Very Much Alive

'Travis.” Travis was staring at something on the computer screen as he corrected her.

'Whatever.” She shook herself all over. “This is getting more bizarre by the moment, you know that, right?'

Logan snorted.

'I mean it, Logan. Travis isn't just my boss, he's my friend.'

He ground his teeth together.

She raised her eyebrow and cocked her hip, like she expected him to just give in and play nice with the enemy.

'He was under the influence of the apples, just like the rest of them.” She tilted her head. “Doesn't that mean I'm the enemy, too?'

'No!'

'Uh-uh!'

'But I had the apples, too, remember? If Grimm had decided to tell me to, I dunno, marry Magnus or Morgan, I'd be a Grimm right now.” Her face paled. “What if he'd called my cell phone and ordered me to kill you? Wouldn't I have to obey?'

All three men were shaking their heads before she'd finished. “You'd need a bit more persuasion than that.” Logan walked over to her and took her hand. “He'd have to have you under the influence, and then explain things to you in such a way that you believed them utterly.'

'So it's more like you're highly suggestible, not really completely under his control?'

'Exactly.'

'Oh. So how did you break free?'

He grinned, knowing how cold he looked and not caring. “Why do you think we didn't get along all that well?'

'It didn't work on you?'

'Oh, it worked, all right.” Logan sat on the chaise and pulled her into his lap, curling his hand around her hip. She settled down absently against him, making herself comfortable, a fact neither Kir nor he missed.

They'd lived with her long enough to know that her temper burned bright but swift, especially if you could engage her curiosity. “But I figured it out and started pretending to eat. The effects wore off.'

'Enabling you to save Kir when no one else could.'

He nodded. Kir was smiling, Travis looked disturbed, and Jordan was grinning. “Damn, I knew you were clever.'

He rolled his eyes. For a millennium or more he'd defined clever.

When her lips brushed his cheek he stilled. It was the first spontaneous, freely given display of affection she'd bestowed on either of them. He grinned at Kir and mouthed, See? She likes me better.

Kir chuckled.

'Travis, any idea what we can do next? Until Tweedledee and Tweedledum allow me out of the condo there isn't much I can do other than online stuff.” She glared at Kir and Logan equally. “Which is why I called you in.'

Travis opened his mouth to answer when a knock sounded on the front door. They stared at it.

'Kir?'

'I didn't order in pizza, Logan, honest.'

Logan tensed as Kir went to answer the door, setting Jordan back on the sofa and standing quickly.

“Kir!” He strode towards his lover.

'I know, I know! Sit, Kir. Stay. Woof.” Kir leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

'Don't pout, babe. Jordan does it better.” Logan opened the front door with a grin.

The punch hurt almost as much as Jordan's piercing shriek. He looked up from his position on the floor to see the twin sons of Thor standing over him, fists clenched, murder in their eyes.

'How the fuck did you get through the wards?'

Kir pushed both men back, ignoring their futile attempts to land a blow on him. “Gentlemen, if you'll just calm down, I'm certain we can come to some sort of understanding.'

'Die, imposter!” Magnus Grimm threw another punch, looking startled when it glanced off that invisible shield Kir was endowed with.

'Die!” Morgan Grimm echoed his brother's movements a split second after, with the same effects.

Logan leaned up on his elbows and glared at them. “Again, I ask: How did you get through the fucking wards? '

'You must be slipping, Loki. There are no wards.” Magnus glared down at him, his blue eyes fierce, his face nearly matching his red hair as he tried to land blow after blow on Kir and failed.

Morgan managed to get behind Kir and began raining blows on the back of his head. If he'd succeeded in landing just one, Kir would have been unconscious. Instead, he looked like the world's largest bobblehead, as the repeat blows bounced his head forward.

' Guys! ” Jordan bellowed, her hands cupped around her mouth. “Stop!'

'Did they hurt you?” Morgan bellowed back, turning to stare at her. He kicked Logan's leg in the process, looking grimly delighted when Logan hissed in pain.

Logan stood. He felt his fires building inside him. Oh, goody. I haven't had a really good fight in a long, long time. His smile was feral as his fists lit up. “Hey, pretty boy. Did Daddy send you out here to do his dirty work?'

'Logan, knock it off.'

'Tell that to your stepbrothers, Jordan.” He and Morgan began to dance around one another, both waiting for the other to make the first move.

'Really, Magnus, you'd think you'd know me. You're my damn nephew, after all.” Kir was still trying to hold off Magnus, the elder twin, with little luck; neither one of them was willing to let the twins anywhere near Jordan, which was severely hampering their movements.

Morgan, the bastard, feinted left, and Logan fell for it. He got past Logan, pulling Jordan behind him, both of her wrists grasped in one big hand. “We're leaving now, sis.'

Jordan gasped in pain as Morgan, all unknowing, put pressure on her shoulder wound.

Thunder cracked. Lightning struck just outside the building, blinding anyone who looked out the window. Kir turned, his eyes dark blue, the irises white as snow. Dark clouds drifted across their surface like reflections in a pond. He completely ignored Magnus’ last punch; his head didn't even move. “Get

your hands off of her. Now .'

Logan shivered at the low timber of his lover's voice. Shit. Baldur's been roused. From the sheet of rain that was suddenly coming down outside, Kir was severely pissed.

Magnus’ eyes were wide, but he refused to let go, holding Jordan behind him despite her desperate attempts to get free. “No. I refuse to hand my sister over to a murderer.'

Kir's eyes closed and his head tilted back.

Logan felt a chill go down his spine as power built around Kir. “Kir, no.'

When Kir opened his eyes, a spring storm, grey and white and blue all swirled together, danced across them. They were totally inhuman. Light pulsed around him, dappled green as the light that shone through new leaves. 'Let her go.' His voice was the softest and most dangerous Logan had heard in centuries.

Morgan and Magnus both looked confused at Kir's display. “That's not possible,” Magnus whispered, moving around the glowing Kir. “It has to be a trick.'

'No trick.” Logan stood slowly and approached Kir, his eyes never wavering from his lover's face. The last time he'd seen that look on Kir's face was when he'd found Logan tied to the mountain. “Love?'

Kir blinked, some of the anger receding from his face, but his gaze remained riveted to Morgan.

'Morgan? You need to let go of Jordan now.” Travis stepped carefully between Kir and Morgan, gently pulling Jordan's hands out of Morgan's grasp.

'It has to be a trick.” Magnus pushed Logan aside and tried to touch Kir.

Before Logan could react, light flashed, thunder sounded, and Magnus was flying across the room. His