. Somehow she managed to yank the rest of the buttons off his shirt and impatiently pushed it off his shoulders. Running her hands over the hard planes of his chest, she squirmed beneath him.

Currently, she was beyond words. Annalise managed to growl at him, but that only earned her a grin. Loki collected each of his wife's wrists in one hand and held them above her head as he flipped her over onto her belly. He roughly grasped her hips, pulling her back until his cock pressed against her rear as she knelt. Loki moved her wrists behind her back, despite her minor struggling. She turned her head so that the side of her face pressed against the bed.

With a swift, brutal thrust, he was buried inside her. She cried out when he refused to move, defiantly grinding her rear against his pelvis until he swatted her bottom firmly. Careful not to rest his weight on her much smaller frame, he leaned over so that his chest grazed her back and his mouth was next to her ear.

"I could keep you like this for hours," he hissed. "You have no idea how pleasing you look in this position, especially with my cock buried inside you."

Propped up on one hand, he released her wrists from the other and slid his cool fingers to her belly.

"This also pleases me," he growled, running his hand over her swollen tummy.

Her stomach muscles quivered as he stroked her and it took all of her strength to keep from collapsing beneath him, simply because she was so overwhelmed by his voice and touch. She could only whimper in response. When he withdrew suddenly she whined at the loss, only to be forced forward with the strength of his thrust back home. Loki set a brutal pace, slamming against her rear with such a force that he was required to relinquish his hold on her belly in order to anchor her to him with his hands tightly grasping her hips.

As his length rubbed teasingly against the bundle of nerves inside her, his sac slapped repeatedly against her clit. Unable to help herself, Annalise arched her back and spread her knees even further apart as she offered herself to her husband. With a greedy groan he reared back, hammering his hips into her with all his might.

In the back of her mind, she idly considered their volume levels. It was far too late to remedy now, but they needed to do something about soundproofing the walls so she didn't traumatize her charges. With Loki, she could never keep quiet. She could bite her lip and clench her fists all she wanted, and her efforts were completely useless when his shaft was buried inside her.

Annalise's head tilted forward, she no longer had the strength to hold it up as the coil in her belly threatened to spring. White hot warmth gathered at the base of her spine as she exploded, radiating pleasure throughout her entire body. She screamed as Loki fucked her through her orgasm with long, brisk strokes. When he didn't relent, she cried out, squirming beneath him from too much stimulation. He grunted and held her still, continuing his unforgiving pace.

"It's too much!"

Her words were completely useless. Loki smirked and leaned forward once more, keeping one hand on her hip and the other wrapped in her hair.

"It is never too much, little peach. Not when it comes to you."

The hand on her hip slipped between her legs and she screamed as he gently, but very insistently, rubbed her clit. The poor girl bucked and squirmed as he overloaded her with sensation, and after several more thrusts the pressure in her lower belly built once more. Unable to control her movements, she gave in and relaxed to the best of her abilities, letting her body move and jerk as it needed to while Loki fucked her ruthlessly. The pressure he applied to her clit was still uncomfortable, but the longing in her tummy overwhelmed her with need. Involuntarily her hips began to buck. She was torn between pushing back against him and thrusting her core against his hand. In the end, it didn't matter. Loki fucked her so thoroughly her vision went dark around the edges as he circled his talented fingers around her pearl and propelled his hips forward. She shrieked once more, completely losing control as she felt herself gush over his pumping cock.

She couldn't be sure, but Annalise was fairly positive her husband whispered words of praise in her ear as she came for him a second time, coming all over his length and both of their thighs.

Fighting exhaustion, the Queen shook beneath Loki, and despite his need to fuck her into the next millennia, he registered his wife's need for a break. With a bruising grip he held her in place by her hips and let loose, hammering into her without rhythm as his head fell back and he roared. Annalise couldn't help but groan as she felt him flood her pussy with his seed, and despite her delirium she happily did her best to hold still as Loki pumped every last drop inside her.

With a groan of fatigue, he eventually pulled out of her, making her whine. He gave her a gentle pat on the rear as he crawled to the center of the bed and collapsed on his side, easily dragging her with him and maneuvering her so that he spooned her. Annalise opened her mouth to speak, but her body had yet to fully reconnect to her brain. She stuttered a few times before giving up and instead dragged his arm across her middle, wiggling back until she was flush against him. With a contented sigh, her eyes slipped shut as she felt her husband's hand gingerly stroking her tummy.