Working Title : Loki & Annie

91 Tony Makes A Plan

It was ten-thirty-two in the morning when Annie unlocked her front door and burst into her house while sucking in air because of climbing three flights of stairs as fast as she could. Granted, it wasn't as fast as she would have liked but she would claim it was because her boots were heavy rather than her being out of shape. The cold air made her throat hurt but that was totally forgotten when she became aware of what was going on in her house.

Her eyes roamed over the scene as she pushed the door slowly closed behind her. The only sound was her breath rasping in and out for several long seconds. What. The. Hell?

"Lady Annie!" Thor grinned widely. "You have returned early!"

Annie didn't say anything in reply though she did raise an eyebrow. She continued looking around until her eyes found Loki who was staring at her with an expression that gave away he knew they had been caught. She saw he was dressed in his sweats with his hoodie on. And even though the hood had been pulled up he also had his knit hat on, the little yarn ball waggling on his head while his large eyes moved from Annie to Thor then back to Annie again. In his hands, he clutched several horses.

She gave him a weak smile as her eyes once more roamed the room. The furniture had been moved. And not only moved. The two large leather chairs had been pushed closer together so that the coffee table could be perched between them like a bridge. There were several empty toy packages piled on the table with blocks stacked on top of them. Tucked in the construction were Cinderella, Jasmine, and Belle.

Annie took tentative steps closer all while trying to understand what she was seeing. The end tables had been balanced one on top of the other. On other furniture pots and pans had been used to represent other unknown structures though in one of her large serving bowls was what looked like sandy water. Elsewhere farm animals were standing like statues on buildings.

 The couch had a long row of the little Medival knights on horseback gathered on the cushions in small groups, the catapults set up between them. Next to the catapults were small piles of LEGO bricks, ready to be launched. Along the top of the couch back were more little knights and horses just waiting for orders.

 Her small desk had been pushed closer towards all this, piled with more pots and pans. On the top of her cookware were Aurora and Moana while perched on the shape sorter was Merida. For some reason, clothing had been placed in a long row which was stretched out on the floor. Placed on the top of the clothes were all the bath toys.

"Uh, what's, up?" Annie began unzipping her jacket while finally looking to Thor who had remained standing with his arms outstretched while gripping fistfuls of Play-Doh.

"Nothing." Thor never lost his grin despite his obvious lie. "We did not think you would return so soon since you stated it would be nearing dark before you arrived back home."

"Yeah, well," Annie dropped her jacket on the back of her chair. She knew she sounded a little dazed and truthfully, she was. She hadn't expected to come home to this. Raising an eyebrow she asked with an amused expression, "So. What have you guys been doing?"

Thor answered with a seriousness that Annie thought was hilarious considering the state of her living room. "We have been reenacting the tactics for the Battle of the Greenwood Trolls Invasion of the Iron River Valley."

Annie realized she was nodding as if she had a clue what Thor was talking about. "Oh yeah." She felt her lips twitching, "I should have seen that." Someone from earth, Midgard, would have recognized the humor in her tone.

Thor looked relieved, "Yes, well, we have had to improvise many of the features such as the Iron River." He walked into the Battle of the Greenwood Trolls Invasion of the Iron River Valley, using his socked foot to point to the line of clothes, "Obviously this is the Iron River."