(A/N: After writing chapter 9 of Phantasm, I need an uplifting piece to write to take a quick emotional break, so here's another Loki and Harley fic -recommend you read Braids first if you have not- I don't own anything from the Thor universe).

Monsters

"I think I'll draw a blue bird. What are you going to draw?"

Harley reached for the box of crayons and pulled out a bright green one. "A cat!" she declared as she began to press down hard on the paper.

"A green cat?" I asked with a grin.

"Uh-huh! He's a vegetable. But no one likes him."

"What?" I laughed, watching as she worked away. "A vegetable cat?"

"Yeah!"

"What sort of vegetable?" I asked, returning to draw my bird.

"An icky green one," she replied, beginning to scribble wildly. "No one likes him because he tastes bad."

"Don't you think he'll need some friends?" I asked her, but she shook her head.

"He's a vegetable, Mommy. He can't have friends." I couldn't hold back the laugh and reached over for a yellow crayon to draw the beak.

"Well, maybe he can be friends with my bird? I think he'd like that."

"No, Mommy," Harley said, reaching for another shade of green. "He'd eat the bird."

"Do vegetables eat birds?"

"Cat ones do," she said with a nod.

"Ah," I said. "Hey! I bet I can draw mine faster than you."

"No way!" she cried and began to work as fast as she could. Behind me, I heard footsteps and Loki cleared his throat.

"Everything's ready," he said behind me, but I didn't look back at him.

"Okay, just give me a sec," I laughed, grabbing a black crayon to draw the feet. Within seconds, Harley threw her crayon down and held up her drawing.

"Done!" she shouted, quite proud of herself, and I chuckled, looking at my daughter's interpretation of a vegetable cat.

"Wow!" I said. "That looks just like a vegetable cat!"

She giggled and placed the paper down as I stood up, handing her my bird drawing. "Here, why don't you put these both in your room and I'll help you hang them up later."

"Okay," she said, skipping off. I turned to face Loki who was wearing an amused grin as he watched Harley leave.

"A vegetable cat?" he inquired and I laughed.

"What? You've never heard of one?"

"She clearly has a better understanding of the natural world than I shall ever hope to," he replied and I chuckled, kissing his cheek. "Your things are packed and waiting at the bifrost."

"Great," I replied, noticing the uncertain look on his face. "Nervous?"

"Don't be ridiculous," he scoffed, extending his arm to me. I entwined mine with his and walked with him towards the palace doors. "Are you sure she can't come along with you?" he asked after a few minutes.

"It's no place for kids," I answered. "Otherwise I would bring her." My grandmother's health had been declining over the past year, but now it was clear she was down to her final days, and unfortunately it appeared as though they were to be spent in a hospital.

"I understand," Loki sighed. I offered him a sad smile.

"It'll only be for a few days," I assured him. "Besides, I think you two need this. It'll give you a chance to bond."

"I'm afraid I may not be too good at this," he said softly.

"It'll come." We came to a stop, and I turned, waiting for Harley, knowing one of the servants would bring her. "Play with her. Read her bedtime stories. Spend time with her. She'll warm up to you."

Harley came running, the servant who had brought her, unable to keep up and I knelt down, allowing her to run into my open arms. "You be good, kiddo," I told her as I gave her a crushing hug. "Mommy's gonna be back soon, I promise."

"I'll be good," she said, squeezing tightly.

I smiled and whispered in her ear, "Go easy on Loki. He's still new to this."

"Okay, Mommy," she whispered back, and I snickered.

Once I was gone a voice spoke out, "She's really left you to fend for yourself with the child, Brother?" Harley turned her head in the direction of its source and a wide smile broke across her face.

"Uncle Thor!" she shouted running to greet him. Thor chuckled, picking her up and hoisting her on this hip.

"Hello there, little one!" he said with a smile. "I suppose you wouldn't be interested in a game of tag outside, would you?"

"Yeah!" she shouted and he chuckled, carrying her off. Loki frowned, watching the two of them leave, and resigned himself to his quarters, knowing he had other things he had to see to anyways.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

Loki stirred, groaning into his pillow and reached his hand over to the other side of the bed by pure force of habit. When his hand met with empty blankets he sighed, remembering now that there was no 'Mommy' there to come running, which left it up to him. So with a yawn, he sat up, rubbing his eyes and shuffling his way to where his robe hung. "Mommy!" he heard her wail even louder, her loud sniffling telling him that she was already in tears. Tying the robe in place he made his way to the child's bedroom.

When he opened the door, Harley was sitting on her bed, her favorite doll clutched tightly in her arms, and tears rolling down her cheeks. Once she saw him, she sucked in a deep breath before whimpering, "I want Mommy!"

"Your mother's not here, Harley," Loki said, still groggy. "She went to be with her parents, remember?"

"But I want her!" Her lower lip was trembling and she clutched her doll tighter.

"I know," Loki sighed. "But perhaps I can be of help?" Harley sniffled and nodded, her tangled hair falling in front of her face, and he approached her bed, kneeling meet eye level with her. "Now then… what seems to be the problem?"

"There's a frost giant in my closet!" she said, her voice cracking as she pointed her hand towards her wardrobe. Loki glanced at the wardrobe, then back to her.

"Is there?" he asked.

"They're big, scary, and blue with red eyes and now there's one in my closet and it's gonna get me!"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Thor told me about them."

Loki closed his eyes and let his forehead hit the mattress. "Of course he did…" he grumbled.

"I want Mommy!" Harley wailed again, beginning to sob. "She'd scare it away!"

Loki turned his head back to the wardrobe again and thought for a moment. "I don't think she could…" he said contemplatively.

"Why not?"

An idea came to him, and he smirked, looking back towards Harley. "Because frost giants are too powerful! Your mother wouldn't stand a chance." He stood up and paced to the wardrobe slowly. "No. The only way to defeat a frost giant is to be scarier than they are. And you know what scares them more than anything?"

"What?" she asked crawling to the edge of the bed curiously. Loki turned to her with a smile.

"Little girls," he answered.

"Nah-uh!" she said shaking her head.

"Oh but it's true!" Loki insisted making his way to her bed and sitting down beside her. "They hate little girls! And do you know why? Because they're so small they can easily elude them."

"What's a lude?" Harley asked and Loki chuckled.

"Elude," he corrected her. "It means you can sneak past them without detection. That's what scares them. You could easily creep into their houses and hide, only to jump out and scare them when they least expect it."

"Really?"

"Really." Loki nodded towards the wardrobe. "You've already got one hiding in your wardrobe. I'd say he's pretty scared, wouldn't you think?"

"Yeah!" Harley gasped with a smile. From the doorway, Thor poked in his head and Harley spotted him with a smile. "Uncle Thor! I scared a frost giant into my closet!" she called, smiling quite proud of herself.

"Can we help you?" Loki asked, glancing up at him.

"I heard her crying, and thought I'd see if you need any help," he said, smiling at Harley.

"Oh I think we've got it under control," Loki replied. "I was just telling her how the frost giants are terrified of little girls."

"Oh yes!" Thor said with an exaggerated nod. "Completely terrified. And you've already got one cornered in your closet?"

"I did!" Harley squealed.

"Well then what are we waiting for? I say it's time you scared it out of Asgard." He made his way to the bed and climbed onto the mattress, crouching beside her while Loki pulled himself onto all fours on the other side.

"How do I do that?" Harley asked, mimicking the two of them.

"You let out a mighty roar, of course," Thor answered. "Let that monster know this is your bedroom and he's not welcome here!"

"Very, very loudly," Loki added with a grin. "So if there's any others hiding around the palace they'll know there's a little girl in here waiting to get them."

"Will you help me?"

"Of course. All together on three. One… two… three!" The three of them turned their heads to the wardrobe and let out the loudest roars they could muster, Harley straining her little lungs until her face turned red. When they stopped Loki signaled everyone to be quiet as he listened. "I think we need to do it again," he said and Thor nodded in agreement.

"Ready?" he asked. "Now!" Again, the three of them let out the loudest roars they could muster until they were out of breath, and Harley bounced on her bed happily.

"Again!" she laughed and the two brothers chuckled.

"One last time," Loki said. "And make it a good one!" Harley nodded excitedly, and Loki placed a hand on her shoulder. "On three. One… two… three!" They roared out for the last time, Harley raising herself upwards on her knees, her little hands clenched into fists as she tried to put on the scariest face she could muster.

When the roar reached a close, Loki climbed off the bed, signaling them all to remain quiet, and cautiously approached the wardrobe. Reaching out, he pulled the door open and stepped aside, using his magic to shine a light inside, revealing it to be empty. "We did it!" Harley cried with a smile and Thor laughed, patting her on the back.

"Well done, little one," he congratulated her. "I'd say the frost giants will think twice before returning here, now that they know Asgard is inhabited by one so terrifying."

"All right, time for bed," Loki said, yawning as he approached her bed, waiting for Thor to climb off before pulling over the covers to tuck her in. "Will there be anything else for tonight?" he asked and she shook her head, still smiling. "Sleep well then, frost giant slayer."

With that, both he and Thor stepped out, leaving Harley to roll over and settle into the pillows.

"You're not doing me any favors, you know," Loki said as they stood in the hall. "It was your stories that had her up in the first place."

"My stories?" Thor asked. "I'll have you know she begged me to tell her a story, brother. So I told her about the time we beat the frost giants in Jotunheim."

"Is that how it played out? We beat them? Because I seem to remember things turning out quite differently."

"All right, so I may have embellished a little. I didn't know it would scare her."

"Well next time you feel the need to boast about your exploits, please leave out the monsters," Loki sighed, rubbing his eyes. Thor nodded and turned to leave, stopping momentarily to look to his brother with a laugh.

"You know it's rather ironic. Harley being afraid of frost giants…" Loki's brow furrowed.

"How is that ironic?"

Thor shook his head. "No reason." With that he left, and Loki sighed, looking to Harley's closed door.

"As if I wasn't already having a difficult enough time…"

He turned, resigning himself to his chambers and stepped in front of a mirror. Closing his eyes and straining a little, his facade melted away and his deep blue jotun form came into view. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked himself over, rarely taking the time to really observe his true form like this. His blood red eyes were the first thing to grab his attention, followed soon by the raised designs that stretched over his entire body. He was small for a frost giant, but there was no question that he was one when he let his true form show.

"I'm the monster that parents tell their children about at night?!"

He sighed as he looked himself over, shaking his head, but caught a glimpse of something in the mirror. The door behind him was cracked open slightly. His eyes widened and he spun around, spotting the pair of blue eyes staring up at him.

"Harley!" he gasped, and the little girl stood frozen in place, staring up at him trembling. In a blink, Loki reverted back, and slowly approached the door, pulling it open further.

"You're… you're a frost giant?" Harley asked, her eyes wide with fear.

"…Yes," Loki answered, kneeling down. "I am." Harley stood silently for a long time, her expression of fear slowly fading as she watched him.

"Then… is that why you never play with me?"

Loki's expression changed from concerned to confused. "What?"

"Frost giants are scared of little girls, remember?" Harley stated. "Are you afraid of me?"

Loki sat stunned, clearly not expecting the conversation to go this way. If she had any idea the absurdity of a child asking a frost giant if it was afraid of her… Slowly, Harley made her way up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, Loki still remaining frozen, trying to process what was happening.

"I promise I won't hurt you," she whispered, squeezing him tight. Slowly, Loki brought his arms around her, returning the embrace. "Don't be scared of me, okay?"

"All right," Loki whispered. After a moment he released her and stroked her cheek. "Come on, it's past your bedtime."

Loki and Harley were waiting for me at the bifrost when I returned, Harley running into my open arms to eagerly welcome me back. Loki smiled where he stood, always maintaining his reserved demeanor, but I could tell in his eyes he was as happy as she was to have me back.

"You survived!" I teased him, walking over for an embrace.

"We had a marvelous time, didn't we, Harley?" he said, looking to my daughter with a grin.

"We built a fort in my room!" Harley announced with a smile. "You have to see it, Mommy!" She began to tug at my hand and I laughed.

"Go on ahead," I told her. "I'll be there in a minute." Harley turned and began to run off, pausing for a moment, and turning, looking at Loki and lunging forward a bit with a growl. Loki jumped and stepped behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders and pretending to cower ever so slightly. Harley giggled and turned, running off, and I glanced over my shoulder at Loki who was smiling amused.

"Okay… what was that?" I asked. He shook his head.

"It's a long story," he replied, kissing my cheek.