Birthright

Reunion

"Waiting for someone?"

He turned, his eyes filled with tears, and the world stopped......

Loki stood, gripping the edge of the balcony, looking out across Asgard. Night had fallen, and the ever-present Cosmos shone with a billion stars. Something so beautiful should not be so sad.

It reminded him of his mother, now a star in those heavens. He prayed there would not be another one joining her. It had seemed a mere flesh wound. Nothing too bad. She was a Valkyrie. She'd had worse. Hadn't she?

He sighed. It had been hours. No word, nothing. He knew better than to disturb the healers at their work. More than once over the years, he'd been chased from the room and told to have patience.

Patience was the last thing he felt right now. Worry? Yes. Fear? A little. Love? Definitely. Terror that he would be denied the chance to tell her? Absolutely.

He was, in fact, so wrapped up in these feelings, he didnt hear the footsteps behind him. It wasn't until the voice spoke that his consciousness hurtled back into the room.

He spun round, eyes wide. As he saw who stood at the door, hands on hips, smiling as if nothing had happened, he felt his heart burst.

He ran across the room, taking the small, pale, and bruised figure in his arms and kissed her.

He grasped her face in his long, elegant fingers as if she were made of delicate spun glass. His lips, pressed to hers, velvet soft and warm. He kissed her as if she were all he needed to live, like the air he breathed.
For her part, she melted. Just simply melted. Into his arms, into his body, the warmth - both physical and emotional - making her feel more loved and secure than she ever had. If this was the reward for all her angst, every second had been worth it a thousand times over.

"Asa. My darling Asa." He pulled back, looking down at her. "You're really ok? How? I mean... oh dear Gods, I love you!" He blurted it all out in a mad rush, and she smiled up at his joyful enthusiasm.

"Oh Loki. Did you really think I would leave you alone? Now? Now that I have found you? Fallen for you?" She grinned, and he clutched her to him.

"Oh, Asa. I just want to hold you. Feel you, know you are safe." He sounded emotional, and she didn't have to see his face to know he was struggling to keep it together.

"You're also crushing me!" She squeaked."I may have all my broken bones back in one piece, but I'm still bruised. A little breathing room, please?" She giggled softly, and it was music to his ears. He smiled down at her softly and shook his head.

"Nope. It's not happening. I'm not letting you go for a single second." He wrapped his arms around her again and buried his face in her hair. "Too precious. Far too precious." He murmured.

For a few moments, they simply stood, wrapped up in each other, holding on for dear life. It all came to a halt, however, when Thor appeared at the door.

"Loki! Asa!" He smiled and walked over, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "Sister, I am happy to see you're healed. Brother, I am overjoyed that you are reunited. We do, however, have a problem. It would appear that we need to return to Midgard."

"We do?" Asa was confused. Surely now Thor was King, Hela defeated and Loki seemingly reformed, all was well. "Why? What further need of us - any of us - could there be?"

Thor sat on the nearest chair and sighed. "It would seem that the Security Council is none too pleased that Loki has had his memory restored." He looked at them both. "Fury took the decision on his own and, as a result, has been stripped of his role as Director of Shield. Loki is, once again, officially a war criminal, and as such, there is an ENORMOUS bounty on his head."

"If that half-arsed, impotent bunch of Midgardian children think they can threaten ME..." Loki jumped up, daggers drawn.

Thor sank his head into his hands. "And THAT dear Brother is the reason WHY they think you're a danger." He looked up with sad eyes.

Loki looked at Asa, who winced and shrugged. "He's got a point." She said quietly, walking over to stand between him and Thor. "So what do we do? They have to see Loki is changed. And Fury needs his job back!"

"We go to Midgard. We speak to Fury, see who we need to convince. I know it will have to be the new Director for one." Thor swallowed and paused, looking at his brother with a sense of dread. "You're not going to like this...."

"Who?" Loki narrowed his eyes.

"Banner." Thor winced, and Loki's jaw dropped.

"Oh shit."

Asa looked from one to  the other questioningly. "And?"

"Let's just say we have... history." Loki said with more than a touch of irony.
"Painful history."

"So, Prince Emo is back then, eh? He's taking a bit of a risk, coming here now. Might get his pretty hair ruffled a little." Tony sat in the diner opposite Thor and the only woman, other than Pepper Potts, he was actually afraid of.

"Tony, please, take this seriously." Asa sighed. "Loki is in danger. WE are in danger by association."

"I am. I've never been more serious in my life, Asa. " Tony took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You dont seem to realise JUST how badly wrong this has all gone. Not only is Fury exiled to the barren wastelands of "I told you this was a bad idea," but the whole of Shield is now on the brink of mutiny. The man carries a lot of weight."

He raised his eyebrows. "Not that you'd notice though, very trim I always thought. Probably his height disguising it. Or pilates. " he shrugged, and Asa groaned, smiling despite - or maybe in response to - the gravity of the situation.

Asa and Thor looked at each other, then Tony. It was Asa that spoke, face calm, heart racing. "Ok, so, tell us exactly who we need to speak to..."