Sorcha's Secret World, Part one.

Chapter 35, A change of weather.

"I still can not believe you did all that for me. I still can not believe you said yes."

"I still can't believe you asked."

Loki and I smiled at each other.

"Tomorrow around this time we'll be married," I said softly. I still couldn't quite believe it.

"Tomorrow will be a new beginning. A new dawn," Loki promised. " My past will define me no longer. Asgard will define me no longer. I'll have everything my heart could possibly desire here on Midgard."

He took my hand in his and brought it to his lips, kissing my fingers tenderly.

We had only just left London behind us. It was a clear night and the stars were shining above us. Love ballads were playing quietly as we drove to the B&B where I had booked us in for the night. I had pulled the hairpins out of my hair and shook it out so it could loosely tumble around my shoulders. Loki had taken off the black bowtie and had undone the top buttons of his shirt. I didn't think we could possibly be happier than we were at that moment.

Loki turned the music a bit louder and was humming along. It wasn't a far drive, we'd be there in no time.

Drops of rain began to appear on the windows, and Loki turned the windscreen wipers on. I frowned. That was odd. I had followed the weather reports religiously in the days leading up to that night because I had been worried our outdoor party would get ruined by rain, but all reports had said it would be clear for the next few days.

"It's a good thing it is only starting to rain now," I said.

Loki said nothing, just frowned as he looked ahead.

A moment later I heard the rumble of thunder in the distance, followed after a few seconds by a bolt of lightning ahead of us.

I could feel Loki tense up beside me.

"It's just a storm," I tried to reassure him. "It's not unusual this time of year."

"It's not the thunder I'm worried about," Loki said while looking at the sky apprehensively. "I'm not overly fond of what follows."

The rain was coming down faster and faster.

"It's just rain," I said again.

There was another loud crack of thunder, and lightning struck again, in front of us and then behind.

"Buckle up," Loki said tersely, as he steered the car into a sideroad underneath the trees. I had already put my seatbelt on, I always wear it.

Lightning struck one of the trees beside the car and it crashed down behind us.

The downpour was torrential, the car skidding on the wet road.

"Are you still convinced this is natural?" Loki asked grimly, trying to keep control of the car.

No, I wasn't. There was nothing natural about the way the lightning was coming down around us. It reminded me of the time I had restored Thor's altar on the island. The day I had been deemed worthy of Mjolnir.

"I may have made a mistake," Loki admitted, sounding annoyed with himself.

"For centuries I have used magic to cloak myself from scrying magics and prying eyes. I've only dropped that cloak twice.

Once, when I revealed my true face to you on the island, when I wanted everyone to know who was truly responsible for their demise."

He swore as the car swerved, barely avoiding a tree that came down in front of us.

"The second time was tonight when you caught me by surprise. Maintaining that cloak is as natural to me as breathing by now, but when you handed me that little box..." Loki shook his head, "for a moment I forgot to do both. I realised after, but it is not unlikely that Heimdall witnessed my marriage proposal to the one Worthy of Mjolnir."