Frost Bite

Alone Together

The sunlight filtered into the room, casting a pale golden glow across her as she slept. Loki stood in the doorway and smiled. She looked so peaceful sleeping there in his bed. In his bed. It gave him a thrill every time he woke and saw her next to him.

He wished it could always be like this. He knew that was impossible. For no other reason than she was mortal, and he was not. He still, in truth, hated what he was. Even as a Jotun, for that was his true parentage, he was not immortal. Yes, his lifespan was thousands of years in comparison to Midgardians, but they were born, they lived and eventually, they died. Now he would do neither. But Amy would. He still had not accepted that he would turn her.

They had been together for one month. From the night they met, they hadn't spent a single day apart. She had started working for him the next week and moved into his home that same day.

He loved her without a shadow of a doubt. Their connection was on a deeper level than mere physical attraction, deeper than romantic love. Their souls were, it seemed, bonded. His mother had told him this might happen, and he had mocked. Before he turned, he'd been a playboy Prince, bedding a succession of girls like other men changed their shirts. Afterwards, he too, had changed. Knowing what he was made him the subject of gossip and speculation in Asgard. Women feared him, men despised him. All they saw was the dark-haired freak.

At first, he'd tried to glamour his way into a few beds, with limited success. Invariably, when the glamour wore off, they ran for the hills. So he had hardened his heart, become solitary and, if not exactly unfeeling, more guarded. Until Amy, he thought he would always be alone and had reconciled himself to an existence devoid of anything but fleeting shallow encounters. Now, he had someone to hold onto. Someone to come home to. It made what they had to do even harder. For the first time, he was afraid to lose.

There had been relative peace for months, no threats or invasions and both he and Thor had settled into a routine on Midgard. He ran an empire based, unsurprisingly, on delivering pleasure, be it eating drinking or dancing. His chain of bars, restaurants and clubs spread far and wide. Thor ran a shipping company. Between them, they had tentacles that circled the globe. Ideal for keeping track of events in many countries. Travel was a byproduct of their jobs and they could come and go as they pleased. No one questioned them, absences from their offices easily explained. All in all, excellent cover.

Amy had fast proven herself to be an excellent PA, even if he was biased. Her attention to detail and organisational abilities second to none. Loki began to wonder how he ever managed anything without her.

It wasn't until they travelled to New York to visit one of his clubs and speak to the manager there about falling revenues that Loki began to wonder if trouble was on the horizon.

Profits at Studio 985 had fallen for the third quarter in a row. Previously, they made money hand over fist. It had a reputation for discretion, good music and top quality service. The great and the good of New York visited because of that. But now, they were staying away in their droves, and he wanted to know why.

Landing his private Jet at La Guardia, Loki and Amy were met by a limo to take them to his apartment that overlooked Central Park. Amy had quickly conceded that she really rather liked this lifestyle. Who wouldn't? But she could never quite get used to asking other people to wash her clothes and cook her food. At home, she had insisted on doing both. Loki had been incredulous at first. He'd always had servants as a Prince of Asgard, so couldn't see why she would want to.

Gently and persistently, she had badgered him until he suspended the cook and the housekeeper he'd employed for her on full pay. They would remain on staff just in case she had need of them, but on a day to day level, Amy would take care of things. After all, she said to him one night as they lay in bed, she was the only one eating!

Loki never failed to find her fascinating and astonishing. There was something new every day he found intriguing or attractive or both. More and more, he began to realise that he now couldn't imagine a world without her.

In New York, however, he insisted they retained staff and made use of them. Here, he simply used magic to dissolve the food cooked so no one would suspect a thing. Amy was long since past questioning anything that happened with him, so magic was just another 'wtf' to add to the list along with mind reading, shape shifting and duplication casting. The last one having been introduced to her one very interesting evening!

On a serious note, as he told her on the drive to the city, it paid dividends to have absolutely no visible shortcomings. If the Mafia didn't get wind of them, then the gangs in Harlem or The Bronx just might. This wasn't Hells Kitchen, there would be no Devil to save them.

The more Loki looked into the change in his fortunes, the more it began to stink. And he knew exactly what was causing it. Hydra. An organisation so corrupt, so power mad, they would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. They'd already crossed paths when Loki had been part of the Avengers Team with his brother. That had been a few years ago now, and everything had been quiet since then.

The Avengers had been semi retired, each still maintaining a watchful eye from their own locations, but in the main now living their best - and peaceful - lives.

What he didn't, couldn't, know was that Hydra had only been biding its time. Waiting and watching for ways to take them out individually. Divide and conquer. Prepare the way for an unimpeded assault on the very fabric of society. What he also couldn't know was that they had a new , albeit unwilling, recruit. One who stood to lose everything if he didn't help them. One who would go above and beyond to ensure the safety of those he loved. One who had unlimited means and wealth to keep going. One who loved his family more than his own life.

Loki had faced many enemies over the centuries, but never one like this.
One whose sole mission was to destroy Loki, starting with everything and everyone he held dear.