"Odin-."

"Allfather, you have not regained your full strength yet," the healer said, one hand tentative as it reached out to try and make the man lie back down. Though the king of Asgard had only one eye his gaze was as fierce and terrifying as any oncoming foe, making the healer shudder and swallow his next words about needing to rest.

"I need to speak with my sons. The Sleep came to me at an inopportune time and I must set right what has been muddled and destroyed." He growled, throwing back the golden blankets, hardly hearing what Frigga said to him about the boys not being able to be reached at the moment, calling out for Gungnir to be brought to him as he pushed himself to weak feet.

"Are they on a hunt?" He asked, turning to stare at his wife. He wished he could have been happy to see her, could have spared a thought to kiss the worry from the tight corners of her eyes and lips, to squeeze her hands and promise that everything was going to be alright, but it wouldn't. Nothing would be the same anymore. The disturbance in the convergence and his plans had set into motion his awakening, and though he could feel it was far too early and his body was still fatigued he pushed it all away. There was too much for him to fix.

"No, my husband, but if you will sit down and relax, so as not to bring the Sleep back," she emphasized. "Then I am sure if we send a servant they will come as soon as they are able."

"They better not be with that whore," he spat. "That Natasha Romanov. I regret ever letting the wench survive the attack on Kiev."

"At least she's done more to bring your sons together than you can imagine," Frigga defended, voice a hiss, and though Odin rolled his eyes he didn't refute it.

Natasha's back arched as Thor's mouth fastened on her breast, Loki between her long legs, moaning as he thrust into her in a slow, steady rhythm, helping Natasha ride out her second orgasm, one hand twined with his as she moaned and rolled her hips to meet his, her other hand between Thor's legs, stroking him in time to Loki's thrusts. They'd managed to more or less perfect having all three of them in bed, and Nat couldn't have been any happier with her husband and her lover. They'd come a long way since the first time they'd tried this, the pair of them having bickered for so long that Nat ended up taking matters into their own hands. Apparently watching her play with herself was enough to restart their minds long enough to get them on their backs and their cocks in her mouth and hands. Who knew? She moaned as Loki pushed himself deeper into her, as Thor shifted his weight so that he moved closer to her head. She paused, licking her lips, and tapping Loki on the leg. With ease he pulled out, flipped her over onto her front, and once she'd scooted close enough to Thor to take him into her mouth he pushed back into her. It'd taken awhile to perfect that move, but as she tilted her hips upwards and moaned around Thor's length she couldn't have been any more pleased with it. Thor fondly ran a hand through her hair, whispering how good she felt around him, rubbing the back of her neck gently where he knew she liked it, right at the point where the base of her skull met her spine. She moaned around him again, shaking as Loki took her hips in hand and pulled her back and onto him.

A knock on the door had them pausing for a second. With a lewd pop she pulled off of Thor's cock. "Yes?"

"The Allfather is awake and requesting to speak to all of you," Frigga said, sounding a touch amused. So long as her boys had stopped fighting and were actually, remarkably, cooperating with one another, Natasha was sure they could've gotten away with near anything. It always warmed her heart when she thought of what the poor woman had put up with for the sake of their happiness, and as an official lady in waiting to Frigga she did her very best to attend to the queen when the future king and her husband didn't call to her. Thor let out a low curse that Nat mirrored, while Loki simply shrugged.

"We will meet with him in a few minutes, thank you mother. Simply need to finish up these plans for the wedding." Frigga had insisted on getting the word out about Loki and Natasha's engagement, despite the pair already being married. The attention and event would get enough public praise and make it impossible for Odin to succeed in finding a way around Loki and Natasha's secret marriage. Nat really did owe the woman more than she could ever hope to repay, though one day she might find a way to. At least she truly meant to. Frigga snorted but the footsteps proved she'd walked off. Not wasting a moment of time, Loki slammed back into Natasha in a fury as her mouth for Thor once more and swallowed him down, grinning at his gasps when she moaned around him.

"You two are the worst of influences," he moaned, hips bucking into Natasha's mouth. She simply grinned up at him through her lashes and Loki's laugh felt good as it echoed in her chest.

Nervous wasn't quite the word Natasha was looking for when she tried thinking how to describe how she felt about seeing Odin. The last time he'd been awake she was a promising member of the guard, Loki still believed himself to be a true born heir to Asgard's throne rather than Jotunheim's, and Thor was the a good-natured warrior who longed for nothing more than glory and the thrill of battle. Now? She smiled as she looked from the dark haired man who twined his fingers with hers, then over to the blond man half a step ahead of them, if only for appearances sake. Though they were still prone to arguments, their banter quick and sharp as the throwing knives Loki was well known for and their gazes cutting down any who stood in between, there was an air of familiarity between the pair of them, a sense of solidarity almost, Natasha thought. And she? Her free hand still ghosted over the scars left from the surgeries she'd had on Midgard, as though they burned and ached even through the thick gown. She still woke to nightmares, and in bed they took every precaution to make sure she would not put herself through the strain and terror of having the past repeat itself. She'd learned from her mistakes the best she could, trying not to focus on what had happened but rather what the future looked to bring, and even though the nightmares of blood between her thighs and the slow fluttering and eventual stop of a heartbeat would cause her to scream out in the night, the two men never failed to let her know it would never happen again. She was protected, safe. It was all in the past.

The Allfather looked exhausted, face still drawn and his grip on Gungnir tight despite him sitting down on the throne, his one good eye surveying them with an unreadable expression. Without hesitation Natasha bent at the knee, her right hand crossing to her left shoulder as her head bent, trying the best she could not to remember the last time she'd been here. Loki, in an attempt to apologize, had sat her down on the throne, spread her legs and, allowing her to hold onto his horns for leverage, had put his mouth-.

"Rise. All of you." Odin barked, the others having shown the same respect that Natasha had done her best to. She swallowed hard, wiping the rising color from her cheeks as she looked at Odin with as much deference as she could muster. It was rather difficult, she had to admit. She still resented the man for what he'd done to her land, what he'd tried to do to the nine realms. Chaos had erupted in the other realms, as the Allfather was now keen to explain, all because of the convergence. His gaze never left Natasha's, even as he addressed Loki for the problem. She squeezed her husband's hand as he straightened, own face expressionless and eyes blank.

"Forgive me, father. There were complications with the ritual and the reversal-."

"Has thrown things you knew naught about into absolute chaos. That is what you revel in, is it not?" He demanded, voice haughty and chin tipped upwards. Natasha's blood simmered in her veins, singing in her ears to just put a spear through the damn man's heart.

"It is one of my greater talents, causing it, yes," Loki admitted, voice droll, as though this conversation was boring him. The straight line of Odin's back told the prince he was treading a very thin line, and he added the quietest of "sirs" to the very end of the sentence. Respect, right. Odin was still king so long as he drew breath, Thor and Loki still beneath him as heir apparent and soon to be royal advisor.

"And you, Lady Romanov?"

Natasha's head shot up, blue eyes finding Odin's grey one. She swallowed hard and did her best to straighten her face into one of absolute contrition. If Loki's squeeze on her hand was anything to go off of it was convincing at least. They'd see how far it got her. "Allfather?"

"You tormented my sons, pitted them against one another for the sake of the realm you once called home. You meddled in affairs that were none of your business, and misaligned the time streams for your own selfish ambitions, as well as put your unborn child in danger. Have you anything to say for yourself?" He demanded with a growl, leaning backwards in the throne.

Her teeth ground together though she veiled her irritation from him as best she knew how. He invaded a realm because he could, thought to enslave her people with the false promises of a near eternal life in order to prevent any future uprisings, and he had the audacity to make her out to be the villain? Again she felt the desire to take Gungnir into her hand and drive it through his skull, though it would certainly get her killed as a result. It was almost worth it.

"And now I hear you and Loki are engaged. Are you to poison the thoughts of my son and any possible child you two have? Assuming you can produce again."

Her heart ached with the low blow, sure that for once the pain showed through. How he'd known to play on that fear, on her paranoia that she'd never . . . that she could not . . . Her eyes turned down to the stone flooring just as Loki piped in, voice less than kind as he defended her.

"Allfather, Natasha and I love one another, and have loved one another for some time. What happened in the past matters not to me so long as she is at my side." His voice was insistent, nearly overdone, as though the dramatics of his words would only further prove his affection.

"Yet your opinion is not the only one that matters. There are other lives than your own that are at stake because your love got in the way of you finishing your job," Odin spat, rising from his chair and practically spitting in his fury. "You all know nothing of what is to come-." He was cut off by a sudden flash of pain across his face. In a matter of moments Thor was at his side, and even Loki had stepped forward as the older man forced himself to sit down, complaining to Thor that he was fine. His son simply worried too much. Natasha watched as his hand, the one holding to his staff, seemed to move in slow motion, trailing a similar golden dust to the one that had covered Loki before, to the covering over the man's bed as he slept and renewed himself.

He was stressing himself far too much, and if he wasn't careful he'd push himself back into another sleep.

What an absolute shame that would be.

Dutifully, Natasha remained silent, watching as the two men situated their father with care back on his throne, before the Allfather's eyes fixed on Natasha once again. "Leave us," he demanded. "I will have words with my sons and not you."

Natasha clenched her jaw, quickly weighing the risks and benefits to ignoring the man's order. It might get her in trouble, but she didn't want him to think that she could be so easily pushed around. Not by him, not anymore. Thor and Loki loved her, would defend her, no matter what Odin wanted, and so she took her time leaving, kissing Loki on the lips, before turning to press her lips to Thor, and without bowing again she turned on her heel to leave. Let him make of that what he wanted, it didn't matter to her. Outside Frigga was waiting, and her smile was dipped in sadness when Natasha came to join her.

"My queen," Nat bowed slightly. "Thank you for alerting us that the Allfather was awake once more." It had been most illuminating to hear him berate her and his sons over andover again, after all. Frigga seemed to recognize the sass and just chuckled.

"I do not mean this to sound as a threat, but I would watch your tongue if I were in your position. Engaged to be married publically you might be, but the Allfather does not take well to those who he considers to be a threat. And Natasha you are a threat."

"He shouldn't have destroyed my planet and my home," Nat muttered, though the last words of Frigga's stuck out. Odin saw her as a threat? Interesting. Again, a wave of gratitude towards the woman she served flooded Nat. If not for her she would've likely been dead already.

"His past actions are neither here nor there. I am telling you this to try and help you," Frigga said stiffly, her eyes hardening, telling Natasha that she ought to pay more attention. It shut her right up. "Now. We have a few other arrangements to be made about your wedding and I would appreciate it if you would come with me to help decide. And your final gown fitting is this evening as well." Frigga's eyes turned quickly to Natasha's stomach, as though anticipating the telltale swell of her stomach, making Nat cover her abdomen with her arms, cheeks aflame. A child would secure her place at Loki's side, ensure she was untouchable.

But was she willing to bring a child into a realm where the king already hated her, and their position in the world was a constant worry on Natasha's mind? Absolutely not.

But there would be time to talk about the future, and she would prefer to do that with Loki and Thor at her side, and so instead focused on what Frigga was saying about how to run the house. It would be Natasha's responsibility as soon as Frigga was satisfied teaching her, and though it was not ideal she was sure she would somehow find another to delegate the tasks to as she continued training, unwilling to give up on her place as a warrior. She'd been out of the arena for far too long as it was, and the last thing she wanted was to go soft, to forget her conditioning that she'd worked so hard for, shed so much blood, both her own and others, for.

"How is your magic coming along? Loki is still teaching you, yes?' Frigga asked as she opened the doors in front of them with a wave of her hand, as though it were the simplest thing in the world, when Nat knew it required far more concentration and sheer will power than she could've ever imagined. Magic, no matter what her blood or Loki said, never seemed to come easy for her. She'd learned quite a lot in the past few days all of them helpful tools, though her attention always resided within the more powerful spell books, the ones with defensive incantations, ones to put up wards and shields, and ones to attack with. Loki told her it would take centuries to get to that point, but every now and then she would page through them and pretend it all made sense. The language was still coming to her rather slowly.

"Yes my queen. He is an excellent teacher." Natasha said, pulling herself from the memories, feeling the familiar heat rise within her right wrist, as though the magic could sense she was talking about it. Which, she wouldn't have been surprised if it could. The way Loki referred to it was as a living entity almost, and it fascinated her. Was it possible?

"I am glad to hear it. Has he taught you how to create duplicates of yourself?" She asked, smiling. "That was always his favorite trick."

Taught her? No. Demonstrated? More than once. She shivered at the memory but shook her head. "He doesn't think I'm quite ready yet. He has shown me how to manipulate fire, though I can't create it as Loki can, how to summon and use earth and air, even how to call small objects to me from across a room, but little else. He says I'm coming along well but the rest takes far more time."

Frigga's smile wasn't one that Natasha had ever seen on the woman before, something of a mix between exasperated fondness and sorrow, a strange cocktail of emotion to be sure that set Nat on edge to wonder what Loki had done to earn such a reaction. "He's so secretive of his own arts," she murmured. "He can't see that there's always been more to it than that."

Ah, so there it was, and Natasha reached out to take Frigga's hand in her own. Amazing how she and Loki could be married and he was still so self conscious of being thrown aside. Damn Odin for his favoritism; it went deeper than even the Allfather had been able to consider.

They stepped into one of the smaller halls of the palace and once more Natasha had menus and color swatches placed in front of her, demanding her attention and opinion as she and Frigga attempted to finish up the final details. There was only a month left until the official ceremony, and the queen was still going through the names of all those who Natasha would meet, providing brief snippets of information about them, so that when Natasha met them there would not be an awkward lull in conversation. Just in case. After that they moved on to the ceremonial rituals that would take place, the exchanging of vows, rings, and blood-though Natasha had looked taken aback by this, Frigga assured her it was only symbolic. Next came what would be expected of her that night, the bedding ceremony itself-not that she and Loki were unfamiliar with one another, at which Frigga smirked. Natasha's head felt like it was splitting by the time the running on the other side of the great doors caught her attention, and her attention perked up at the sound of it. What the hell was going on?

The knock on the door had Frigga and Natasha pause, the latter rising only to be stopped by the Allmother. "You pick out the flowers and I will see what is so important," she murmured. Natasha gritted her teeth but knew it was for the best. She couldn't be seen, as the future princess and wife to the advisor, as having far too much knowledge or power else those around her think she was an influence on her husband and blame her for the shortcomings.

If she'd have known it would've been this big a pain in the ass to stay on Asgard and get married, that it would come with all the baggage and rules, all the intrigue and political nonsense, she would've told Loki and Thor that she wanted them to all stay on Midgard.

Earth. She really had to stop thinking of it as Midgard.

Frigga's voice was edged with worry, though her words were muted as Natasha pretended to mull over rose colors-who knew they came in so many?-taking the flower petals between her fingers and feeling the earth energy smolder beneath her fingertips. She drew on it slowly, pulling it into her body to try and extend her hearing, to try and use the air as a method that words could travel on. Though she felt the exchange in power, felt the petal begin to shrivel under her touch, she could hardly hear anything past something about problems on Midgard, a resistance rising due to the failure of the convergence.

'Of course.' She'd given credence to the idea that the Allfather, and the Aesir, could be stopped. She'd ensured that their reign and power was questioned, and if she-one who was not a part of the royal family to the knowledge of the populace, who would have seemed for all intents and purposes ordinary-could stop them, then what was holding the others back? Odin had run the world on fear and bribery, promising the world and strength in return for simple obedience. Those who had nothing to lose would follow blindly on, but those who didn't? Natasha had just given them a reason to fight.

There were super humans involved as well, said the man at the door. Her heart sank. Tony and Clint and Bruce-what would happen to them? She knew that they were none too fond of Odin and what he had planned, couldn't stand the idea of the alteration of the timestreams so that they lasted longer than they should have. Were they fighting back? Before Tony had mentioned something about a team called The Avengers. What was it they were avenging, their freedom?

Steve had to be told. They'd gone back to Midgard-Earth, dammit-before the Allfather had woken up so that he might see what had happened to the world they once knew. His reaction was as pained as hers, perhaps even more so because they were in his home town, where he'd once grown up, but sure enough he'd hit it off with the others fairly quickly. He would need to be warned about what was going to happen, and if possible Natasha needed to make a case for the safety of each of those men. They'd taken her in rather than turning her ass into the police and back up to Asgard, it was the very least that she could do.

Whatever else was said Natasha missed, and she finally decided on the deep yellow for the rose color just as Frigga was coming back to her seat.

"You might meet with the boys sometime soon," she said, her words almost nonchalant if they didn't strike a chord in Natasha's chest. Frigga wouldn't be telling her that for her health-something else was going on, and as Natasha rose to swiftly excuse herself, walking as quickly as she dared from the room, she felt her stomach drop. What more would they be made to endure at the hand of the Allfather and his ideas of justice and law?

"What do you mean you're leaving?" Natasha asked as she watched Thor pacing in front of her, Loki seated at the desk in his elder sibling's room. After Frigga had hinted that Nat wanted to speak with the pair of them she'd raced down the halls only to find Thor already packing his belongings and Loki looking impassively on at the blond. The explanation had been brief, simply because they didn't know much about what was going on themselves: there were rebels attacking Aesir encampments, as there always had been in the past, but these were far more than just humans with torches and guns. These were mutants. They called themselves The Brotherhood, and sought to release themselves from their oppressors. While Nat agreed to some extent, she didn't want Thor going alone, with minimal back-up from the few guards Odin was willing to spare. The ass.

"Father believes that if the people of Midgard see that their prince is coming to help with the situation, then they will be more willing to aid should Asgard need them." Thor murmured to her, stopping what he was doing to press his lips to Natasha's forehead. "I will be back before you know it."

"And if you're not? You're going to miss the wedding." It was a last ditch effort to get him to stay, to defy what the Allfather had said, to think for himself. His grimace told her he knew, and the seconds longer connection between himself and Loki told her that he wasn't complaining.

Damn. Well, at least she tried. She embraced him tightly before either of the others could get another word in, trying not to frown as she tipped her head up to kiss him hard on the lips. "Don't let your father make you feel like you're expendable," she murmured in his ear. "He's done that all his life with Loki, don't let him turn it on you now. You're needed here," she promised him. "I need you here."

Thor's smile was wide and slow to come to its full light, but when it did Nat felt herself swoon a little bit, knees going slightly weak. They both had the ability to do that to her, the silly idiots.

"I am glad to be needed, my lady," he promised her before kissing her brow, pulling away only after he squeezed her one last time, as though committing the way she felt to memory. "Take care of her, Loki," he said with the quickest dip of his head to his brother. The dark haired man nodded.

"You be safe as well," Loki insisted. "I need someone here to keep the both of us in line and to remind me what I'm fighting for."

Thor shared a laugh with him at that, grabbing his things in a small sack and heading out to Midgard. Natasha couldn't help but wonder, aside from the stint a month or so ago, when the last time he'd been back was, and just whether or not he'd be prepared for whatever threats they faced.

When he was gone, the door shutting loudly behind him, she turned immediately to Loki. "Is there any chance I can get a message to Tony Stark and the others?" She asked. "I want to know what's going on with this Brotherhood."

Loki kept his silence long enough to let Natasha know he didn't think it was a good eye. She didn't care, wanting too much to know what Thor was going to be facing than caring about just how strong he thought her. He'd seen her at work before, and if he considered her to be at less than her best simply because she was worried, well, then he obviously hadn't learned his lesson the first time around. They'd fix that.

"I'll do my best though it might be difficult," he admitted. "And it may take a day or so to find the proper spell. I've never had to do it before."

She gave him the most grateful smile she could manage before planting herself in his lap and fusing their mouths together.

"What would I do without you?" She murmured only after she pulled away to breathe. He just laughed, and though the noise was hollow she squeezed his hand and locked gazes. She meant it, and he pressed his lips to her forehead to let her know he appreciated it.

A/N: Merry Christmas and/or happy Holidays!

Thanks so much for reading Breathe, and for sticking around to read Darkness! I'd be nothing without you guys, and you all rock so much for taking the time to check out my fics. I hope you like this, and again, thanks for sticking through it all! Much more to come, and I love hearing what you all think so please feel free to leave me a review with your opinion!

Thanks again, and welcome aboard this crazy ride!