Chapter 13: A Touch of Fate

I'm so sorry for the long wait guys, this chapter was so hard to find inspiration for and my creative juices were just about dead. Please, please, please forgive me and I hope you enjoy this little titbit. This is also a warning to all the kiddies, I have thought long and hard about lemons and whether or not I want them in here and finally I have relented. Jaberwocky92, this is for you girl! Enjoy the Fen love :P

Fenrir:

"Hey, almighty overlord of the human race? I think I may have found something for you." Tetra's lilting voice floated through the building and Fenrir sat up on the lounge he'd been dozing on for the past hour. He was up the stairs and in her room before
most people realised and she gasped in surprise to see him standing directly behind her, arms folded expectantly over his chest. A small smirk flickered over his lips and he leant back against the door, effectively shutting it and the rest of the
world out.

"I like the title, it suits me. Now what have you found for me?" He asked and she beckoned him over, still gazing at him warily as he bent to peer at the computer before him. There was a woman on screen, with long dark hair and pale skin that seemed to
glow slightly as he watched.

"Who is she?" He asked and Tetra pursed her lips.

"Ida Harris, resident of a small town called Banksea in Kansas." She said and flicked a stray piece of blue hair out of her steel grey eyes. Fenrir looked at her and took in a deep breath to calm himself as her scent rolled over him like a wave.

"And, why is she so important?" He asked and Tetra laughed.

"I was hoping you'd ask me that. According to her records, or what little I could find, Harris appeared quite suddenly about 12 years ago. She has a ten year old daughter called Sigrun and lives alone on a horse stud outside the main town of Banksea.
You told me to look out for strange incidences, unexplained things or weather patterns than don't quite fit well… it doesn't get any stranger than this." She said and a new picture popped up of a towering, rotating column of air that seemed to touch
both the clouds and ground. She clicked again and a new picture emerged, of a similar column and then another and another until 12 pictures danced upon the screen before him.

"These are tornados, quite common in the Mid-Western American states… these 12 however are quite different." She said and Fenrir sent her a look that clearly told her to move on. She rolled her eyes and pointed at a series of numbers at the bottom of
each page.

"These dates are perfectly in pattern and I mean perfectly. These tornados occur every year, right on the dot, on October 3rd. Meterologists have called them the Kansas Twists because they seem to occur only around this area here." She pointed to a spot
on the computer and a map popped up, showing the little town of Banksea. Fenrir nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Perfect... anything else?" He said and she looked at him.

"There have also been strange fires and long periods of rainfall in the middle of national droughts so if you're looking for a weird town that happens to have a resident that popped up out of the blue, you found it." Tetra explained and Fenrir smiled
wolfishly.

"And that, my dearest Tetra, is why I find myself liking you so much." He said and turned to walk out of the room. He found his path blocked by a 5ft. 2 woman with blue hair and pulled up short. She folded her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"And just where do you think you're going?" She demanded and he gawped at her slightly in shock.

"Out." He said and she frowned.

"Like hell you are." She said and pointed out the window where night had well and truly fallen.

"It's night time New York and I know you men all think you're tough and can handle yourselves but trust me it's better if you wait until morning." She said firmly and Fenrir grinned at her smugly.

"I serious Fen, it's not even worth it." She said and he chuckled.

"I'll be fine Tetra, just a quick run to Kansas and I'll be back." He said and she coughed.

"You're going to Kansas? An just what exactly are you planning on doing?" She asked and Fenrir hastily pushed past her.

"You will see Tetra. In fact, you will all see." He said darkly, tasting victory on his tongue and loving it. Tetra trailed behind him as he stepped outside into the dark of New York.

"I don't like this Fen, it doesn't seem right. I know what I said about evolving but this seems dangerous, please tell me you won't hurt anyone?" She begged and Fenrir glowered at her.

"I'll make no such promise to you." He said sharply and she lifted her chin defensively.

"Then don't expect me to be here when you come back." She muttered and spun upon the heel of her shoe to begin her own disappearing act into the dark.

"Tetra! Tetra, come back!" Fenrir growled but she ignored him, sniffing tightly and wrapping her arms around herself. With his eyes he could still make out her shape and his ears picked up the soft sounds of her uneven breathing. He tried to tell himself
he didn't care, that he wasn't moved by her tears and moved away to shift. In his wolf form he'd reach this Kansas in less than a few hours and then, victory. He remembered vaguely that his father was somewhere around the area and smirked at the coincidence.
Perhaps they'd have that reunion after all. He crouched, ready to begin, then something stopped him. Tetra. She said she'd leave, never to come back if he hurt someone and perhaps it was better to take the visi alfa without violence… that way bargaining
with the alfar could be easier. Tetra. What the hell had happened to him that caused him to care what one small, insignificant mortal girl thought of him? He shook his head and re-crouched. Still he couldn't do it and suddenly, it didn't matter. He
stood and began to run in the direction that she had gone.

"Tetra!" He called out and up ahead heard her begin to run as well. He grinned and his wolfish instincts kicked into overdrive. Rule number one with wild animals, never turn your back on them; rule number two, never run. His feet ate pavement and he leapt
gracefully over the fallen piles of rubbish strewn about him. Tetra's own footsteps were not far ahead and for a small person she ran surprisingly fast. He however was one of the fastest beings in all the Nine Realms and she'd never stood a chance.
He caught up to her and overtook her effortlessly. Spinning to face her he grinned wickedly and she gasped.

"How…?" She stammered and he rolled his eyes.

"It's never wise to walk away from me Tetra... even less to run." He crooned and her eyes flew wide. She stepped backwards and held his gaze.

"Fen, stop this right now… I'm going and you can't make me stay. I've done everything you've asked me to do and more, now leave me alone!" She shouted and he shook his head.

"I can't Tetra, I don't know why but I simply can't… the thought of never seeing you again… no, I won't let that happen." He promised her and she lifted her chin defiantly. His blood raced and he grinned wickedly, stepping closer to her until he towered
over her.

"Will you hurt them?" She asked and he sighed.

"I will not." He said and she smiled, stepping closer to him. He inhaled sharply as her hands came up to rest upon his chest, her eyes lifted to his quizzically under her piercing blue fringe.

"You promise?" She breathed and Fenrir found himself having difficulties breathing.

"Yes." He said and her eyelids flickered. She smiled and her face became almost ethereal in the moonlight. The stark vines of tattoos around her neck and shoulders stood out against the winter pale flesh that he longed to run a hand over. Unable to stand
it any longer, he brought his hands up and brushed a delicate strand of her unusually coloured hair behind her ear, enjoying the way her pulse picked up beneath his fingertips. Tetra gasped as he bent forward and traced the spidery lines of ink down
her neck, following them down to the collar of her shirt and pausing there briefly. She moaned and lifted her gaze beseechingly to his.

"Are you sure?" He asked her quietly, knowing the answer but needing to hear it from her own lips, to have that permission. Tetra's eyelids flickered and the steel grey iris' darkened to the colour of storm clouds over snow-capped mountains. Great Odin
her eyes! What power they held over him.

"Yes Fen, I'm sure." She said and he smiled, not wolfishly but a relieved twist of his lips that her own fingertips brushed over delicately. His boiling blood raced and he pushed her backwards into the wall of the alleyway, bending over her and pressing
his mouth to hers hungrily. She moaned into his lips and he took the advantage, slipping his tongue between her shell pink lips. Their tongues danced and he fought long and hard for dominance until she finally caved and allowed him to roam her mouth,
exploring ever part of her. One of his hands had moved downwards to grasp her right hip, drawing her closer to him, rubbing their centres together in a dance as old a time itself. Tetra moaned her hands coming up and grasping at his hair and pulling
him harder to her.

"Oh god Fen!" She gasped when they drew apart for breath. He gazed at her, only just in control of his faculties. Her lips were swollen, her eyes darkened with arousal and there was a rapid, flurry on her neck. His blood was up and he was ready to simple
haul her to the nearest pile of rubbish and ravish her till she screamed but his Tetra deserved better than that. Taking her hand he pulled her with him.

"Your eyes glow… did you know that?" she asked and he stiffened slightly. She leaned in and pecked at his neck, making him groan.

"I've always liked your eyes." She said and he relaxed.

"Come on, Kansas can wait till tomorrow." He said and the smile she gave him was like a sunrise breaking through a stormy dawn. He grinned and tugged her back the way they had come, pausing many times to kiss her again, running his hands over her stomach,
her hips and her breasts. She in turn ran her hands over his chest, through his hair and even once across the tightness at the front of his pants, making him jerk with excitement and nip at her throat. He left a dark mark on the pale skin of her neck,
delighting that she was thus marked as his… They entered the hideout, a warehouse by the waterfront. Ignoring the knowing looks from the men gathered below he escorted her back upstairs and ordered everyone out. There was a flurry of movement and
the place was deserted in about five seconds flat, no one in the mood to mess with him. He led her past her room and back to his, a larger one that looked out over the river with only a bed and a few chairs scattered around to make it hospitable.
He turned and smiled as she gazed around.

"Homey." She remarked dryly. He chuckled and pushed her back gently, forcing her down onto the bed and crawling over her. Their faces were inches apart in the dark and she shifted beneath him as he pinned her effectively to the covers.

"It's enough, I thought you might prefer it to the alley, not that I was opposed to taking you there either." He said and her eyes darkened to their storm cloud grey.

"Why didn't you?" She asked as he bent and sucked at the delicate skin at the junction of her neck and shoulder, making her gasp and squirm against him.

"Because… you deserved better." He said simply and she sighed, twisting her hands through his hair and drawing him closer to her. Her blue hair glimmered in the moonlight and he was entranced that once again a mere mortal could be so beautiful.

"Oh Fen." She moaned he kissed her again. He tried to be gentle at first, fighting the instinct to simply rolled her over and take her like the animal he was. This must have shown in something he did because she broke away to stare at him accusingly.

"What is wrong?" She demanded, stroking the side of his face and he sighed.

"Nothing Tetra, nothing at all." He said and she frowned.

"You're lying, why won't you let go?" She asked and he drew away from her slightly. She followed him and he looked away.

"It is too dangerous Tetra, I could hurt you." He muttered and she ran a hand down his chest comfortingly.

"Do you think I'm so delicate Fen? Trust me when I say. I've had worse." She said and the tone she used made him instantly wary.

"What?" He demanded and she smirked. He was piqued that she spoke of other lovers so openly, yes he was jealous, as well as angry that anyone could think to hurt his Tetra in any way, even in this. He leaned in and pressed his nose to hers.

"I won't be gentle." He told her and she smiled, grasping his hair and yanking it hard enough to make him yelp slightly.

"I don't want you to be." She muttered and he sighed as their lips connected again, this time with less finesse and more passion then before. With her permission on his mind Fenrir was able to loosen the last constraints of humanity and lose himself in
her. His fingers tore at her clothes, ripping them from her frame with little thought or care as to where they landed. She too was attacking his clothes. Her nimble fingers were on his jacket, sliding it down and off his arms before she ripped open
the neck of his shirt to fling it away into the dark. He groaned as her sharp nails tore into his back, raking down and leaving angry red trails in their wake. In retaliation he bit her hard on her neck and tasted the coppery tang of her blood, hearing
her wondrous gasp right beside his ear.

"Tetra." He murmured and she moaned.

"Fen." She writhed against him and he arched as her core rubbed against the swell of his pants, her heat making his member twitch with anticipation. He tore off her pants, shoving them to the floor behind them and taking the time to look at her small,
sleek body completely unhindered by clothes in the gentle moonlight. She flushed and seemed suddenly unsure as he gazed at her silently, unable to say anything for the perfection before him. The fascinating ink lines that trailed her body caught the
moonlight and seemed to dance upon her wintery skin like snakes in water.

"What?" She demanded and tried to cover herself but he reached out and stopped her, drawing her hands away from the slim swell of her breasts and bending forwards to skim open mouthed kisses over them. She arched into him as he took one of her taunt nipples
into his mouth and sucked it, delighting in her tormented moans and whimpers of pleasure. She sobbed as he drew away only to cry out as he dealt her other the same treatment, sucking it and biting until she was a quivering mess beneath him. He felt
his mind beginning to flicker between humanity and wolf and was hesitant to let go.

"Don't you dare!" She gasped and he looked at her warily.

"Whatever it is, whatever you think you'll become or do, forget it and just live." She remonstrated and the final barrier fell. He growled fiercely and covered her entirely, running his teeth down her body and pausing just above her navel. His hands
were gripping her hips in a manner which was probably painful but all he heard were moans of contentment that made him shake slightly. He drew off his final articles of clothing finally bearing themselves entirely to each other. At the feel of him
against her Tetra gasped and moved sluggishly against him, making him harden even further until he was sure he was about to explode. He nuzzled into her neck and his grip clenched around her hip bones.

"Last chance!" He muttered, tilting them forwards and lining their cores. She was so hot, so moist he nearly lost himself there and then. Drawing what little self-control he had Fenrir looked into her eyes and saw she was smiling.

"Hurry up!" She murmured and he grinned. He thrust forwards hard and her back arched off the bed, melding them together as she adjusted to him. Her muscles clenched around him and Fenrir smiled as her arms came up to clasp his shoulders. Her knees rose
up and hooked over his hips, tightened around him and drawing their interconnected cores closer together as he kissed her hungrily. He began to rock into her. The pace built, becoming faster and harder each time until both of them were covered in
a slick sheen of sweat.

"Harder Fen, let go of it all." Tetra moaned and Fenrir could do nothing but obey. He pounded into her, tilting her hips this way and that, driving her pleasure as well as his. The walls of her grew tighter and tighter around him, the muscles grasping
at him, drawing him deeper until he could barely hold on then... her head snapped back and her mouth opened with silent awe. Her silent orgasm belied her body which was spasming and clenching around him in flurried motions of pleasure. Pressure was
building in his lower back and he keep pumping, determined to finish this properly. Tetra was recovering, her placidity fading as she tightened around him once more, drawing him deeper once again and rocking forwards to meet his heavy thrusts with
her own.

"Stay with me!" She breathed in his ear and he growled fiercely. His mind burst and he froze against her, eyes wide and motions rigid as he poured himself into her heat. She moaned against him and her second moment of pleasure rocked him as he finished.
When they were done he collapsed, barely able to keep himself from crushing her. He rolled over onto his back and brought her with him, still buried within her and lazily traced the tattoo that ran from her neck, down past her breasts to curl around
her navel. Spidery tendrils rounded her hip and ended just below her mid-thigh. Gently he traced it with his fingers, running over every line until he was satisfied he'd touched it all. Tetra was snuggled into his chest, her head buried under his
chin and her limbs sprawled over his like a content, living blanket.

"Fen?" She said and he nodded. She drew his fingers to her lips and pressed them to the pads.

"I love you" She said, making him go rigid with shock. He opened his mouth but she smiled and placed a single, delicate fingertip over his lips… something he'd done many times to her over the past few days.

"You don't have to say anything, I don't want you to. Just know that I do and that this is enough for me." She said and he tucked her closer to him, sheltering her protectively into his side. She closed her eyes and was almost asleep when she whispered.

"If you love me, tell me but don't lie… I will hate you more than I love you if you lie." She said and this done her body fully relaxed. Fenrir stared down at the blue haired nymph in his arms and couldn't help but wonder if he was the luckiest or unluckiest
bastard in all the Nine Realms?

Ida POV:

"Mummy!" Siggy's shriek of panic made Ida turn from the oven and face her child warily as she tore into the house, hair in messy tangles and eyes wide with terror.

"What is it?" Ida asked her and threw the oven mitts onto the bench to clasp Siggy to her tightly.

"It's Loki!" The little girl wheezed and Ida inhaled sharply.

"What's happened?" She asked and Siggy shook her head, stepping away and heading to the door. She looked out then back at her mother.

"Hurry!" She called and Id rushed to the door, pulling on her boots quickly before stepping out into the sunshine.

"Now!" Siggy called and ducked out of the way. Something struck Ida with all the force of a horse rearing and suddenly she was completely drenched, head to toe in freezing cold water. Dripping and spluttering she looked up, wiping at her eyes, to see
Siggy rolling on the hard dirt floor of the yard laughing as hard as she knew how and Loki leaned casually against the recently repaired barn wall, the fire hose held loosely in his hand. He cocked an eyebrow at her quizzically when she glowered at
him darkly, wringing the damp end of her shirt and sending torrents of water to the dirt at her feet.

"Well now Ida, you look a little wet… I thought the weather was set for sunshine?" He teased and Ida straightened her shoulders with dignity. She walked forward, her chin raised and revenge at the forefront of her mind. Siggy had scrambled to her feet
and moved back hurriedly as Ida passed.

"Traitor." Ida whispered to her and the little brunette giggled. Ida moved till she stood before Loki and stared up at him nonchalantly. He eyed her warily as she bent down and grasped a medium sized can of paint to her. Keeping her eyes glued to his
she smiled brightly and cracked the lid easily, watching with hidden glee as he flinched slightly.

"Now, now Ida… it was all a jest." He murmured and Ida nodded.

"I know." She said brightly and lifted the container to eye level, peering at the label and smirking broadly.

"Loki?" Siggy said with a small giggle and the man looked over Ida's shoulder towards the little girl.

"Yes Siggy?" He asked lazily and she grinned.

"Run." She said simply as Ida threw the lid away, held the can over his head and upended the contents over his work clothes. It was a magnificent shade of midnight blue and his pitch black hair was momentarily hidden beneath the flow of dripping sapphire
that began to stream down over his sensible leather jerkin, flannelette shirt and jeans. He rocked back with shock and it was his turn to wipe muck from his eyes. Ida dropped the can and clutched her sides with mirth, leaving twin smears on her shirt
as she staggered away from the shocked man in peals of laughter.

"Now we're even." She said to the paint covered Loki who glared at her reproachfully from beneath his coating of blue. She turned away and began to make her way back to the house, glad to have gotten out of the house for a while. The day had become increasingly
warm and the stifling heat of the oven was turning her beloved kitchen into a furnace. Siggy's eyes widened and Ida whirled to see Loki had picked up another can of paint from the pile beside the barn wall. They'd completed all the walls and although
the roof was yet to be done, Siggy had wanted to start the painting as soon as possible. Ida, glad for a reprieve from building, had gladly excepted the challenge to locate the specific shade of dark blue paint required for the barn and had returned
that very morning with a ute tray full of cans. Now Loki was baring down on her with yet another tin of paint and Ida held her hands out in surrender, recognising the roguish gleam in his eye as he approached.

"Loki, don't you come any closer to me with that tin." She ordered and he grinned wickedly from beneath his face paint. He too cracked the lid of the paint can and she stepped back hurriedly.

"Loki don't you…" She never got to finish. Half way through her sentence he threw the contents of the can at her, the blue liquid spraying her and completely coating the front of her outfit with a bright splash of cerulean. She gasped and looked down
at the stripe, dabbing at it in astonishment. Siggy was staring between them in shock, then her howls of laughter echoed throughout the yard. Both adults grinned at each other and moved as one, grabbing a set of cans and ripping the lids off. Siggy
realised her danger too late and cried out as two streams of azure paint landed atop her head. Ida's shoulders quaked with laughter as her daughter scowled at them, holding her now sticky scarlet hair at length to glare at it. Ida leaned against Loki
who sniggered and wiped at her nose playfully, making a streak of midnight blue down the centre of her face. Ida slapped it away good-humouredly and her head snapped up as the sound of a car approaching reached her ears. She pushed off Loki and looked
around to see a black jeep making its way up her driveway. Siggy moved to take Loki's hand and tugged him away towards the barn. Ida frowned at her but let them go. The car stopped a few meters away and two people got out, a young, pretty brunette
who smiled cheerfully at Ida and a rather handsome man she was sure she'd seen somewhere before.

"Hello," The woman called and Ida waved slowly. The pair walked over and Ida had the distinct impression she was being judged for something. The man stared at her over a pair of reflective sunglasses. He eyed her curves in a way that suggested he was
impressed then jumped when he saw the paint. Ida had to stop herself from laughing at both the shock in his face and her image, which looked ruffled and paint splattered to childish perfection. She folded her arms over her chest and grinned broadly
at them.

"Greetings." She said and the woman cleared her throat.

"I'm Jane, this is Tony. Are you Ida Harris?" she asked and Ida nodded warily, the smile fading off her face.

"Yes. Who are you and what do you want?" She asked stiffly. The man smiled at her and held out his hand. She took it gingerly and found it to be firm and slightly calloused. This was a man who worked with his hands at least. His arrogance however could
have been sensed from the other end of the wheat field and Ida was immediately on her guard.

"We're with a federal organisation known as SHEILD, we've heard strange reports and just want to make sure you and your daughter are okay." Jane said and Ida flicked her gaze towards her.

"Of course we're okay, nothing ever happens out here." She said and kicked at a small pebble on the ground.

"Well, has anyone approached you recently? Has there been anyone new in town?" Tony asked and Ida looked at him squarely.

"I just hired someone to help me out with my barn." She said and indicated lazily towards the newly worked structure. The two SHEILD agents looked at her expectantly.

"Eric Silverton, he's right here if you want to know, a decent man who's been kind enough to help me when no one else is this god forsaken town will give me the time of day." Ida told them irritably, hoping against hope that Loki was still wearing his
paint. She didn't know exactly why these people were here but she would have to have been a dense as Vernette to not see that it had everything to do with Loki. and the past he still hadn't fully revealed to her Swallowing she whirled on her heel
and stalked to the barn.

"Eric! Feds are here! Something you want to tell me?" She called out and moments later a bewildered lookingLoki stumbled out of the barn, paint still covering his face and straw strewn through his hair, presumably placed there by the intuitive Siggy.
He walked over to them and shoved his hands into his pockets, not meeting their eyes and looking every inch the sheepish railway jumper.

"Afternoon sir… ma'am." He said as he tilted his head at the pair and Ida's eyes widened at the identical sounding southern twang she heard every other day echoing from Terry's mouth. She'd forgotten just how skilled he was in mimicry, remembering the
day he'd copied her own voice all those weeks ago.

"Mr Silverton?" Jane asked and Loki nodded curtly.

"Yes, whadya want from me?" He asked, reaching up to scratch at his chin briefly and staring at the pair curiously. His eyes gave nothing away and Ida realised he was totally in character and nothing would have been able to break him out of it.

"Eric's been helping out here for about three weeks… can I ask what this is all about?" She asked and Tony nodded.

"Of course, we were concerned that one of our top suspects may have escaped into the area, we're chasing up leads that indicated he might be here." Tony said and Ida nodded.

"Look I wish I could help. Eric? You're not some arch-villain with plans to demolish the sanctity of the free world are you?" She asked and Loki winked at her.

"No ma'am." He said and she slapped him lightly on the shoulder. Siggy appeared at that moment and flung herself around Loki's legs.

"Eric! You promised to show me how to do a backflip off the fence, please, please, please!" She begged and Loki looked down at her in shock.

"I'd sure like that Miss Siggy but I gotta speak with these fine people here." He said and Siggy, to Ida's amazement, burst into tears.

"You're going to take him away aren't you?" She cried tearfully towards the stunned couple who glanced at each other warily. Jane bent down to smile at Siggy who clung even tighter to Loki's legs. Ida would have laughed, if the situation weren't so strange
and dangerous.

"We aren't going to take him anywhere Siggy. We just want to talk to him." She said and Siggy cried harder. Ida glanced at an uncomfortable looking Tony and puzzle pieces clicked.

"You're Tony Stark, aren't you?" She asked suddenly and Siggy's eyes momentarily dried as she stared up at the super hero with awe.

"Are you really Ironman?" She asked and he grinned cockily.

"Sure am." He said and tapped his chest, alerting them to the arc reactor in his chest. Ida smirked and looked at Loki who was staring between them all with a carefully neutral expression on his face.

"Wow, did you really save the world from aliens?" Siggy asked and Tony grinned down at her.

"Sure did, and flattened a psychopathic nutcase hell bent on world domination… along with my team." He muttered after a quick look from Jane. Jane herself rolled her eyes at Ida who pursed her lips thoughtfully and cocked her head.

"Forgive me but you don't seem all that impressive." She said calculatingly, making the man's mouth fall open and Loki snigger slightly. She sent him a warning look but he simply bent and hoisted Siggy up onto his shoulders, mindless of the paint and
straw that covered him and now her. Ida sighed at the sight of the now formidable wash load she was now probably going to have to undertake.

"I have you know, I am who I say I am." Tony Stark protested stoutly and Ida nodded sympathetically.

"It is always advisable to first know oneself, most go through life without purpose and identity…" Ida teased and Jane laughed slightly, quietening at Tony heated glance.

"Would you care for lunch, it's a long way to come for just a visit." Ida asked and the pair looked at each before Tony's stomach rumbled.

"Are you psychic?" He asked and Ida shook her head with a laugh.

"Just a mother, come along then." She said and led them back into the house. She ran to the oven and pulled it open to reveal an only slightly singed pie. She took it out carefully and placed it on the table.

"Make yourselves at home." She said and looked up at Loki.

"You put my daughter down this instant and go wash your hands." She ordered and he held up his hands in surrender, winking at her as he fled upstairs with a giggling Siggy. Left alone with their visitors Ida smiled and set out glasses and plates for everyone.
Tony grinned and tapped at the table thoughtfully as he stared around.

"This is nice." He said and Ida snorted.

"Glad it has your approval, I built it according to specified instruction from Stark Industries." She jeered and he muttered something that sounded oddly like 'structurally unstable' which made her chortle as she carved up the steaming vegie pie and ladle
it onto the awaiting plates.

"So, why me then?" She asked and Jane sighed.

"We saw a video of you and Siggy in Wichita, Eric looks a lot like the man we're looking for." She said and shut up after a quick glance from Tony. Ida merely nodded and handed them their plates.

"Eric is well… Eric. Nice enough pain in the ass farm hand from Dallas as I suppose they get." She said and rolled her eyes as the man in question jumped the last few stairs and landed with a loud thump.

"Eric Silverton, I have told you before, break anything in this house and it comes out of your wages." She said and he grinned cheekily at her before settling down opposite Tony and grabbing a plate. Siggy appeared moments later and launched herself into
Loki's lap, pulling her pie towards her and shovelling down the heated stuff so fast she began to choke. Loki snorted in amusement and slammed her lightly on the top of her back, allowing her to breath properly before shaking his head bemusedly at
Jane.

"And what is your moniker doll?" He asked cheerfully, making her brow furrow slightly and her lips purse.

"Jane Foster." She replied sardonically and Eric grinned.

"Pretty name for a pretty face." He remarked and took a quick bite of his pie as Ida glowered at him darkly. That had been a tad unnecessary, at least that's what she'd thought. People tucked into her pie and soon Tony was calling for seconds, thirds
and even fourths only to find there was none left. He rubbed his slightly distended stomach and grinned up at her.

"Damn, that was some pie Miss Harris." He said and Ida thanked him, going to stand by the sink and run the tap quietly.

"Siggy, mind these will you. We'll wrap this up and get on with that painting." She promised, indicating for Tony and Jane to move out of the house. They did so and Loki followed close behind.

"Was there anything else you needed?" Ida asked and Tony shook his head.

"No, I think we're good Miss Harris. Here's my number if you do see or hear anything." He said and handed her a small card. It had his name and number printed neatly to it. With a quick nod and a small smile from Jane they turned away to hop into the
jeep. She waved and the lights flashed briefly as they pulled out. Ida held her breath as they pulled out, keep it as they exited the drive way and only released it when the black vehicle had disappeared over the rise. A hand went to her breast and
she looked over at Loki. He grinned at her and winked. She frowned and whacked him hard over the head. He ducked his chin and glared at her.

"What was that for?" He demanded, rubbing at the spot she'd hit, and she scowled at him darkly.

"I think you know exactly what that was for? Any other surprises out there for us before we take this… whatever it is between you and I, any further?" She asked coldly and Loki's eyes softened slightly.

"No, I will admit… they were right to search here and I will leave if you want me to… I won't give you or Siggy anymore trouble then I already have." He said seriously and looking into his glowing green eyes, Ida knew he was telling her the truth. She
whacked him again, lightly this time and he drew her to him. She rested her head on his chest and sighed heavily. He stroked her hair gently.

"You didn't like me flirting with the Foster woman, did you?" He asked cheekily and she shrugged defensively, uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

"Did you?" He repeated firmly, taking her chin in his fingers and holding her gaze. She shook her head and tugged her chin from his grasp. She buried her face into his chest as his arms wrapped around her, holding her securely against him.

"She's nothing,Ida. I have you." He said softly and she fought the burning sensation at the back of her eyes.

"You say such pretty things Loki, but can I trust you to mean them?" She asked and he pressed a quick kiss to her lips, making her weakenslightly.

"Until the sun sets on this world forever." He swore and she shuddered slightly.

"So you are trouble, I knew it?" She muttered and felt him chuckle.

"The very worst Ida, the very worst." He told her teasingly. She wrapped an arm around his waist and walked back with him to the house where Siggy stood anxiously at the kitchen window. Ida grinned at her and sent her a thumbs up signal at which she laughed
and moments later came barrelling out of the house. Both prepared for impact as the small dark haired bullet struck them hard, wrapping its thin limbs about them and burying itself into their middles. Ida let out he sigh of relief, knowing that for
now her little family was safe and sound. She would have shuddered then if she'd known what was to happen in the next few days. But for now Ida Harris' world was steady and she had everything she needed, and more than she'd ever thought she'd wanted.

Hell that was hard, this chapter was a filler I suppose and next time we meet plot lines will start. Bear with me and hold onto your hats.