"Welcome back to the land of the living," a female voice said to you as you finally started to wake. You cracked your eyes open and looked to the voice, still feeling dazed and like it was hard to wake. The voice belonged to Julia, the head healer in the infirmary. She was standing next to your bed and was maneuvering it so that you were in a sitting position without having to actually sit up yourself. You weren't sure you could move.

It was taking you a minute to focus on anything, but you realized that you was in the infirmary. Again. It was also one of the private rooms, which meant whatever had landed you in here was serious.

You were rather confused, and frankly surprised to be alive, once you remembered what had happened. Your sleep fogged haze began to clear and you looked frantically around for Loki. "Easy, Kat. You nearly died and you've been unconscious for two days. Your young men have been quite worried about you," Julia told you gently. She took a step back and you could see around her. Loki and Tony were sitting on the couch in the infirmary room. Both of them were asleep and they were sitting as far apart from each other as physically possible on the small couch. You didn't understand why they weren't both instantly awake the moment Julia had started talking to you, they were both overprotective. Julia caught your expression. "Don't worry, I put them to sleep a couple of hours ago. They refused to leave. Or sleep. Your uncle is extra cranky when he hasn't gotten any sleep..." she complained. You managed to give her a tentative smile at that. "I'll wake them in a minute. First, you. How are you feeling? Do you remember what happened?"

You nodded, but she just looked at you pointedly until you actually answered her. That seemed like too much effort with how bad you felt, but you answered her anyway. "I remember The Harlequin's clowns broke into the compound and attacked us. I was shot," you told her simply. It was a lot of effort to talk. You just wanted to sleep. "I feel like I got shot in the chest," you added, since she was still waiting for an answer to her question.

"You did nearly die," she reminded you. You nodded. You remembered that part, and how you should have died. "And you're still a long way from healed, but it's good to see you alive and awake. You'll be ok."

You looked down at yourself and saw the bandage peeking out from the top of the hospital gown covering where you had been shot. There were tubes and needles going into your right arm. Your left hand and arm was covered in swirls of black, green, gold, and blue. It was beautiful and elegant. you would have compared it to a tattoo, but it looked more real, more clear than ink could ever achieve. Plus, it was shimmering with magic. "Any idea what that's all about?" she asked, noticing your gaze. You shook your head. You had a vague idea when it had happened, but you weren't sure how or what it meant. "You ready to face them?" she asked, nodding at the sleeping boys.

"Yes," you replied. You wanted answers and the only way to get those would be to talk to Loki. You remembered the words he had spoken before you had passed out. You needed to know what they meant.

"If they get too annoying or loud, call for me and I will deal with them. You need to heal and they can't be allowed to interfere with that," she told you. She was an overprotective healer, as they all were. She left the room and the boys started to stir. You steeled yourself to face them.

They startled awake at nearly the same moment and looked anxiously at your bed. You smiled at them, they looked so ridiculous that you couldn't help the grin on your face. They both ran to your bed at the same time when they saw that you were awake. You were afraid they were going to fight over which one got to hug you first, but Loki took a step back before he reached the bed and gestured Tony forward with an elegant bow. "Kat! You're ok!" Tony exclaimed as he wrapped you in a careful hug.

"So it seems," you told him. "Though Healer Julia did say I'm still a long way from healed." You reached up with the hand that wasn't covered in needles to hug him back.

"You almost died," he told you, panic in his voice. You heard the pain in his voice and you knew how hard the last two days had been on him. He'd already lost your parents, his brother and sister-in-law. He couldn't bear the thought of losing you too.

"I didn't," you reassured him gently. You hated seeing him so distraught.

"You should have. That wound should have killed you. You were shot through the heart," Tony told you just as gently. He didn't want to distress you, but he wanted to impress upon you how lucky you were to be alive. "There should have been no way for you to survive that. He did something and won't tell me what it is. He keeps insisting that he needs to tell you first," Tony grumbled, glaring at Loki.

"Uncle Tony, can't you just be glad I'm alive?" you demanded. Stupid uncle getting caught up with the details. You were just glad to be alive. He should be too.

"I am glad you're alive, Kat," he relented a little. "I still want to know what the hell he did. It left marks on your skin," Tony growled. You looked over him to Loki, who was standing away from you, giving you your space. He was looking unsure and almost...shy. It was strange for him. You'd never seen him like that. You reached your hand out to him, wondering why your boyfriend hadn't thrown your uncle aside by now to come see you. He was acting so strange.

Loki took the steps to reach you quickly and took your hand, the one that was decorated in the swirls of colors. You saw that his left hand was covered in the exact same pattern of swirls and colored magic. He kissed your knuckles, but didn't hug you. He still seemed afraid. "I am relieved you are awake, Lady," he told you too formally. You shifted so you could look at him more easily.

"Loki, what's wrong? You're acting all distant and formal," you asked him tiredly, getting straight to the point. You just wanted to rest, but this needed to be done and it needed to be done now. You needed to know what had happened. You needed to know why Loki was being so distant and formal.

"I am...afraid that you will reject me, or worse, for what I had to do to save you," he explained. Well, that explained why he was being so scared and shy.

You patted the side of your bed. "Come sit and tell me. It hurts to look up at you. You're too tall," you told him with a small smile. You were sure no matter what it was that he'd done, that it couldn't be that bad. Tony pulled over a chair and sat on the other side of your bed, holding the hand that was covered in tubes and needles. He wasn't hurting you, so you let him. Loki sat on the edge of your bed, holding your marked hand.

"It was the only way to save you," he started, looking at you and not daring to look at Tony while he explained. "On my world it is called a soulbinding," he added as if that explained it. That sounded like soulmate stuff. You hadn't known anything like that was possible.

"Like a marriage?" Tony demanded, instantly furious. You could see why he'd be furious over it, but you didn't think it was a marriage, or Loki would have said so.

"Like a marriage... but more. It is not simply a promise, like human marriages. It a literal tying together of two souls. It is deep, ancient, magic. I have shared my...immortality, for lack a better word, with you, shared my power, my very soul with you," Loki addressed the last part to you, ignoring your uncle. "But if either of us does die, so will the other,"

You heard what he hadn't said. "If I hadn't survived, you wouldn't have either," you said softly, horrified by the realization. He'd almost died too.

Loki inclined his head in agreement.

Tony jolted out of his chair so fast it fell over and was on Loki in a second. He grabbed Loki by the throat, again, and held him against the nearest wall. "Uncle Tony!" you yelled. You couldn't get out of the bed to stop them this time.

"You married her without her consent?" Tony demanded, roaring in his anger. "How dare you?!" He growled, choking Loki, or he would have been had Loki not created a shield to stop Tony from actually crushing his windpipe. He'd learned from last time.

"Would you kindly stop attempting to kill me?" Loki asked dryly, not struggling against Tony. He seemed more annoyed than anything. "I did just explain that if you kill me, your niece will also die," Tony dropped Loki quickly and turned to you to make sure you were still alive. You were very much so and you had to try not to laugh at Tony's expression. "I did what you had to in order to save her life. It was the only way. She was shot clean through the heart. I used every single ounce of healing magic I had on her body and it was just enough for her to stay alive long enough for me to complete the ritual. Just barely long enough. Another instant and we both would have lost her forever," Loki told Tony heatedly. Anger and magic sparked around him. Tony finally seemed to understand the concept then. He glared, but didn't do anything else. At least he stopped trying to kill Loki.

"Boys, come back," you bid them softly. It was really hard to watch them where they were, they were out of easy line of sight. Luckily, the wishes of the injured girl took priority over their anger at each other. Tony took his chair again and Loki sat next to you on the bed. You took his hand. "Thank you for saving my life," you told him. You knew how much he had risked to do it.

"You are not angry about how I had to do it?" he asked. You thought about it and you had the feeling he respected your answer more because you did consider the answer.

"I'm not sure I'm pleased with the method. I can't say that I'm upset you saved my life. But I have a couple of questions before I can tell you how upset I am," you finally answered. You doubted you would be upset with him, but he did still have to answer your questions.

"Ask," he bid you softly. "Any truth I have is yours."

You couldn't help smiling at his openness, at his reassurance that he would do anything for you. "By your world's standards, we're married now?" you asked him. He nodded and looked away, afraid again. You saw the fear in his eyes. "What does that change between us?" you asked, unsure of the wording and hoping that would give you the answer you wanted.

"You are much less breakable now. You will have my powers as well as your own, except for my jotun abilities. Those I cannot share or I would. You have the magic of my world as well, now," he told you.

You glared at him. "That's not what I meant, Loki," you told him firmly. He wasn't getting out of this one with his silver tongue. He knew that wasn't what you were asking.

"Apologies, Lady," he looked chastised. "I fear I do not understand your question." He got even more formal when he was upset.

"What does this change between us?" you repeated, but that wasn't a clear enough question. You tried to think of how to ask more clearly, when he finally seemed to understand.

"Nothing need change, unless you desire it," he answered, finally catching onto what you were asking. "However, when we go back to Asgard, you do have to pretend to at least be able to stand my company for the visit. If you no longer wish to be courted by me, I understand. I forced this on you, which is unforgivable. My only excuse is that I could not bear to live in a world where you did not exist," he paused at that. "I would ask the favor of you of acting the charade for my family first. They are already upset that I have found my soulbond and have not come home since. After that, you need never see me again if that is what you wish."

You couldn't bear the thought of never seeing him again. Somehow, you managed to move, to wrap your arms around his neck tightly. "I don't want to leave you or lose you," you told him, distressed over the thought. "I don't want this to change anything between us," you heard the tears in your voice and tried to ignore them in your eyes.

"I will not force you to remain in a relationship, no matter what I had to do to save your life. You need only speak the word and I will step back, allow you to pursue your life without me if that is your desire. I never wanted to force this on you," Loki said gently.

You clutched onto him tighter. "I don't want you to leave," you whimpered. "I don't want anything to change,"

"Then it shall not, darling," he told you softly, gently, and you heard the smile in his voice. He held you for a moment longer before he extricated himself from your grip and settled you back among the pillows.

"You're forgiving him just like that?" Tony growled.

You glared over at him. "He saved my life. He just promised nothing about our relationship is going to change. We'll deal with the rest once I feel like a human again," you grumbled tiredly. You admitted to yourself that you had been concerned that since you were officially 'married' by his culture's standards that he would expect a certain activity that you weren't ready to do with him yet, if you ever would be.

/I would never force you to be physical, darling. I am not a monster/ you heard his thoughts in your mind

I know, but that knowledge didn't ease the fear, not until you said it aloud, not until you took the effort to ease my fear It was hard to focus on the thoughts, so you hoped that was a good enough explanation for him.

Tony was still glaring, but dropped it again for the time being. You had a feeling he was just accepting that you were still alive and ignoring everything else for everyone's safety. He would be pissed about this for awhile. "I have to go report to Fury. I told him I would the moment you woke. Can you two behave yourselves or do I need to find you a babysitter?" he growled.

"We will be perfectly fine," Loki replied pleasantly. He seemed to be trying to get a rise out of Tony. At least things were back to normal. Tony glared, but did leave you alone. Loki reached over and brushed your hair back from your face. "I thought you had lost you," he told you softly, sorrow in his eyes.

"I know," you whispered. You realized well how close you'd been to death.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again," he told you firmly. He tried to sound angry, you heard it in his voice, but he just sounded lovingly exasperated.

You smiled at him. "I'll do your best never to get shot again. It's no fun." you told him, glad to be easing back into our normal wonderful relationship. You did hold up your left hand. "What's with the pretty swirly colors?" you asked, finally getting back to it.

He gave you a real smile then, sensing that the tension had eased. At least for now. "It is the mark of the soulbound." He took your hand and traced the green and black lines on your skin. "These represent me and my magic," you nodded. His magic was green and the lines of magic were in the exact same shade. He traced the gold and blue lines. "And these are you and your magic." you remembered seeing that shade of blue the day you had healed Loki's arm.

You smiled at him, but tiredly. "Can we go home now?" you asked.

He chuckled at your predictable reaction. "You truly dislike the infirmary," he commented. You whined at him to go home every time you were there.

"I spent too much time in the hospital after the fire," you reminded him. You heard the exhaustion in your voice and knew he would too.

"Not yet, darling. You still need to heal a lot more before they will let you leave,"

You pouted at him. "Can't you do it?" you whined.

"I cannot, not this time. I am still too low on power from the other night," he explained. You sighed, heavily, wanting to leave the healing wing. "I know, darling," he soothed. "Would it make you feel better if I read to you?" he asked. He was trying, really hard to get you to relax and agree to stay here where you would heal.

"A little..." you told him softly. You scooted over on the bed, which was somehow big enough that Loki could lie down beside you. You patted the spot on the bed, inviting him over. He sighed and looked put-upon, which made you giggle at him, but he climbed all the way onto the bed and laid beside you. You curled yourself against him, laying your head on his chest. He summoned the book of children's tales from Asgard and began to read them to you.

You looked up at him in surprised about halfway through the first story, when you finally realized that he was reading them in Asgardian and you understood every word to the point where you hadn't even realized it wasn't English he was speaking.

He chuckled at your reaction. "Surprise~" he told you with a grin. Apparently that had been one of the abilities you'd gained through the soulbond. You giggled at him and laid your head back on his chest. You were exhausted and needed more rest to actually heal. He ran his fingers through your hair, soothing you back to sleep as he read you stories.