Sacrifices Chapter 1

                                   Sarah pulled the suitcases down from the top shelf in the closet, careful not to swing them down hard as Fen was playing around her feet with the horse and king from his Lego castle play set.  She twisted around and gingerly stepped over Fen and his toys, then set the suitcases on the bed, bouncing the baby carrier where Madison lay, her hands flailing at the smiling spinning monkey on the bar before her, turning her attention to the sound of Sarah unzipping the largest suitcase only for a moment. "The little monkey likes the little monkey doesn't she?" Sarah said as she leaned down and kissed Madison on the head, causing her to rub her hands on her face, and Fen to start running around the bedroom chanting, "Little monkey, little monkey, little monkey…"  
                       She returned to the closet and started to take her summer dresses down, folding them and putting them in one side of the large suitcase, nearly stumbling over the horse and king left there without their servant. "Fen, pick those toys up, mommy is going to sprain her ankle for sure."  Fen either didn't hear her or chose to ignore her, still running in circles in the middle of the floor, "Oh you are so tired, aren't you, trying to keep yourself awake?" Sarah said, turning back to the closet for some jeans and shirts. "Fen," She heard from the hallway, "Pick those toys up like your mother said." She glanced to the bedroom doorway as Loki walked in, hands on his hips. "Glad you're here," Sarah was folding her jeans on the bed, "You pick out your clothes, your majesty. I'm doing mine, Fen's and the baby's bags."
                   Loki raised an eyebrow but walked to the closet, patting her on the behind as he passed her, making Fen giggle as he rushed over to her to do the same thing. "Nice job," Sarah sighed as she stood up trying to catch Fen while he darted out of her reach, "Anything more you want to teach him?" She came up to Loki as he faced the closet and smacked his behind in turn, making him jump and Fen laugh even harder, "Hey, I didn't hit you that hard, you hurt." Loki said whirling around, a half smile on his face as he grabbed Sarah's wrists, making her screech in mock fear as she tried to pull away from him, only managing to land on the bed, on her side, laughing and pleading, "The baby, Loki, the carrier.." as Loki turned her over on her stomach, pressing her into the mattress, "Should we spank mommy?" He said to Fen who jumped up and down, "Yeah! Yeah!" Loki chuckled, "Okay, so we're saying mommy has been bad?"  Fen put his hands over his mouth and giggled, nodded.  "Okay," Loki raised his hand. "Don't you dare, Loki. I'm telling you, you're going to be sorry later." Sarah cried, struggling to crawl over the bed away from him, "Ready?" She heard him say, felt him move as he raised his hand higher, heard a loud smack and suddenly Loki was lying across her, face forward on the bed.
              She turned her head around to see Thor laughing so hard he couldn't breathe, Fen was on the floor kicking his feet, roaring and she felt Loki rise from the bed, mumbling, "I'm going to kill him, truly kill him." She turned to see Thor retreating with all haste from the bedroom with Loki steps behind. She sat up on the bed and looked at Madison, "Daddy's a meany isn't he, shaking you all up, spanking mommy."  She received a squeal and the bounce of a restless foot in response.
              "What the heck is going on?" She heard Jane and turned to see her walking into the bedroom, Olivia on her hip shaking her head. "The guys just went out the back door one after the other." Jane sat down on the bed beside her and Sarah nodded, "They were having a bit of fun, Fen followed them didn't he?" She gazed about the room, "Oh yeah he was hot on their tails, didn't want to miss any action."  Sarah held out her hands to Olivia who reached out for Sarah, "I can't get over how blond she is," Sarah said and Jane smiled, brushing a stray curl from Olivia's face, "I'm wondering if it'll stay that blond or get darker like me, hey should we bring a lot of heavy stuff like sweatshirts and jeans?" Sarah nodded, "I would, it gets cold up there at night by the ocean.  I have to go and pack Fen's bag, his activity backpack, the rest of mine and of course Loki's stuff.  I almost had him doing it too before we got to fooling around but I'll manage to corral him later."
                            Olivia reached back for Jane and she took her into her arms. "What time are we leaving tomorrow morning?" she asked, standing back up from the bed. Sarah stood up as well, walking back to the closet and taking a couple pairs of jeans and a couple pairs of dress pants off the hangers on Loki's side of the closet, "I'm guessing around six a.m., check in time at the house is one p.m. so that gives us some leeway. You don't know, Jane, I'm so happy to be going on vacation. It's been almost four years since I had a real getaway. I mean try having a honeymoon in the palace royal, don't get me wrong, we made do with the time we had." Sarah grinned as Jane looked at Madison, "Yeah, this I see. I'm going to go to finish with packing myself. I think the brownies should be cooled by then and we can make sundaes." Sarah agreed and Jane left her alone with Madison, musing over the day that Loki had asked her to be his wife.
                           The twelve night festival, Jul, the Norse new year, was in full swing and Sarah hadn't seen Loki in three days what with the rituals, the hunt that Odin and the able men of the Aesir had enjoyed for ages and the celebrations. Sarah had kept company with Frigga, Sigurd and the other ladies of the court, beginning to feel a little left out, worried that she wouldn't see Loki before she went home for Christmas at Lizzie's house.
               "They never grow up," Sarah had remarked to the room full of women, getting many a nod and a murmur of agreement. "That's why they need us, to take care of them, and what do we do? We take care of them, now who's the fool and who's the wise man in that case?" Sigurd replied when, moments later, Loki strode into the room in his ceremonial armor, cloak whirling about him, three days of whiskers on his face, scooped Fen up into his arms and bent down to Sarah, kissing her much too quickly for her taste and she would have openly admitted she was the biggest fool in the room right then and there.  "Mother," Loki had said, "Would you please watch Fen for us for a while? I have to talk with Sarah." Frigga nodded, "Of course, give him to me." She held out her arms and Fen crawled into her lap, his arms around her neck as Loki had turned to Sarah, a slight grin on his face, and held out his arm, "Come with me, my lady."
                Sarah had kept stealing glances at him as they walked along the corridor in the torchlight, his smile growing wider as he noticed her, "Has it been so long since you've seen me that you don't believe your own eyes?" He said softly, hugging her arm to his. "No, " Sarah had replied, "I'm just not used to seeing you with a beard." He laughed at this, "Would you like me to shave before I kiss you again?" Sarah had actually blushed then, feeling silly on account of it as well, "No, shave later, kiss me first." Then he had turned to her and they had shared what could possibly have been the most sensuous kiss she could remember, were it not for the next one, and the one after that, leaving them both breathless,  lips inches apart from each other and suddenly he was pushing her away at arm's length. "Sarah, I have thought long and hard upon what I am going to say next." He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and opened them, " You have been my light in the darkness, my dearest heart, you have borne me a son, stayed by my side and given me more love than I ever thought possible. You've shown me what it is to live for another person, to give of yourself to keep that light in your life. I want to have you always with me Sarah, please," Here Loki knelt to the floor and Sarah had felt her knees go weak, "Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" He had taken something from his pocket and now held it out to her. She tried to still her hands which had started to tremble as she reached for his. He took her left hand as he stood up, slipping a gold band inset with emeralds all around it onto her ring finger. She looked into his eyes then, glistening with tears and whispered, "Yes I will," He smiled wide, taking her up in his arms, his embrace strong, the hammering of his heart against hers, fueling her joy as he put her down and let out a war whoop ringing to the rafters, mingling with her laughter.
            On the way back to the sitting rooms, he had told her that it had taken him  months to select the stones and the design for the ring, arguing back and forth with the goldsmith, wanting to have the perfect chance to ask her, the perfect place, "But on the way back from the hunt, I could think of nothing else and I knew I must have your answer in my heart before you left for Midgard." She had reassured Loki that anyplace he would have chosen would have been the perfect place for her, not because of the place but because of the question itself and he had given her a look akin to worship. When they had told Frigga of their news, she had nodded at Loki, "I was beginning to worry, only a little mind you, that you would, what is the phrase you taught me, Sarah….oh yes, drag your feet forever." Sarah had looked away as Loki had glanced at her suspiciously…

                   The slam of the back door and sounds of raucous laughter and the stereo in the kitchen being turned on brought her back to the present. She zipped up the full suitcase and picked up Madison's carrier gently as she had fallen asleep, her chubby little hand hanging off the monkey's tail, then headed out of the bedroom and to the kitchen where Jane was getting down bowls from the cupboard.
                 Sarah put the carrier with a still sleeping Madison in the living room where she could see her but out of the way of the rowdiness that was developing in the kitchen. "Party Rock Anthem" was blaring from the stereo, Loki had Fen in his arms and was dancing around the kitchen, hopping around, laughing with him, Thor behind Jane clapping her hands for her as she rolled her eyes, smiling, Olivia in her high chair, banging on the tray, and suddenly Loki had his arm around Sarah's shoulders, "Come on, tell mommy to dance." Fen giggled, "Dance mommy,"  Sarah shook her head but finally was into the rhythm, saying into Loki's ear, "The neighbors are going to report us for loud music and excessive partying." As the song ended, he turned to her and replied, "With any luck they'll wait till tomorrow and we won't be here."  Sarah walked to the fridge and took the ice cream out of the freezer, walking over to where Jane was cutting the brownies into squares and putting them in the bowls on the kitchen table. "Hey get the chocolate syrup out will you, sweetie?" Jane said to Thor. Sarah heard a whimper, turned and saw Madison staring into the kitchen. "Another world heard from." Loki walked past her to the living room, taking Madison from her carrier. "Hello, princess," He cooed, kissing her cheek, "How about some sweets for the sweet?" Sarah put some ice cream in bowls for Madison and Olivia, "You've got bath duty if she gets it all over, just wanted to say that up front," Sarah said to Loki, " and after treats, we have to get the cars loaded, it's almost eight-thirty now." They sat around the table chatting and eating, listening to Fen talk a mile a minute between bites, Sarah watching Loki feed Madison who was seated on his lap. He had let Sarah convince him to cut his hair a bit shorter for the summer and she had delighted in the waves and curls that it had created, dressed in his jeans and a dark green t-shirt with a baby on his lap trying for all the world to grab her ice cream bowl and put it on the floor in her effort to get more ice cream to her mouth, Sarah had to smile to herself at how far from the god of mischief he seemed at this very moment.
              It was close to ten-thirty when they were all finally able to drag themselves into bed, having finished packing the cars, cleaned up the kitchen and put the kids to bed.  Loki slid under the covers beside her as she was leaning over her to her nightstand to set the alarm for five fifteen the next morning and began to nuzzle the nape of her neck, his arm wrapped around her. "Oh no, mister," She elbowed him backwards, "Real early day tomorrow, save it for vacation." She half expected him to continue, a small part of her wanted him to but was relieved when he sighed and simply pulled her close to him, "Alright, I give in. Saving it for vacation," he reached beneath the covers, giving her behind a playful squeeze and  they were both asleep in minutes.