The Bartons (C. Barton & L. Barton)

Chapter Six

       Althea had been living on Midgard, or rather Earth, for two weeks, and she was getting more use to it. She liked a lot of the food. She liked watching TV. She wasn't a big fan of the shampoo and body wash and other feminine products, but Laura was willing to take her out shopping to find the perfect stuff for her. Althea did like the clothes she had gotten.

        The clothes fit so well, and she liked wearing pants. In Asgard, she was expected to wear dresses at all times, including when she was going to bed. Hell, when it came to sleeping in her bedroom in Asgard, she'd much rather sleep naked than in gowns that weren't always very comfortable.

        Clint and Laura both agreed that Althea looked good in her new clothes. Neither could deny that she was attractive. She seemed almost oblivious to the fact that she was pretty. They had told each other that they thought the girl was pretty, but that's where it stopped.

       Althea got along well with the children. She and Lila played with makeup, nail polish, and did each other's hair. Althea and Cooper played outside a lot, and there were many different things they played. Althea took care of Nathaniel some, but she wasn't great at it yet. He was really little, and she wasn't sure how to take care of him. Laura and Clint told her she was doing great, but when she really needed help they'd be there.

       Althea didn't know that Thor and Frigga were having Heimdall watch over the girl. He would report back to them once a day with good things that happened, and there wasn't really any bad. Well, other than the fact that the girl cried herself to sleep for over a week. By the second week, she seemed to get over it slightly, and only laid in bed depressed before she went to sleep.

       Frigga would tell Loki all of the good things with Althea, and he would pretend not to care, but he did. He knew there was more to it than Frigga was telling him, but he didn't ask any questions. He knew one day he'd see her again, and he'd save her from the life she was enduring on Midgard.

        Althea was happy throughout the day, because she was busy and always had something to do. The problem was, at night, she didn't have anything to occupy her mind. She would lay there thinking about what Odin did to her, and about everything and everyone she left behind.

       Anyhow, today was one of the days that Althea was given a new dessert to try. The girl tried new food often, but desserts wasn't one of the things she had very often. Laura didn't want her children to get use to having snacks every day, but when they wanted dessert on the days they weren't supposed to have any, she'd given them fruits.

"What's for dessert?" Althea asked, looking over at Laura.

        Althea had started to use more "Earth"-like ways of speaking, since the kids thought she talked too formal. She had explained to them that it was the way she was taught, but then they decided to teach her a new way of speaking. It was interesting, to say the least, but she was learning, and that's what mattered.

"I'm thinking cake," Laura replied,"Do you want to help?" She asked, and Althea nodded.

          The girl loved helping cook, since she wasn't allowed to in Asgard. It was fun, and it was somewhat easy. Althea especially loved helping when Laura let her try the foods as she cooked.

"Yes, please." She answered, making Laura smile.

           Laura began prepping the pan and other important things they'd need, as Althea pulled on an apron. After Althea put on the apron, Laura let Althea start helping. The girl loved helping Laura, because it made her feel like she had someone that wanted to be a part of her life, and truly wanted to teach her how to live in a world new to her.

        Clint decided to teach her about the car they had. Well, they had a car and a truck. The truck was Clint's, and he mostly used it while working. The car was the vehicle used more often, so he figured teaching her would be the best with the car.

          Althea seemed to learn what Clint was telling her kind of quick. It wasn't always easy, but Althea learned it, and that's what mattered. She wasn't completely caught up with everything Earth had to bring her, but Clint tried to help her as much as he could.

          The girl seemed to love learning new things, even if they got her frustrated at times. It had only been two weeks, but she had learned quite a bit from the family. She was thankful for them, and she had wondered if all Midgardians were as kind as them.

          The Barton family didn't want to ruin her beliefs of the people on Earth. They wanted her to believe the best in people, at least for now, until she really had to learn. They'd tell her though, themselves. They didn't want her to find out the hard way, but they wanted her to stay as happy with Earth as possible, until they had no other choice but to tell her.

           Clint and Laura could both tell that Althea wasn't completely happy. They knew her life and everything she had to leave was going to weigh on her for some time. They just wanted her to believe that she came to a place that wasn't made of crooks, con-artists, and serial killers. She felt safe with them, and that's how they wanted it to stay...