Author's Notes: I lied, I don't want to wait; a 1 thousand and so story isn't worth 5 reviews so here's another chapter. It will be updated again next week or when I reach 5 reviews.
But here is Jack as a cute little kid. ^^
Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers or Rise of the Guardians or any of the characters
Loki returned to the town in around a bit over a Midgardian year; he would have come sooner if his brother didn't drag him off on so many pointless quests. (The idiot thought Loki was mad at him and that the green eyed god left because the brute didn't invite him to slay a dragon.)
The town was unchanged and the children of last year were taller, yet all but the oldest remained playful. Loki's first stop was to the house which he knew to be the brown eyed mortal's. As he neared the door a peculiar sound hit his ears; it was soft giggling of a babe. He knocked and the sound was replaced by wailing.
"I'll be right back Jackson, don't worry." Being inside muffled the mortal's voice, but it was unmistakably hers. The door opened and Loki was face to face with her.
"I have returned," Loki announced as the woman stared at him.
Her lips curled into a smile as she spoke, "I see that, I suppose you may come in." She was as beautiful as she was the previous year, though she did look exhausted, but that was probably due to the young babe in her house.
The green-eyed god walked in and stood in front of the noisy child. It looked to be much less than a year of age. It had its mother's eyes and a fair amount of her facial structure. The child went silent and stared at Loki while the god stared back. The mortal woman gave a peal of laughter, "What humours you my lady?" Loki asked, confused.
"Jackson usually only quiets down for me, he bawls when any of the neighbors are around."
"What of the father? Does the babe cry in his presence?"
The mortal woman gave a giggle as she spoke, "No, it doesn't look like he does."
"Ah," Loki was slightly dejected that the mortal found a mate during his absence. "Is this man respectful?"
"He is a gentleman," the mortal continued to giggle with her smile making it to her eyes, though Loki still could not see what was funny.
"Is he-"
"You are the father," Loki got a closer look at the child; he honestly didn't see the resemblance. The babe carried his mother's traits and not much else.
"What is his name?" Loki asked softy.
"Jackson."
"That is a lovely name," The name was very Midgardian, but it suited the babe. Jackson Lokison did have a ring to it. Loki moved on to darker matters. "You do know I will be unable to be a constant father to Jack." He took off the son part since that made it sound way too much like a Asgardian's last name.
"I do know, I only ask that you visit."
"I can try."
"That is all I ask," the woman was perfectly reasonable and Loki liked her more for it, Loki could name more than a dozen woman that would have attempt to claw his eyes out for the very same statement.
Loki stayed for a few days in the woman and the child's company. It was perfect; the child adored him and his mother remained as agreeable as their last meeting; he didn't want to leave. But he had duties to Asgard. He left his family with enough currency to last them for awhile (made with magic, but no one had to know; he would rather not be accused and burned as a witch.) and he left.
Loki was occupied for a great deal of time. Thor constantly wanted to train and quest, and Odin let him. The green-eyed god was often dragged along on such foolish ventures much to his displeasure.
Loki presumed it was three Midgardian years since his last visit. It was nothing to him, but to a mortal, that span of time was great. Loki hoped his family continued to be well.
He arrived to the town and automatically went to the woman's house. There was no crying on this visit; instead there was barking that was summoned by the god's knock. The woman opened the door and smiled though it was mostly out of surprise then happiness; it was obvious to see that she was aging due to the wrinkles forming on her face, but that did not matter to Loki, she would always stay beautiful to him.
"Welcome hon," she let Loki in and he was left staring at a young black dog with dark eyes growling at him. Is that Jackson? Was the first thought in his mind. His offspring definitely had an affinity for shapeshifting or even having a nonhuman shape. (Just look at Sleipnir) He brought a cautious hand near the animal, but the beast just bristled; it was nothing like the giggling babe that Loki last saw.
He then heard giggling from a different direction; the women retrieved a human child from the other room; pity, Loki would have liked to have one trait that he shared with the boy other than his gender.
The dog went to greet the pair of humans; it stopped in front of the child in a protective manner. "Mum, whose this?" the child pointed at Loki with one chubby finger; his brown eyes twinkling with curiosity.
"That's your father," the mortal woman answered with a smile.
The child seemed to size Loki up before speaking, "My father?" The dog's tiny little eyes watched Loki's every movement with scrutiny.
"Hello Jackson," Loki spoke with a shy grin; he was nervous, he didn't want to be rejected by his child from his absence.
"M'name is Jack," the child corrected Loki with a shy smile.
"Jack," Loki said the name out loud, he definitely preferred it over Jackson; Jack Lokison had a better ring to it. "Let's have a little fun."
Loki and Jack played for hours, Loki carved him a small set of wooden animals with one of the knives he always had at his sides. He carved both animals that lived around the farm and even exotic ones from his travels. Jack's favourite was the dolphin; he was awed that such a funny looking fish existed.
And when they stopped, Loki told him enchanting tales until the child fell asleep right on Loki's lap. He stroked the boy's brown hair as the child nuzzled into him. It was relaxing even with the dark coloured dog snarling at him whenever Jack's head was turned; Loki never got to hold his others like this; they were often taken before they grew and when he saw then again, they were always too old. After a while he picked up the boy and tucked him into bed; leaving the dog to watch over him. He sought out the boy's mother right after; she was working on sewing some sort of clothing for a large man.
"My dear, I need to tell you something." Loki spoke in a serious tone; he wasn't human and he needed to tell the brown-eyed mother incase her child took on some of his traits, no matter if she may take it badly like many mortals have done with the unfamiliar.
"I'm all ears." Loki hesitated; he was prepared to tell her his secret, but he was uncertain about how the mortal would react. "Any time now, hun."
He said slowly and seriously, "I am not human." Loki waited for the outburst that was to come, but the mortal barely batted an eyelash.
"I guessed that hon, eighteen seasons past and you haven't aged a day. Also I saw you summon a rainbow that sucked you up into the sky. Humans don't tend to do that."
"You saw? Why have you let me into your home and treated me so well if you knew I was not one of your kind?"
"You were gone for a good amount of time dear, I was in hysterics at first and then I thought 'such a gentleman couldn't be human' and I calmed down." The woman laughed while Loki just stared at her; she was truly remarkable, an one of a kind mortal.
"Jack may be different," Loki said seriously, "Like me."
"Then tell him."
"He is too young to be an outsider, I will advise him on my next visits. Say goodbye to him for me." Loki went to leave when the woman caught his arm with surprising amount if strength.
"Return sooner than 3 years Loki," the woman had a stern expression on her face. "I won't have my son waiting for his father for the rest of his life." Her clear, emotional eyes that showed how serious she was.
"I promise my lady."
"Jack, you can't tell anyone this."
"What can't I tell anyone about?" Jack was now at the age of seven. He now had a little sister; she wasn't one of Loki's, but Loki still treated her as one of his own. Her age was around two. The child was abandoned by another family in the town; she was a child born from an affair and the brown haired mortal took her in as her own, even though she wasn't her own. The child did carry the common Midgardian coloration of brown hair and brown eyes so she easily fit in with the family appearance wise, but even if she was blond and blue eyed she would still fit since both Jackson and his mother were so welcoming and loving.
Over the four years that past, Loki visited a lot. Thor was keeping his distance after he slept with Sif, (who Loki used to have affections for.) the green eyed god played the offended brother and it got him out of many pointless quests giving him the chance to be around his Midgard family more.
Jack adored him and Loki returned those were a family and nothing could break their bonds.
"You must swear it Jackson Overland Frost," Jack frowned at the use of his full name. His mother insisted that the boy carried the family name rather than Loki's since Asgard and Midgard had different traditions. (By the Midgard tradition of males passing on last names, Jack would be Jackson Odinson; and Loki did not want that.)
"I swear it," Loki paused to judge if the boy was lying.
He seemed honest by the absence of a mischievous grin (The boy, like his mother, didn't hide emotion well) so the god continued. "I am Asgardian; so you may gain traits of a god as you grow up."
There was shocked silence from the boy for a good minute; it was accomplishment due to the fact the child usually never shut up with questions and stories. "So... Like in those stories you tell us...?"
"Those stories are true ventures of warriors from other realms."
"Were any of those your stories?"
"Yes, some of them."
"Tell me all your stories!" Loki was surprised by the child's enthusiasm; on Asgard no one wanted to here what Loki did in a fight, they wanted Loki and everyone else to glorify his brother, the warrior, like common bards.
"Well... I guess I have a few tales in which I save my oafish brother's backside..."