Author's note: This is the last chapter, finally! I want to thank everyone who has read, commented, and favorited this story. Apart from that, I just want to say that I won't abandon Loki and Leah, because their story is not completely finished. It wouldn't be fair if I didn't let you know what happens with the little alien! So there will be a series of one shots, little vignettes of their future. I'm not sure when will they start, but I have ideas for at least three of them. Stay tuned!

"Welcome home."

'Home'. What a fastidious word.

In Leah's mind, she'd never had a real home. Not like those from the TV commercials and the Christmas movies, anyway. She had gone from her mother's house, full of scream matches, booze and bitterness, to the relative freedom of one of the Columbia residences, and then to several impersonal, company-owned apartments in Boston and London. Even her own Stuttgart flat, when she finally decided to buy one, was more functional than cozy. She never gave much thought to the matter... but every now and then, in her subconscious, there was this little voice telling her that some day she would have a real home.

The little voice had no way of knowing that she would end up in an Asgardian cell.

Not that it wasn't well furnished, for a cell. Of course, it had the standard open floor plan one could expect from institutional buildings, but someone had taken a lot of care in decorating it, in making it look like a decent room instead of a prison cubicle.

She remembered Tony Stark, something he'd said about royalty being on top of the privilege pyramid, even if said royalty happened to be incarcerated. Well, Stark had no way of knowing how right he had been. From where she stood, Leah could see other empty cells across the corridor, that in shape and size were identical to her new home, but the similarities ended there. The bed that occupied one of the corners was big and comfy, covered in plush cushions and a gold-embroidered cover. The rest of the furniture (a couple of elegant chairs, an ottoman and an artistically decorated brazier) was crafted in exactly the same style, with an abundance of golden rivulets and dark velvet upholstery as the main motifs. From a nearby table came the unmistakable smell of very old, and probably very valuable, books. A little twinge of alarm ran across Leah's mind at the sight of the stone basin, but then she noticed a cleverly disguised door on the wall, a door that could very well hide some toilet facilities, and hopefully a bathtub.

She was about to start an exploration of the potential bathroom, when a couple of arms sneaked around her from behind, trapping her body in a tight embrace against Loki's chest.

"You have said nothing since we entered the cell, Leah. I am starting to worry."

"So, is this it?"

"What did you expect it to look like?"

"Uglier, I guess. Grim. Something with barred windows and grey stone walls with chalk marks on it to count the days, and maybe a chalk heart – drawn by you – with my name inside, of course."

"Scribbling on the walls has never been one of my pastimes, not even as a child. But I did some writing dedicated to you, in the shape of letters... I will show them to you later. And yes, this may not be grim and dark, but it is still a prison. I feel almost ashamed of having you dwell here instead of in the palace you deserve."

"Nonsense. This is a palace compared with some of the places I've lived in, and you know it." She turned around to face her brand new husband, who in a couple of seconds had made quick work of the clasps on her cloak, letting the long and heavy piece of black fabric pool at her feet. "Aren't you forgetting something, Loki?"

He frowned for a brief moment. "Is there any Midgardian tradition we have to get out of the way before I can lie with my lady wife?"

Leah bit her lip to avoid laughing at the contrast between the formality of Loki's words and the husky, suggestive tone of his voice. "Your lady wife is not an exhibitionist, and I'm afraid we have company", she said, pointing discreetly to the Einherjar standing guard outside the cell. "Clearly, the person who designed these walls to be transparent had no concept of personal privacy."

"And what if I told you I have a remedy for that particular problem?"

"Wait until it's dark? I don't think you'll be able to restrain yourself for so long, considering that one of your hands is trying to find out where's the zipper on this dress."

"By the way, let me congratulate you on your choice of garments. Very proper. A bit too subdued for my taste, but you have made a very good impression on the populace. And on Frigga."

"I don't like looking like a tourist when I travel. And I'm starting to think you've lost your way... the zipper is on the other side, under my left arm."

Loki let out a frustrated grunt. "I fail to see what Midgardian women have against buttons. Or laces. And why do they hide the closure of their gowns in places where no one would look for them?"

"Only I could choose to join a civilization that can bend space to their will and build cities in the sky... but doesn't care for zippers", she muttered, taking a step back. "Loki, I'm serious this time; that guard over there is looking at us."

Loki nodded in silence and pointed to an armchair on the other side of the cell, where Leah sat after leaving her messenger bag on the floor, next to the discarded cloak. Her eyes were fixed on the golden grid that formed a translucent curtain on two sides of the cell: it didn't flicker, didn't make any sound, but somehow she knew there was energy coursing through it. Loki was also looking at the grid, standing so close to it that the tip of his nose almost touched the barrier, and making some kind of subtle movement with his hand. The energy field seemed to blink, too briefly to be seen by human eyes, but it was clear that something had changed... because, when the dark haired Prince stepped away from the wall, there was another Loki projected on it. And not only that: an image of Leah also appeared, along with a perfect impression of the whole cell, an illusion outlined on the glass as if reflected in a golden mirror. But this mirror was not working as it should, because soon the figures on the barrier started to act very differently from their flesh and blood counterparts: Leah's shadow copy was still sitting, but she had reached for one of the books on the low table and started to read; Loki's reflection had walked towards the basin and appeared to be washing his hands.

The real Leah managed to close her mouth a couple of seconds later. "You have a screensaver."

"Just a way to keep certain moments of my day away from prying eyes... and ears", he chuckled. "Those figures will continue to move and act like a bland, boring version of ourselves, and the Einherjar outside will tell everyone that the first few hours of our married life were as dull as a butter knife. Now, about that ugly but very convenient zipper on your dress..."

"You said you had lost your magic when you returned here!"

Loki walked towards Leah's armchair and crouched in front of her. "The magic I have left is dampened by that same barrier. Nothing I can do here will penetrate it. But I still can have some control of what happens inside this cell, and that is all I need for now. That... and you", he finished, holding one of Leah's hands and raising it to his lips.

"Well, I was almost sure you'd miss me... but not so much."

"Silly woman, of course I have missed you. I have missed your confrontation, your stubbornness, your witty remarks. I have missed the taste of your skin on my lips every day", he muttered, burying his face in Leah's hair. "But now you are mine again... and this time it will be forever."

"One of the things I meant to discuss with you at some point is your very antiquated sense of property. I don't have any hopes of turning you into a feminist, but–"

Her gentle scolding was interrupted by a sudden and demanding kiss, and after a few seconds she had to brace herself and grab Loki's shoulders, because the world around them had started turning too fast. Loki didn't realize immediately that his wife was getting short of breath, that her heart was beating faster than it should... until he saw that that her eyes were fixed in the wall behind her, and the look on her face was more panicky than excited.

"Leah, what is wrong?" he asked, trying to read her expression. He tried to stand up and give her some space, but she was still clutching his arm, with so much force that her nails were almost digging into his flesh. "Leah, talk to me."

When she finally looked at him again her eyes were unfocused, and she raised a shaky hand to touch Loki's face.

"I was... oh, God... I don't know how it happened, it came out of nowhere. One moment I was thinking wait till I tell all the people in the office, and then I realized that I won't be able to tell anyone, ever, because everybody on Earth thinks I'm dead, and I'm not supposed to get out of here, or speak to another human being again, or..." She took a deep breath, slowly this time. "I'm not claustrophobic. I've never panicked like this before!"

Loki reached for a jar on the low table beside them, and poured water into a small golden cup. "Here, drink this. I will carry you to the bed now."

"No, wait", she interrupted, accepting the water. "It was just a moment, I got overwhelmed but I'm fine now. I'm pregnant, not an invalid... at least not yet."

"I am the prisoner here, Leah, not you. Odin will not expect you to be in this cell day and night, especially when you are expecting. Tomorrow I will write to Frigga and arrange some time for you in her garden, and also a visit to the healers. Do not be apprehensive about being confined."

"Well, I was confined with you for a week, and you never heard me complain." The blood had started to come back to her pale cheeks; that and her half-assed joke finally convinced Loki that his wife was feeling better.

"Oh, I heard your complaints, Leah, to no end. But that was different. Right after we met I chose the most luxurious abode in the whole area so that you would be comfortable."

"Are you saying that you stole that monstrosity of a house in the mountains... for me? I don't know if I should feel flattered or horrified."

"Of course it was for you! I would never have given my companion less than the absolute best. I even ordered my men to give you a somniferous concoction so that you would not get distressed on the long trip from Stuttgart to your new home."

He seemed sincerely offended, and Leah wondered how someone could be so sharp for some things and so completely clueless for others.

"Okay, I have two big objections to that. First: don't call that horrible house a 'home' ever again. And second: maybe you could have started with not kidnapping me. Making me feel comfortable doesn't detract from the fact that I was taken there against my will. Don't you have the golden cage analogy here in Asgard? Think about it."

Loki let out a sigh that sounded definitely frustrated. "Well, you made Odin and everyone else believe that coming back to me had been your choice."

"That's because you took all my choices away, and left me with only one! How could I have raised this child on Earth, Loki? Yes, your Daddy is away, in prison. No, honey, we can't visit him. No, sweetie, I have no idea why your skin is blue! Just picture me having this conversation with the kid, while trying to hide from SHIELD, or from the federals, or... who knows."

She left the golden cup on the table, fighting against the impulse of flinging the object against the wall. Then she started pacing up and down the room until Loki stood right in front of her, looking dead serious, and with his gaze fixed on the wall behind her.

"If that is what you think, you can have the child, leave him in Asgard and go back. Frigga will take good care of him, like she did with me."

Leah started taking a step back, but on a second thought she stopped, standing as tall as she could even though she was nowhere near Loki's stature, even in heels. "Are you saying that you don't want me here?"

"Of course I want you, damn it!" he growled. "Here, in Midgard or in the pits of Hel. But I am giving you a choice."

"Now? After you kidnapped me and got me pregnant... After I crossed who knows how many light years to find you... This is the moment you make me choose? How the hell can you be so blind?" Leah's voice was trembling with rage. "You know I had a mother who didn't give a shit about me; I told you everything about my childhood... and you still think I would abandon my kid here and go back to my old life, just like that? How can you be so... so unfeeling?"

She wanted to scream, to hurl at him, to punch his chest and see if there was a heart in it, until his next words made her stop in her tracks.

"What a funny thing to say, Leah, when you could not care less about me." He didn't raise his voice, but it sounded so bitter and tired that Leah had to blink several times to hold back the tears.

"What?"

"Well, you just said your only reason to be here is because you want to protect the child from SHIELD."

"That's not what I... Loki, I don't want to lose you! That was my reason for coming here, and it will be my reason for staying. Look, I know you don't like discussing feelings, and I know you just married me because of some stupid sense of obligation, but I..."

"When have I even implied such a ludicrous thing?" he scoffed.

"You said once that love was for kitchen wenches."

"I said romance. Or, rather, the conventional idea of it. Believe me, Leah; if I did not feel anything for you, no amount of social pressure would have made me claim you as my wife."

Loki had slowly approached her again, cornering her between his body and the furniture, until she ran out of space and sat on the bed, raising her hands in a sign of defeat.

"We're getting lost in the semantics, Loki. I'm tired, I'm freaked out and my head's starting to hurt. What do you want?"

"The same thing I have wanted since the beginning, Leah: you."

"But you said–"

He raised a finger to her lips and frowned. "Silence. Not now. Let there be no more words about this... But do not doubt what I feel. Never."

"Fine", she surrendered. "But please don't make me have this conversation again. I won't dig into your childhood traumas if you leave mine alone in return. Deal?"

She received a quick kiss as Loki's only answer.

"Oh, you have to stop ending our arguments like that."

"We were not arguing... and I believe I am starting something, not ending it."

"Now, come sit on the bed with me and hold me, will you? I still feel a bit spooked, and I'm not sure that my strike of bad luck has ended for good."

"I disapprove of being called bad luck." Loki's protest didn't keep him from climbing on the bed beside Leah, where he started unlacing her boots with infinite care.

"It's what it is, Loki. First I got frightened to death by your little stunt in Stuttgart, kidnapped and locked up with you for a week. After that I witnessed a battle with some not-so-friendly aliens. Then I got locked up again, without you, courtesy of SHIELD. After that I had to fly to the other side of the world, hoping that nobody would find out about the little alien, which involved jumping into a hole in space on top of a very active volcano. And now, for the third time in barely three months, I've ended up a prisoner, this time in a very luxurious cell. Who said History doesn't repeat itself?"

"If I have to spend an eternity as a captive, I can think of no better company than you."

"Yes, about that 'eternity' thing..."

"That is of no consequence now, and it will not be for many years."

"We'll need to discuss it at some point, Loki. The average span of a human life is..."

This time it was his a whole hand, clamped softly but firmly over her mouth. "I said not now. I am sure we can find a happier conversation topic for our wedding day."

"All I can think of right now are depressing things. See this dress that you like so much?" she asked, running her hands over the black silky fabric. "Getting married in a black dress has been a bad omen for centuries. Married in Black, you will wish yourself back, that's how the saying goes."

Loki smiled, throwing Leah's boot to the floor and caressing her stocking covered ankle. "I refuse to believe that my dear wife, with her brilliant education, believes in superstitions. What would you have worn, anyway, if you had known that we would be getting wed today?"

"Something simple. A fur coat... or a nightgown", she laughed. "Anyway, you're right: against the tradition of my whole Italian background, I've never believed in those things."

"It is ironic, though, considering that many Asgardians will see you as a symbol of good fortune from now on."

"What do you mean? I've done nothing", Leah frowned, folding her stockings (her only pair of stockings) carefully, and placing them at the foot of the bed.

"I told you before that today is the beginning of the Harvest Festival. Being a celebration of growth and fertility, it is especially dedicated to children and expecting women. But you must have noticed that there were barely any women in your state on the streets: the average Aesir can live for thousands of years, but having more than two or three children is unheard of. There are a few extraordinary cases, like the warrior Volstagg and his wife, who have a household full of brats... but for most Asgardians a successful procreation is the result of many years of trying and waiting."

"It makes sense. With a lifespan like that, if those people were more fertile in a few hundred years there would be Asgardians coming out of the wazoo."

"And now you know what made you so fascinating to them. A woman able to conceive within days instead of years will always be regarded as a miracle." Having finished with the boots and the hosiery, Loki's fingers started inching towards the elusive zipper of Leah's gown... until her next words made him freeze.

"Earth must seem a miracle factory to them, especially certain places. Did you know that the fertility rate of Italian women is legendary? My great-grandmother Gianna had twelve children."

She could practically see the blood rushing from Loki's face. But, considering the circumstances, he managed to hide the horror in his eyes quite well, especially after Leah started laughing.

"Don't panic! She got married when she was just nineteen, so she had a lot of time. Besides, I'm only half Italian, I'm sure those genes will have diluted a bit in the last ninety years."

"Fascinating. To be completely honest, I never made an effort to distinguish one kind of Midgardian from another."

"I'm going to stop you right there before you say we all look like sheep to you, or some other inconvenience." She patted Loki's hand away, playfully, and then sat up. "Hey, what was that thing you said earlier about writing me letters?"

Loki stopped his patient siege of his wife's clothing, retrieved a wooden box from under his bed and put it in Leah's hands.

"I would have found a way to send them to you, eventually. Some of them will contain things you will not like, but they are all sincere. Which, as many people will tell you, is a great feat coming from me."

There were at least thirty of them. Some carefully folded, others in a state that made her think they had been crumpled and smoothed out again. She picked a random one, leaned back on the cushions and read it carefully, smiling... until she got to the last page.

"You had three candidates to be your abducted girlfriend, and none of them was me?"

Loki hid his face in his hands for a moment. "Of course, you had to choose precisely the letter I did not want you to see. I am starting to think that you own some strange kind of magic, Leah."

"This is not right."

Loki sighed. "I assure you that I have not regretted my decision one single time, no matter how difficult our time together has been. I never gave any further thought to my other candidates after meeting you."

"No. What I mean is that I can't have this conversation lying down. Help me up, please. I never discuss serious matters in a horizontal position", she said, extending a hand. "Now, can we clarify some things so that we don't have to talk about them ever again? I'm not going to pretend this was some case of love at first sight, but after reading this I keep asking myself what I've wondered many times: Why me?"

Finally resigned to the fact that he was all the way into a serious conversation, Loki held both of Leah's hands in his.

"From the first moment I saw you, from the moment I heard the speech you were giving at your office, I was entranced. To many men in Asgard, women who are not softly and lovely are simply seen as... not women. Shieldmaidens are an exception, of course. But I saw a woman I could admire, someone who had fire inside of her as well as a magnificent mind, and you became the embodiment of the world I wanted to conquer. By possessing you, I symbolically possessed the whole of Midgard. If I was able to get your respect, your worship... even your love, it would mean that the rest of your realm would eventually accept me as their rightful king."

Leah didn't say anything for a while, trying to assimilate her husband's sudden burst of sincerity.

"I remember telling you once that it would never had worked unless you somewhat had managed to have sex with the entire planet. Even if you had limited yourself to just the politicians, it would have taken an awful lot of time." She leaned towards Loki, brushing her lips over his in the slowest of kisses, and then she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Now that we're being brutally honest, I have something to confess, too... you're not going to like it, but it needs to be said."

"You know can tell me anything." His voice was once again low, soft and inviting, and Leah had to resist the impulse to kiss him again and leave the talking for another day. She held Loki's hand and looked at him right in the eye.

"For the first thirty-six hours after you kidnapped me, I was absolutely sure that you were going to kill me."

Astonishment doesn't exactly describe what could be seen on Loki's face. If there existed an emotion right between horrified outrage and plain disgust, that's exactly where his reaction would have been. He practically jumped away from the bed, letting go of Leah's hand.

"By the Norns! How could you ever think that of me?"

"Dozens of people died in Stuttgart! And in New York! And you made it quite clear from the first moment that you considered yourself infinitely superior to us mere mortals. How was I to know that you wanted a girlfriend and not a... a sacrifice victim?" Leah's breathing became agitated again, and Loki approached the bed, kneeling in front of her, holding her waist in what he hoped was a non threatening touch.

"You were never my enemy, Leah. I may not have taken your feelings into consideration sometimes–"

"More like never."

"Let me finish. Despite all my mistakes, I never had any intention to harm you. And believe me when I tell you I had no idea you were fearing for your life. There were moments of those days when you looked content, carefree, even happy."

"At first I was trying to make good out of a bad situation. Secretly happy that you had decided not to throw me into a dungeon, or hit me, or... who knows what." Loki's only answer was a shocked silence, so she continued. "Happy that, if I had to fuck you, at least you weren't ugly or gross."

This time the silence was replaced by a mortified groan, and Leah bit her lip to help her concentrate.

"Now that I know you better, I bet it didn't look like that in your head. I bet you thought you were being magnanimous. Your fluctuating ego was absolutely sure that any woman on Earth would want you... and why wouldn't we want an omnipotent self-proclaimed God? To you, it was perfectly logical."

When Loki finally spoke, the amount of hurt in his voice would have made any good hearted person cry. "When did all of that change, Leah? Did it change at all, or do you still feel that way about me?"

"Heavens, no! Loki, I wouldn't be here if..." she interrupted herself. "I can't quite pinpoint the moment. There wasn't a specific moment... and parts of those days are kind of huddled together in my memory. All I know is that by the day of the battle in Manhattan I was completely lost to reason."

She hooked her arms around Loki's neck and rested her forehead against his.

"Well, I think we've gotten all the ugly things out of the way. And I can definitely say that if you think I'm ever going to leave you... well, you have no idea how clingy an Italian woman can be."

He responded with one of his little smiles, at last. "What I want to leave perfectly clear is that I will always be the way I am now. I am not gentle. I am not... kind."

"Good, because I've never expected you to change. Well, not much, at least. But it's a woman's second nature to try and change our men, even when we know it's a lost cause." She was smiling too, as if some heavy weight had been lifted from the air around them; Loki took that as an invitation to climb on the bed and embrace his wife, and even to continue with her interrupted undressing.

"Sometimes I wish I had seduced you properly when we first met. But there was no time."

"And how would you have done the seduction, exactly?" asked Leah, with a playful wink.

"I would have introduced myself to you after you finished your work day. We would have had a bottle of the best wine Midgard had to offer, and a long conversation."

"And then things would have ended with a long night of passionate sex?"

"Splendid! We have been married for barely an hour and you are already able to read my mind", he whispered in her ear, while his fingers grazed over the skin of her bare knee.

"Well, if you think about it... we did have a long conversation. And a drink; no, several drinks, although I was the only one with a glass in my hand. And then the night ended exactly the way you described, so I guess the final result would have been the same... minus the blackmail."

"That is the point that taints our whole relationship."

"Just one question, and then we can avoid speaking of this ever again: if I had said no in a definite way, if I had refused you even after all the blackmail and the tricks... what would have happened?"

"I told you before that I have no use for an unwilling lover. You would have been set free. Probably."

"Probably?"

"I can be extremely persuasive, my love. But must we go over this matter again? Now you are just being petty."

"And you are tickling my leg, and you know I don't like that", she answered with a mockery of a pout. "I once had a boyfriend who tickled me for fun, and one day he made me so nervous that I accidentally kicked him on the head. Thank God I wasn't wearing shoes, or he would have ended at the ER."

"Ah. Sometimes I wish I had killed all the men who had you before we met."

"I'm not one to brag, but that would take you a really long time. And a lot of effort, because I'm quite sure at least one of them is in jail... Oh, look, it seems I have a type. But he got in for embezzling funds, which is a very boring crime, and I'm sure the Cape Vincent Correctional Facility is not nearly as glamorous as the cells here in Asgard."

Loki studied her expression closely for a moment. "Tell me something about that criminal former lover of yours... did he ever made you feel anything like this?" he asked, breathing warm air on her neck before his teeth nipped her skin, inching towards a certain weak point under her ear.

Leah's answer was a low moan and a gentle tug of Loki's hair. "You have no idea how I've missed you... it's been too long."

"Sixty-eight days, to be precise."

"To hell with precision, Loki. I need you to touch me or I'll go insane."

"Oh, I will do much more that just touching you." He gathered up her long gown and let his hands wander under it. Traveling up her calves, grabbing the soft flesh of her thighs. The way his fingers caressed her skin was more delicate than ever, as if she was made of thin glass. His lips moved to her throat again, while at the same time he finally managed to remove Leah's dress completely.

Lying on the bed with just a silk slip over her underwear, Leah stretched lazily, like a cat, putting on a show for the man that hovered over her.

"Not fair, Loki. You're completely dressed, and I need you naked for most of the things we're supposed to do next", she purred.

Loki laughed and pulled his tunic over his head. "I am going to need a list of those things, my love. A very detailed one", he added, taking off the rest of his clothes with a few swift, precise movements. Leah licked her lips, taking a moment to make sure that Loki's lean, beautiful physique looked exactly the same as she remembered... down to the part she was craving the most.

"Well, first things first... Do you remember the first time you kissed me? I thought my lips would be bruised for days."

"I remember. In retrospective, I know I should not have treated you like–"

"I want you to kiss me like that again", Leah interrupted, but she didn't have time to add more details to her instructions before the weight of her husband pinned her to the bed and he captured her lips with his. His initial carefulness was turning into passion, and in a few moments she felt dizzy again... but not from panic this time. When he finally let go of her mouth, the desire in his eyes was so obvious that it made Leah blush.

"Now you are the one who is overdressed", he stated in a velvety voice, stroking his thumb over her silk covered nipple. "And I know you do not like your clothes being torn to pieces, but I am feeling especially impatient today."

"This time it's out of necessity, since these are my only clothes... plus a change of underwear I have in my bag. Take them off gently or I will stop playing with you."

Loki's only answer was parting her legs with his knee and insinuating himself between them. "Oh, I will be extremely gentle... with your garments."

The black silk slid off Leah's skin easily, followed by the bits of lace of her underwear, and the suddenly cold air made her shiver until Loki pressed his erection against her center. She grabbed his shoulders again, raking her nails over his impossibly smooth skin, wanting him to get closer, much... much closer.

His own hands ghosted over her now exposed breast, followed by a hungry mouth. That was what made Leah arch her back and wail, lifting her body off the mattress in an effort to follow even the smallest of Loki's movements. And he moved with precision, as always, despite the urgency she could see in his eyes. No other man had drawn and memorized the map of her erogenous zones like him. Nobody else's fingers could find so easily their way between her legs, digging and curling into her wet heat below, while his mouth above left a row of faint red marks along her throat.

"Please, please..." was all Leah managed to say before another kiss left her breathless, and this time she put her head in the game and responded by nibbling softly at Loki's lip. Now it was time for her to make a move. Her hands roamed over the hard plains of his chest, down his stomach, and finally down the faint trail of hair until she found him hard and ready and encircled his hard length in her palm, making him hiss.

"Not yet, lovely... Not until I have made you scream."

And scream she did, more than twice; first when Loki drew a path of kisses down her body, because it took her by surprise and she had forgotten how cold her lover's lips were. Then again a moment later, when he pressed the flat of his tongue against her wetness, starting a subtle dance of swirls and licks that made her angle her hips in an effort to keep him going. The third and last scream was a cry of mercy, a yelped oh fuck, the sound of her body surrendering to the waves of pleasure that coursed through her.

"As eloquent as ever, lovely Leah", she heard in the distance, beyond the hazy fog of her climax.

"Come up here now and let me make you sing, my Lord and husband", she answered with what little voice she had left.

Whether it was the voice or the words themselves she didn't know, but less than a second later Loki was kissing her again, settling himself between her thighs. He hooked her knees around his arms and spread her open, taking a moment to admire the way her hair fanned out on the pillow, the way her eyes darkened with want. He'd had in mind a slower, sweeter lovemaking, something suitable for the occasion of being husband and wife for the first time. It wasn't until that moment when he realized the importance of being just Loki and Leah, and that their names and status meant nothing in the throes of passion.

Leah let out a soft sigh when Loki thrust home and threw her head back, savoring the almost forgotten pleasure of having him buried within her after the long period of abstinence. The thrusts were long at first, slow, making up for lost time by pretending they had all the time in the world. He sensed the start of her second orgasm before she did and shifted his angle slightly, hitting the point inside her that sent a wave of delicious heat all over her limbs. And then he started moving faster, harder, plunging into her with abandon as her body clenched and released around him.

Loki's climax arrived in a powerful rush. Leah heard him growl, and pant, and mutter something that sounded like mine forever, but her conscious mind was too busy trying not to explode from the pleasure to pay attention to those, or any other, words. With her eyes closed, concentrating to regain his senses for a moment, she felt him roll off and pull the covers up before the cold air got to her again. Soon his arms were wrapped around her, like a Venus flytrap, and his breathing returned to its usual slow rhythm.

Leah squirmed a little in Loki's arms, because she wasn't tired or sleepy. Her jetlagged body still wasn't used to the time change, and for her it was barely midday.

"Will you stop moving, woman? I do not remember you being so agitated the other times."

She sat up against the headboard. "I've had this weird bursts of energy for weeks. It's the pregnancy, so you can't complain because it's technically your fault."

Loki rolled his eyes at her, but she could see he was trying not to laugh. "Well then, let us get dressed and have something to eat. I know how much you enjoy good food, and if we are lucky maybe you will find that Frigga has bribed the cook a bit more than usual."

"Well, it's a pity I can't cook in here... but, on the other hand, it's less work for me." She grabbed one of the sheets and wrapped it around her. "Loki, I've been meaning to ask you... How did your mother know about me? She seemed to know exactly who I was even before I arrived."

Loki got up from the bed, not worrying a bit about his nakedness, and grabbed a tray with fruit from the table.

"It was not my intention to expose you, believe me, and I kept silence about you for the sake of your own safety. But Thor ratted me out and I had to tell Frigga." He set the fruit on the nightstand, and then his attention wandered to an object he hadn't noticed before. "Ah, but there we have another proof that my mother has taken a liking to you. Do you see that small trunk at the foot of the bed? I believe it is a gift for you."

Leah jumped off the bed, holding onto the sheet with one hand. "How do you know?"

"The rune engraved on the lid is the initial of your name."

"My name or yours? We have the same initial. But I've been here only for a couple of hours. How could she...?"

"Open it."

Not wanting to argue so soon again after making love, she opened the trunk to reveal a small sea of fabric. On top of everything there was a gorgeous velvet gown, crafted in the loose, flowing style of the clothes she had seen on the other Asgardian women, and embroidered with tiny silvery beads. Under it there were several more dresses, two chemises, two pairs of shoes and an assortment of stockings, nightgowns and petticoats... all of them black, of course. At the bottom of the trunk there was another smaller box containing a fan, some ribbons, a flask that looked like a picture she had seen once of a vial of smelling salts, and several little round pots.

"Is this what I think it is?" she asked, opening one of them. "Some kind of... rouge? Makeup?"

"It appears to be. I am sure Frigga thought it would be an appropriate gift for you."

"Your mother just gave me makeup. I'm going to love that woman forever", she laughed.

"I am glad you think that way, because she can be a powerful ally."

"And I'm going to need an ally while I'm here, right?" Leah sat on the carpet and started putting all her new things back into the box. She was serious again. "Loki, how am I going to live here when I don't know anything about this world? I can't even name the days of the week, or the Nine Realms! I'm sure there are kindergarten kids who know more than me."

Loki, who finally had deemed appropriate to put his pants back on, crouched beside her. "Mortals are creatures of habit. If I remember correctly, you have resided in several different places of Midgard, and you adapted to all of them."

"Do you think I can do it again... that I can get used to this?"

She chose a simple black dress from the trunk and put it on, not bothering with any underwear.

"Answer me this, Leah: If you had conformed to what was expected of you since birth, where would you be now?"

"That's easy. I'd still be in Newark. I'd be an accountant, or a real estate agent... or maybe a soccer mum. Married to an insipid jerk who would work in the City, screw his secretary and not pay any attention to me. And I'd probably spend most of my days drunk out of my ass."

"Look where you are now. What you have become. And, if attention is what you need... you have all of mine, now and for the years to come."

"For once in my life, I think you're right. Yes. I will adapt."

"Just tell me what do you need to make your life better, and I will make it happen. I intend to make you perfectly happy here."

Leah shook her head with a sad smile. "No one is perfectly happy, Loki. No one is perfectly anything, because perfection doesn't exist. I've decided that Asgard will be my home, but I will always be a stranger here, and a scientific curiosity on Earth. No, not Earth... Midgard. I need to start using the right words."

"See? You are already getting used to the way we speak. And with the... publicity Frigga has provided, I believe that you will soon have Asgard at your feet."

"You mean at yours, Loki. Your mother is very enthusiastic about my presence here because I can help your cause. The rest of the people have a new circus creature to admire, and they will like me as long as I'm exotic and interesting enough for their tastes. And Odin just wants me to remain here so that he can keep an eye on Junior."

"Junior?"

"The kid."

"We are not going to call my son that."

"You know, it could be a girl." Leah smiled and let her gaze wander, looking at some point beyond the cell's walls. "I want it to be a girl. An incredibly beautiful girl with green eyes."

Loki helped her get up from the carpet where she had been sitting, and led her back to the bed.

"You left one person out of your list. Are you still doubtful of my reasons for wanting you here?"

"No, I haven't forgotten that: At first I was some kind of anthropologic personification of Earth that you wanted to conquer. And then... I guess my arts of seduction won you over. Or my cooking."

"You are going to have my child. Do you know what that means?"

"That in a few months I'll be the size of an elephant and you won't like me anymore?"

"Stop being silly, Leah." He brought the palm of her hand to his lips in a gesture that Leah remembered very well. "You will always be the same to me no matter what you look like. The mere thought that I could be so fickle offends me. If I said that I did not miss you... that my days have not been too empty and my bed did not seem too wide without you, I would be lying."

"You're supposed to be a very good liar."

"Not when it concerns you. Or my child."

"Our child. I promise to tone down the snark if you make an effort to work on those pronouns."

"Our child, with the right pronoun if you like, may end up reigning over Asgard one day, woman."

"Ah, there it is again."

"What do you mean?"

"I've realized that every time you call me woman it's because I've said something that you find amusing, but you try to disguise it with a fake irritation. Just like now."

"Have you considered the idea that my irritation may not be fake?" Loki remarked with a half-smile. "Ah, Norns. If only I had been furnished with an obedient wife..."

"And what would you want with an obedient wife? Die of boredom while you watch her mend your socks and tell you how wonderful you are night and day?" She caressed Loki's cheek and flexed her fingers, just a bit, so that the tip of her nails pressed against her husband's skin. "What if I don't want our kid to be king or queen or... whatever? And how is that supposed to happen when you have an older brother with better right than you?"

Loki reached for the fruit tray and grabbed something that looked halfway between a cherry and a miniature peach.

"There is no way of knowing what the future will bring, and it would not be the first time that the line of a king is broken and a new one starts. In any case, if Thor fathers a boy with Jane Foster... or with any other, then our daughter can–"

"Ah, now you want a daughter! I've been here for five minutes and you're already playing dynastic chess with our unborn baby?"

"It is never too soon to start looking at the future." Loki started peeling the fruit with a small penknife he wasn't supposed to own. "Leah, you have to understand that if I had my way you would be queen to me, not wife."

"Many things could be wrong if you had your way... The most important of all is that I would have made an awful queen, and we would argue even more than we do now. But the truth is that I don't need a crown in my life, Loki; I made a very well thought decision, I chose you even when you were defeated and imprisoned, and I hope it means that from now on things can only get better."

Leah's speech earned her a kiss on the forehead and a surprisingly tender look from her husband.

"Just promise me one thing, woman."

"Whatever you want... if you stop calling me that."

"Choose me with your heart this time, Leah, not with your mind."

"Oh, but that would be terribly foolish of me."

"Then do it, and let us be foolish together." He arranged the cushions on the bed and lay back, with his arm around Leah's waist. "Let us not think of the future for a moment. I know it will be difficult, I know we will argue – bitterly – many times. But the only thing I want right now is to enjoy the company of my stubborn, disobedient, feisty... lovely wife."

"Great, because that wife of yours wants nothing more than to spend an eternity with her beautiful, chaotic, arrogant... wonderful man."

"God."

Leah smiled, closed her eyes, and leaned closer to Loki for another kiss.

"Whatever."