Now and Forever Yours

Chapter 2

"Auntie Nat!  Come down to the shore with me!" I smiled from the kitchen window, glancing through our open patio doors as Natasha followed (or was more drug) by my raven-haired daughter out the back gate and down the path to the ocean behind our house.   I moved to the doors and leaned against the jam, watching Natasha Romanoff kick off her shoes at the gate, her hand in Charlotte's, the two running down to the shore.  Steve Rogers following with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Okay, burgers are ready, honey," I glanced at my Aunt Pepper, returning her smile as she moved past me to hand off a platter of hamburgers to my Uncle Tony.  He had a whiskey in hand, guarding the grill, and was talking with Sam Wilson and Bruce Banner from where they were seated at the outdoor table on our large deck.  The spring weather had decided to cooperate for once, and the late afternoon was absolutely beautiful. 

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Aunt Pepper stepped inside the house and stood next to me, brushing a stray piece of my hair behind my ear, much like she had done when I was a child.

"Just . . . How much I love everyone here." I shrugged and smiled.  "It's all so normal.  And we're all so not normal." I laughed out loud, and Pepper chuckled, following my gaze to the people around us.

"We're as normal as we make ourselves, sweetheart." She said, rubbing my arm.  "You have no idea how proud I am of you.  You have a man who loves you with every fiber of his being, you are raising a beautiful child, and you've made a lovely home with them." I smiled at her compliments, my eyes turning back toward the yard.  I found that Loki was also standing near the grill, a drink in his own hand, listening to Tony and Bruce.  His causal look didn't look as foreign to me anymore - dark jeans that hung loose on his narrow hips, a gray zip-up hoodie with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, his feet bare on the dark, smooth composite that made up the deck.  His black, wavy hair was pulled back into a knot at the base of his neck, though some shorter pieces had escaped in the breeze and hung near his face.   He met my eyes, and smiled at me.  I returned his smile.  "There is nothing more I could ever have wanted in the world for you." Pepper finished.

"Even if I may have to choose them over you someday?  Over Uncle Tony?  Over everyone else that helped raise me?" I frowned, turning to face her.  Pepper glanced at the ground, then took my hand and gently led me to the couch in the living room.

"Paige, you should never have to think twice about choosing your family first." Pepper said seriously.  I felt the tears coming, and I brushed them away.

"But you're my family too, Aunt Pepper." I said quietly, and she nodded.

"Yes, I am, and I'll always be here for you.  So will your Uncle Tony.  And everyone else that cares about you."  She smiled and tried to meet my gaze as I looked down at my hands.  "Even when you are still young, and beautiful, when we have turned old and gray."  My head shot up.

"You – you know about the spell?  About Odin's offer?"  I asked quietly.  She nodded, reaching out to touch my cheek.

"Yes.  Loki has been talking at length with your uncle, and with Bruce about it.  He is so concerned for your comfort, and making sure you survive." She appeared to be impressed, and spoke of Loki lovingly.  "He has assured me, and your uncle that it will be a decision you alone make.  But he has been trying to plan, so that nothing will go wrong."

"I – I'm not sure what to do." I whispered, and Pepper smiled, pulling me into a tight hug.

"Yes.  Yes you are." She said.  "In fact, you've already decided."  I squeezed my eyes shut, tears spilling over.  I knew she was right. 

Uncle Tony's hamburgers were cooked to perfection, and we all ate to our fill.  We talked to for hours, and Charlotte was the social butterfly, making sure everyone was made aware of the latest of her knowledge of Asgard, and that we would be leaving for the realm in two days.  I smiled, watching my daughter so casually interact with the people who were also so dear to me.