My eyes were slow to open but when they did, I found myself staring up at a popcorn ceiling with machines beeping all around me. That combined with the dull white walls and harsh scent of chemicals told me where I was. A hospital.

I groaned and sat up, my back was stiff but I was relieved to not feel any pain. I glanced down at my hands and arms; my skin was undamaged and smooth. Nothing to indicate I'd just gone swimming in a pool of fire.

"Suzume?"

I turned my head towards the sound and saw Thor. He was siting in a chair nearby, his clothes rumpled and his eyes red. However, his smile was genuine and lit up his face.

"I told you I'd come back." I swung my legs out of bed, relieved to see that they were strong and sure. I moved towards him but before I'd gotten more than two steps he was on his feet and shaking his head.

"It won't work."

"What?"

He stepped towards me, close enough to reach out and touch me but he didn't Rather, Thor pointed down at the ground and my eyes followed and what I saw made me understand. Iridescent blue lines were drawn along the floor, boxing me in. Magic. I was sure of it. What it was for I didn't know but I realized it was the reason he couldn't come any closer.

"What's this for?" I asked, looking at the rest of the room, from the tiny hospital bed to the narrow bathroom. Sure enough, more blue lines were drawn across the floor.

"It's a barrier," he answered. "And a stabilizing agent."

"Stabilizing agent? What are they stabilizing?" Was it my mind they had to try and repair? I remembered my father and Yuki and had to wonder now if it had just been an agony-induced hallucination rather than a real meeting.

"Your magic needs time to settle in. This used to take a few weeks but this barrier speeds up the process." Thor leaned against the invisible wall as he spoke, his hand spread around along the surface.

"Magic," I repeated, stepping up the edge of the line and aligning my palm with his. Sure enough, rather than him, I fell a cool layer between us. "So now I'll be strong enough to beat Sif in the sparring ring?"

"You'll dominate now if you want to."

I laughed. "I doubt it. She's got centuries of experience on me."

"True but Sif can't command fire. "

"What?" My laughter trailed nervously but Thor wasn't laughing. In fact, he was looking at me with distinct pride.

"According to the Valkyries you basically expelled a solar flare from your body when the transformation was made permanent. I'd say that's a distinct advantage in combat."

"Are they okay?" I asked immediately, my mind unable to process the fact that I could apparently wield the power of the sun. Injuries seemed much more manageable.

"No lasting harm done. They were able to put up their shields in time to protect themselves from it." My mind flashed to my first meeting with Sif. When her transparent magic was the only thing that stood between the three of us and a murderous giant.

"Glad to hear they're okay." I swallowed a sigh. "How long will I have to be in here?" How long will it be until I can hold you again? Though I knew by the clock on the wall that it had only been a few hours since Thor had proposed to me, it felt like a lifetime. After everything, I really just wanted someone to I loved to hold me.

Thor opened his mouth to answer but the bustle of footsteps and voices cut him off. I peered over towards the door where to my great surprise, Queen Freya and King Odin came through both looking weary but elated.

"There's my future daughter-in-law!" Odin beamed at me as he gave me an animated wave. "How are you feeling?"

"I should be asking you that," I replied, trying to recover from my shock at seeing him. He looked great for someone who'd been hanging from a magic tree yesterday. "Are you okay?"

"Healthy as an ox," the king replied and he dropped his voice to a whisper. "We got what we needed, we've found out who was behind the latest attack."

"We found the Brigade?"

"No," Odin shook his head. "A solo extremist." He opened his mouth to say more but his wife placed her hand on his shoulder.

"That's enough you two," she said, eyes twinkling. "We have other matters to attend to."

"We do?"

Freya opened her palm where I saw a small, Barbie-sized notebook in her hand. A second later, it expanded to normal size which allowed me to read the words on the cover. I wasn't fast enough to stop my jaw from dropping.

"Wedding plans? Are you serious?"

"Your transformation caused quite a stir dear," Freya said patiently. "The news is already reporting on the tremors and smoke that originated from the Starlight Caverns. We have to have answers ready for the press."

I nodded and tried not to look too baffled as the two royals pulled up a chairs and began walking me through the talking points of the press release we'd be part of a week's time. It seemed pretty straight forward, just following the script. I pasted a smile to my face, hoping neither could tell how bored I was of the conversation.

As they reached the end of their briefing, I hoped it might have been it for the day left it at that for the day. However, it seemed they had no time to waste while they barreled into wedding plans. Cheerfully, Freya listed some of the people we'd have to call in the upcoming weeks. According to her, the sooner we could create excitement for the big day, the better as it would give the general public something to look forward to.

Likewise, Odin told me with an excited grin about the Exchange of Swords. A symbolic gesture where the bride and groom exchanged the ancestral weapons of their family as a way to show that they would protect each other as a new family. He looked so eager that I didn't have the heart to tell him the closest thing I had to an ancestral weapon was my own gun.

Finally, around noon, she and the king departed I sat on the edge of my bed, head spinning while Thor smiled knowingly.

"Overwhelming huh?" he asked, taking the vacant spot nearest the barrier.

"Just a tad," I admitted as I gave him a weak smile. "Any advice on how to get through it?"

Thor shrugged as "Smile, nod, show up on time, do what you're told and smile for the cameras."

"How romantic," I muttered dryly and Thor's soft smile was an instant response.

"I know it's probably not the wedding you dreamed of as a kid," he said gently. "I don't' think Midgardians do the weapon thing anymore."

"We don't," I affirmed. "And most of us don't have thousands of people watch us get hitched."

"Tens of thousands," Thor corrected and I let out a laugh that sounded more like a groan. "But don't worry, we won't have to worry about it. That's what the wedding planners and coordinators are for."

"Well, I guess it's good I won't have to plan much." I remarked. "One less thing to worry about. My coworker, Sam when she got married was a mess. The weddings planning was driving her up the wall. She was so stressed she barely ate any food at her reception."

"We'll have good food," Thor promised. "That's one thing royal weddings do well."

His smile didn't reach his eyes and I already saw the tiredness in them. My heart went out to him; I didn't know how I felt about something as personal as wedding being broadcast for the whole world to see. They were hard enough with just family and friends. I remembered my coworker Sam's stress all too well as she tried to balance her inter-faith nuptials to her then-fiance.

"Hey, as long as the day ends with us as husband and wife we'll be okay."

Thor smiled and this time I saw real joy. "We'll be okay."

I was glad we agreed on that at least. Our wedding might not be about us, but our marriage would be. That would always be something that was ours.

"Knock, knock?"

Thor and I both turned at the familiar voice as Sif poked her head in the room, smiling from ear to ear.

"Am I interrupting anything?" She asked and we both shook our heads. "Great!" Her smile, if possible grew ever wider and the Asgardian warrior made a beeline for my fiancé, crushing him in a hug.

Thor winced. "Ow."

Sif didn't seem to hear him as she lifted his six-foot frame clear off the ground. "I'm so happy for you two!"

"Sif he can't breathe," I laughed even as she set him down, face flaming.

"Sorry," she said with a sheepish grin. "I'm just really excited." She turned her gaze to me. "And I'm coming after you when you can leave the box without burning down the place; just a warning."

I smiled. "I expect nothing else."
It was good to know some things would always be the same, no matter how many things started to change. I'd need things like that now more than ever because one thing was certain; my life would never be the same.

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