Heaven Sent (Loki/Asgard Fanfiction - Aislinn's Story)

Chapter Four

The Jersey Shore in the summer was a sea of tourists, which meant the beaches were always crowded. Still, Aislinn managed to find her brother and his family and spent the better part of the day playing in the surf with Alex and Erik, and helping Camilla build a sandcastle. There was a lot to be said for being the cool aunt, it being that aunt was a role she relished. She had all of the perks of being a mom, without having to deal with things like temper tantrums and potty training.

By four o'clock, they were heading back to the house, where Aislinn showered and then stood in her room, wrapped in only a towel, frowning as she tried to decide what to wear. Her wet hair streamed down over her shoulders, falling almost to her waist, and it dripped onto the floor no matter how much water she seemed to squeeze out.

Behind her, on the bed, lay a pile of clothes she'd considered, then discarded. Nothing seemed right. She wanted sexy, without looking slutty. At least, she thought she did. Then again, Midgardian women seemed to prefer slutty and it seemed to attract plenty of Midgardian men.

"But, that's not really a problem, is it?" she asked her reflection in the mirrored closet door. "He's already attracted to you."

She turned back to the pile on the bed. At the very bottom was her favorite pair of Levi's, the ones washed so many times they were faded just right and she'd torn the knee in them when she fell trying to teach Alex how to rollerblade. They fit her just right and it was the shore. They'd be fine.

The towel hit the floor with a soft whump and she padded across to her dresser. Normally, she didn't worry about matching her bra and underwear, but tonight, she wanted to. Which meant, of course, she couldn't find any of the mates. Laundry needed to be done.

Not that it mattered. A flick of her fingers and she went from naked to wearing a pink lace bra and matching thong. Then she tugged on the Levi's and went in search of her favorite pink tank top. Over that, she tossed a blue chambray work shirt, and on her feet were her favorite black flipflops. From Asgardian princess to Jersey Girl in four simple steps.

At seven sharp, the doorbell rang and her heart skipped a beat as Alex yelled, "I got it!"

The upstairs hallway was open and airy, a catwalk joining both wings, and Aislinn poked her head out of her room to see the front door open and Steve standing just inside, saying, "You must be Alex."

"Whoa..." Alex breathed. "How'd you know?"

"Your aunt told me about you and your brother." He held out his hand. "I'm Steve and I hope you don't mind my borrowing her for tonight."

Aislinn smiled as Alex clasped Steve's hand. "Hi, Steve. You better bring Auntie back."

"I promise, I will."

"Aunt Al!" Alex hollered. "Steve's here to take you out!"

"Alex!" Celia scolded, coming into view. "Hi, I'm Celia Lokison, Aislinn's sister in law. Come in and please pay no mind to my son."

"I'm Steve, nice to meet you."

Aislinn came down the stairs, her heart practically racing, it was beating so hard. If she thought Steve was handsome last night, he was absolutely gorgeous tonight, in Levi's that were almost as faded as hers, and a white Henley that contrasted beautifully with his suntanned, olive skin and dark hair. "Hi, Steve."

He turned, his smile widening as it fell on her. "Hey. I know I'm a little early. Traffic wasn't nearly as horrendous as I thought it'd be."

"It's okay. Come on in and I'll introduce you. You've already met Alex and Ce. Ce, where's Selig?"