So this is the end, guys! But first, a shout out to these awesome people and a warning for a little smut :)

camilleRomance- Eee! Thank you so much for reading (even though its been ages between updates, right?! I really appreciate you sticking with me, honestly!) And ha, I know right? They don't need plays or books to entertain them when the royal family has so many issues!

fan-de-carlisle-cullen – Aw, thanks! Me too, hopefully this ending won't feel too rushed, and hope everything has been tied up good and proper :)

RhizOneill- Thank youu! And haha, someone is getting sentimental (about bloody time Loki!)

Guest – You're not wrong! Grief sometimes brings out the worst in people (especially when you're an Asgardian prince with an annoying brother!) And thank you so much!

2 years later

"What do you mean, you quit?" Darcy tried keeping up with Loki's steps as he stalked away from the council room. It was good to see he hadn't lost his flair for the dramatic throughout the years.

"That oaf wanted to amend the truce with Svaltalfheim!" Loki shook his head and turned to her with an incredulous look. "Even after Khaveun broke our truce last year! Not to mention the illegal importation of slaves he's been dabbling in. He'll continue to act as he always does and my oaf brother will shake his hand gladly? He clearly thinks that trust is the key to ruling?!"

"That oaf is the King, Lokes." She replied, brushing the strands of hair from his angry face. "Chill out."

"I don't know why he bothered asking me for my counsel over these years if he just ignores me."

"He doesn't ignore you!" Darcy rolled her eyes at his frustration. "The fact that your mom agreed with you is enough, right? And that other dude, the one with the beard."

"There's not been a single utter of war in the last two years because I-"

"-I think it was a group effort-"

"-made the decisions!" He finished, throwing up his arms.

"Dude, what did we say about how Thor rules?" Darcy spoke as if to a toddler, her fingers still brushing through his hair. "We…"

"…Don't have to agree with the King, but we should take his word as final." Loki said tiredly. The amount of times Darcy had said this leads to an automatic response. She had him well trained.

"Besides. Thor's going to a peace-keeping meeting in Vanaheim tomorrow as an anniversary treat. Jane will be happy." Darcy said sarcastically, walking toward him until he's backed up to the wall, a mischievous smirk on her face. "With no Thor or Jane…"

"You're thinking we repeat our rendezvous in the throne room?" He said with a smirk, his arms around her waist. His fury about Svartalheim's truce had disappeared entirely.

Darcy laughed against him. "Not the worst idea."

She stood on her tiptoes, pulling him down to her with a grateful hum until they were nose to nose. "I was thinking we should expand our ventures."

"Hm. I like that idea. Where?"

"Anywhere you want."

Darcy kissed him, feeling the taste of him on her lips as she was pulled toward him. His hands went to the folds of her dress, pulling them up until she batted him away with a smile. "Not here." He sighed- where was her sense of adventure? She laughed at his expression and kissed him again, threading her fingers through his hair.

She soon realised she was pushed up against him in a shadowy corner of the castle, her dress strap hanging off her shoulders, but when Loki moaned against her lips, she lost all semblance of self-control or shame.

The evidence came in the form of Jane's awkward cough behind them.

"Um, Darce. Loki" She cleared her throat again, watching in awkwardness as Darcy disengaged herself from Loki. It didn't help that Loki, unaware of their disturbance, pulled Darcy back to his lips until Darcy pushed away from him with a forceful shove. Loki looked hurt at Darcy's sudden rejection until he saw Jane. Then he just looked plain inconvenienced, not a single shred of embarrassment on his face. Darcy's face, however, had turned bright red.

"Jane's here. Behave." Darcy said through gritted teeth, trying to hide a smile as she jumped away from Loki. "You didn't hear anything, did you?"

Jane ran a hand through her perfectly styled hair. "No, thank god. I don't think I want to know either."

Darcy breathed a sigh of relief. Jane would be disinfecting half the castle soon if she knew. "What's up?" She attempted to lean on a pillar to the side of her, but missed and stumbled. Loki's arm immediately went out to steady her. Smooth, Darcy, she told herself, pulling her dress straps back up on her shoulders.

"Loki's presence has been requested in Vanaheim."

Darcy looked to Loki. "You haven't done anything to piss anyone off in Vanaheim, have you?"

"We'll probably find out." He shrugged, looking back to Jane. "Most of my enemies are on Midgard. They haven't yet banned me from Vanaheim, though."

"You're banned from Midgard?" Darcy squinted at Loki suspiciously, who had been watching the two quietly, trying to erase the lipstick stain from around his mouth without drawing too much attention.

"I believe my ban is a lifetime one." He shrugged. "Although whose lifetime I am unsure of."

"You never said it was a lifetime one!" Darcy turned on her heel and scowled. "You said we would go visit my parents this year!"

"I don't remember saying that." Loki put on his best innocent face as he lied.

"You said it'd be great meeting them without SHIELD showing up or Josh reporting you to the authorities? Remember?"

Jane put her hand up to cut in, but Loki cut her off with a sigh.

"I said that it would be nice, not that it would happen."

"So you don't want to meet my parents? After all the shit I've gone through with your family- including attempted murder thanks to your nephew-"

"-I don't think they'll be too happy to hear you're bringing the most wanted individual on your planet home, hm?"

"We've talked about this, though. My parents loved you-"

"Until they found out who I was-"

"Please stop fighting." Jane sounded tired. Darcy turned to her in confusion.

"This isn't fighting." She laughed and wound her fingers through Loki's. She smirked at Jane's confusion.

"Talking to you guys recently is a struggle, you know?"

"Sorry." Darcy grinned.

"So… back to what we were saying earlier… are you able to come, Loki?"

"I feel like I'm not invited." Darcy scowled.

"That's because…" Jane sighs. "It's by royal invite only. You have to stay here, otherwise the peace treaty might go… sour."

"Why? What have I done?"

"Nothing." She shrugged. "It's just the way it is. Technically you're not part of the royals."

"Well, fuck them." Darcy crossed her arms. "Looks like I'm staying."

"I'm serious, Darcy, this isn't like crashing another SHIELD meeting-"

Darcy threw her hands up. "I get ya, Jane. I can handle a couple of days on my own."

Loki looked at her as if for permission, and Darcy shrugged. Sure, it would've have been nice to have a getaway with him that didn't involve being arrested by SHIELD or murdered by someone, but Darcy realised that she had plenty of time for playing around.

She pushed Loki forward slightly, toward Jane, squeezing his hand as she let go.

"Send me a postcard."

-x-

She was thoroughly pissed off. They'd been gone for a month (not the 'couple of days' they'd promised) with only a quick and vague message to say that negotiations were taking longer than usual.

However, Darcy was pleasantly surprised when Loki turned up in her bedroom one night, an apologetic look on his face.

She threw off the covers and launched herself at him, burying her face in his thick winter jacket.

"Where've you been?!"

"Negotiating in Vanaheim. I daresay they turned sour without your presence, dear." He stroked her hair affectionately, and Darcy closed her eyes.

"Thought that might be the case." She said, wrapping her arms around him even tighter. "Who have you pissed off this time?"

"Only the entire royal family." She felt him shrug against her and she pulled away from him.

"How?"

"They wanted me to marry their daughter." He laughed. "I rejected their most gracious offer."

"Was she hot?"

"That's an unfair question." Loki skirted the question uncomfortably. "The Vanir are known for their beauty."

"So she was hot."

"You're jealous."

"A little." She rested her hands on his chest. "But as far as they're concerned, you're an eligible bachelor. A very good looking bachelor, may I add."

"Maybe I should settle down." He offered, looking down at her. "That would perhaps stop people offering me their daughters."

"I didn't think you were the settling down type." Darcy was sure they'd never had this talk – the closest they'd come to it was moving in together. Even then, they only shared a room at the palace, so it wasn't exactly moving.

He shrugged. "It can't be that hard."

"So you're gonna marry this Vanir woman, then?" Darcy tried to swallow her pride.

Even after two years of dating (for lack of a better word) he'd never shown signs that he wanted to settle down into anything more serious than they had now. Darcy didn't exactly take this as disinterest, but she knew she was in need of some serious validation when she was dating a God. He'd told her he loved her, but there were times when he seemed so closed off even she was unsure about his intentions.

"After all we've been through, and you expect me to marry some stuffy, uptight Vanir royal?" He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Darcy you fool. I'm asking you to settle with me."

"As in…" She bit her lip.

"Marry me." He said it so nonchalantly she did a double-take.

"Wait. You're being serious?"

"Deadly." He said, his face showing no signs of joking. "So…"

"Yes." Darcy stood on her tiptoes and pulled him in for a desperate kiss. She felt him smile against her lips, and broke away, grinning. "Of course."

"I love you." His voice was practically a growl, his faces inches from hers.

"Love you, too." She smiled.

Her eyes never left his as she looked at him expectantly.

His lips were inches from hers at this point, and her fingers traced his sharp cheekbones, up to his hairline and down his neck.

"It won't be a quiet life." He said, shrugging off his winter furs. His hands found the small of her back, pulling her flush to him.

"You don't think I know that?" She shook her head, rolling her eyes as she remembered the past few years he had been in her life. Jail cell visits, weddings, poisonings, the fake-deaths and the real ones. It seemed like decades had passed. And she kept forgetting that thanks to the man in front of her, she had many, many more to live. As Aesir. As one of them.

He seemed to be thinking exactly what she was, a fond look on his face as he remembered how they'd met.

She sighed, and leant forward to clear the space between them, pressing her lips to his. She twined her fingers into his hair and pulled him closer. He kissed her back, a little more urgent than before, months of longing in his mind.

He let out a small sound against her lips when they parted, only to hungrily pull each other back in, this time with an urgency they both seemed consumed with. Darcy wound her fingers tighter in his black hair, making Loki look unusually dishevelled and unkempt. He returned the favour, his mouth working eagerly at hers with the same enthusiasm, the feel of his hands exploring the curves under her nightgown. His mouth moved from her lips to her neck, and back again, biting softly on her full lips.

He lets her guide her to the edge of the bed, where she pushes him down gently, taking off his boots and unclasping his armour as she climbed on top of him.

"I think the worst has passed," he said as he looked up at her, his hands on her hips where she ground against him.

"You mean you won't have to fake your death again?" She said, her hands pushing away his armour, her fingers dragging along his bare chest.

"I can't promise that." He grinned, pulling her silk Asgardian nightgown over her head and switching places with her.

She looks up at him from the bed with exasperation. "You mean I won't get poisoned again?"

"I'll protect you. I swear." He says, shrugging off his leather until he lay on top of her, fully unclothed.

His lips meet hers as if sealing the promise he'd made, and her back arches to meet him. She chuckled as he worked his way down her body, finally smirking when he reached the heat between her legs.

As he pushed his tongue inside her, teasing, she cried out. Darcy's breath hitched as she rubbed up against him, rocking her hips against him in a barely restrained frenzy.

After all this time, his mouth between her legs doesn't fail to elicit a moan from her. She could barely last minutes under his ministrations. Her hands grasped his hair, pulling him away from her with a barely coherent plea.

"Please."

"Please, what?" He laughed.

"You fucking know what." She muttered, pulling him closer to her and to her lips, his laughter muffled against her mouth.

"I've missed you," he said as he sinks into her, her response lost in a wanton groan. She gasped when wetness and hardness collided, and Loki thrust into her with a cathartic groan.

Her fingers clawed at his back, drawing him closer to her as he thrust into her, his pace quickening. His breath was short and shallow, pushing her into the mattress, the grip on her hips almost painful.

Darcy's hips arched up to accommodate him, her hands finding any purchase she could. Loki felt her need in her passionate moans, and pushed into her harder, and faster, his hands leaving marks on her skin. "Loki," she moaned in desperation as she felt her orgasm rising within her, scrambling for purchase on his smooth skin, but finding his tangled hair instead and pulling.

She could tell he was close when his lips found her neck, his breath against her skin. Her back arched, her name on his lips.

"Darcy." He gasped, his muscles suddenly tense in her grip. His expression changed as his body grew slack. He rolled to her side, immediately drawing her into his embrace with a sigh.

"You don't get this in Vanaheim, huh?" She chuckled breathlessly against his chest.

-x-

Hours later, he pulled away from her enough to gaze at her sleeping face, brushing her hair behind her ear.

He took in the memory of those warm blue eyes that always seemed open with honesty, the chocolate brown curls that hung around her face. And lastly, the full pink lips he had claimed just hours previously.

He gazed at her with the tenderness she had always been treated with. The tenderness she'd always taken for granted, never seeing the monster he thought himself to be.

He'd been confused before, holding the sleeping woman in his arms what felt like a lifetime ago, but now he was sure that this was her place. He felt a wall of emotion rise within him, and he found himself pulling Darcy's sleeping form closer to him, as if to assure him that she was still there.

"Thank you." He murmured into her hair, a soft whisper that didn't stir her peaceful sleep.

-x-

Darcy awoke, her body twisted in the sheets.

There was a harsh light shining through the open curtains, and she screwed her eyes shut, feeling the familiar ache she'd been missing for the last month.

She sighed happily, turning in the bed to face Loki bedside her.

However, unfortunately, her fingers brushed his empty pillow and made contact with something sharp.

"Ow." Her eyes snapped open and she sat up, bleeding finger in her mouth, as she looked down at the object stuck into his pillow.

She sighed. An ornate gold dagger encrusted with small, red gems was lodged firmly into the middle of the pillow, feathers spewing out. A note was tied onto the hilt with ribbon. And a name was written in looping handwriting.

She groaned as she read it, knowing exactly what the dagger meant.

Loki Odinson.

"Seriously. Not again." She muttered to herself as she wrapped her nightgown around herself. "Loki…!" She yelled through to the bathroom, where she could now hear him pottering around.

He stood in the doorway, completely naked bar the towel around his neck, a confused look on his face.

"Who've you pissed off?" She gestured to the dagger beside her.

"Could be a number of people." He rolled his eyes, shrugged and disappeared back into the bathroom, not a concerned look in sight.

It was at that moment, she knew a life with him was never going to be dull.

Aaand that's all folks! It only took me a 4 years to finally finish this (!) so thank you for everyone who's returned, and all that have read, favourited, followed and reviewed!

This fic was me testing out the Tasertricks waters back in Sept 2013 on and you guys have been awesome and kept me writing since then, so thank you so much! We've also hit the 250 reviews mark (what the hell!?) and that is honestly so amazing! Words can't describe how thankful I am!

xxx

Fun fact if you wanna know – whilst writing, I found my draft doc, which outlined a complete story of 11 chapters. I've clearly fucked up somewhere, because I've diverted from that plan at chapter 6… and from there, apparently I have had no idea what happens next, working up to chapter 25?! There's also a 22 page doc with all sorts of different (fully written) chapters that I don't recall writing at all…So here's to aimless and clueless writing, eh?!