It apparently only took once, or twice, though technically once, since there had been three weeks between the two times Alexandra and Loki had coupled, so when she was told how far she was, she knew it was from the consummation of her marriage. Immediately, Alexandra started to hyperventilate, terrified of what was now her fate. The healer tried to calm her, tell her what to do to ensure a safe pregnancy, but Alexandra did not hear half of it, her mind focusing on one thing alone. When she went back to her rooms that evening, she said nothing, immediately going to bed and pretending to sleep. Upon entering, Loki looked at his wife confused, not understanding what was causing her behaviour. Saying nothing, he got into the bed and turned away from her, as they usually did and tried to drift off, but the anxiety that was radiating from her was almost palpable. He recalled when she could not sleep on Alfheim, how she had initiated intimacy between them. Though it was awkward, since they did not see eye to eye, it was incredibly pleasurable. If he had a more willing wife, Loki would have wanted to do the act daily, but as it stood, she did not seem to want to. Gritting his teeth, he realised he was after thinking of her naked body under his, causing him to become highly frustrated, wishing to relieve himself, but knowing she was awake, so being unable to. Deciding to see if she would assist his predicament in any manner, he turned in the bed and got closer to her. Confused, and somewhat startled, Alexandra turned around to see what he was doing, when she realised he was close to her, she willed her eyes to focus through the darkness at him, only to realise a moment before he did it that he was trying to kiss her.

A small part of her wanted to pull away, she was in enough of a state with her evening's revelation, but the other part knew that it was her duty as a wife, that he did not realise he had already put a child in her, and that it was nice to have a pleasurable distraction. Even though his kiss had been chaste and gentle, the one she reacted with was almost wild and sloppy. Loki did not seem to mind as he immediately increased his own actions and gripped her sides as he pulled her on top of him, both frantically trying to untie the other's night attire and have their way with the other.

Alexandra said nothing of the child, not for several weeks, she was already through the first trimester, and none knew of her condition bar the healer. She hid her illness by figuring out when it was at its worst and making excuses for to not being in anyone's company during those hours. Her stomach had already shown signs of the child in it, but with simple dress alterations and thankfully, the colder months being upon them, she was able to hide it. When she and Loki were intimate, which tended to happen every other week, both not able to control their urges any longer, they would do so in darkness, and she would purposely put his hands on her breasts or ass, both areas she knew he had a liking for during their coupling. Her breasts were somewhat tender, but it only made the act feel better she noted. She felt bad for not telling him, it was her duty, but she was scared to at first, and after a while, she thought he would be angered by her not telling him sooner, so she continued to say nothing.

Loki noticed Alexandra's behaviour become more and more peculiar as time went on. She kept to a very strict schedule, where she could not be found for three hours a day, no matter where was searched in the palace. Her passion in their coupling startled him also, her being the instigator more times than he, and on those nights, and many others, he would wake in the morn to see her either sleeping against him or asleep with her head on his chest.

He thought to follow her on occasion, but knew that it would not be explainable should she find him, and with a marriage that was already on the verge of being called tumultuous, he knew that would do it no favours. There was more than one occasion where he saw her with that trinket in her hand again, staring at it longingly. The response he had gotten from his mother a few weeks previous gave him no great information, only that when the time was right, she was sure his wife would tell him herself.

On one afternoon, he noticed his wife speaking with what seemed to be a stablehand, their body language piquing his interest, Alexandra seemed almost flirtatious while the man seemed to be proud, he watched the exchange with great interest, taking note to watch as his wife left, her actions were as though she was hiding something. By nature, Loki was an envious man, he would never deny that; but Alexandra was not something he thought he would be envious of, she was not overly fond of him, though their bickering had decreased, partly because she seldom was around him these days, but he found himself almost shaking with rage at the idea of another man being so bold around her.

Against his better judgement, he followed his wife slyly, knowing there would be ructions if he were caught, but with her recent actions, he felt somewhat justified. She ended up back in their rooms for a moment, but when he entered to see where she was, she was not there. Confused he looked around, his eye coming onto the silver trinket that was on the vanity table once more, walking over, he realised it had been recently polished, the tarnishes almost completely gone. Pursing his lips, he became angered, not knowing what it was that Alexandra was doing, but becoming hell-bent on figuring it out. Storming out of their room, he went to the small Vanir library to see if there was any sign of what the small trinket in his hand was, not realising its box had fallen to the floor in his haste.

Tired, Alexandra ensured she was clean and neat as she exited the small side room that was in her chambers, her own little hideaway that she had her father put in for her as a child, but she had never told Loki of. She had a small bed and latrine put in there for her being ill, someday, she hoped her child would have something similar. Walking back in through her rooms, she went to the table, noticing immediately there was something not right with it. When she realised the small wooden box she usually kept hidden was on the floor opened, her stomach felt ill once more. She bent down and retrieved it before looking around frantically.

"Looking for this?" she shrieked as Loki's voice sounded through their room, having not noticed he was there. Turning, she looked at him to see he was holding the small bracelet in his hand. "I have been trying to figure out, all afternoon, what this thing is, and I have absolutely no idea. Care to tell me?"

"Give it back, Loki."

"Why?"

"Just…" Alexandra swallowed. "Just give it back, it is mine."

"It is too small to fit you, so what is it?" he swirled it around his finger. "And why are you hiding in that far wall? What is afoot here?"

"Nothing of concern to you."

"My wife is being secretive and hiding, I think it is of concern to me," Loki argued.

"I had a life before you."

"I am aware, as I had before you, yet I force myself to ensure I am not hiding from you every day for several hours, I am honest enough to say when I want time to myself."

"You do not understand," Alexandra argued.

"No, I do not, that is why I am asking." Loki rose to his feet and came closer to her. "I asked my mother in a letter, what this could be," he raised the trinket, "and was told you would tell me in time. It is of low-grade metal that I have established for myself but I cannot gather anything else of it."

"Give it to me Loki." She pleaded. "Please, just give it back."

"What is all of this, tell me."

"It is not your concern." She repeated. Taking a step forward, she steadied her breathing. "Give me the bracelet, Loki, please."

"Why were you talking so flirtatiously with the lowborn today?" she frowned at him. "I saw you speak with him outside, what was it regards?"

"A gift for you, for the winter solstice." She replied, staring at him to show her honesty. Loki's brows furrowed. "He is a tanner, I noticed you like to use leather in your armour." She explained. "So I gave him a design to add to it, he met with me today to discuss its price and delivery." Loki felt a tad foolish. "You thought I was allowing him to bed me, did you not?"

"I did." Loki gave her honesty back. "Why did you act as you did with him, as though flirting, you do not act like that in my company?"

Alexandra huffed a small laugh. "Being nice to someone constitutes flirting to you?" Loki's lip twitched. "Were you jealous?"

"No." she raised a brow. "I was not, I just did not want any thinking me a fool."

"Too late for that." she snapped. He showed her the trinket again and her face became one of fear. "Give that to me."

"What is it?"

"Mine."

"Not the right answer."

"Loki…"

"Alexandra." She kept her eyes on him, but gently shifted her feet and jumped up to grab the trinket, since he had it just our of her reach. She failed to reach it and fell forward into him. Loki caught her with his swift reflexes, his arm going around her waist. Immediately, she thrashed slightly to get away from him and backed off causing Loki to stared at her as though she had taken leave of her senses before he realised her shawl was no longer on and her stomach was… "Are you…?" Looking down, Alexandra realised her stomach, which could no longer hide their child without a shawl's assistance, was on display. "You are…" she looked at Loki fearfully. "You never…"

"That is why I go to the room every day, I am ill and I did not want anyone to know." She explained.

"Why?"

"Because…" he eyes welled up with tears.

"What is going on?" Loki asked, terrified as to why she was so upset. "Are you alright? Is it alright?"

"I do not know." She shook her head as her tears began to fall.

"I need to know what is going on, Alexandra. I know we are not overly close, but anything that worries you affects our child, so you can tell me."

She extended her hand, looking for him to place the trinket in it. He did so, watching as she looked down at it lovingly. "It is a Name's Day bracelet." She began. "All newborns on Vanaheim get one, male and female. This," she held it up. "It was my brother's." Loki's brows furrowed. "I was small when he was born, I cannot remember how old, but old enough to want to be around him, I remember his little face. He...he did not make it. None of them did."

"What?"

"My mother bore thirteen children." She stated, Loki's eyes widened. "I am the only one to make it off the breast." She looked at the bracelet again. "I remember him, I cannot recall the others, some never made it out of her alive, but him I remember." She began to cry again. "I loved him so much, but one day, I remember my father talking with Mikhail, and Mikhail saying how I was effectively useless now, that I would be second to my brother," she wiped a tear away. "And I got jealous. I remember thinking I did not want him to be above me, that I was born first so mother and father should love me more, I did not realise he meant with regards the throne, I was so small it did not occur to me and I recall looking at him that day in his crib, and thinking it was not fair, that he shouldn't be allowed do that, to skip me, and that he should be the one that should be useless." The tears came heavier then. "Then that night, he died and it was entirely my fault." She sobbed.

Loki immediately rushed to comfort her. "How could you be blamed for that?"

"I wished ill on him, and he died."

"What did the healers say happened him?"

"His heart just stopped, that is all they ever said."

"You did not do that."

"What if I did?"

"Were you always the oldest? Were any of the others before you?"

"Three."

"Then it is safe to say you were not the cause of their deaths." He held her against him. "So, is that why you never told me of the child? You were frightened you will lose it?" she nodded. "I doubt you did yourself any favours hiding it, that only added to your stress."

"I did not want you to be angry with me."

Loki felt his heart pound in his chest. "If it had happened, it would not have been your doing." He held her close to him.

"I could still…"

"What did the healers say?"

"They do not know how they all came to just die, so they could never presume to know if my child will be the same."

"Our," she frowned at him. "Our child." He corrected.

"Do you hate me even more now?"

"I do not hate you, Alexandra."

"You do not like me."

"I do."

"Love?"

"Not yet."

"Yet?"

"Well, four thousand years is a long time, and every day you get less irritating."

"That is because I have been hiding with my condition."

"No, because you are getting less cold to me. Most days I wake to you on me."

"It is like it allows me to sleep better when you are next to me, you smell good." She explained.

"It wants its father." He smiled proudly. "When is it…?"

"Before the summer solstice."

Loki calculated in his mind for a moment. "So we…"

"On our wedding night." She nodded.

Loki beamed even more proudly. "I am nothing if not efficient." Alexandra snorted in laughter at his words. "It will be fine." He gently placed his hand on her stomach, proud of his ability to have his wife with child so swiftly.

"How do you know?"

At just that moment, the baby moved against Loki's hand. "I think you were just told." He smiled fondly at feeling the child move for the first time.

"I…that was odd."

"What was?" Loki asked concerned.

"It is the first time it did that."

"Moved?" she nodded. "So that was…and I was here?" she nodded again. "It adores me already; it is a very smart child." Alexandra could only start laughing again.