Coffee and Books 3

Chapter 18

"Yvonne, you've been baking and cooking for two days straight now, don't you think we have enough now?" I'm standing by the door to the kitchen, watching my aunt put another pie in the oven.

"Oh, but this one is for the coffee shop!" She closes the oven and sets the timer. There's another pie in the oven of Lisa's apartment and I'm pretty sure Yvonne's own fridge is loaded with food for tonight too. We're gonna need a van to get it all to Queens!

It's the shortest day of the year and Mother Nature is doing her best to make it a good one. The air is crisp with cold, yet you can still feel the rays of sunshine on your face if you keep out of the wind. Perfect weather for celebrating Yule tonight!

In the corner of the kitchen is a bag with a large red velvet cake and our biggest box of muffins. "You can take those to your friends upstate," Yvonne says. The presence of Hulk, Korg and Miek on Earth is classified, so I could only tell my family they were 'special friends of Asgard'. However, my aunt's urge to feed everyone only gets bigger when Christmas nears and she told me I could not show up empty handed when I went to visit them.

"You're the best, Yvonne, thanks!" I give her a sideways hug and pick up the bag. "I'll see you guys tonight. Remember, the car will be here at 4!"

"I still think it's too much to send a car for us," my aunt protests weakly. We've had this little discussion before.

"Nonsense," I tell her firmly. "You all get a ride to and from the party. Just enjoy it! No need for a designated driver tonight!"

The residence where Hulk, Valkyrie, Korg and Miek live is a little way upstate. I'm relaxing in the back of the car, Thor and Heimdall in front. Loki and Eir are overseeing the preparations for Yule in Queens, but us three are paying the people who can't be there a visit. Because of their unique looks Korg and Miek can't be seen by the public and there will be some guests 'from outside' at the party tonight. I am not the only human who got involved with an Asgardian, although there still aren't many who date 'a mortal'; I guess the difference in life expectancy gets in the way. Also, most Asgardians want to preserve what's left of their race and culture. Fair enough, I think, when your planet was completely destroyed and a goddess from Hel killed most of your people with her army of the undead. There is no Asgardian who hasn't lost loved ones during Ragnarok: parents, children, brothers, sisters... The losses were numerous.

"Hey, guys?" I pipe up from my seat in the back after a spell of comfortable silence, letting the road vanish underneath the wheels of the car. "How come Brunnhilde can't come tonight? She doesn't look like a space monster." Although scary in her own right, the Valkyrie looks like a regular Asgardian.

"It's not that she can't come," Heimdall answers calmly. "She doesn't want to."

"Why?"

"That's a long story, dear. It's complicated."

I'm not giving up so easily. After all, it's Christmas. Err... Yule. "Can't you ask her to come? Thor?"

"I don't know if we've got enough booze for that," Thor chuckles from his place in the passenger seat.

Heimdall glances his way with a frown. "You know she tries to drink less. It's hard on her."

So the angry Valkyrie is an alcoholic, probably a mean drunk at that too. Still, I can't help but wonder what kind of problems she wants to forget.

"You'd think defeating Hela a second time works cathartic," Thor suggests dryly.

"She fought Hela twice?" I lean forward in my seat to look at Thor.

He nods gravely, his carefree mood from before gone for the time being. "The Valkyries fought a heroic battle against Hela and her army. This was a very long time ago. The Valkyries won, but it cost them dearly."