Unforgotten

Chapter 7

My dreams were vivid once again.  I couldn't hear what the people were saying, but there was tension in the room.  Heavily uniformed soldiers in black, a smoky courtroom appearance.  Then Loki's face, right in front of me, trying to say something.  I felt myself stir, trying to get away from it all - it felt cold, uncomfortable.  Suddenly his face was contorted again, and a gold light surrounded him as he began to disappear . . . I tried to cry out, to reach for him, but he was gone . . .

"Please wake up," I felt his warm hand on my forehead, then my cheek, as I jolted awake. I looked around the room, panicked, then saw Loki looking down at me.  I began to relax when I realized I was in my bedroom, in my bed.

"Ugh, I'm sorry," I put my hand over my eyes, and rolled away from him.  "Bad dream."

"I know." He said quietly, and I felt him lean over to kiss my bare shoulder.  He knew?  How would he. . .

"What time is it?" I asked, turning back to him, straining to see my clock.

"8:30," he answered without looking.  I groaned and shut my eyes again.  "Do you want me to leave?" He asked quietly.

"No, no." I said quickly, rolling back to face him.  "I just . . . Need time to wake up.  I think I'll run through the shower, then I'll be back to normal." I forced a smile, trying to force his pained face from my dream out of my head.  He was here with me now, very much alive, so I sat up and kissed him.  He kissed me back, to my delight, taking a little more time to pull away.

"You do that," He whispered.  "I'll be in the kitchen." He rose, and I realized as he walked away he was already dressed in loose jeans and a hoodie.  I tipped my head, wondering where he had found the clothes.  I shrugged, and headed for the bathroom.  I had just turned on the shower and was testing the temperature of the water when I felt the walls shudder around me.

There door slammed open, and Tony Stark strode in, one of his Iron Man appendages on his hand and ready to use. 

"YOU!" Loki barely had time to react when Stark had him slammed back against the living room wall, the metal arm across his throat.  "What the HELL did you do?" Loki struggled against the arm, but Stark drug him higher on the wall.

"Stark, I don't. . ."

"I have been calling her non-stop since two in the morning and she has not answered.  WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"Stark!" Loki held his hands up, but Tony didn't let up.

"I told you to have her home at a decent hour," Tony said through gritted teeth, and Loki couldn't help but flash a mischievous smile.

"Technically I did get her home at a decent hour," Loki choked out, "I just never left." Tony's eyes snapped with rage as he pulled Loki back and threw him through the closed door and into the hallway.  Loki landed hard against opposite wall in the hallway, then pulled himself to a knee, turning to glare at Tony as he strode toward him. 

"What the hell is going on?" I looked at my destroyed living room wall, and stopped in the doorway.  I looked from my uncle to Loki, then to the huge crater in the hallway wall.  "I have neighbors you idiots!" I hissed.

"Paige!  I, uh, you're not really, decent, honey . . ." Tony stammered, looking away from me, and only then did I realize I had run out of the bathroom wrapped only in a towel.  My cheeks flushed as I glanced down the hall, only to see a couple of my neighbors peeking out their doors at the commotion. 

"Come here, darling." Loki rose and walked toward me, pulling me toward him, and in doing so, a subtle green light went over me as pajama shorts and a tshirt appeared on my body. I rolled my eyes at him, and he grinned.  He stepped to my side then, and Tony looked so angry that a vein might burst in his forehead.