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

Chapter Seventy-Four

By the time Steve angled the Denali into the drive, there was nearly an inch of snow on the ground. The main roads were still mainly clear, but Longhill was a bit of a mess and Aislinn held her breath as they slid slightly. Snow fell wildly, swirling this way and that, although the weatherman still insisted the total accumulations would be less than three inches.

As she eased down from the passenger seat, she sighed. They'd had a wonderful lunch at the Nest, and this time, Chris greeted her warmly and, more importantly, by the right name. And now, she just wanted to go inside and take a nap.

Tucking her head against Steve's shoulder, she smothered a yawn with one hand. "I love snow days."

"Yeah? They're near and dear to your Frost Giant heart?"

She smiled at him. "They must be."

He winked. "Ice queen."

"Shut up." She sighed softly. "Do you know I waddle now?"

"Yeah. I noticed that. But I was not about to say anything."

She grinned. "Afraid I'd hurt you if you did?"

Steve caught her around the waist and pulled her close. "You know, I can still pick you up. How about I carry you right up to bed? Only thing is, I don't think you'll get to nap if I do."

"Is that a threat or a promise?"

His eyes danced with mischief. "A little of both."

"I like a challenge."

He kissed her, breaking away long enough to murmur, "Nympho."

"And you love it."

Laughter interrupted his kiss and he tightened his arms about her. "Yeah, I guess I do, Ash. Makes Steve a lucky boy."

With that, he dug out his keys and slid the right one into the door handle. "Wait a minute," he said, pausing. "Didn't I promise you I had a surprise for you?"

She didn't want to mention it, although she had felt a pang of disappointment when they left the Nest and came straight home. She tried to ignore it, but it was still there. "Well... actually..."

"Don't hate me and don't zap me for this," he said, unlocking the door to push it open.

"SURPRISE!"

She jumped back as it seemed like everyone she'd ever met leaped out of the darkened house at her. Steve caught her easily, his arms about her waist, her back against his chest as he said, "They made me do it, Ash. And your mom is scary for a woman who can't do magic."

With that, McKenna and Antoinette threw their arms about her. "Ignore him," Antoinette told her, kissing her cheek. "This was his idea."

"Steve?"

McKenna nodded. "He thought you probably didn't know what a baby shower was, and wouldn't expect one, so he wanted to make sure you didn't miss out on it. I didn't have the heart to tell him about Ce."

"What about me?" Celia asked, passing Amanda to McKenna to hug Aislinn. "Gotcha, sis."

Aislinn didn't expect her eyes to well up, but they did. After Celia's baby shower, Aislinn swore she'd never want such a silly thing. But the thought of Steve's being concerned she'd feel slighted made this far less silly now.

She peered over her shoulder at him. "This is your doing?"

"Yeah." He held her closer, kissing the top of her head. "I didn't know if Asgardians did anything like this and there's a ton of stuff we're going to need and what better way to get it than having someone else get it for us?"