Loki was torn. Half of him found it hysterical how Tony dashed around the rooftop spinning like a tornado trying to take everything in at once. On the other hand, he was small and rather unsteady and Loki's heart clenched oddly each time he watched the little one leaned over the edge. Thor was not so torn, he laughed.

"He has changed little, in my opinion. He is just as curious as before." He smiled. Rogers elbowed him in the side and glanced at Loki. Thor quickly corrected his expression. "But truly it is dangerous for him to be doing such things. We should curtail him now."

Loki hadn't been sure how he felt on the matter of Tony running about the roof, but if Thor and Rogers' quick change of pace meant anything his face betrayed his worry. He shot Thor a dirty look, but turned to follow after Tony none the less.

"Tony, come here." He called

"I'll go to our friends and explain of the situation and you can do the same with Little Tony." Thor called pulling the solider behind him they made a break for the roof door.

Loki felt a breath catch in his throat for but a moment before he stomped down his nervousness. There was no sense in that. He had already explained much of what happened and why they were here. But what of his moments of remembering; would that crop up again? If it did what would it matter? Tony was his weather the Avengers liked it or not. He had separated the clean human flesh from the contaminates; he had given his blood and magic to remake the dead mortal body into perfect Aesir form. He had purified the soul and made it reborn. He had, no one else. Tony was rightfully and honestly his and a few scattered memories would not change that. Whatever involvement they had would not change that either. He had control.

"Tony." He called softly, but the boy continued to run about oblivious. Loki swept up behind the child the next time he leaned over a railing to look out over the city streets below. When Tony turned around to dash for another ledge he ran right into Loki's legs. His soft brown eyes shot up to meet his sparking with excitement.

"Daddy, do you see the buildings? Look how high we are! All the people look like bugs from up here. See? They're tiny!" Then his eyes got wide. "If I spit over the side will it hit people?!" The next moment the child was leaning back over the short ledge his little mouth working up a good spit.

Loki's eyebrows shot up and he could feel himself grinning. He did nothing to stop Tony from spitting over the side and attempting to watch where it fell.

"I didn't see if it did." He mumbled, clearly put out. Loki leaned over the side and looked down. It was a dizzying distance to the ground below and Loki suddenly felt the need to hold the back of Tony's tunic. "Did you see it daddy?"

"I would suspect that the wind took it." Loki replied. He hoisted Tony into his arms, leaned over the side, and spit. Tony burst into giggles and Loki's quick eyes watched as the wind blew it down the street against the building. "There, you see? It hits the building. Sad I know." He grinned despite himself

"Oh." Tony replied distractedly. His attention had been stolen by something else it seemed. He kicked his legs where they hung in the air over the building. "You're holding me up so high! Like flying! Can you fly?"

"Not in this form." Loki replied automatically. Tony's eyes widened comically.

"Form?" He asked

"Yes form." Loki replied as he took a step up to walk along the ledge of the building. "I have the ability to change my form or shape into another. For instance, I could become a falcon and then I would be able to fly."

Tony looked amazed. "You could be a bird? That's so cool! Am… Am I gonna be able to do that too?"

Loki continued to walk around the top of the building as he thought. "Hum. Perhaps. It is not something that one can simply learn to do. You must have a natural affinity for it."

Tony wrinkled his nose. "Whats affinnyty?"

Loki chuckled, "Affinity, meaning likeness or fellow feeling for. A natural ability. You may have it, we share blood after all and I am quite good. You also, may not. That will also be fine." Loki continued to walk, running his hand along Tony's hair, thinking. Would his new child be able to do these things? None of his other children were able to get a handle on it by themselves. But all children are different, as he could well attest. Just because his other children had not had the gift did not mean Tony wouldn't. Though there was no reason to get the poor thing's hopes up if he couldn't. Had he said the right thing?

"If I can't I'll figure out another way to fly!" Tony declared as he held his hands out in front of him, enjoying the feel of the wind through his hands. "Then we can fly together! Wouldn't that be good daddy?"

Loki let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Yes, little one, that would be good." Alls well that ends well, as they say.

"This is Midgard right? Where is red white and blue man? Is he inside? Can we go see him? I want to tell him thank for coming to help save me from red guy." Again, the boy's attentions shifted.

Loki paused in his walking. He slowly turned Tony to face him. "We have some things to speak of. Do you remember what I told you about your old life?" Tony nodded his eyes wide. "This was your home, Tony. This building, this city, the people we are about to see, they were your family and this was your home." He paused. "It will be hard for them to accept that you are not who you were before." He tried to explain. "It may be difficult to let go of someone they love, you understand?"

Tony seemed sad, but he nodded. Then his too soft brown eyes met his, asking a question he may not have understood he was asking. Loki knew. He leaned closer and kissed Tony's forehead.

"But of course they'll have to. No one wants to say goodbye, but it is a part of life to die. You are my child now, they will have to accept the new life you have and wish you the best." Loki said offhandedly. He began walking again, pretending to look at the building of New York City, but he was attuned to Tony's every move. He felt the boy's body relax in his arms, reassured. His arms tightened ever so lightly around the child, around his child.

"They will want to say goodbye. You may not understand." He explained. "They may talk about things that you do not remember. That is alright. It is more for them than for you, Little One." He paused as a memory lit across his mind. 'Do you miss me, Thor?' He frowned slightly. "But should you remember, you need to tell me. It is very important, you understand?" Tony nodded again. Loki sighed as they rounded the last corner of the building and found himself where he had started. "Well then. Are you ready little one?"

"Yep. Are you, daddy?" Tony's eyes were innocent and too soft.

"Yes."

Thor moved quickly down the steps and through the halls to the common area of the tower. He knew they would be waiting, pacing, worrying for information. He didn't know what he intended to say to them. How he should explain what happened. He hadn't needed to explain to Steven. He had been there when Loki had returned with a little Tony. He had heard Loki's explanation of what happened. Even more important, he had seen Stark's body before. How would he make them understand that Loki had done a good thing? His face became determined. He would make them understand.

He burst into the living room and was met by the whole of the Avengers. They were all sitting and looking extremely pensive. As he came in several Hawkeye and Bruce stood. Bruce looking half relived to see Steven and half terrified.

"Everything is alright." Steve said immediately and it was almost magical the effect it had on their little group. Their muscles relaxed, their faces smoothed slightly and the Hawk and Bruce took their seats again.

"Oh god." Pepper sighed heavily. "Where is he, Steve? What happened?" She looked between the god and the mortal, waiting for an answer.

"It is very difficult to explain, I am just letting you know right away." Steve said and Thor could not have thanked him enough. "But I ask that you let Thor explain as best he can before you ask too many questions. Understood?"

The group nodded and Steven's eyes turned back to him and he nodded, passing on the groups' unwavering attention. He took a deep breath.

"When we found Stark he was in terrible condition. Utlagi's magic had taken root inside his body and was, for lack of a better word, consuming him. The monster had ripped out his arc reactor and was sustaining his life, if allowed to continue he would have devoured Stark body and soul. His desire was to make himself one with Stark, believing him to be The Wind of Change and he would then make Stark's abilities to be his own."

Thor paused to take in his audience. They were all rapt with attention, watching him either wide worried eyes or narrowed calculating ones. He continued.

"Once we released him from the hold of Utlagi's magic he had but two choices. He could do nothing and thus allow his soul to be eaten and assimilated into Utlagi's thus ending his existence or he could break the bonding, again ending his existence. Neither of these options settled well with our dear friend, but that is when Loki offered a third option. He offered to break the bond and simultaneously create another one between himself and Tony Stark." He could see Hawkeye and Stark's boys' heads' shoot up and he hurried to explain. "It was the only way to save his spirit. Normal death is a move from one plane of existence to another, but that is not what awaited Stark in his death. It was draining, delicate, work and you would be hard pressed to find a better sorcerer for it than my brother Loki."

"Thor, what are you trying to say? That Loki and Tony are one or something like what's his face wanted? " Hawkeye asked patience frayed

One glace about the room made Thor aware that The Hawk wasn't the only one coming to such a disturbing conclusion.

"No!" Thor said quickly, nervous. They needed to understand. "He reincarnated Tony. Let him die and be born again all in the span of a few minutes. He used his own magic and blood to make a new body. He is not to Loki what he was to Utlagi. He is more… it is as if…"

"He has been reincarnated into a child. A child with Loki's blood in it's veins. That would make that child his child." Steve interjected, saved him.

"His child? Are you seriously saying that dad is now Loki's kid?" Gabriel Stark asked shocked. Thor nodded seriously. Stark's children looked horrified and interested at the same time. How like their father they were.

"You can't be serious cap!" Hawkeye yelled, but Thor could see that he understood. Could see that the others did too. They had seen too much in all their years together to not believe something like this could happen.

"I've seen him. Talked to him… He's a cute kid…" Steven said softly

The silence was complete. No one said anything as they stared at him. Then Pepper seemed to deflate in her seat.

"My husband is dead, is basically what you are telling me. That he has died and has born into a new life." She seemed to be lost for a moment and no one knew what to say. The she sat straight up and took a deep breath. "Alright. I can do this, as strange as it sounds. Thor," She looked at the god and he held his breath, prepared for the worst. "He is happy? Or, will be happy? In Asgard?" She asked softly

He nodded, "Oh yes. He will be a prince. Or, um, is a prince. He has already been presented to my father and mother. They have claimed him as part of their line. He will have everything he wants or needs. He will be exceedingly well loved and looked after."

She nodded and stood form her spot next to Natasha. "I want to see him."

"We do too." Veronica Stark agreed as she and her two brothers stood with her.

Thor blinked for a moment before he remembered himself. "He is here." Thor said simply. "He and Loki are on the roof."

"Correction, dear brother. We were on the roof, now we are here in the hall." Loki's voice called from behind him.

They all were looking at he and his daddy with shock and that made Tony nervous, but he could see his uncle and the red white and blue man, so maybe it wasn't so bad. He smiled at red white and blue man.

"Hi red white and blue man! Your name is Steve right? I didn't know you were already down here! When did you leave?" Tony asked happily

Steven smiled sadly. "I left while you were looking at the city."

"Oh! I liked it on the roof, you could see forever and it felt like flying. I wanna fly when I grow up. Have you ever flown?" Tony asked

"Yes I have, but how about we talk about that later? We have some people for you to talk to." Captain offered nicely and Tony pouted slightly cause he wanted to ask if Steve could change form like his daddy could change form. Maybe daddy was the only one who could do it. "I am Steve Rogers, but you already knew that right?" Tony nodded and Steve smiled. "This is Bruce Banner, Clinton and Natasha Barton, and Pepper, Gabriel, Michael, and Veronica Stark. They all knew you when you were a grown up."

Tony blinked at them. Their names made the back of his head feel open. Like the first time he saw Uncle Thor after he slept. He felt like he might want to say something, but Steve was still talking.

"-So they want to say goodbye. Er." Steve was looking at Loki now like he wanted to take Tony. Arms tightened around him before they moved to the middle of the room and Loki sat. Tony glanced up at his daddy from his lap, but Loki looked passive.

The first to move up to him was a young man, either Michael or Gabriel. Tony tilted his head at them for a moment before smiling. "Hi."

"Hi." The young man smiled and then there was another boy and girl there and Tony smiled shyly at them too. "We… we just wanted to tell our dad, ya know if he's in there, that we love him and he was the best dad ever. And that we um…"

"We hope you are happy." The other boy smiled kindly. "We hope you have a fun time with your family and that you make lots of fun memories. Yeah?"

Tony nodded. "I think it's gonna be ok. Loki is a fun daddy and he is good at keeping me safe. And the golden lady who is my grandma is really pretty and gives good hugs."

The people laughed, but Tony was serious. He frowned.

"Take care of yourself ,Dad." The girl whispered and kissed his cheek.

He kissed her cheek and said, "You too, kidos." Before he knew what he was doing. He blinked at the girl as she sat in front of him holding her cheek.

"I…" her eyes looked wide and wet, but she smiled. "Alright, Dad." And with that she stood and she and the boys walked away all of them with wet eyes.

He could feel Loki's hand on his back and warmth was leaking up his spine and into his mind which felt very open in the back right now. He thought maybe he should do something else, cause his head kinda hurt, but then the pepper lady with red hair was kneeling in front of him and her eyes were already all wet.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked softly and a feeling from the open back of his head told him that she was super important.

"Oh, nothing really." She smiled the saddest smile he had ever seen. "I am just really going to miss you, Tony." And she touched his face.

Just like that he felt like an egg that had been cracked open and everything spilled out.

"I am so sorry, Pepper. I didn't want to leave you, I didn't. But I didn't think there was any point in dying if I wasn't going to go to the same place you were going when you died and I know that sounds so morbid, but you think about that kind of thing when you're on your last let or whatever. I tried so hard to try and get out of it. I asked all these questions and there just didn't seem to be any other option worth taking and, god, but I am so sorry Pep."

"T-tony! Its Its's ok. I know. It's ok. You did what you could. It's alright. Everything is going to be fine, shh." Pepper cried

Tony held her close, or tried to. He was too small for that now. He couldn't hold his wife. He was sorry.

"I thought you said he did not remember brother." Thor's voice was confused.

"No, I said that he should not remember. There is a difference." He could hear Loki like he was in stereo, in his head and in his ears. It was odd. Pepper was still crying and telling him it was ok.

"Is it really so bad that he remembers?" Gabe asked then. "We have him back now don't we?"

"No, boy. What you have back is a man with manly desires and thought processes in the body of a child. A man that will have the joy of watching his children grow old and die while he stays young. That is what you have." Loki was practically growling and Tony could feel a resounding buzz of annoyance and concern flitter through his mind.

"Don't be a dick Loki." Clint snorted

"I am not being a dick, as you say. I am trying to get the point across frankly so we can avoid the lovely moral thrashing you humans enjoy giving yourselves over such decisions. It is clear. To allow him to grow up on Midgard with his memories intact would be cruel." Loki replied matter of factly.

And he was right, wasn't he? Did he really want to watch his boys and little girl grow old and die? No. And when he wife and kids did die, what would there be here for him? They were his life now. His reason for creating a better tomorrow. What kind of life would that be?

"Who the hell put you in charge of this, Loki?" Clint cut in, but Natasha placed a hand on his arm. She knew where this was going, Tony could tell. Hell, everyone should have been able to tell.

"He gave me a choice here guys! The magic wouldn't have worked if I hadn't given my consent ok? So just lay off the sorcerer. I was a big boy and I made my own decision." Tony yelled over the eruption of anger and hurt that was brewing amongst the Avengers.

"He's right anyway. Loki, I mean." Bruce said and oh Bruce! Tony had so many things t say to Bruce. "Tony is gonna age like Thor and Loki do because Loki had to recreate him. If he ages that slow then none of us are going to be around long enough to see him in first grade much less till adulthood."

"You and Steve Rogers will." Thor replied.

That statement hung heavy in the air.

"I think I know what needs to happen." Pepper said and Tony looked up at her and damn it, but he felt so small. She smiled sadly at him and ran her hands through his hair. "You are going to move on Tony."

"But Pep, I-"

"You are going to be a happy normal child with a happy normal childhood. I don't expect for no one to tell you your own story. I think you should know where you came from, but this is going to sit heavy on your heart Tony. I love you too much to do that to you." She was crying again and Tony hated it when she cried. She was kissing his eyes and maybe he was crying too. She was looking at Loki now, asking if he could do it.

"W-wait! Wait! You just said that Steve and Bruce aren't gonna age right? C-can I have them in my life? I mean, like to visit and talk to and stuff? They aren't going to die on me from old age and I… would just like that, I guess." He finished lamely.

He chanced a look up at Loki. He was thinking, you could tell by the stupid way her pursed his lips. He always did that. Tony could still feel Loki's magic curling around inside of him, mingling with his own magic and had that felt that way since he had this body?

"I will lock the memories away. They will not be gone, but they will feel old. Like memories long past rather than fresh. I will also allow visits from Banner and Rogers on the condition that they come to Asgard." Loki replied finally

"Father is not too fond of having mortals on Asgard." Thor said quickly and wasn't that funny cause Tony was thinking the same thing. Loki just snorted.

"He will suffer me this. He gave his blessing for me to raise Tony how I see fit, did he not?"Loki replied smoothly he and Thor began a staring contest that Tony found utterly uninteresting.

He turned to Pepper, his Pepper. "I don't want to forget you." He whispered. His kids were coming back to kneel next to them.

"I know, Tony. I know, but this is what's best for you and the kids and everyone. It's just hard to let it go that's all." Her hands were soft in his hair and he choked back a totally unmanly noise and turned to his kids.

"Alright, well I guess after this I am heading out now. Take care of your mom. She deserves to be spoiled after having taken care of me for this long." He smiled, but he felt like he was dying again. "I love you kids, you're all the very definition of brilliance and awesomeness and you carry the Stark name well. God, I love you kids." They were all tears as they hugged him and it was odd and unsatisfying how he was too small to hug them all at once like he once did.

He kissed all their heads and held still as Pepper kissed his once again and then they all stood back. He felt Loki's magic curling inside his head and in his chest. It was building layer upon layer and it was sinking deeper and deeper. He could hear a familiar voice in the back of his mind telling him to relax. That everything was going to be alright. That he was brave and good and strong as were his children. He could feel it all the way to his toes now and Loki's hands were hot against his shoulder blades. His eyes opened and he looked up to meet Pepper's gaze one last time.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

The spell engaged. There was a flash of white hot light and a tingling feeling all the way out to the ends of his toes and fingers and even his nose. He blinked a few times and looked around the room. Everyone was standing. He looked over his shoulder and met a pair of very green eyes.

"Is it time to go now, daddy?"

A/N: Oh my gosh! Step by step we're getting there. The end is just around the corner and I am excited because this will be my first completed chapter fic EVER. Yep, I feel like celebrating is in order, but not yet. Gotta finish this story first. Thank you too everyone who has reviewed or faved or followed! It means the world to me. Oh, someone asked about a sequel I think? It was a guest so I'm just gonna pop this in here for them. Yes I intend to write a sequel! Its gonna be super cute and junk of that nature, but I have to finish this one first, so bare with me