Loki woke to horrible cramps. He stood slowly walking the room and rubbing his stomach trying to ease the pain. Tony wasn't in the bed or adjoining bathroom. Loki steadily took deep breaths, "Jarvis, where is Anthony?" He reached for the door, which somehow felt heavier and pulled it open. A light sweat dotted his brow from the strain.

"Mr. Stark is in his workshop. Sir, it may not be advisable to be up and about in your condition. Might I suggest you sit down?"

The god nodded leaning along the wall as he made his way to the top of the stairs and sat down.

I am alerting Mr. Stark now.

He couldn't breathe. The room was fading in and out of focus. The cramping was getting increasingly worse. Norns please no.

"Father?" Slepnir's sleepy voice came from his room as he quickly ran to his father's side.

Loki smiled weakly. 'I am fine, my son. Just resting until Anthony gets here." The brave front he was trying to put up was completely transparent.

Slepnir sat next to him. "What can I do?"

"Loki?!" They looked to the bottom of the stairs to see Tony almost lose his footing as he rounded the corner and dashed up the stairs. "What is it?" He crouched down in front of the exhausted panting god.

"I Feel—"He leaned into Tony's hand as it caressed his cheek. He was burning up.

"Jarvis call—"

Dr. Banner is in route, Sir."

"Slepnir, help me get him back in bed, then run down to the kitchen and get me a large bowl full of ice water." Tony lifted the god gingerly hooking one arm over his shoulder, the steed doing the same.

They covered Loki up and added two more blankets after the god complained of being cold. Loki was never cold, if anything, he would grumble about the heat. Tony got a wash cloth just as Slepnir came back with the bowl of ice water. Loki moaned as the frigid rag was pressed to his forehead.

He opened glossy eyes to peer at Tony. "So cold." His brow creased and hand went to his stomach. "Aches."

Tony switched out the cloth. "Where does it hurt, babe?" Loki touched the top of the swell. Resting his hand over his daughter, he rubbed the area gently. It felt much warmer than usual. The rest of his abdomen was fine. Loki relaxed slightly as the cramp lessening.

Slepnir continued to give vigil over his father staying silent as the inventor would switch out the rags and continued rubbing Loki's stomach. Every so often the fevered god would let out a small whimper.

Tony glanced back at his adopted son. "He wouldn't want anyone to know what happened this morning." He said softly. Slepnir nodded his agreement. He would say nothing.

Sir, Dr. Banner has arrived.

Bruce ran into the room slightly breathless, rattling off questions about Loki's condition. He had them retrieve the portable ultra sound and sonogram machine and a handful of other items he needed.

The doctor determined that Loki seemed to have some type of flu bug. Which normally wouldn't have affected him but being in his weakened state has latched on hard and been amplified by the drain on his system. That brought the doctors attention to the unborn children. Thor's bundle of joy was fine: heat rate good, development good. Their baby was a different matter.

The god listened weakly, Tony alert and attentive. Pointing to the image of the little girl, "The cord is wrapped around her neck—"Loki began to panic. "Calm down Loki. She's fine. It's wrapped loosely, however, tight enough to put a small strain on her. Which is why I believe you are cramping. She is syphoning more of your body's energy to keep herself stable."

"She is not in danger?" The god's voice was tight and on the verge of panic again.

"Not in any immediate danger. We will keep a close eye on her, but I need you to get plenty of rest. No unnecessary movement, matter of fact bed rest from here on out. Doctor's orders. I know it's going to drive you crazy, but just humor me. And you need to eat more. Can't have you withering away." Bruce finished and Loki nodded.

"I'll be by weekly from now until birth. As for the flu, unfortunately it's going to have to run its course. There isn't anything I can give you while you're pregnant. Tylenol is about it."

Tony clasped Bruce's shoulder. "Thanks, Doc."

"Anytime, just keep him hydrated and well fed."

"Anyway we can convince you to stay?" Tony asked hopefully.

Bruce focused on packing up the equipment. "Probably not the best idea, Tony."

"Guest house?"

"Alright." Bruce sighed. Tony gave a small fist pump. "But if anything happens—"

"Daddy Warbuck's has it covered. Relax. Let me know what you need and I'll get it for you. We rather you be close by now." The sentence had a double meaning which the doctor caught. He got the same message from Steve. He glanced at Loki then back at Tony. Tony shook his head. It didn't go unnoticed. They had forgotten the boy in the room, who quietly departed.

He made his way to the serpent's room. Turning the handle, he figured his brother was awake. He always kept strange hours. Pushing the door open Slepnir felt a rush of air past his face. Looking down he saw a piece of his hair flutter to the ground. Glancing to the side he noticed the blade stuck in the hold. "Norns, Jormungandr what is wrong with you?"

The serpent sat up right in his bed, trying to calm his breathing. "My apologies, brother. I seem to have had a nightmare."

Rolling his eyes, Slepnir tossed the dagger back as the bed before taking a seat. "What kind of nightmare could you possibly have? You could simply eat anything that was a threat."

Jormungandr fixed his brother with a stare and pushed his hair out of his face. "It was nothing."

"Must have been something. Look at you arm."

His left arm was covered in blue, green and gold scales. Flexing his hand, he willed his skin to change. Shaking his head he changed the subject. "What has brought you to my chambers at this hour?"

"Father is ill and confined to bed rest for fear of his unborn child. However, I feel something darker is on the horizon. I suspect they may have found Amora or traces of her."

"How do you come to this?" He said as he crossed the room to his dresser.

"It is just a hunch. A play on word between Tony and the healer. I do not believe Father knows yet."

Jormungandr pulled a long sleeve shirt over his head and quickly pulled his hair back with a leather tie. "Wake Fenrir, we have more training to do and these wards must be in place by night fall."

Slepnir stood. "Do you really believe they would stave off the witch?"

"No, but they will slow her down hopefully long enough for Father to get to safety." He pulled on his boots, grabbed a satchel and an old leather bound book. "Hurry, we mustn't dawdle.

Tony sat next to the bed watching over the sleeping god. Occasionally, Loki would whimper and he would place a cold rag on his head or convinced him to take a sip of juice.

Tony alerted the others of Loki's condition via text and that he was not to be disturbed.

Steve and Clint returned with Fury and the meeting took place in Tony's office. Steve had poked his head in and tossed Tony an ear piece so he could listen in and not disturb Loki. However, he was convinced Cap just wanted to check on them. Thor filled them in on Amora and answered their questions as best he could. Loki was still more knowledgeable on dealing with the Enchantress but the information Thor provided was a huge help.

No one had informed Loki yet. His condition what it was, no one wanted to risk upsetting the god. They would at least wait until he was over the flu.

Amora was being careful about covering her tracks, but occasionally slipped up. This last time she was spotted in Sweden. The pattern was erratic. Most definitely to throw Shield off her tracks. She would move frequently as if she was looking for something. If that something was Loki, then she was far off. Chances were she already knew where he was and was just biding her time.

"What are they doing?" Clint asks Thor as they watched the boys from the roof top. The three of them were spread throughout the yard, hands splayed out in front of them or touching a particular object murmuring foreign word. When they were done they would switch spots or move to the next location.

"They are setting wards around the compound." Thor's brows creased. "How did they find out about the Enchantress?"

Clint shrugged, "They aren't stupid Thor, they could figure it out on their own or maybe they over heard the conference. They've been going at this all day."

"The protection spells are strong, but will have little effect on her." Clouds began rolling in on the horizon. "I am very much in fear of his safety."

"Calm down, big guy. Let's ask them if they need any help." Clint offered as he looked up at the sky.

"We are not magical beings friend Barton. What assistance can we be?" Thor said doubtfully.

"Well, we can tell them what we do know. Give them a shot at laying better wards." Clint looked on. "Maybe just some hand to hand combat to release some stress. This can't be easy for them."

Thor patted Clint's shoulder. "It is a good plan. Let us see to it."

The brood gave the archer and thunderer a run for their money. Individually, they were no match for their uncle; together they were a force to be reckoned with. The hand to hand combat Barton offered was well received. He learned quickly that despite Fenrir's young appearance, he could dole out some serious damage. And whether they mentioned it out loud, the three boys were grateful to know they were not alone.

AN: whew, tough crowd these last two chapters. thank you to those for continuing to follow along and who have left messages. I appreciate it greatly! Ok, on to the next one…may be a while before I am able to post again. again, thank you guys so much for reading!

Besitos!