Author's notes: Geeeeeet dressed you merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay! For it is Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Day!

Ahhh, a wonderful day to all of you wonderful people! ^_^ Heh, and this isn't all I've got in store for you today...

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*remembers that there are only two more chapters of TAgg after this* oh holy night why did I do that

lli.

"Loki!" Thor came bursting into the room with typical, thunderous glee. "Jane has invited us all to join her in the Christmas festivities again this year!"

Loki turned, closing his laptop. "And I have just accepted an invitation from Tony Stark on behalf of our family," he replied.

The two brothers stared at each other awkwardly. The cat coughed. Thor's brow started to crease in worry as he considered the implications of two accepted invitations for separate locations on the same day, but Loki sighed and waved him off. "Don't fret over it, Thor, I'll figure something out. It is a full two weeks until Christmas, after all."

"He's been counting down," the cat added, hopping up onto the table and sitting on the closed laptop.

Loki frowned over at him. "I have not."

"Yes, you have."

"Have not."

"Have."

"Not."

"Lo-ki." Thor didn't often use the tone of an exasperated older brother, but when he did, he really did. Loki and the cat ceased their bickering and looked over at the Thunderer with slightly sheepish expressions. Thor responded with a grave stare. "Are you certain that you can think of something? Because if not, one of us must break our promise…"

"Don't fret over it, Thor," Loki said again. He pushed the cat off his laptop and the table altogether. "I already have a plan." To himself, he muttered: "Now I just have to make it work."

"The God of Thinking Things Through."

"Hush, you."

llii.

Loki could never decide if greetings were his least or most favorite thing about visits. It depended on who the visit was being paid to, he supposed. Obscure relatives and Thor's old friends, awkward. Enemies he had made in the past, decidedly uncomfortable.

However, old friends of his own… that wasn't bad at all. It was strange, though, to have smiles and hugs of greeting directed at him specifically, rather than "Thor's brother" or "my oldest and bitterest of foes."

Nice, but strange.

"Hey." Darcy punched Loki's arm. Her eyes popped and she grimaced as she massaged her hand. "You're spacing out, dude. Did you ever get around to watching that TV show I recommended to you?"

The pair of eyebrow Loki arched at Darcy reminded the intern that she had recommended an awful lot of TV shows. She cleared her throat and reiterated. "You know, Avatar: The Last Airbender?"

A distressed look flashed across Loki's face, and Darcy cackled triumphantly. So he had watched it! "The storytelling is quite adept," the prince said calmly.

Darcy snorted, arching eyebrows of her own. "You totally cried. You were the same way with Green Lantern."

Loki didn't seem bothered by the fact. If anyone understood the compulsion to weep over the misfortunes of fictional characters, it was Darcy. Even if she did draw an almost diabolical sense of pleasure from the distress of those she had tricked into partaking of 'quality media.'

Loki hung his coat with those of the other guests and followed Darcy further into the house, commenting as he did: "If this is the sort of entertainment you use to raise up children on Midgard, Darcy Lewis, it explains an awful lot about you."

Darcy laughed, tossing a deliberately manic grin over her shoulder. The two made their way into the living room, joining the rest of the party. A fire was on the hearth, but Loki had figured out some time ago that here it was electric. Bizarre. With the help of the Asgardians, the couches had been moved up to the walls to provide space. The tree was more splendidly decorated than Loki remembered it being last year.

In all, the Asgardians included Thor, Loki, the cat, and the Warriors Three. Sif had a festival of her own to attend, and Odin and Frigga had chosen to stay on Asgard for reasons their sons did not know, but Thor naturally assumed were good ones. Eric, Jane, and Darcy were here, of course. Loki was disappointed to see that her boyfriend (who she was persistent in not naming) wasn't at the party.

Jane and Thor were "getting kissy," as Darcy put it. Jazz emerged from the back of the house and with an enthusiastic yowl tackled his sibling to the floor in front of the Christmas tree. The cat endured the impromptu wrestling match with his dry humor, remarking that "It is Christmas, after all."

Volstagg was boasting of his summer adventures to a skeptical Eric, while Hogun investigated the peculiar electric fire and Fandral admired the tree—or more accurately, his reflection in the ornaments of the tree.

"I know it's less people than we had last year, but it feels bigger this time." Darcy shrugged, as if she didn't know what to think of her own thoughts.

"We've had more time to anticipate," Loki pointed out.

Darcy seemed at once surprised and greatly amused. "Really, Loki? You have been anticipating?"

"Counting down the days!" the cat called. He slid out from under his brother's forepaws and twisted, pinning his larger sibling on his back. Jazz commended him cheerfully, powder-blue snout bearing a wide, catty smile.

Loki shook his head at the statement the cat had insisted on giving for the past two weeks. "How many times must I tell you, cat, I have not been counting down the days."

"Awwww, you're adorable."

Loki glared at her, saying her name in the flattest of tones. Darcy giggled.

lliii.

Loki had to admit he was impressed. There certainly hadn't been this much cooking last time around, and it was obvious that Volstagg was more than pleased with the development. The Asgardian enthusiastically offered his help (particularly in the area of taste-testing) wherever it was and wasn't wanted throughout the kitchen.

Finally Darcy called him over—to relieve Jane of him, Loki suspected—and said that she needed a second opinion on her brownies. Jane laughed at that, and thus Loki's curiosity was sparked. He took a moment to smirk over at the cat, who was sulking over the fact that he wasn't the one who had been asked, before stepping into the kitchen in order to see what would transpire.

Volstagg sliced off a piece of one of the brownies and placed it into his mouth with a daintiness that seemed almost impossible for an Asgardian. The red-haired warrior's eyes grew very, very wide. "Lady Darcy… you are a goddess." Volstagg's whisper was in reverent tones, and he didn't seem to realize that some brownie crumbs had fallen into his beard. He turned and waved frantically as he called. "Fandral, Hogun, you must come taste this!"

Loki stepped out of the kitchen's doorway as Fandral came through, then stepped back and reclaimed his position with one shoulder leaning against the frame. Hogun had more interest in the electric fire.

Darcy laughed, taking on a manner of exaggerated modesty that was enough to make Loki snicker. "Come on, Volstagg, they're not that good."

"I never exaggerate when it comes to food," Volstagg said gravely. "Fandral, what say you?"

Fandral had taken an even daintier bite of the brownie than Volstagg had, rolling the flavors around his mouth as if it were a fine wine. His eyes widened as he nodded slowly. "A goddess indeed," he agreed, and provided appropriate bowing.

Darcy preened. "Well, if you insist," said she. The woman caught Loki's skeptical look from across the room and smirked, indicating that he should come join them. "Taste and see for yourself, o ye of little faith."

"I prefer my chocolate in liquid form," Loki replied. He stiffened in surprise as the cat vaulted up onto his shoulder, forepaws scrabbling for a hold on the front of his shirt. Jazz's head came popping out from between the prince's shins.

"Ooh, me! I'll have it!" they chorused.

lliv.

"How are we supposed to carry all of this?" Jane wondered as she stared at the decently-sized pile of Christmas presents surrounding the tree. Her lover gave her a curious look, and she frowned briefly before going on. "Thor, I know you're strong, but you're not Mr. Fantastic or anything. You don't have enough arms."

"I'll take care of it," Loki assured her. He was standing right beside the tree and prompting the ornaments to take on lives of their own, much to Jazz's delight. There was a particular wooden reindeer that had a fondness for scatting, and judging from the cat's deep sigh, Jazz was scatting right along.

Jane gave Loki a doubtful look. "You've been saying that you'll take care of things an awful lot lately," she noted. "But you haven't told us anything about how you're going to do so. Such as how we're going to celebrate Christmas here and at Avengers Tower."

Loki smiled sharply, explaining nothing. Jane huffed in frustration. Being a scientist, she had a keen dislike of those who deliberately withheld information. And Loki was the sort of fellow who did that for kicks. He kept smiling up at her as her scowl deepened.

"Are you guys gonna keep up the stare down, or are you going to help me with wrapping up these brownies?" Darcy demanded, leaning out the door with a tray of fresh baked brownies in her mitted hands. "Gotta get these ready for the second party, remember? And Loki, quit magically sniffing around the presents! Nobody gets to know what they have until we're at Tony's!"

Loki immediately lifted his hands, as though that somehow relieved him of all guilt. "I was sniffing around anything, magically or otherwise," the Jotun replied. "I misplaced several gifts within the piles, and I must get them sent off elsewhere."

"For his grandkids and stuff," the cat explained. He tilted his head to the side so as to scratch at an ear with one hind paw. "Honestly, I've given up on trying to figure out how the relatives thing works with this family."

"Haven't Skoll and Hati existed since the dawn of time?" Jazz questioned. "How could they be your Loki's grandchildren?"

The cat shrugged wryly. "Exactly why I've given up."

llv.

Hours of fellowship passed, carrying from the bustling activity in the kitchen to the meal to the gaming and tales by the tree. The Warriors Three were delighted to see Sorry! again. Loki chatted with less frequency as his eyes kept darting to the clock connected to the microwave oven, just barely visible whenever he leaned far back on the sofa. They were drawing nearer and nearer to the time.

"You said midnight, aye?" Fandral queried. Loki nodded in confirmation.

Darcy checked the time as well, via her phone. "Hey, that gives us just enough time!" she exclaimed, and rushed over to the cabinet containing the various DVDs belonging to Eric, Jane, and Darcy as well. After rifling through scientific discussions and the most awful action flicks imaginable, she finally found what she was looking for.

Jane exclaimed as Darcy turned to her, her face lighting up with the clear signs of fond memory. "A Charlie Brown Christmas!" she cried. "Where—where have you been hiding this, Darcy?"

"You think it's mine?" Darcy laughed. "Girl, I don't have the money. This is Eric's; it got buried underneath all of the science and hot guys somehow."

Loki plucked the DVD case from Darcy's hand, perusing its features thoughtfully. "A Charlie Brown Christmas?" he repeated Jane's earlier exclamation in more curious tones. "What's this about?"

"It's a tradition," Darcy explained, and Jane and Eric both nodded agreement. "We've got plenty of time to watch it, so everybody get comfortable!" She ran over to the DVD player, which still required two solid thumps on the top in order to open, and after inserting the disc and snatching up the remote, she leaped onto the sofa.

It was a charming film, Loki thought. Being from another realm unfortunately deprived him of a lot of reference points, but he was learning quickly. Thor, too, going from his chuckles. The cat tsked in disgust whenever the beagle named Snoopy came dancing across the screen, but Loki and Darcy both knew the feline liked him.

The Christmas special ended, but for a little while longer the Midgardians could be heard quietly singing the tunes of Peanuts. Finally Thor looked over at Loki and asked if it was time yet. For answer, Loki stood up and crossed to the center of the room.

"Is everyone here?" he asked.

They took a moment to look around. All were present. Darcy smirked, gently patting her three wrapped platters of brownies. "Show us what'cha got, Loki," she told him.

Loki smirked back, calm and confident as he raised his arms. The surroundings beyond the group blurred until they were an indistinct gray, and the near environment—furniture, tree, and floor—changed into colorful light that swirled about as though alive. Loki gritted his teeth, orienting himself and the group, and uttered a string of whispered words.

The light bled away into the gray, which sharpened until they all found themselves standing in the familiar recreational deck of Avengers Tower—or, the "family room," as Tony had taken to calling it. Not a person or gift among Loki's group was out of place. The sorcerer grinned triumphantly as he lowered his arms back down to his sides.

"Ta-da," he panted, and pointed to the Midgardians. "Check your clocks."

Jane already her head phone out. "It's noon," she said, then her wrinkled. Her eyes stretched wide and her head snapped up to stare at Loki in shock. "December 25th?!"

Loki managed to chuckle, his eyes bright with delighted pride. "Merry Christmas."