Hello everyone! Welcome to the ultimate D-dump! (For those of you who don't know what that means it means dumping excessive amounts of pain, angst, tears -happy and sad- and a ridiculous amount of writing in a short period of time onto the internet...) I love writing and I love my characters and all my readers. :) This is my first published Loki fanfic and it is finished.

Here's a couple things to know about this one:

1. This takes place four years after The Dark World.

2. Thor and Jane got married and she came to live with him on Asgard (which was

not smashed because Ragnarok hasn't happened- alternate timeline-)

3. Baby Frigga is Thor and Jane's child, not a reincarnation of his dead mom.

4. Thor was a good bro and brought his injured brother to earth with him where he

received minimal medical treatment while Thor fought evil elf and saved the world.

5. Loki was brought back for trial and real medical treatment Asgardian style and has

basically been placed under house arrest for all of eternity with no rights of a Prince (though he was allowed to keep the title.)

Please Comment! And enjoy!

-D.

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

Proverbs 17:17

Jane never thought she would care about her brother-in-law. Not even a bit.

She knew Thor did and, for his sake, she forced civility, but never thought there was a risk of actually caring about her new brother. She never thought she'd love him like she did…

It had begun with Baby Frigga… her husband had finally convinced her-resentfully- to allow his brother to care for the child while they were away for a few hours.

Baby Frigga was sleeping soundly on Loki's chest as Thor and her returned from their first evening out in months. Loki himself was also asleep, slid down low in his chair with one hand cradling his niece and the other drowsily slipping from its place in a book. It was her book of Asgardian constellations. A rag was slung over his shoulder beneath the infant where he'd been burping her and the child was expertly swaddled in a green wrap.

Thor gave a sad smile at his brother's sleeping form and silently helped her out of her cloak. She wondered at Thor's look, but wondered more at his brother. Where was the raging killer on Svartalfheim? Who was this domesticated intellect? Thor was right...he had not harmed their child, in fact he rocked her to sleep. Jane tried not to gape.

She had been worried sick the entire time. It had taken Thor three weeks to convince her to condone his brother watching the child, and she had almost backed out minutes before. Loki had been quiet and resigned, in the same way and manner he'd been for the past four years, but complied to his brother's request only questioning it once. When Thor had practically begged him and lamented the few hours of sleep his wife and he had had since the babe was born, and the fewer hours of diversion, a ghost of a smile brushed Loki's pale and gaunt face and he had agreed. Three times while they were out Thor had to convince her to stay. Had all her worry been for naught?

Thor quietly stepped over to his brother and placed a heavy hand gently on his shoulder, opening his mouth to wake Loki easily. But the darker brother's eyes snapped open immediately at first contact and he launched himself over the back of his chair backwards, infant still clutched to his chest. Jane shrieked in terror for her child but as he backed toward the balcony the child still slept soundly and safely in a tender embrace. Loki blinked sleep and fear from his eyes and looked around the room in bewilderment.

Thor raised his hands slowly and promised, "I didn't mean to startle you. Are you alright?"

Loki frowned and pressed his hand in a protective cage around little Frigga's head. "...Thor?..." He mumbled, blinking and squinting in confusion. Jane's heart pounded and she stepped forward to snatch her infant from his arms, eager to have her safely against her breast. Loki took a step back and a dagger came from his magic to protect the child.

"Loki." Thor's voice was gentle and soft, as though he were assuring a frightened child. "It's all right, please give Frigga back to Jane…"

"Frigga?..." Loki looked down at the child in his arms and his eyes widened before clamping shut against something harsh and unbearable. When they opened and landed on Jane they were teary and burning with an unspeakable agony.

Wordlessly he handed the little girl back over to Jane who cradled her child protectively, her face puzzled, as Loki avoided her gaze and whispered to Thor,

"Sorry, brother, I thought…" His voice trailed off the edge of the world and dove into the silence of another reality. One too brutal and painful to be spoken aloud. Jane's heart still raced against her.

Thor murmured back, "I know, Loki." He approached his brother slowly, as though to comfort him, but Loki stiffened and stumbled over to the chair to retrieve his jacket. Thor stopped with a look so pained he might have been stabbed. "Loki-" He started.

"She, ate well and fell asleep on time." Loki interrupted quietly, "I am sorry if I frightened you, Jane." He hesitated in the threshold of the door as though he wanted to say something more, but finally finished with, "You're constellations are very accurate."

He then turned quietly and slunk away. There was a time when Loki sauntered, a time when Loki stumbled, a time where Loki slipped, but now he slunk. A slithering shadow afraid of the sun.

Jane watched Thor's knuckles whiten as they clenched around the back of the chair and his gaze was tortured and distant.

"Thor?" She asked hesitantly, "What was that?"

"Something of the past." He forced out, closing his eyes forcefully and taking a mighty breath. When they opened they were grim and grieved, great sorrow sinking into deep blue depths helplessly. "Let's put her to bed." he gave a tortured but tender smile at his child before stepping forward to help his wife.

That night as they lay in bed, Jane's head resting upon her husband's bare chest, fingers webbed through his, she finally voiced the small voice in her head with a quiet,

"Thor…? Loki knows a lot about children...doesn't he?..."

"Yes." The prince whispered back.

"Thor…does he...did he..was there ever…." She broke her sentence off, not sure how to finish the thought.

"What is it you want to know, my love?" Thor gave a heavy sigh.

"Does Loki have a child, Thor? " She sat up to watch his face for an answer.

It twisted painfully and he gave her a small broken smile.

"He did." Was all he said, and Jane's heart cracked.

"And…?" She asked, breathlessly, afraid. Not really wanting to know what happened, but needing to...because the way he held baby Frigga...the way his dagger had come up...the way the terror had shown in his emerald gaze...the way Thor had said; "I know." But she didn't know...and she needed to.

"And it is not my story to tell, my sweet." Thor whispered, tears glistening in the moonlight from the window. Jane felt her own surface simply for the fact that they rose in Thor's and an understanding was to be gleaned from this admittance. "I can only tell you that Loki was once a father and his child is now no more. If you wish to know more, you will have to ask him… although I ask you to tread with caution… grief is a terrible force."

Jane nodded quietly before slipping under the covers again and curling into Thor's side.

Sleep did not come quickly that night.