A/N: This is the last chapter, and it is pretty much an epilogue. I wish I had more time to grow the relationship, but the time constraint got to me.

One year later...

Hermione sighed in exasperation and put her head down on the desk.

"Are all American government officials as easy to deal with as you, or did I just draw the short straw?" she grumbled, frustrated than an hour of talking with the two men had not yielded a single result.

"If you think we're being unreasonable, you should try talking to a politician," Agent Phil Coulson joked darkly.

"I somewhat am," she pointed out as she sat back up. "This is all political, isn't it?" she asked, turning to Nick Fury, who was sitting across from her, staring at her contemplatively. "It's all about power. You have a very powerful object in your possession, and you're loathe to give it up because it is powerful, even though you have fuck-all when it comes to ideas on how to deal with the thing."

"The only reason we're considering using it is because of Asgard's recent activities here on Earth," Fury replied.

"The Destroyer?" she scoffed. "I know you lot like to make everything personal, but really, that was only here to destroy Thor. What happened was collateral damage."

"Just because that one was collateral damage does not mean that the next time some other realm comes to visit they will be so disinterested with the inhabitants of this planet," he shot back.

"Having it here is putting out a bloody welcome mat!" she nearly shouted. "The fact that you lot have activated it has caught the attention of more than just Asgard, and trust me when I say that you won't find another realm that will attempt to get the tesseract in such a peaceful manner. What, exactly, is your plan in six months or a year when someone comes down and tries to extract it by force? Do you honestly think you'll know enough about it to have a weapon ready?"

"And we're just supposed to give it to Asgard?"

"You're supposed to give it someone who understands that kind of power isn't something to fuck with," Draco finally jumped into the conversation with a trademark sneer.

Fury shot him a scathing look. "Our problem, Miss Granger, is that we have solid evidence of other, much more powerful realms, and we don't have much in the way of protecting ourselves in the event that one decide to come invade."

"I would first like it to be known that Earth is and has always been under the protection of Asgard, and my very role is to make sure that relationship stays friendly. That said, Midgard is not a high-value target, unless you do something stupid like waving the bloody tesseract around without knowing exactly what it is or how to properly use it. It, and Midgard, would be much safer if it wasn't here under the protection of some relatively fragile beings."

"Fragile?" Coulson raised an eyebrow.

"What would you prefer? In comparison humans have shorter lives, they aren't as strong, nor as unified, and their bodies tend to be slightly more breakable."

"Don't you mean 'our'?"

"I used to, but when I took this position I got some improvements."

"It's the least they could give you," Draco mumbled.

"And what exactly is your position?" Fury asked, leaning onto the table.

"I am the link between Asgard and Midgard. I am from Midgard, so I know a lot about us, our capabilities, and our realm, and I have access to them and information about them. So if our realms need to talk I am supposed to be the impartial intermediary."

"You're from here. Wouldn't that make you naturally skew towards us?" Coulson pointed out.

"You're discounting the boyfriend... sorry, bondmate," Draco sneered.

"Shut up, ferret," Hermione hissed.

"I am not in the mood for relationship drama," Fury snapped.

"Nor am I. All I am interested in is getting that object somewhere safe," she said, nodding at the case containing the tesseract. "And I really am trying to be nice about it."

"Is that a threat?"

"No, a threat would be me saying I would grab the thing and be gone before you knew I left if we can't come to a reasonable decision soon, but that probably wouldn't help anything."

Fury and Coulson exchanged looks, and Coulson inched toward the door.

"You are making the assumption that I need the door," she smiled.

"We're forty stories up behind shatter-proof glass, and that door is the only way out. How do you plan on getting out without it?" Fury asked.

"I'd tell you, but I do not want to make long winded explanations," she replied. "Though I do know you just stationed another six guards outside. So much for trust."

They stared each other down for a long moment. "What is your end game, Miss Granger?" he finally asked.

"My end game is to get the tesseract somewhere that won't make Midgard a target, and to do it with as much diplomacy as possible. As I said, if I wanted it gone by force, it would be gone already, and you'd be scratching your head wondering how the hell I did it, and that is if I let you remember. Odin seems to think that diplomacy is preferable, even with bull-headed government officials. He wants us to try to work this out so we're still on good terms."

"You must appreciate the situation from our side. You're asking us to hand over an extremely powerful object, and get nothing in return."

"I would think ending the chance of an invasion for the thing would count for something."

"And invasion we have to take your word about. How do we know Asgard isn't going to be the one invading?"

Her jaw tightened for a moment. "We have several Asgardians fighting on other realms to prevent any possible upcoming invasion. They are already fighting for you."

"We have nothing but your word on that, too."

"What would satisfy you?" she asked.

"How about Asgard gives us a good faith gesture?"

"Such as?"

"The one who destroyed Puente Antiguo."

"Not going to happen," she shook her head.

"Why not?"

"Besides the fact that he's been punished for that? He wouldn't take kindly to being imprisoned, and, to be honest, it would probably cause a bigger mess if he thought he had been abandoned by his realm. Trust me, Loki is not keen on becoming some token prisoner, and, as you may have noticed, when he doesn't get his way things tend to go bad quickly."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Coulson asked.

"It means if he gets angry he is unstable, and he'd be smiling as he stabbed you in the back," Draco sneered. "And I don't trust any of your prisons to hold him for very long."

"Name another price," Hermione finished.

Fury was quiet for a moment as he looked her over. "How did you get your position, Ms. Granger?"

"What do you mean?"

"Seven billion plus people on the planet, Ms. Granger, and Asgard decided you were the one they were going to exalt. Why?"

"Short version? There was this magic scroll that came into my possession. It had a list of attributes for a woman, and when it found a woman who contained those attributes it blood-bound her to the position."

"What kind of traits was it looking for?"

"Bravery, loyalty, intelligence, cunning, compassion, among others."

"Those traits could describe any number of people. And your companion here let slip something about a bondmate..."

"Yes, the scroll was somewhat of an arranged marriage to the woman who found herself bound to it," she snapped. "So I am bound to a high-level Asgardian, but that is neither here nor there."

"Why would Asgard bind one of their own to some random human girl? It doesn't make sense. There has to be something more, Miss Granger. Remember who you are dealing with. We are well aware there are humans all over this planet with extraordinary abilities, hell, we have a tendency to employ them when we can," he paused, eye narrowing as he scrutinized her. "What is your extraordinary ability?"

Hermione glanced at Draco, who shrugged.

"What is the security level in this room?" she asked.

"High," Coulson replied.

"Make it higher, and nothing gets recorded from here on out."

It was Fury and Coulson's turn to exchange looks, then Fury typed a few things on a keyboard in front of him, and the cameras in the corner of the room turned off. Under the table, unseen by either of the SHIELD employees, Draco pulled out his wand and cast a spell that would interfere with any hidden electronic equipment.

"What can you do, Miss Granger?" Fury asked.

"Magic," she replied. "And I am not the only one. There is a whole world you don't know about, Director Fury."

"Magic," he repeated softly.

"Yes. We keep hidden because we have been historically feared, but if you want an example of how poorly you are prepared for us to be out in the open I suggest you look over the hard times Britain went through in 1996 through 1998. And that wasn't even us in the open, that was us holding our own war. Non magical humans were just bystanders, much like Puente Antiguo."

If Fury was disconcerted by Hermione's information he didn't show it. "If there was a global threat, would the magical community stay hidden?" he asked after a long pause.

"We're human, too," she replied. "We have families we will protect. A dire enough threat would get us out of hiding."

"So, perhaps, your liaison duties should not be limited to Midgard and Asgard."

"You want me to be the intermediary between SHEILD and the magical world?"

"In the event of a full scale threat to the planet," he nodded. "I'm assuming anything less than the imminent destruction of the planet would warrant a 'fuck off' response from your world."

"At least you harbor no fantasies about what kind of relationship this is going to be," she sighed. "Does that mean you will be giving me the tesseract?"

He paused. "The security council will never approve me doing that."

"The security council will not even remember they had any such objections," she said with a faint smirk. "I had a contingency plan coming here today. There are undercover obliviators nearby each of the council members, and stationed near anyone who has knowledge of the tesseract, ready to modify their memories to make them believe it is too dangerous and unstable to use. The international magical community doesn't feel comfortable with something so magically powerful in the hands of those who are not used to the power of an object like that. If you did not agree to surrender it we would have gone to our contingency plan, which is wipe the thing from the memories of everyone involved and walk off with it."

"Then why bother coming here to speak with me at all?"

"Asgard feels it would not bode well for a peace between our realms if we start stealing things, they have a bit of an honor code. And if we do it this way it'll be known we got it out and hopefully make Midgard less of a target."

"Why did you come here instead of to the president?"

She smirked, "We all know that government officials are never the highest level of power, even if that is what the majority of people think. There are always those who control more than most people will ever know."

Fury thought for several minutes.

"Do you honestly think something of that power belongs in a world where we can't even refrain from attacking and killing each other in the most spectacular fashion we can think of?" she asked softly as his expression became more unsure.

He exhaled loudly and nodded. "Agree to be that liaison, and to make sure the council doesn't flay me alive, and I'll let it go."

"Agreed," she nodded.

Slowly, as if he were having second thoughts, he pushed the suitcase containing the tesserct across the table to her. She checked inside to make sure everything is in order, then stood.

"Miss Granger?" he asked as she went to go out.

"Yes?"

"I'm putting together this... project. A group of the best fighters I have access to. Your ability and your mind seem like they would fit in. Would that interest you?"

"I'll come back same time next week to discuss it," she nodded. She and Draco were escorted down to street level, and out to a car provided by the American ministry.

"Keep it as Muggle as possible," Hermione ordered the driver. "They're going to follow us."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, sliding up a opaque partition. Hermione immediately started moving. In the back of the darkened car she opened the suitcase, duplicating the tesseract. She pulled a mokeskin pouch out of her bag, wrapped the tesseract carefully with some cloth, and placed it into the pouch, and the pouch into an inconspicuous box.

"Is this going to work?" he asked.

"There's four people in the universe who know this plan. I trust all of them."

"I don't."

"Shut up, ferret. He is not even one of the four."

"You are not a pleasant woman to be around when you've gone too long between shags, do you know that?"

"Draco..." she warned.

"What has it been? Two months?"

"Two and a half," she corrected.

"And you haven't heard anything?"

"No."

He was silent for a couple minutes. "They would tell you if something went wrong, you know."

"I just hope they're not waiting to ambush me with the news when I get back."

"Don't be so pessimistic. It would be so...un-Granger of you."

"Un-Granger?" she chuckled. "You have been so fond of telling me that you hardly recognize me over the past year or so. How can something be un-Granger if I have supposedly changed so much?"

"Don't speak logic," he smiled. "Are you sure this is going to work?" he asked, holding the box containing the tesseract.

"Relatively. I won't know where it is, you won't be able to get it out. It'll take both of us to retrieve the thing. That will be safe until we can figure out what to do with it more permanently."

"Alright," he murmured, still sounding somewhat unsure. "How long are you going to be gone?"

"Don't know," she shrugged. "If he's not back I'll probably come to the chateau tonight for some of Sabbi's sweets and some firewhiskey."

"I'll keep an eye out," he smiled. "If he is there?"

"As you so kindly pointed out, it has been two and a half months," she murmured with a smirk.

"Ruddy hell," he rolled his eyes as the car came to a halt in the middle of a densely wooded area. Draco carefully put the box into a small bag he was carrying while Hermione gathered the suitcase.

"Ready for our performance?" she asked softly.

"Of course. What kind of Slytherin would I be if I weren't prepared for a little deception?"

He got out first and helped her out.

"Are you sure you want to take that thing to them?" he asked, loud enough for any surveillance equipment that may be trained on them to hear.

She opened the case and looked at the fake tesseract. "I think it's really my only option right now. It's safer there," she said, snapping the case closed.

"Are you leaving from here?"

"No," she shook her head. "Puente Antigua."

"Just... be safe. And get that thing somewhere safe."

"I will," she nodded, and she gave him a quick hug. She pulled a pen out of her pocket and clicked it, activating the portkey, which took her to the New Mexico Bifrost site. She made a show of straightening herself up, enough time to give SHIELD a chance to confirm she was there, before looking skyward. The Bifrost picking her up was sudden, and a short trip later she landed in front of Heimdall.

"Did it work?" she asked.

"They left Master Malfoy after you departed," he confirmed. "They have no suspicions."

"And the others?"

"Your teams worked exactly as you instructed. It is now believed that you did them a favor by taking the object off Midgard."

"Good," she said, stepping onto the bridge and throwing the suitcase over the side. She and Heimdall watched it together until it was out of her sight.

"I have lost sight of Master Malfoy," Heimdall announced. "Will you now inform me where it truly is?"

"In a Gringotts vault, though which one in which branch I do not know, nor do I want to know. Draco can't get it out of the mokeskin bag, and I do not know where the bag is. It is safest this way."

"You have become quite skilled at deception," he smiled.

"I learned from the best. Speaking of which..."

"You are being summoned," he said, looking towards the palace.

"Is it him?" she asked, trying not to show too much excitement.

"You are being summoned," he repeated, nodding towards a horse that was running down the bridge. "Odin wishes to know if you succeeded."

She sighed, climbing onto the horse. She bid the gatekeeper goodbye and rode as quickly as she dared towards the palace. Odin and Frigga stood on the steps, and each smiled as she approached and dismounted, handing the reins to a guard. She walked toward the king and queen, dropping to one knee and placing her fist over her heart when she had nearly reached them.

"How goes your task, Lady Granger?" Odin asked, motioning for her to rise.

"It is secured," she announced. "I do not know it's exact location, however I am the only one who can retrieve it from its case."

"We have much to discuss concerning its permanent security, but I thank you for delaying the urgency of that problem."

"You're welcome. Anything I can do to help."

"I have a matter I must attend to, however, there is a feast being set in the dining hall. Frigga, perhaps you can escort Lady Granger somewhere she can freshen herself?"

"This way," Frigga smiled, motioning up the steps.

Hermione fell into step beside her, and waited until they were away from others before asking, "Is there any news?"

"These things take time," she replied.

Hermione sighed.

"Will you be staying with us?"

"I haven't made a decision one way or the other," she shrugged. "I finished all my work at the bank for this week, and they currently do not have anything scheduled to come in, so I really have nothing to do. Maybe I'll stay a day or two and wander around the city. Again."

"If there is anything you need, I bid you call for me," she said, suddenly stopping.

"What's..." Hermione started, looking around.

"I do believe you would prefer a reunion away from his mother's eyes. I shall see you in the dining hall later."

"Reunion?" she felt a wide smile cross her face, and she quickly turned the corner. At the other end of the corridor she could see Loki and Thor talking. Without thinking she started running towards the dark-haired brother, who noticed her and turned to greet her. But she didn't stop, throwing herself into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, and crashing her lips into his.

"Brother," Thor said, voice thick with amusement. "Perhaps a little decorum is in order?"

Loki broke away just enough to reply, "You are a fool if you think I wield any of the control in this situation."

"What the hell took you so long?" she demanded.

"We may have been misinformed about certain things," he said dismissively as he lowered her, though their arms remained around each other. "We handled the situation."

"You said two weeks. It has been two and a half months."

"I wrote you. Several times. If my memory is not faulty I even mentioned there would be delays."

"You are quite skilled at saying a lot without really telling anything."

"My apologies, milady," he smirked. "The days were long, and I lost sense of how much time had passed. Did you worry?"

"I knew Heimdall would have told me if something horrid had happened, but a little clearer communication would have been nice."

"I heard rumor you had your own tasks to attend to while I was gone."

"Yes, I did, and I took care of it, and that's all I'm going to tell you because the less people know what I did, the less likely the information is to fall into the wrong hands."

"Do you not trust me?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I'd be a fool to," she shot back cheekily.

"A wise woman," Thor chuckled.

"I'm not telling you, either," she said, and the sound of laughter drifted in from the hall behind him.

"I need to go change," she said, looking down at her jeans and t-shirt.

"This way," Loki said, offering her an arm.

"I shall make an excuse for your tardiness," Thor smirked, turning to join the group in the dining hall.

"Are we that predictable?" Hermione asked, watching him go.

"That is not my concern at the moment," he said, grabbing her wrist and leading her through a passage. Hermione had thoughts of stopping in one of the corridors to recreate their first time together, but it seemed as though there were a guard around every corner. Loki scooped her into his arms as the door to his chamber opened, then slammed shut behind them. He deposited her on the large, plush bed, as she was already starting to pull her jumper over her head.

"Eager?" he smirked.

"Bloody hell, Loki, I have gone two and a half months. If you don't start something right this very moment I will do it myself," she growled, finishing undressing.

"Now that might be a sight worth watching," he raised an eyebrow.

"Loki..." she warned.

"Very well, milady," he smiled, dropping his jacket to the ground and pulling his tunic over his head. He climbed on top her, passionately kissing her as she let off a sigh of satisfaction and wrapped her arms around him. His fingers slipped between them, skimming against her nub before sliding into her, and he growled as he found her wet. She felt his hand move to push his pants down just enough to free himself and push roughly into her. There was no pause to re-aquatint their bodies, either, he immediately pulled most of the way out before driving roughly into her.

What they were doing would hardly qualify as 'lovemaking', she thought later. At that moment they were both only interested in achieving physical release as quickly as possible. He broke away from her lips, lowering his head immediately to her breasts to kiss and nip as his hands roughly massaged the orbs. She scratched her fingers up his back and tightened her legs against him, forcing a new angle. She felt her body starting to tighten, but she was impatient. As though they had communicated their desire to each other he pulled away from her as she turned over, raising up on her hands and knees. He did not hesitate to drive back into her, hands tightly holding her hips and pulling her against him. Her cries reverberated around the spacious chamber, becoming higher and shorter as her body tightened even more. Without warning his hand pulled her up by the hair so she was kneeling, head on his shoulder, and his other hand slid around her front to circle furiously at her nub.

"Come, my witch," he ordered. "Let me feel what you have been holding back for me."

As her body had done countless times before it obeyed his command, coming apart at the order with a cry of his name, body slumping forward as she felt her muscles temporarily fall out of her control. But he held her in place, thrusting roughly into her a few more times before finishing with a grunt and a final deep thrust.

The sex may have been rough, but the moment it was over Loki turned tender again, carefully cradling her as he lowered her to the bed and took her in his arms. He held her in silence for several minutes as they reveled in the feeling of being together again.

"I feel like skipping the festivities," she murmured, kissing the skin of his forearm.

"Mother would be disappointed if we didn't make an appearance," he pointed out.

"People have often learned to live with disappointment."

"And father expects us there, as he wishes to make a speech that involves both of us."

"Damn. That one is a little harder to worm out of," she grumbled, sitting up. "I suppose we should go."

He made a small noise of protest, but allowed her to slip from the bed, watching her as she walked toward the closet, where Frigga had stored several outfits for her use. They got dressed quickly, and Hermione stood at a mirror, taming her hair into a bun when she noticed something. She picked up the familiar box from a nearby table and opened it, revealing the ring he had shown her a year prior at the bank. She stared at it for a long moment in silence before Loki came up behind her.

"If memory serves me correctly, we had agreed that you would not wear that ring until we affirmed that we would be keeping the bond in place. Seeing as it has been a year..."

"I know," she muttered, closing the box. "But... it doesn't feel right. You mother wanted us to use this as the traditional symbol, but it isn't used for someone who is bound to someone else, it is used as a promise to get married."

He leaned close to her ear before saying, "Then put it on, and we shall wed," and walking towards the door.

She watched him go in surprise for a long moment before rushing after him. "What the hell do you mean by that?" she asked as she caught up with him.

"I was unaware that I had made an ambiguous statement."

"Was that your idea of a marriage proposal?"

"Would you prefer I get down on one knee and spout romantic prose?" he asked.

"No, that would be ghastly!"

"Perhaps, then, you should make a decision as to wanting to wed."

"Well, of course I want to, but you can certainly be an unromantic prat."

He stopped suddenly, grabbing her wrist to turn her and press her against the wall, kissing her slowly. "I wish you to be my wife, Hermione," he murmured against her lips.

"I guess I have a wedding to plan, then," she replied with a nervous chuckle. Quickly she looked both ways, and finding the corridor clear she added, "But I'm not starting quite yet," before pulling him into the deserted library and delaying their entrance to the feast even longer.