Ch1~Prologue
A/N: Hi everybody! The long promised sequel has arrived. I hope it meets expectations.
In this, Loki's mostly back to normal (the way he was at the beginning of Thor)
As for pairings, it's Clintasha, Logyn, and Pepperony.
Enjoy!
Thor and Loki walked to the broken edge of the Bifrost, carrying the Tesseract in its case. The council had wondered for a while if the unlimited power within the cube could repair the damage done to the bridge. Today was the day to find out. Loki had high hopes for it. They came to a stop before Heimdall, bowing deeply. The gatekeeper took the case from the brothers, and carried it into the recently rebuilt observatory dome. Everyone watched with bated breath as the cylinder was lowered into the core. Heimdall closed the core, and placed the lock back on it. If it hadn't been part of his job to remain stoic at even the most joyous of occasions, he would've been smiling. Loki glanced out at the crowd, searching Sigyn's face among them. He found her standing next to Frigga and Odin. She was smiling with excitement, and in her arms she held their year-old son, Narfi. Loki grinned, his heart nearly bursting with pride at the sight of them.
"You may go. Thank you, my princes. Thor, are you ready?"
"Yes I am. This is goodbye for now, brother. Take care of mother and father for me."
"I will. Take care of yourself, and say hello to the Avengers for me." Thor nodded, grinning.
"Of course. Shall I tell them about Narfi?"
"Yes. Tell them whatever they ask about me or Sigyn."
"That I will." Thor pulled his brother close. Loki inwardly winced. He still wasn't one for open displays of affection, but for the sake of his brother, he surrendered himself to the embrace. Loki held him at arms length after a moment, considering all that had happened in the past few years. Loki, despite the ill-will of many of the Asgardian citizens, had risen above his past. Thor had chosen Loki to be his co-regent when the time came for him to ascend the throne. Odin had approved of this, hoping that it might bring Loki back to him. All may have been forgiven, but verbal exchanges between Loki and the All-father had been tense at best.
"Stay safe." Loki cautioned before turning and walking back over to his family. He put an arm around Sigyn's shoulders and they watched as Thor stepped into the dome.
"Where is he going?" Sigyn asked. Loki watched the dome light up as Thor was pulled into the portal.
"Back to Midgard. Back to the Avengers." Sigyn smiled, fondly remembering the months she'd lived at StarkTower. Tony's lab, her apartment, and the adventure she'd lived through had left their mark. Every once in a while, she had asked Heimdall to tell her how they were faring, but it wasn't the same as actually speaking with them. She missed Tony's jokes, Bruce's quiet presence, and Natasha's stories of different Midgardian lands. But now she had her husband and son to care for and another child on the way, so gallivanting off into other realms was out of the question.
The crowd slowly began to dissipate. "Let's go." He said, guiding her gently towards the palace. Narfi began to fuss, reaching out his arms towards his father. Loki chuckled as he took the child from Sigyn.
"Come here, my son." Loki said gently, tucking him securely against his side. "Let's give your mother a break from holding you." Narfi giggled as his father tickled his ribs and stomach. The small family entered the palace, and the gates closed behind them.
Loki stood at the window, watching the sun set over the city. Sigyn had just finished giving Narfi his bath, and was getting him settled down for the night.
"You should talk to Odin, you know." Sigyn said gently. Loki turned, trying to keep control of his anger at the suggestion.
"Why? I may be forgiven, but I'm still nothing more than a pawn. And I have been proving myself useful lately. I helped repair the Bifrost, but do I get any thanks for it? I think not. Thor does, and as much as I love my brother, it still irks me that I don't at least get a share in the credit." Sigyn laid Narfi in his crib and walked over to her husband, massaging her lower back with each step.
"No, listen to me, Loki. Odin has spoken to me and expressed a desire to speak with you. Trust me." At the utterance of the last phrase, Loki felt his anger melt away. She was worried about his well-being. Any wife would. He pulled her close, brushing his lips across her cheek.
"I will speak to him. But in my own time." Sigyn smiled.
"That's all I wanted to hear." She whispered. Loki pulled her into his arms, and guided her over to their bed. Sigyn lay down, sighing as the weight of her pregnancy was relieved. Loki watched her, his expression unreadable.
"I will speak to him tomorrow, after breakfast." he said as he lay down next to her. Sigyn snuggled closer, her affectionate display making him smile. She was the only one whom he allowed to see his softer side. Very few people could make him smile like that; an expression that made one forget that he was the god of mischief, the Lie-smith, and the Silver-tongue.
"How in the Nine Realms could someone like you love someone as messed up as me?" he asked, contemplating the golden head resting on his shoulder.
"I don't know, but I do anyway." She whispered as he traced her cheek with his fingertip. "And I always will."