"Hey! We're here!" Mr. Stark beamed at Loki with a cheerful smile as Pepper, Emily, and Daniel dragged their luggage in from the car. None of them were smiling.
"What are you doing here?" Loki failed epically to conceal the horror on his face.
"It's Christmas buddy. We're here to spend the holiday with you."
"But Christmas isn't until next week and I haven't even finished my shopping yet."
"That's okay, we aren't in any rush to return to the city. I've taken some vacation time. Come on kids! Let's go pick out rooms." Tony charged forward up the stairs.
"Wait! I….you can't…" Loki struggled for an explanation that did not sound completely insane as to why the Starks could not spend the night in his home.
"I'm sorry we didn't call ahead but we wanted to surprise you. I know we were dreadful to you at Thanksgiving and we wanted to make it up to you." Pepper said to him and then kissed him on the cheek.
"I…I have the rooms booked." Loki lied.
"You do? But your website said the hotel was closed for the season." Tony said.
"I'm sorry, I'm just not prepared for company."
"It'll be fine. I call dibs on that yellow room!" Tony announced. Pepper and Daniel followed him up the stairs. Emily lingered back.
"What the fuck is this all about?" Loki asked her.
"I don't know. My parents have been acting strange lately. I've given up on trying to figure them out. You have liquor yes?"
"I keep it in stock for the guests."
"Break out the spiked egg-nog. It's the only way we are going to survive this holiday with my parents." Emily said. Tony came running back down the stairs all smiles and excitement.
"Hey, let's go hang out in the library and smoke cigars!"
"No thanks but you go right ahead." Loki said. Tony darted straight to the library and Loki mentally patted himself on the back for hiding that damned orb back down in his private apartment. Although he knew it was only a matter of time before Tony made an inquiry.
"So Loki, what have you been up to lately?" Pepper asked.
"Well, decorating the house as you can see."
"It is very lovely." Pepper said. Silence followed and both stood there trying to think up a way to fill it.
"Well uh, you all must be very hungry after the long drive. I'll make dinner." Loki said and then hastily retreated. He worried for them. He knew they were all in peril especially Tony and Pepper. The mirrors had called them back, though for what reason, he could not figure out. Loki's mind churned and tumbled. He could not let them sleep here tonight. One of them would certainly die and he would never forgive himself.
Emily and Daniel went upstairs to pick out rooms, ending up in the same ones that they'd stayed in previously. Loki had no doubt they were both dragging their feet, wanting to avoid this whole awkward situation. However, Loki still could not understand WHY it was awkward.
Tony's face fell when he entered the library and did not see the orb sitting on the desk. He looked all around the room and then went into the parlor, the living room, and even the ballroom, before looping back to the dining room and then the kitchen. He debated on whether or not to ask Loki about it but his instincts told him Loki would not be forthcoming. He waited out of view for Loki to turn his back, which he did when he went to retrieve something from the fridge. Tony made a run for the basement door.
Pepper saw Tony dart through the door and distracted Loki.
"So what's for dinner?"
"I think I'll make a stuffed roasted Turkey breast with butter, orange peel, and lavender basting the inside and outside. I think some wild rice and a nice cranberry kale salad would go well with it.
"That sounds divine Loki. When did you become such a good cook?"
"It was my primary hobby while at college. Kept me away from the frat parties." Loki explained as he minced an onion.
Tony crept into Loki's private living area and looked around. He opened kitchen cabinets and cupboard doors. He pilfered through Loki's desk. He went into Loki's bedroom and rummaged around in Loki's dresser and found nothing. His blood boiled in his veins as he entered the second bedroom, ready to lose his temper. The orb sat on top of a dresser as though it was nothing important. As though it wasn't the most powerful object in the known universe. At least, that's how Tony regarded it.
He snatched the orb off the dresser, palming it possessively and peered at its contents. He could everything so clearly now. He needed to kill his wife. She's going to leave him anyway. Why not collect her life insurance? But he'll do that after he kills Loki. He just needs to make sure that he has willed everything to Tony if he dies.
Tony crept back up the stairs, pausing at a particularly loud creek of the wood. He spied Loki in the kitchen through a crack in the door. Pepper had positioned herself between Loki's line of sight and the basement.
"Good girl." Tony whispered. Loki turned his back to fetch something from the cupboard and Tony made his move. Loki turned back to the stove and suddenly Tony was there.
"Whoa! Where'd you come from?"
"The Upper East Side." Tony grinned keeping one hand on the counter and the other behind Pepper's back. He place the orb in her hands.
"I need to use the facilities. It was a long drive. Be right back." She said and then ran towards the stairs, stuffing the orb into her large purse.
"Pepper!" She stopped in her tracks, looking back at Loki with a guilty expression.
"There's a bathroom down here under the stairs." Loki pointed in the general direction and turned back to the turkey breast he was trussing.
"Oh! Thank you." She muttered.
"So Loki, what do you want for Christmas?" Tony asked. A smile ghosted across Loki's lips as he thought about an evening with Thor in the flesh.
"Oh I don't know. I don't really need anything. A new scarf maybe or a new toy for the kitchen."
"I'll head out into town tomorrow and see if I can find something."
"Please don't. Please don't trouble yourself. Tony…It's really not safe for you and the family to be here."
"Safe? What do you mean by that?"
"You know that bad things have happened to some of my guests here."
"Don't be so paranoid Loki. Those were freak accidents and bad timing, but if you're worried about death you should draw up a will."
"I have. I've already lined up some very deserving charities if the worst should happen to me." Loki said absently as he focused his efforts on toasting up the wild rice in butter. Tony did his best to mask his facial expressions. "Mr. Stark, why are you cutting off Emily?"
"She told you about that?"
"Yeah. Look I know she's been slacking in school but now is the time to push her forward, not pull the rug out from underneath her. What will she do without an education?"
"I'm better off investing my money elsewhere." Tony said coldly. The fact was, there was no money. Mr. Stark had diverted everything to pay off skittish investors.
"How can you say that? She's your daughter. Aren't you worried about what will happen to her? She told me she good for nothing but being a trophy wife."
"Emily always was more honest than the rest of us." Tony said.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Nothing. Hey ah, I'm going to hang out in the library until dinner is ready."
"Fine by me." Loki said. Temporarily alone, Loki took the time to think about what Tony was after. A sinking feeling balled up in his stomach and he decided he needed to check on the orb in the basement. He poured the water in for the rice and put the lid on it and headed downstairs for a quick check. In the spare bedroom on the dresser sat an empty cradle.
"Shit!" Loki's hand trembled in anger and frustration. He had no choice but to confront Mr. Stark about stealing the orb and then fighting with him over it. "God damned fucking motherfucker fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" He paced back and forth trying to decide what to do. No matter how he approached this it was going to be ugly.
He didn't want to start the argument now while he was in the middle of cooking dinner. They'd probably wind up burning down the house. He'd have to confront Tony afterwards or maybe…maybe not at all. Odds were he'd stashed the damn thing in his room in his luggage. He could just steal it back.
Loki ran back upstairs. The kitchen was still empty so he headed into the parlor where he found Emily and Pepper watching a chick movie. Further down the hall Tony and Daniel were in the library enjoying all the little trinkets in the room. Now might be his only opportunity. Loki made the decision and ran upstairs to the yellow room.
Quick as a snake he unzipped Tony's bags and rummaged around until he found what he was looking for.
"Fucking predictable." Loki frowned at the accursed object.
"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Tony growled. Loki closed his eyes in defeat.
"God damn it. Fine. You want a confrontation, you'll get one. What is THIS doing in your luggage?" Loki turned round to stare the older man down.
"I decided to collect my Christmas present early. Is that a crime?"
"It is when I haven't officially gifted it to you."
"Are you saying I can't have it?"
"I am."
"Oh Loki. You should know by now, I always get what I want." Tony charged at Loki knocking him on his back. Daniel came into the room, having followed his father out of curiosity. The orb slipped from Loki's grip and rolled under the bed to the other side.
"Whoa! Dad stop! Guys stop! Stop hitting each other! What are you doing? Stop!" Daniel cried and tried to get between them.
"Hold him down son." Tony kicked Loki in the ribs. He dived over the bed and landed on his ass on the floor on the other side, scooping up the orb.
"Put that down!" Loki yelled.
"Fuck you! It's mine!"
"Dad what the hell are you doing?!" Daniel cried. Pepper and Emily burst into the room, having heard the commotion downstairs. Tony ogled his prize as he stood before the large wall mirror, grinning like a mad man.
"Tony! What is wrong with you?" Pepper.
"You know damn well what is wrong with me Pepper! We need this!" He hissed. The four of them stood there and stared at him, not knowing what to do.
The hair on the back of Loki's neck stood on end as he noticed the reflection in the mirror behind Tony. A little albino girl with glowing red eyes was standing there staring at him.
"Tony! Get away from the mirror Tony." Loki warned. Pepper, Emily, and Daniel saw her then and all shrieked with fright.
"Tony! Tony baby behind you!" Pepper cried. Tony slowly turned around. He didn't see a little girl. He saw a room. A wonderful golden room filled with gold coins. It was worth a fortune! He'd never need to worry about money again.
"Would you look at that?" He smiled and walked into the looking glass. Pepper, Emily, and Daniel all screamed and then ran after him. Loki grabbed Emily's hand to stop her.
"Don't! Don't go in there! You won't come out!"
"I have to! I have to try to save him Loki. He's my dad!" She said. Loki wouldn't loosen his grip on her arm and she punched him in the gut. Loki watched in horror as his friend disappeared into the mirror.