This Time Around (Sequel to All Over Again)

Chapter Eighteen

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

McKenna bit down on her bottom lip as Loki threaded his fingers with hers and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "It's going to be all right, love," he whispered as Sif joined them in the gatehouse.

"I know." She gazed up at him. "And I'm getting him back."

"I know you will." He released her hand to catch her face between his palms. "And we will celebrate when you both return."

She nodded, letting her fingers curl about his wrists. "Don't hound Heimdall. I'll be fine. I've got Sif, remember?"

He smiled, his thumbs stroking her cheeks. "I know. But no risks. Listen to son of-Coulson."

"I will. I promise."

He tilted her face to his. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Loki."

He kissed her, gently at first, but then the tip of his tongue nudged between her lips and she parted them as her fingers tightened on his wrists. A sigh rose as he tilted her head slightly to the left to angle in and deepen his kiss.

When he pulled back, she was breathless, her eyes heavy-lidded as he brushed a kiss over her forehead and whispered, "I promise you, everything will be all right."

Pressing her lips together, she nodded. Then, she cleared her throat. "I should go."

With that, one of the Royal Guard approached with the small storage tube holding the Tesseract. She couldn't see the cube, as the case wasn't clear, but she didn't care. She hated that stupid cube with every fiber in her being and the thought of H.Y.D.R.A. getting their hands on it filled her with the same terror as the thought of Loki falling under its influence once more did.

The cube was heavy, and without a word, Sif stepped up and took the case from her.

Loki glanced over at Sif. "Sif, take care of her."

"I will, your Highness. You know that."

McKenna managed to smile as Heimdall readied the Bifrost. Then, the hook grabbed her and tore her from Asgard in a blast of rainbow light.

When they emerged, it was on a cracked, obviously seldom used tarmac strip at Kennedy and McKenna breathed a sigh of relief as Phil Coulson seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "McKenna, how are you holding up?"

"I'm okay now, but impatient. Let's go." She looked around. "Where's the bus?"

He gestured for them to follow him. "Come with me."

She and Sif followed him toward the far end of the landing strip and McKenna stared as the empty strip was suddenly not so empty.

"What the... a plane?"

He smiled. "We call it the bus. Come aboard and get comfortable." He turned his smile to Sif. "A pleasure to see you again, Lady Sif."

"And you, Son of Coul." Sif kept a protective hand on McKenna's elbow. "Loki asked that I accompany the princess while she's here."

"Princess?" Coulson turned back to McKenna. "Loki is ruling Asgard these days?"

"While the Allfather rests, yes," Sif answered. "And Loki worries, considering Princess McKenna's history with Grant Ward."

McKenna rolled her eyes. "Please, Sif, I beg you, stop with calling me princess."

"I cannot do that and you know it."

"I don't suppose you could fight this out on board the bus?" Coulson gestured to the plane. "It's about an hour to Philadelphia and we have a lot to go over."