Winter In New York

Chapter Fourteen: Baking Competitions

December 20th

The morning was quiet and peaceful. Loki was wrapped up in my arms and we were all ready to leave camp and go back to the tower. The morning couldn't have been better.

And then my phone rang.

I had no clue where it was and as I was scrounging around the ringing just got louder. Cursing, I was glad that it was demigod safe or else the who camp would have been under attack seconds after it first rang.

"Hello?" I said when I finally found it, not bothering to check caller I.D
"Vampira, you can bake, right?" A familiar voice said
"Mhm," I hummed "Why?"
"I'm having a Christmas party in a few days and I need some cakes and pastries," the voice said, and my sleep addled mind finally picked it out as Tony
"I can do that," I mumbled "I'll be at the tower soon. You get the gear, I make the food."
"Yes ma'am."

Ending the call I rubbed my eyes and wandered back over to the bed, only to flop straight onto a, then awake, Loki. I burried my face into the juncture of his hip as he sat up, not wanting to go just yet.

"We have to get ready to go, babe," I mumbled "I need to get baking..."

Between grumbling, getting ready and then saying goodbye to everyone I mamaged to make a portal, stepping through when everything was good to go.

Stepping back into the tower after a freeing week at camp was... odd, to say the least, and even odder was the amount of ingredients that were lain out on the benches and dining table of the common area.

"Wow," Loki breathed out "That's..."
"Everything you should need," Tony said as he rounded the corner "I didn't know what you wanted so I just got everything."

I stared blankly at the dark haired man, and then at the food and then at the dark haired man again. I was at a loss for words.

"Do you know what you want me to bake?" I asked incredulously, making am apron apear around my neck
"Something fancy and Christmassy."
"Right...."

I was overwhelmed. In all my thousands of years I had never felt so overwhelmed, and it was made worse when Tony just... left. Biting my lip and closing my eyes I began to imagine a list.

Sugar cookies
Gingerbread cookies
Fruitcake
Gingerbread houses
Chocolate truffles
Brownies
Rum balls
Trifles
Shortbread cookies
Thumbrint cookies
Tof...

"Love, are you okay?"

At Loki's smooth voice I jumped, blinint rapidly and watching as a glittery list hung in the air. Leaning back into the embrace I shook my head.

"No, but I will be... I'm trying to think of things that are quintessentially Christmassy... think this is a half decent list?" I murmured
"I'm certain that whatever you do will be marvelous, my dear,"

Nodding my head I pulled away and got to work. I turned up the Christmas carols. Everyone else who resided in the tower soon learned not to mess with me or else they would be wound up into helping. And heloing meant making small mistakes and small mistakes meant I snapped.

It was nearing 10:30 and I was still in the kitchen when Thor walked in for only the second time that day, Steve at his side. I had just set things out to begin making gingerbread houses when they walked into the room, wide eyed at catching me as I was still working away.

"Boys," I said in a warning tone "Would you mind coming here for a minute?"

Rolling my eyes I watched as the two blond men came walking towards where I was standing, but staying on the other side of the kitchen island to save their skins. They looked like kicked dogs.

"I was thinking about a little healthy competition. You each have half an hour to put these together and then decorate them," I explained "Thor, I'm willing to bet you have no clue what to do here, so watch carefully..."

Slowly but steadily I showed Thor how to put the house together, explaining as I went. Once I knew he had the basics down I pushed two trays towards the two men and announced the start of time and watched as the two men set about decorating their houses, begining to decorate my own. Carefully I watched the time tick away, watching the progress of the two men in front of me.

After a little more then a half an hour I called time, smiling at the work they had done. Surprisingly, Thor's wasn't only staying up but was exsquisitely decorated with gold sprinkle walls, defined windows and an icing snow covered roof. Steve's also had an icing snow roof but instead of gold walls had icing Christmas lights. I was so surprised by the both of them that I didn't know what to say.

"Holy hell boys," I said lowly "You're both so... this is so... It's... wow. This is unexpected..."

Both men grinned and started explaining each bit and bob of their house, with Thor explaining that his was meant to be like the golden buildings of Asgard. I stayed smiling throughout the whole ordeal, only turning my head when they were finished explaining so that I could pick up the Thor and Cap gingerbread men that I had iced whilst they were decorating.

"You both did amazingly holy heck... i uh, I made you these..."

With a smile I handed the gingerbread men over to their likeness and watched as they looked on happily.

"Thank you friend Isabella!" Thor boomed, munching happily
"These are amazing, is this what you were working on?" Steve asked after a mouthful of his own "And the decoration is so good. I feel like I shouldn't be eating this..."
"I need to take it all upstairs to avoid any temptation," I smiled "And I would avoid here tomorrow as well, I have plwnty more work to do. Now scoot, it's getting late."