The Soldier's Goddess

Chapter 8: Reunited

As the weeks went on, Kari got to know Steve again, taking it slowly. She told him how she had come from a different place, that all this was so foreign to her, that she had an idea of how he felt. He started to really warm to her, and a few weeks after he had first woken up, they went for a walk around Central Park.

"My mom used to bring me here when I was a kid," he said, smiling at the memories. It didn't seem that long ago, but it must have been over 80 years now. There was another memory beginning to form, a memory about Kari. Or was it? He wanted to ask, but it was delicate, he didn't want to look crazy or anything. He decided to bite the bullet, as it were, and ask her one late Spring afternoon, as they were eating ice cream from the ice cream van by the lake.

"Kari," he started, as they found a nice shady spot under a large oak tree. "You've told me you aren't from New York, I would assume you're from England but you don't seem to know any of the places I've spoken about when I was there during the War." Kari had known this was coming for a while now, and while she was prepared, she didn't know how she would answer. Truthfully would more than likely be best. "I hope this come across as rude, but where are you from?" Kari took a deep breath.

"Ok, if I tell you, you have to promise to not think I'm crazy." She smiled, as Steve promised. "How much do you know about Norse mythology? Well it's all true. Odin, Thor, and so on. I grew up there, in Asgard with them. I am in my early twenties, but in Earth years, thats about 1100."

"Okay," Steve replied slowly, trying to take all of this in.

"This is the second time I have been here. I came down to Earth in 1942, with my sister. We ended up at the World's Fair there."

"It's true. It was you."

"You remember?"

"Of course. Well, at first I thought it was my mind playing tricks on me, getting then and now mixed up. But you were there. I gave you a chocolate."

"A Milky Way," smiled Kari. "It was the most delicious chocolate I had ever tasted."

"And then you kissed me."

"I did; and I never forgot that kiss." Steve looked at her incredulously, but Kari just gave him her warmest smile. "Honestly, I never believed in love at first sight, but then I met you. You were different. I don't know what it was about you, but I couldn't stop thinking about you, about that kiss, and if I'm honest, I'mnot normally one to go gooey over a guy," she laughed. Steve couldn't believe this was happening to him. Here he was, a man out of his own time, sat with the first girl he had ever kissed, truly kissed, and she was telling him she was, well what was she?

"So are you, if this doesn't come across as insensitive, an alien?" Kari laughed and shook her head.

"No, not as such. Most of the time, people from Earth tend to label us as Gods, but I don't believe that. The only difference we really have is superhuman strength and we can live for about 5000 years."

Kari couldn't explain why but, right now, she felt closer to Steve than she had anyone before. Ever. He must have felt the same because when they stood, he caught her fingers with his, turning to her with his eyes downcast, and he said,

"That kiss - "

"Yeah?"

"Did you mean it?" Kari nodded, and Steve paused her a moment, and then he lowered his head, his lips meeting hers softly, questioningly, in a kiss full of hope and anticipation. She return the kiss, and his lips became less questioning and more passionate.