Disclaimer: Not mine


"What about a doorknob? We can say you ran into that."

"No," Jack answered, staring at his feet while he led Joey to the back of their building, "I'm short, but I'm taller than a doorknob."

Jack knew he had to find a good lie to tell his mother. He couldn't afford for her to find out the truth, because while she was usually so busy that she missed some things, a split lip, a black eye, and a bruised cheek were probably going to grab her attention.

"We could say I beat you up?" Joey offered a little too enthusiastically.

"And you'd be grounded."

The little boy shrugged.

"I'm not going to blame you," Jack continued, "I'll just figure something out when I see her."

The boys climbed the stairs slowly, having taken the back way to avoid seeing Betty.

Trent had been in an exceptionally bad mood today, but gracious enough to spread the pain. Jack wasn't sure what he did, as usual, but between classes the older boy had dragged him into the bathroom and hit him.

Over and over.

Trent had spat ever cruel epithet there was at Jack, who never once cried out, but had just kept his eyes and mouth shut, his hands feebly trying to protect his face and body from the blows.

"I don't know why you're so upset," Joey remarked, "you look really cool with all those bruises, like you fought off ninja pirates from outer space."

"That doesn't even make any sense."

"How would you know? They're from outer space."

Jack shook his head and opened the apartment door, wondering if Loki was finally awake. The man usually woke up and helped them in the mornings, but this time he stayed in the bedroom. Jack had asked his mother about it, but she had just looked at the door for a really long time, then said to let him sleep and move faster.

Apparently everyone was acting crazy.

Maybe they could quietly sneak into their room, and-

"We're home!" Joey shouted, pushing past him and into the apartment, throwing his backpack and soccer ball onto the floor.

Jack rolled his eyes and followed, shutting and locking the door behind him.


Why had he tried to touch her?

Loki stood at the sink, staring at the white tile on the wall, his brow furrowed as he tried to reason why he acted the way he had.

He knew she was skittish around him, so why did he try to cup her cheek?

Sighing, he lowered his gaze to the drain.

He knew why.

Although she had been acting distant, he had finally gotten a response from her.

A smile.

A small laugh.

But more importantly, she said his name.

The first utterance of it, so quiet as she said it breathlessly, a mere whisper in the night.

Her eyes, big and doleful, staring up at him in such beautiful awe that he couldn't help but smile at her, his chest expanding with some emotion he wasn't used to. All he had wanted to do was go to her.

But within moments, she remembered herself, retreated back into that shell of hers, and when he tried to draw her out again, draw her back to him, she turned her head.

She offered nothing more, and he'd never steal anything she was unwilling to give.

So he left, went back into the bedroom to be tormented by his thoughts.

What was going on with him?

He had never felt like this before, even when the maidens of Asgard looked over and through him to get a peek at Thor. Loki hated this confusion, this unrelenting second guessing of every action.

It wasn't love. He knew he wasn't that weak or soft.

He wasn't Thor.

But it didn't feel like lust.

He truly liked being around Grace. She captivated him, not only with her subtle beauty or her generosity, but something else.

Something he couldn't name, but it drew him in nonetheless.

When she spoke, he listened. Where she went, he followed. He enjoyed watching her interact with everything, the boys, the old hag… life.

So why was she making things so complicated?

Yes, he wanted to spend his time in her company.

Yes, he wanted to touch her, feel that soft skin under his fingertips, her silken tresses spilling over his hands, her delicate features beneath his palms.

There was something between them, but were doomed to just linger in this unresolved tension? Until, what? She decided that fighting her attraction to him was too overwhelming. He knew she wanted him. It wasn't as if she hid it that well, and her reactions to him only spurred him on even more.

Sighing, Loki filled a glass with water and took a sip.

What the hell was wrong with him?

"We're home!" he heard the little boy shout from behind him.

Setting the water down, he turned to greet the boys, only to see Jack's face, or, more importantly, his injuries.

Striding over to the boys, he gently took hold of the older boy's chin, angling his face up so he could see the lacerations and contusions.

Jack winced slightly, avoiding his gaze.

"It's not as bad as it looks," he muttered.

Loki cocked a disbelieving eyebrow, and pressed his finger against the bruise on his face.

"Ow! Okay, fine. It hurts, but please don't tell my mom," Jack pleaded.

The eyebrow stayed cocked as he motioned to the boy's face.

As if Grace would not notice that.

"The school's open house is tonight," Jack said, "and if my mom knows that I'm getting bullied at school, she'll flip out."

Loki's stare softened before motioning towards the table for them to sit down.

"This is boring, I'm going to go play," Joey announced, stepping over his bag in the middle of the floor to go to his room.

Jack picked up the backpack and hung it up before sitting at the table across from Loki.

"So I'm guessing that you want to know what happened?" he asked, placing his hands on top of the table and wringing his fingers together.

Loki nodded.

The boy was quiet a long time, his expression grave while he stared at the tabletop.

"They all make fun of me at school. They laugh because I'm smaller than all the other boys. I'm not very athletic, so they tease me for being weak. I hate it. I'm not a fighter, I'm a thinker. I like my classes. I'm pretty smart, but that only makes them call me more names. The school wanted to move me up into the higher class, but I didn't want to go, because then there would just be bigger kids to make fun of me."

Jack rubbed his face, wincing as he touched his bruises.

"But it's not just that... They also tease me because of my father... and that I don't have one."

Loki cocked his head to the side, his brow furrowing. He hadn't given the absent father any real thought. He figured the man had left his family, having heard that was a common practice nowadays. The man also hadn't been in any of the photographs, so maybe he never wanted children and refused Grace. A cowardly move, but he realized if the man had stayed with his family, Loki might not have been welcome.

"Mom never talks about him. She refuses to say anything. I don't know a single thing about him. When I was little I used to think that maybe he was someone important. A doctor, a lawyer, an astronaut, something like that. I would ask her all these questions, and she'd just smile sadly at me. I think he broke her heart or something. I mean, she was young when she had me. Seventeen. She didn't even finish school. So my dad couldn't be a good man... because if he was, why would he leave her? The kids at school know I don't have a dad, and the teachers don't like my mom, either. She yells at them a lot. It's humiliating. She doesn't have to try to make a point every time she walks into the school.

It's not even the teasing that's so bad. I've learned to ignore most of it by now. It's just the older boy, Trent. He's twelve and bigger than me. I don't know what I did to make him so angry. I try to stay hidden. I try to keep my head down, but he always finds me. He pushed me into the bathroom today and punched me. Over and over, and I don't know why. I can't tell Mom because she'll do something embarrassing. I just don't know what to do anymore. I only want to go to school and come home. I don't even care about having friends anymore. I'm okay being all alone, just as long as he stops hitting me."

Loki watched the child, feeling for him. While Loki was never bullied, he had been alienated for being different. Reaching over, he patted the boy's forearm, wanting to comfort him, but not knowing how. The instant he touched Jack, though, the boy sprung up from the chair and threw himself at Loki, wrapping his slender arms around his neck and held on tightly, hugging him while he cried.

"I just want him to stop."

Loki's body tensed at the embrace, but slowly relaxed, his hand settling on Jack's back to pat him, but couldn't think of anything else to do. He could not give him words of wisdom, nor give him advice. It wasn't as if he could even tell the boy's teachers to get them to help him.

So Loki sat there, holding the boy as he cried, because it was the only thing he could do.


When Grace walked into her apartment after work, the last thing she expected to see was her son hugging Loki. While she knew the boys liked him, even figured he had bonded with them while she was at work all day, she didn't think she'd ever walk in on this.

It warmed her heart to see, yet also twisted it, knowing how deprived her son was of a father figure.

Quietly, she walked towards them catching Loki's gaze. Her confusion must have been evident, because he just held his hand up to stop her approach.

It was then that she heard the sniffles coming from her son.

Her confusion quickly morphed into concern, and she took another step forward.

'What happened?' she mouthed, staring at the way her son's shoulders trembled, even with his arms still wrapped around Loki.

Loki just shook his head before gently nudging Jack back to motion for him to turn to his mother.

Grace watched as her son turned, her eyes widening at the injuries. Gasping, she covered her mouth before stepping towards him.

"Jack, what happened? Are you okay?"

Kneeling in front of the boy, she cupped his face, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"I'm fine, Mom."

"What happened?" she reiterated.

Jack looked back to Loki, not knowing what to say.

And Grace, so concerned with checking over his wounds, didn't see Loki's purposeful glance at Joey's soccer ball lying near the couch.

"We were playing soccer in gym," Jack said, quickly picking up on Loki's lie. "I was the goalie and I caught the ball with my face."

Jack threw in a sheepish grin just to be careful.

"Why were you crying?"

Her Mom Alert was flashing red, but she couldn't do anything unless he talked to her.

"Well it still hurts," he muttered.

"Oh buddy," she sighed, pulling him into a hug. "I'm so sorry. Let me get you some ice."

"No, it's okay. We have to leave soon."

Jack pulled away from her and smiled softly at Loki before heading into his bedroom to get Joey.

Grace got back to her feet, staring after her son for a moment. She really worried about him sometimes.

"Tell me the truth," she said, fixing her gaze back to Loki. "Is everything okay?"

He stared at her for a long time, making her feel a bit uneasy. She could practically see the wheels turning in his head before he nodded.

Her worries were assuaged.

Still, what could she do if no one talked to her?

Joey and Jack soon emerged from the bedroom, ready to go back to the school.

"Mom? Can Loki come with us?"

She blinked, looking between the three of them.

"It's up to him," she said hesitantly.

Loki smiled at the boys and nodded.


"So Mom, are you going to go see my teachers?"

"If I get to it," Grace said, reaching forward to grip onto Joey's hand. "I'm going to all of Joey's."

They finally got to the school, and Loki watched as Grace tried to sign in and manage the little boy.

"But he doesn't even want you to meet them."

"That's not the point, Jack."

"I got a three out of five gold stars on my numbers today!" Joey announced proudly.

"You did?" Grace asked, grinning down at the boy. "I'm so proud of you. That'll have to go on the fridge when you get it back."

Jack frowned slightly.

"Mom, I got an A+ on my math and science tests."

His mother turned to him quickly.

"Oh, good job, buddy, now do you know which hallways I take?"

Jack sighed. "Joey can show you. I'm going to show Loki around, okay?"

She quickly glanced at the man who had been observing them all.

"Just be sure to be back in front in an hour or so. We need to get home in time so I can make Joey's brownies for his class tomorrow."

"Double fudge!"

"That's right, Joey."

"Is that why you aren't going to my classes? Because of brownies."

"Jack, while time is a factor, it's not the only reason. Now I have to go."

Joey led Grace away, leaving Loki to stare at a forlorn Jack.

"It's not fair," the boy said, glancing up at him. "I get perfect grades, and I barely get a pat on the back. Joey gets a few gold stars and he gets fridge privileges?"

Loki, again, empathized with the boy who tried so hard to make his mother proud, only to be overshadowed by someone else. Grace didn't seem like one to play favorites, though. So why did she ignore her son's achievements?

Reaching over, he ruffled the boys hair playfully, pushing his chin up so he couldn't gaze sadly at his own feet.

"You're proud of me, right?" Jack asked.

Loki's smirk faltered slightly. No one looked to Loki for encouragement. Not one person ever turned to him when they needed advice, but the way Jack stared up at him, needing his support, it shook Loki to the core.

Here was this child, this boy, coming to him, confiding in him. This boy who had people who loved him, yet felt so disconnected from his own world. This boy who was not the bravest or the strongest, but he was the smartest and cleverest. He was mature and tried his best, even when he rarely came in first place. This boy who was slowly losing his footing, who was questioning everything around him because he felt lost.

Here was Jack, coming to Loki, of all people, for help.

And Loki would be damned if he let this boy down, if he let this boy become as spiteful and jaded as he had turned when he asked for help, love, and guidance and received none.

Putting his hand on Jack's shoulder, he leaned closer to the boy, making sure he was paying close attention.

Loki raised his other hand and quickly signed the letters V-E-R-Y.

Jack's face split into an ear-to-ear grin.


"He has a bit of an anger management issue, Miss Stewart."

"Really?" Grace asked, trying to seem surprised.

As if she didn't notice Joey had an anger management issue. It must have slipped by her since she was too busy arguing with the four year old every five seconds.

"And while he isn't the brightest in the class, he puts forth the effort."

"And, well, isn't that all we can ask of him?"

Grace glanced at the clock on the wall and silently cursed.

"I'm so sorry, but I really have to go. It was nice meeting you, and I'll definitely work on getting him to mellow out a bit."

Perhaps some bongo drums.

Pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear, Grace left the classroom, seeing Joey fighting an imaginary foe down the hallway.

"Come on, champ. Let's go find Jack."

"And Loki?"

"Him, too."

Joey ran over and took Grace's hand as they started back towards the entrance of the school. The younger kids were kept from the main population of students, so they had to wind around a few hallways.

Turning around the corner, she smiled as she saw her son talking to another boy. Loki was no where in sight, but maybe her son was finally making a friend.

"Uh-oh," Joey said.

"What 'uh-oh'?"

Grace glanced at Joey before looking back down the hall where she saw the older boy roughly shove her son up against the wall and hold him there as his legs dangled.

Now Grace Stewart was normally a kind and generous person. Sure, she had her flaws, but she tried to be an upstanding member of society.

But God help you if you hurt her boys.

As Loki emerged from the bathroom, Grace left Joey at his side, his confusion written all over his face until he saw Jack trying to get away from the older boy.

"This is bad," Joey whispered to him, looking nervous.

Joey.

Looking nervous.

Something bad was going to happen.

Grace came up behind the older boy and quickly got a vice like grip on both his hair and the collar of his shirt. Flinging him both away from Jack and into the other wall, she had her index finger against his chest while she glared down at him.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing to my son?"

"Hey, lady. I was just playing with him!"

"Playing with him? Really? Perhaps I should do the same to you!"

"You can't touch me! I'll tell my mom."

"Oh, please do. It'll be my pleasure to choke her, too."

The boy stared at her like she was insane, and she was. Mama Bear mode didn't really allow for a lot of logic and reason. Normally, she'd never hit anyone, but you hurt her son and all the rules sort of go out the window.

"I-"

"Shut up. Now, you listen to me you insignificant little piece of shit, if I ever so much as think that you are harassing my son again," she said quietly, but cruelly, pushing the boy against the wall even more and getting in his face. "They'll be finding your body for weeks. Understand?"

"I-"

Her hand reached out and grabbed the boy's jaw tightly.

"Nod," she ordered.

The boy nodded and she released him, taking a step backwards.

"Now stay the fuck away from my son."

The boy trembled as he pushed himself off the wall, glaring at them through his unease before taking off down the hallway.

After a few deep breaths, Grace turned to her son, reaching out to check on him, only to have him wrench away from her, his angry gaze filled with tears.

"Jack?" she questioned quietly.

"I want to go home."

Without waiting for a response, he pushed past her.

She had never seen him act this way before and turned to Loki, hoping her could give her some sort of inkling as to what was going on, but he just stared at her with wide eyes like he had never seen her before.


Who the hell was this woman?

Loki had gone into the men's room for a short moment, only to return and see normally quiet, lovable Grace turn into someone who could probably strike fear into the Hulk's heart.

He honestly didn't know whether to be more shocked or turned on right now. The anger that quickly rose within her as she defended a loved one was admirable, if not unexpected.

Granted, threatening the life of a twelve year old might not be her best moment, it was a mere threat not a promise. She colorfully scolded the boy, was all. No harm done.

But he knew that Jack would not see his mother's interference as a good thing, so he motioned down the hall, trying to urge her to follow the boy.

"I suppose we should go home to finish this, then."

The entire ride home was silent, even Joey not speaking because of the tension, Jack's anger and frustration, Grace's confusion and worry, even Loki's concern for the both of them.

Once they got back to the building, Loki led Joey to stay by Betty in the bookstore, knowing that whatever discussion took place upstairs, it would be best if the child didn't hear it.

The older woman seemed to sense the calm before the storm and agreed to keep an eye on the young boy while the other three went upstairs.

A part of Loki wondered if he should even be a spectator to this, but neither one of them discouraged his presence and he felt too involved to stay behind.

The door shut behind him and he watched Grace stare at her son.


"Jack, what's wrong?"

"Everything!" the boy shouted, his little fists tightening at his sides. "How can you even ask that? Everything is wrong! How could you do that to me?"

"I did that for you. How long has that boy been bullying you?"

"It's none of your business."

"You're my son!"

"But you only act like I am when it fits into your schedule! Every day you come home and help Joey with his homework. You listen to Joey's problems. You hang Joey's work on the fridge and compliment him! Why don't you do that for me? Why do I always have to be doing chores? It's not fair. He's not even your son and you love him more than me."

"Jack, that's not true," she whispered.

"Don't lie to me! I know it's true. You never have time for me anymore!"

"Jack! You know I always have time for you."

"No you don't! You couldn't even meet my teachers tonight! All you had time for was Joey's."

"That's different."

"You always say that, but it's not. It's not different. You miss out on everything. You weren't at the science fair last year, you didn't come to any of my debates, and you never come to the Mother's Day brunch. Do you know how embarrassing it is? You're never there and everyone knows I don't have a father because of you! I don't even know anything about him!"

"We've been over this before, Jack. A million times."

"Why won't you talk about him? Just give me one thing. Just one, please," he cried, his small body shaking with grief and anger.

Grace stared at her son, her jaw clenched tightly while she breathed deeply.

"I will tell you everything when you're older."

"You always say that!"

"And I mean it, but you won't understand it now."

"It's not fair."

"No, Jack!" she snapped, "It's not. Life's not fair, and I'm sorry you got the short end of the stick, but God help me I'm doing the best I can!"

"Well it's not good enough! I'm miserable and it's your fault! I wish I had normal parents and a normal life! Why did you screw everything up? Why did you do this to me?" he shouted, breaking down in tears as he ran for his room, slamming the door.

Grace stared after her son. Her entire body felt weak, like she'd collapse any second. She had to pull it together.

He was just a boy. He didn't mean what he said.

Right?

Clearing her throat, she spoke to Loki, who hadn't moved from the door.

"Please go get Joey," she said, her voice strained. "He needs to go to bed."

She didn't turn from her spot until she heard Loki leave.

As soon as the door shut behind him, she let out a shuddering breath, biting her lip to keep from weeping.

No.

She didn't have time for this.

Going into the kitchen, she pulled out the ingredients for the brownies and got to work, her frustration escaping with every slam of the cabinet door.

She ignored Loki and Joey when they came back in, only hearing the man direct the boy into his room.

Good, she needed the peace and quiet.

Mixing the batter hurriedly, she poured it into a pan and slid it into the oven. After she set the timer, she placed her hands on the edge of the counter and hung her head, taking deep breaths to stay collected.

Despite the silence, she knew when Loki came back into the kitchen, could feel his gaze on her back even as he approached.

"I did screw everything up," she whispered. "I try my best, but the fact of the matter is… I have no idea what I'm doing with those boys."

Her shoulders hunched as a quiet sob escaped her, but she quickly cleared her throat.

"I'd really like some privacy right now," she said, her voice high pitched to hide the sadness trying to overwhelm her.

When he didn't leave, she sighed.

"Look, I'm about five seconds away from losing it completely, so if you don't mind…"

Instead of scaring him off with the threat of tears, she felt him come closer, sliding his hands over her shoulders, gripping them firmly and smoothing his thumbs against the base of her neck while he pressed the side of his face against her hair.

Another quiet sob slipped from Grace's lips as her hand rose, reaching over her shoulder to grasp his fingers tightly, needing that contact.

"I don't know what to do anymore. I just saw that boy hurting him and I snapped. Is it so wrong that I'd fight for him?"

She felt him shake his head.

"I love both of those boys. I do, but Joey can be so difficult. He's not as smart, so I have to work with him on his homework. He's already been abandoned, so I try to give him encouragement. He's just so impulsive and stubborn that I have to watch him all the time, and I know I can trust Jack. I know he'll always make the better choices and be level headed. It's not neglect, it's independence. He never came to me with problems before, so I didn't know he had any. He acts so maturely that I guess I always thought he needed me less," she whispered, tears streaming down her face.

"I love my son… so much. How could he ever doubt that? What else do I have to do to make him realize it? I have to work as much as I do. We barely get by as it is. I know I miss out a lot, but I'm doing the best that I can. I can't be both parents."

Sniffling, Grace wiped her eyes with her free hand.

"But he can't know about his father. Not until he is older."

Even a mature ten year old can't handle that truth.

After a long moment, Grace turned her head slightly while Loki raised his. Her eyes closed and a sigh escaped her when his forehead pressed against her temple.

"When I was seventeen," she whispered, softly trembling as she confessed the truth to him, "I went to a party with my friend. She left me there, and someone drugged me. When I woke up the next morning… I realized I had been raped."

Her hand tightened around his fingers, as if she thought he'd pull away once he found out what happened to her.

But Loki didn't pull away, just squeezed her more tightly.

"I can't tell him anything about his father, because I don't know anything. I never went to the police, and I didn't know anyone at that party. When I found out I was pregnant, my family kicked me out of the house. I haven't spoken to my parents in ten years. I left that world behind me. How could I possibly make a ten year old understand that?"

Warm tears continued to trail down her cheeks as she let her body relax back into his, letting him hold her and comfort her with his embrace. They stood silently for a long time, their eyes closed as they listened to the other breathe.

"Why are you being so good to me?" she murmured. "I've been so cold to you."

He shook his head slightly, dropping his head to rest his cool lips against the warm skin over her pulse, feeling the blood pump underneath.

Grace tilted her head back to let him, her eyes still closed.

"I punished you because of my own issues, and I'm sorry."

Squeezing his fingers again, she turned back towards him, turning her head and opening her eyes to gaze at him, the emerald pools of his eyes so much more intense.

"Do you forgive me?" she whispered.

He nodded, not once taking his eyes off of her.

"That's one of you, at least."

Loki frowned softly at her sad smile while she closed her eyes and rested her head against his again, staying that way until the timer rang.

Grace stepped away from him, and pulled the brownies from the oven before setting them on the stove and covering them.

"It's late," she said, turning back to face him. "I should really go to bed. Hopefully, I can have a more honest, heartfelt discussion with Jack in the morning, instead of being screamed at again."

Loki nodded, staring at her with such softness before approaching her, reaching up with one hand to cup her cheek.

This time, however, she didn't pull away.

He leaned towards her and kissed her forehead gently, lingering against her for just a moment before pulling away and gazing into her eyes as they welled with tears again, but she stubbornly held them back.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Loki bowed his head a bit as he released her and went into the bedroom.

Grace let out a long breath and collapsed on the couch, mind and body exhausted.

Now all she could hope for was a better tomorrow.


A/N: As always, thanks for the reviews/favorites/alerts. I'm so glad that you all are liking this. Hopefully this chapter continued to provide entertainment, even if there was a bit more conflict involved. Please review and let me know what you think. I do occasionally tweak my chapters to answer questions or observations made in reviews. We still got a long way to go with this story, so I'm willing to consider any input.