He didn't come to her house very often. Sometimes he'd pick her up if she had early class the next morning and he was taking her to dinner or something. There was really no reason for him to come here, though. When he did pick her up on nights like that he always came in for a while so it wasn't as if her roommates never spoke to him. They didn't really know him, though.

Tonight, though, she sort of had to be here. The four of them (with the help of their boyfriends) had spent all week decorating and cleaning the house for the Halloween party tonight. Halloween was on a Tuesday, but theirs wasn't the only party going on this weekend. They had lucked out that the weather was absolutely gorgeous today, so they could put the keg and some chairs outside like they had for Memorial Day. Tomorrow wasn't slated to be nearly as warm as today, so she expected a lot of people to pass through their doors tonight.

"Sara," Chad said after Erik had gotten there.

"Yeah?"

"Am I just now noticing that your boyfriend kind of looks like Thor?"

Sara couldn't help but giggle a little. "Why?"

"Well, I don't know. I guess I never stopped to think about it before, but tonight he's here in the cape and the helmet with the hammer. He's even blonde and rather built."

"I hadn't noticed."

"Come on. You were in love with Thor since we were little kids and you didn't notice this?"

"I notice it now," she said, watching as Erik made his way to her. He hadn't told her what he was dressing up as. She assumed, sort of, that he was going to go the minimum necessary like a mask or something.

There was no minimum involved in this costume. Unless you counted the fact the shirt he had on was only a tank top, leaving his arms from shoulder down completely bare. She couldn't deny she loved his arms.

"So it seems you're a lucky woman then," Chad said.

"Why?"

"Because you got one of the good ones. I had my doubts when Susan told me how old he was, but he seems good to you. And, no offense to Thor, but it takes a pretty confident man to walk into a college party looking like that."

"Oh come on, other people are dressed up."

"Not from head to toe," he said and she took a minute to look around the room and realize he was right. There was someone dressed as the pope, but he had tennis shoes on beneath his robe. There were some people who'd gone the mask route and nothing else. Some who had face paint on to make them look scary but nothing else. Very few had gone to the lengths he had to have a complete costume. She and her roommates had because it was their party.

Her costume of Joan of Arc sort of paled in comparison to his.

"Sara, he even has what looks like a very realistic copy of Molnar."

"Mjölnir."

"Yeah, whatever," he said with a chuckle. Pretty pathetic she still knew the name of Thor's hammer.

"Hi," she said when he reached where she and Chad were standing.

"Hi," he said. "Good to see you again, Chad. Why are you staring at me Sara?"

"I just wasn't expecting."

"Thor?"

"Yeah."

"Am I not what you imagined?"

Was she supposed to answer that? Holy crap, she wanted to leave with him right now, go back to his place and his room and do things while he was wearing that costume that probably would result in his not being able to return it.

"You are everything that I imagined."

"That is good to know. And you are?"

"Not as eye catching, but Joan of Arc."

"A god and a saint, I'd say we did pretty well considering we didn't tell each other what our costumes were going to be."

"I'm not sure a saint should feel the way I'm feeling right now."

"Is that right? Is now a bad time to mention the shirt is mine?"

"Really?" she asked. She really, really liked the shirt. In addition to his arms the sides were open, too leaving all sorts of skin exposed. "God I was hoping you'd say that."

"Sara," he said with a chuckle. "It's not as if you haven't seen me."

"I know, it's just. You're him, Erik."

"Well, that was the point."

She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him. "God, I love you."

"For dressing up as Thor?"

"No, yes, I mean, just yes, everything. All of it. You."

"I'm going to go find Susan," Chad interrupted.

"She was out back last I checked, getting something out of the garage I think."

"I'll start there. You kids have fun. Nice seeing you take a break from crime fighting once in a while, Thor," Chad said with a chuckle.

"I surprised you?"

"Yes!"

"A good surprise?"

"God, yes. I feel kind of silly."

"Why?"

"I'm not a kid anymore."

"And I'm not a picture in a comic book, Sara."

"Believe me, I know."

"Better start mingling before your guests burn you at the stake."

"Ha! They don't do that anymore."

"I'd stop them anyway."

"You would?"

He winked. "You bet I would. Nothing better than saving a damsel in distress. They're all pliable in your arms then. The hero always gets the girl, haven't you heard?"

She poked his chest with a finger. "You don't need to save me for that to happen."

"You could save me."

"From?"

"Find me a beer."

She laughed. "Yeah, follow Chad outside, the keg's out there."

"You'll be here?"

"Somewhere in here. Just look for the shiny sword."

"Yeah, about the shiny sword."

"Yes?"

"Uh, can you not bring it to bed with you later?"

"Aw, is the big bad God of Thunder worried about the saint's sword?"

"You never know your God might tell you to pull a Delilah on me," he said with a chuckle.

"Never! I'd never cut your hair."

"Never?"

"No."

"Good to know. I'll see ya in a bit."

It was actually a real good party with a huge turnout. The weather probably helped. It wasn't every day in late October the temperature got into the seventies in Chicago so everyone wanted an excuse to be out. It got cooler once the sun went down, but people came and went from the backyard keeping the house a little less crowded – and from getting too hot.

It was far less laid back then Memorial Day had been. By the end of the night, they were all exhausted because there always seemed to be a crowd in the house, most of the time it was people they hardly knew if they knew them at all. Theirs was one of many houses in the area close to campus having parties so people just walked along the sidewalks until they spotted the next one. They more than made their money back on the keg with the number of cups they sold.

"You going to drive me home, Joan?" he said once they'd gotten most everything cleaned up. No food so it was just a matter of gathering up and throwing cups away. Nothing had been broken. The floors would need to be swept and mopped or vacuumed tomorrow, but that was about it.

"If you want me to I can."

"I think I probably had enough to drink to warrant letting you."

"Was the god feeling self-conscious tonight?"

"The god was trying not to beat up the two or three guys trying to make time with his woman."

"I didn't notice."

"I did."

"Well, they're gone now."

"Yeah, I think Chad actually helped with that a couple of times."

"He did what?"

"He pointed me out to two of them. They didn't stick around very long after that."

She laughed. "I wouldn't have either if I was them."

"So," he said. "Getting me home safe after a night of raucous drinking is up to you tonight."

"Let's go then Thor before I make you sleep here."

"Hmm. That could be fun."

"Why?" she asked. He'd never expressed interest in staying the night here.

"Well, how many times do I get to make your dreams come true? Thor falling asleep in your bed had to be one at some point."

"Oh God. I'm so not answering that beyond saying I wake up to you in your bed. That's better than any dream, Erik. Trust me."

He chuckled as they left the house. She'd driven his pickup truck once, but that was only for a couple of blocks. She was a good driver and everything, but the pickup was his baby. And it, as he liked to say, hauled ass so she had to be careful. She hadn't had more than one or two beers all night, but she knew the Chicago Police Department would be out in full force all weekend.

She used his keys to unlock his door once they'd gotten there. He set the Mjölnir replica down by the door. Where on earth had he rented the costume? It had to be a rental. She knew there was a pretty famous costume shop in a Northwestern suburb, but she wasn't sure they carried Thor costumes. Then, maybe for Halloween they stocked all kinds of stuff.

Or maybe he planned that far ahead when she'd told him about the party at the beginning of September and ordered it.

"Do I get to help with the rest?" she asked.

"By all means," he said, heading for the stairs.

"Someone has to make sure the house is locked up."

"It should be, but you can check again if you want. You know where to find me when you're done."

She did. She stopped in his bathroom before going to his bed.

He'd taken his boots off, but the rest remained and she had absolutely no complaints about that at all.

"God you're gorgeous like this," she said.

"Sara," he said with a shake of his head.

"You are! It's not the costume so much as you wearing stuff that accentuates how big and strong you are."

"Hmm," he said as she worked his clothes off, leaving the shirt for last.

"When did you get undressed?" he asked.

She gave a soft laugh. "Before I came to bed."

"And I'm just now noticing this?"

"I guess so."

"Did I pass out or something?"

"No, I think you're just feeling good and were anticipating my undressing you."

"That's definitely something to anticipate."

"I agree."

"You're biased," she said, moving to straddle him.

"So are you."

She kissed his stomach, chuckling softly as his muscles rippled and flexed under her mouth.

"Ticklish?"

"Just wasn't expecting that."

She pushed the shirt up slowly, kissing each new inch of exposed skin as she went. God, she loved the feel and taste of him. It'd been so long since she'd done this she hadn't realized how much she loved it until going without for months.

She gripped the wristbands he still had on as she reached his chest. She found a nipple, taking it between her teeth as she slid herself over his length.

"Sara?"

She licked his nipple before letting it go, rubbing her cheek against his chest before sitting up to take him further inside of her. It had been months so she wasn't used to him anymore. She was slow about it, letting her body adjust to his size again.

"Sara," he whispered again.

She opened her eyes to meet his. He was smiling but she saw concern there, too.

"I'm fine."

"You realize I'm, uh, bare."

"Yes."

"Sara?"

"I know," she said softly.

"You sure you want to do it like this tonight?"

"Yes," she said softly as she settled herself completely over him. She held herself still, keeping him deep inside of her where she loved the feel of him. He was being very good, too. She'd let go of his wrists, but he seemed to understand she needed the control in full tonight.

"Can I help?" he asked, settling his hand at his abdomen inches away from touching her. She nodded in response, biting her lower lip as she concentrated on the different depths she could take him this way. She finished almost as soon as he touched her, which he very obviously enjoyed.

"I'm glad it's not just me who's beyond excited right now," he murmured. "You realize I've never been in someone bare before, right?"

"Yes, you told me."

"Just making sure because I don't want this one time to cause you to think it's not worth doing without one again."

"Why would I?"

"Not going to last very long."

"Good thing tomorrow is Saturday and we have all night."

"One last question, because I am close."

She laughed. "Should I be offended you can talk coherently at a time like this?"

"No! I need to be sure. Your parents?"

She shrugged. "They'd deal and probably understand in the long run why I didn't want to wait and have a doctor tell me later if I'd tried sooner the scarring may not have been that bad that I could have."

"We don't know you won't be able to later."

"We don’t know I will be able to now or later."

"Sara," he said, propping himself up on his elbows a little. "Look at me," he said.

"I am."

"No, I mean me. Look at me. I told you I want you either way. Kids or no kids make me no difference. I want to spend the rest of my life trying to give them to you even if ten doctors tell us we can't."

"I know."

"Having a baby right out of college."

"People do it."

"On purpose?"

"I imagine some do, sure. I have friends from high school who got married right out of high school and had kids."

"We do this tonight and this weekend, we're getting married next week."

"What?"

"I told you I'm willing to try when you're ready. I wasn't expecting it to be now, I figured next year maybe when you were done with school. I said I would and I'm not complaining. I want to have ten babies with you, Sara, you know that. I'm not having even one of them without being married first. You deserve better than people thinking I knocked you up as if I'm clueless about how to prevent such things."

"Okay," she said.

"Okay what?" he asked. "You've got to be pretty clear with your answer here, honey. Because if the okay is an 'okay I'll stop because I don't want to marry you' I need to pull out of you like right now."

"No, it's an okay I want to marry you and try for ten babies."

"I'll talk to my priest tomorrow."

"Monday," she said with a little laugh as she clenched around him, causing him to groan. "You're not going anywhere tomorrow."

"Kidnapping me?"

"Mm hmm. Are you mad?"

"Yes," he said, but she could tell he was lying. He didn't say anything again for hours.

Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com