– 6 months later –

"Ugh, all I want right now is a 5 course meal comprised of only desserts," you said sadly to Loki as you rubbed your protruding belly. "You here that, little one? Stop making me want all of the chocolate things in the galaxy," you yelled at your stomach.

Loki chuckled and you glared at him. "Shut up, you're not the one who's gained like 100 lbs," you said miserably. You and Loki had undoubtedly grown even closer during this time; you were overwhelmed with gratitude at how patient and helpful he had been with you as you struggled to recover from Noba while trying to focus on staying healthy and positive for your baby. You were excited for the birth of your firstborn, but man, did you hate all of the stuff that came with pregnancy – especially the intense mood swings. You were hyper sensitive and often, as you tearfully apologized to Thor one night after you screamed at him for making fun of your messy bun, a "hyper bitch."

"Y/N, shhhh," Loki said soothingly as he braided your hair away from your face. "You still look above average even in your pregnancy." You raised your eyebrows and giggled. "Above average? What's that supposed to mean? That I can sort of still see my toes if I lean way over?" Loki started stammering, "Well - I," but was cut off with a loud series of knocks on the door of "your" room.

You had moved into the palace upon Thor and Loki's insistence after telling the brothers that you were pregnant. They were both adamant that you should be surrounded by friends and the palace help – and having your own spacious, cozy room of your own with a wonderful view of the lower grounds wasn't too shabby. You wouldn't admit it to either of them, but you were relieved at being there – ever since Noba raped you and left, you had anxiety attacks that often left you shaking and sobbing as you tried to catch your breath. Thor put you on temporary leave from the royal guard – despite the screaming match you had where you insisted you were fine – to give you time to heal and focus on your mental health and baby. Loki was always able to soothe you, no matter how worked up you got, so you had been spending as much time with him as possible.

"Come in," you called out, surprised to see Lady Sif's exquisite face pop in the door. "Y/N, we need to get you out of here," she said firmly – the tone of her voice made your heart drop. "What do you mean?" You inquired; you felt waves of prickly fear racking your body and you tried to steady yourself before it turned into a full fledged panic attack. Lady Sif turned her gaze to Loki. "Loki, take her out of the palace. We finally found him – or rather, he found us." You felt Loki tense beside you as he snarled the one name you never hoped to hear again, "Noba."

Sif nodded. "He knows she's here, he took down three of the guards before we finally managed to get him restrained." You squeezed your eyes shut as memories flooded back; Noba holding your wrists down in a dark bedroom, the consuming feeling of helplessness, you still pleading with him to not leave you alone with child. You crossed your arms tightly as if trying to squeeze the painful recollections out of you, opening your eyes to concerned looks from Loki and Sif. "Y/N, it's ok. I won't let him hurt you again," Loki said, a formidable expression spreading across his pale face. You got your breathing under control and made a decision. "I know, Loki. But I need to face him." "No!" Sif and Loki cried out. Sif shook her head. "Y/N, we need to keep you and the baby safe. If anything goes wrong …" "Didn't you just hear Loki? I'm not as afraid of Noba when I know he'll be there. I need this, Sif, otherwise he's going to haunt me for the rest of my life. I can't raise my child right if I can't move forward from this." Your voice cracked slightly. Sif's expression softened and she pulled you into a hug. "OK, Y/N. We will be right by your side." You shot a sideways glance at Loki and he nodded solemnly, squeezing your hand with a small smile. You stood up gingerly with one hand on your stomach as Loki helped you up. "Let's do this," you said, swallowing the lump in your throat as the three of you stepped out the door.

-
You entered the high vaulted room where Noba was being held by the guards – and Thor – behind Sif, your hand clenching Loki's. Thor immediately rushed up to Sif. "What is she doing here?" He hissed ferociously. "She needs closure on this, Thor. It's her decision," Sif said simply. Thor looked at you and you nodded fervently. He sighed. "If this is what you need, Y/N."

You stepped forward toward your rapist, amazed at the sudden sense of power that swept over you. You were there surrounded by your friends and you felt surprisingly ready. There he sat with his hands bound, guards encircling him. Flicking his blond hair out of his emerald green eyes, Noba looked up and smiled at you. "There she is. I've missed you, babe." You felt revolted and enraged, how dare he even look at you smiling after what he out you through. "I am not your babe, you disgusting pile of bilge. I could slit your throat right now and not give a damn," you said icily as you clenched your fists.

Noba laughed. "Always one for the dramatic. We know you're not going to kill me. Especially not when I'm the father of our child." "YOU HAVE NO CLAIM OVER MY CHILD! YOU RAPED ME NOBA," you yelled out. You heard your voice ringing clear and strong, unwavering throughout the echoing room and you felt a surge of adrenaline. "You have NO say in this matter. You raped me and you left me when I told you I was pregnant. What part of your tiny brain thinks you would have any right to be here? That I would even think for a second of letting you back into my life? That you would EVER be able to see my child?" You paused as you tried to catch your breath.

Noba's smile fell from his face as his expression contorted into a sneer. "You wouldn't have had that child without me; you didn't even want to have sex, you dumb bitch!" He cried out.

Thor started forward, but Loki got there first. Kneeling down at eye level with Noba, Loki pulled out a small dagger nonchalantly, running the tip under the edge of Noba's throat. "You admit you raped her and call her a dumb bitch," Loki said quietly, his voice shaking with suppressed anger. Noba's eyes widened in fear. "I didn't, I didn't mean it." "Oh, I believe you did," Loki said, his tone more controlled now but even more dangerous. "You abused and violated this woman. You left her on her own with a baby to come. You then show up, in the presence of everyone who loves her, to further demean her? To try to get her back under your control? Well it will never happen," Loki hissed, pressing the blade to Noba's throat where tiny beads of crimson appeared. "This is the last time you will ever see her and you will never see your child. Now that your admittance to rape has been accounted for by witnesses, you will either rot in the dungeons of Asgard for all your days, or you will be killed. Either way, you will never, EVER, hurt this perfect woman ever again."

You couldn't help it, you beamed at Loki in his display of how far he would really go to protect you. You felt something in you stir as you looked at him with his soft dark hair and his ice blue eyes turning to gaze back at you. He put the knife down, walking back to you and placed it in your hand. "The choice is yours," he murmured.

Noba scoffed. "So that's it, huh? You get a little crush on her and think threatening me will make her want you? Pathetic."

Loki opened his mouth to retort but you grabbed his arm, shaking your head. You looked down at Noba, filled with a mixture of pity and hatred. "You're the pathetic one, Noba. And you can rot in the lowliest cells of Asgard for the rest of your days." You looked up at Loki, his eyes narrowing. "He doesn't deserve to live," he hissed. You exhaled. "He doesn't. But my child will not have a murderer for a mother." "Then let me kill him," Loki muttered, his eyes shooting daggers at your ex boyfriend. You smiled softly. "No, Loki. This is my decision to make. He will sit alone in those wretched cells and someday, maybe someday, he will feel remorse for what he has done. And he will live with that for the rest of his life."

You nodded at the guards, who grabbed Noba and started to drag him away. "You'll regret this Y/N," he screeched out. You watched him coldly until the doors slammed shut.

You looked at Thor and Sir, wiping tears from your eyes. It was over. "Thank you, my friends. Can you give Loki and I a moment alone?" "Of course," Sir said as Thor looked on confusedly. "But we should be celebrating together! Why do you need -" he was cut off as Sir grabbed his upper arm and dragged him away with an eye roll, whispering in his ear.

Once they were out of sight, you turned to face Loki, savoring the way his bright eyes met yours. "Thank you for everything you've done for me, Loki. I never would've got through this without you." He looked at you seriously. "Yes you would've, you're stronger than you-" you stopped him as you planted a kiss on his lips, hard yet tender and filled with the utmost adoration. You broke apart and you looked up at him. "Loki, you're the only man I've ever known who has treated me like I deserve to be. Who really, truly cares for me. I mean, Thor is great, but you … It's different with you. I understand that now." You breathed out as your cheeks flamed up. "And I know I'm about to have my child and things are going to get even more complicated but I just needed to tell you how much I care about you and … Well how much I love you, Loki," you said quietly. "Y/N," he whispered gently, running a thumb across your smooth cheek. You gazed up at him with happy tears in your eyes. He let out a small laugh. "I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember. And even with your child on the way, that's not going to change." He kissed you again gently, running a hand through your hair. You intertwined his hand with yours. "Stay with me tonight?" You murmured. His face broke into an contented smile. "It would be my absolute pleasure, Y/N," he replied as he kissed you again. And for the first time in your life, you knew in your heart that you truly had found a man that would love you unconditionally, and you would love him just the same .