Ave Maria

Four

Chapter 4

The next morning Thor woke staring blankly at the ceiling in Maria's room. He rolled over and stared at the photos, his eyes lingering over the young girl's gorgeous smile. What happened?, he wondered sadly, his chest painfully tight.

He'd listened to her cry last night. The moment his door had closed she seemed to give out trying to hide it, and he could hear her for what felt like hours. It'd been hard to stay put. He remembered clenching his fists in the sheets as if to anchor him to the bed, stopping him from going and comforting the weeping woman. It'd been all his fault. It had felt like a lifetime before the sobs finally quietened and the house was silent. After that, there wasn't a sound to be heard.

Thor had still found it hard to sleep.

He slinked out the bedroom as quietly as he could, leaving Mjolnir inside. He squeezed his hulking frame down the stair case slowly, cursing every time the old wood groaned under his weight. When he finally stepped down onto the floor again he breathed a sigh of relief.

Daylight peeked out brightly between the cracks in the curtains but the house was still reasonably dark from the drapes. He didn't dare touch them; the tiny woman laid out on the couch was soundly still. Thor wondered forward into the living space till he was crouched in front of the couch, staring at Maria's sleeping face. She looked so peaceful, her eyes closed and relaxed, her lips pressed together softly. All ounce of tension was gone. Her hair was splayed adorably over the arm of the couch where her head lay, her delicate hand resting by her cheek. Thor tipped his head to the side as he watched her. This is how she should. At peace. Not scared. Not in pain. Not alone.

As gently as he could, his fingers reached up and brushed away a stray curl that was falling into her eye. Thor didn't think he'd ever seen anything more beautiful.

A thin blanket was draped over her body but it fell short, slipping from her waist, revealing the grey mans shirt she slept in. Thor carefully peeled the blanket higher up to the nape of her exposed neck.

Satisfied that Maria was at peace and would remain so, Thor rose and went back upstairs, exploring the bathroom. He was surprised to see that an old house like this one had a showed installed but he ran the taps of the bath regardless. They would make less noise than the shower, he reasoned. He wasn't risking waking Maria for anything.

He didn't take long to wash, anxious to be there for Maria when she finally woke. He washed and dressed quickly, back downstairs running his fingers through his damp hair within twenty minutes.

Maria was still asleep.

Or so he thought.

A sharp gasp from the couch drew Thor's attention from the window out of which he'd been gazing. He moved to the living room in a shot. "Miss Maria." He crouched down again as Maria's eyes snapped open and found his instantly. The clear brightness of his blue eyes seemed to calm her frantic heart.

Her hand pulled up from beneath the blanket and pressed over her heart. "Oh God." she breathed. "You."

"I am here. You have nothing to fear." he reassured, though he was quite sure that wasn't what she meant, judging by the blunt tint in her voice.

He bowed his head slightly, then rose to pull open the curtains from the windows. His back turned, Maria straightened up on the couch, pulling the blanket up with her, holding it to her chest as she watched the god consciously. Sunlight streamed suddenly into the house and Maria covered her eyes with her hands.

"Jesus!"

XXX

"Right. Agenda for the day: clothes, food, flowers."