Marvel characters don't belong to little old me. :) Just my OCs.

Sixteen years ago...

Loki leaned against the kitchen doorway, watching quietly as Gabrielle cooked. The young woman had her back to him and he knew without a doubt that she did not know that he was there. She had a habit of shutting the world out when she worked and one of his favorite pasttimes had always been trying different techniques of gaining her attention. A game which he'd just begun to play...

Loki raised his hand slightly and one of the measuring cups Gabrielle had just pulled out disappeared in twinkling green light when she turned to check her cookbook. A smile quirked the corner of his lips as she reached for the recently vanished utensil only to look up and swear under her breath to find it gone.

Still fighting back a smile, Loki waved his hand and the cup reappeared just as Gabrielle bent down to retrieve another from one of the drawers. The woman straightened, then stiffened, head whipping comically back and forth in the direction of the cup on the counter and the one in her hand. The swears coming from her were more audible now, this time accompanied with the sound of his name.

"Guilty as charged, dearest," Loki spoke with a chuckle.

Gabrielle whipped around, her blue eyes wide as she laid one hand over her heart and the other on the bulge of her stomach, "Don't do that, Loki! You about scared me half to death!"

Smile now repentant, he strode forward and gathered her into his arms, holding her as tightly as he dared. It had taken him a full month to finally manage to sneak away from Asgard to see her. Much too long in his opinion.

She melted into him and he pressed a kiss into her hair, "Sorry love, but you really make it too easy sometimes." That comment earned him a sharp smack to his chest, as he'd known it would. He smirked, "Still can't keep your hands off me, I see."

Gabrielle leaned back just enough so that he could see her roll her eyes at him, "Always running your mouth, Odinson. How about, for a change, you just shut up and kiss me already."

He laughed, "Gladly." With a teasing smirk still on his face, he picked up her left hand, which was resting on his shoulder, and placed a kiss to the gold wedding band he himself had placed there almost a year ago. She huffed in impatience and grabbed his face with both of her hands, pulling him down to her level. He started to laugh again only to be silenced when her lips met his.

He deepened the kiss and could have sworn that he was drowning when he felt a sharp jab at his abdomen. They broke apart and Gabrielle's hand lead his to rest on the top of her belly, just in time to feel the baby give another kick.

"Hello to you too, Little One. You've gotten stronger," Loki murmured softly, his full attention now on the bulge of his young wife's belly, which had grown a bit since last he saw her.

Gabrielle snorted, causing him to look back up at her, "Yes, and she doesn't like her mama to sleep either."

"You still haven't been able to calm her?"

"The only thing that calms her is her daddy's voice. You know that, Loki," she finished softly as he pulled her in for another kiss.

One month later...

Loki's eyes widened in shock when he finally entered the clearing. Gabrielle's two story colonnial that she'd inherited from her grandfather was completely unrecognizable. He'd left a week ago to keep his family in Asgard from getting suspiscious only to return to find his wife's home was almost completely burnt to the ground. Shaking himself out of his shock, he raced to the ruins, searching franctically through the rubble and ash and hoping beyond hope that he wouldn't find a body.

When he reached what was left of their room, he could clearly see the signs of a struggle marking the one wall that remained standing. A large blood splutter, the sight of which nearly caused his heart to stop. But he couldn't lose hope yet. It was still quite possible that she and the baby had been rescued.

He surveyed his surroundings, looking for signs. Yes, several other people had already combed through the wreckage before he'd arrived. The footprints were no longer well defined, so it had to have been some days ago. Possibly only a few days after he'd left. He clenched his fists, he was going to tear apart whoever had done this...

As he left the wreckage, determined to check for his pregnant wife in every hospital and clinic in Gabrielle's small hometown, something else caught his eye. He turned, facing the old family cemetary which was adjacent to the back of the house. What he saw there literally caused his heart to stop.

There were two brand new gravestones.

As if in a daze, he walked through the gate and fell to his knees in front of them.

The first, and largest of the two confirmed his worst fear.

GABRIELLE SHALOM DARKHOLME

B. January 18th, 1978 D. March 1st, 1998

'Beloved Friend and Mother'

March 1st. Five days after he'd left her completely alone, defenseless. Fighting the tears in his eyes, his gaze drifted to the smaller headstone. What was engraved there took the breath out of him.

BRYNN FRIGGA DARKHOLME

B. February 26th, 1998 D. March 1st, 1998

'Beloved Angel'

The baby. Their baby. Gabrielle had given birth only the day after he'd left. If only he'd hadn't been so worried about his father's ridicule of his marriage. If only he had taken his beloved to Asgard.

Only now was it too late. Never again would he get to kiss Gabrielle. And he would never, ever, hold his baby daughter in his arms.

He sat in front of the graves all that night, silently letting the tears fall...

I know I've got a few other stories that need attention, but this idea has been nagging me for a while now. Let me know what you think!