Working Title : Loki & Annie

Chapter Twenty-Eight- Words are Powerful

Annie had a second pot of coffee on and she was really hoping that her box of just add water pancake mix was still good. Please don't have bugs, please don't have bugs. Because I don't know which would be worse, destroying that look of joy of Thor's face at the thought of pancakes or the guilt I would live with if I had to make him pancakes from a mix I had to pick bugs out of.

Annie opened the zip locked bag of pancake mix and stared intently into it. Nothing moving, no specks in the white powder. All is good. Thank the pancake gods because, hey, who knows anymore, right? Getting out bowls and pans Annie started making breakfast, she figured she might as well use up everything in her fridge, freezer and cabinets because with Thor here, she was going to refill all of them. Every last one.

Thor sat next to Loki, occasionally observing Annie as she easily moved about. He was aware that she was making more than pancakes, he felt a thankfulness stirring inside that he had come across her. The Norns had been watching over he and Loki that day. Perhaps they would survive this, though Thor had no idea what survival would mean. Loki returned to himself? The both of them returned to Asgard? Both to the dungeon for punishment?

Thor shook his head and looked down at his hands which had made tight fists. He wasn't used to being so inactive, especially with all of the tension he was feeling building inside himself. He needed a distraction. Loki had the bowl back on his lap so Thor rose to join Annie in the kitchen and allow the boy the chance to eat in secret if he so desired. Smiling as Annie noticed him he asked, "What can I do?"

"How are you at making pancakes?" Annie held out the spatula. She gave a light laugh at Thor's face, he looked like she'd asked him to defuse a bomb. He raised his hands and was shaking his head when she waved the spatula at him to bring him closer. "Come on, it's not that hard. Scoop, pour and flip."

Thor hesitatingly came around in front of the low edged cast iron skillet Annie had already poured two medium sized pancakes in. He took the spatula reluctantly, "I have never," he waved the spatula around to encompass the kitchen. "Cooked."

"Really? Never? Ever?" Annie gave him a side eyed look of disbelief as she scrambled up a bowl of eggs, the last ten. Adding the last of the milk to stretch them and make them creamy.

"Well, not in a kitchen." Thor stared down at the pancakes. "Outside over a fire, many times." He wanted to poke it but refrained.

"Ah, so you're a grill master. I'll remember that when I want burgers." Annie glanced over at the pancakes. "See those bubbles? That means they're ready to be flipped over." She watched Thor make hesitating thrusts of the spatula as he tried to determine how to flip them and felt sorry for him. Plus I don't like burnt pancakes. Reaching over she took his wrist in her hand and showed him how to flip the pancake. "Takes some practice but pretty much like that."

Flipping the other carefully Thor felt an odd sense of accomplishment though he also felt a blush of ridiculousness. He had led the army of Asgard into battle, he shouldn't feel pride in successfully turning over a Midgardian food without making a fool of himself in front of a mortal. And yet he did.

"A couple seconds more, maybe thirty, then you can put them on the plate with the others." Annie started another skillet for the eggs, laid out the bacon for a turn in the microwave. "So, I guess Princes of Asgard don't have too many chances to cook in the kitchens?"

Thor shook his head firmly, "No, not at all. Our forays into the kitchens were to beg treats or steal them if refused." Thor glanced at Loki who was staring over at them. "Last eve I was telling Loki about a time we had stolen summer tarts that had been specially made for visiting Light Elves. The fruit takes ten years to ripen and there is only one tree in Asgard. A wedding gift to our mother from the very Light Elves who had been invited to partake of it's first fruits." Thor had a far away expression on his face, one of recalling a fond memory to mind. "It was late in the evening, we had been sent to bed already however we had crept out to watch the festivities. We were still in our night clothes. Stealing those tarts was our first real mischief together." One side of his mouth moved up, lips moving into a half smile. "We stole half right out from under the serving staff. We each grabbed what we could and ran."