Four months later, Grace was cooking breakfast for Beth in the kitchen. She was wearing a long black skirt and Loki's green shirt as she stood in front of the stove making pancakes. She had gained a bit of weight since she left Asgard and she was eating better as well. Thoughts of Loki filled her mind every day. She wondered how he was. She wondered what he was doing. But most of all, she wondered if he missed her as much as she missed him.

There came a knock at the door and Grace called out, "It is open. Come on in."

Tentative footsteps came into the room then and when Grace looked up to see who it was she gasped. Standing there wearing a green jacket and dirty blonde hair with a timid look on her face was her mother. A bright loving smile spread across Grace's face when she saw her mother enter the room. "You are looking well." She said to her daughter.

"I am, mom. I am glad to see you here. Are you hungry? I can make you a pancake." Grace offered.

Her mother stepped closer into the room and waved her hand as she said, "No. I am not hungry, but thank you." Her deep hazel eyes were downcast as she sat down at the table.

Grace looked at her and noticed that there was something troubling her mother. Abandoning her cooking, she walked the few steps up to her mother and took her hands gently in hers and asked, "Is everything alright?" Her bright blue eyes desperately search her mother's eyes for an explanation.

"Grace," her mother began with a sigh. "There is something I probably should have told you a long time ago." Grace took a deep breath and pressed her lips together as she squeezed her mother's hand reassuringly. "After I married you father, I met another man. He had wonderful green eyes and fiery red hair that flowed over his shoulders gracefully." She smiled as she described her friend and Grace could not help but smile back at her. "His name was Bragi. He was an amazing poet and could take my breath away just with his words. He also claimed to be from another world called Asgard. I fell in love with him.

"More to the point," Her mother glanced up into Grace's eyes as a concerned look grew on her face. "I had an affair with him. I knew it was wrong, but I was not sorry that I did it. For it brought you into the world." She placed her hand lovingly on the side of Grace's shocked face.

"So I am not even related to my father?" Grace asked.

"No. You are not. He has always resented you because of what I did. I am ever so glad that I did not give in to his anger. You have Bragi's gift with words and his strong heart." Her mother continued.

Grace stood up then and walked over to the pancakes that were beginning to burn. She removed them from the stove and placed the four of them on two individual plates. She then grabbed two sets of silverware and set them on top of the plates and brought them over to the table. While she was doing this, she whispered to herself, "I am half Asgardian. I wonder if that will mean anything to Odin."

"I am sorry. What did you say?" Her mother asked as she put her hand on Grace's arm.

In response, Grace looked up at her and smiled as she said, "I was just talking to myself."

Suddenly, the door swung open and someone came rushing into the house calling for Grace desperately. It was Jane and anguish was clear in her shaking voice. Grace called back to her telling her that she was in the kitchen and Jane came running into the room. When Grace saw her there were tears staining her face as she looked into her friends blue eyes.

Grace placed her hands warmly on Jane's shoulders and asked, "What is wrong?"

After she took a few deep breaths, Jane replied, "You are needed at the hospital."

"What is happening?" Grace asked urgently as panic rose in her voice.

"It is better if you just came to see." Jane answered.

Without another word, Grace was out the door running as best she could with her stiffening legs towards the hospital and Jane and her mother followed close behind. Time seemed to move in slow motion as she ran; it was almost as if she was stuck in place. Her heart was pounding in her ear and her breathing was ragged. She was exhausted, but she could not stop. What if it was Loki and he needed her help?

Once she reached the hospital, Thor stood at the door waiting for her. He had been pacing back and forth. This much was clear by the footsteps on the new carpet. When he saw Grace, he pulled her into a tight embrace and whispered in her ear, "Loki missed you."

Grace pulled out of the embrace and looked into his troubled blue eyes. "Why can Loki not tell me himself?" Her voice was riddled with concern as she searched his blue eyes for an answer.

Thor took her hands in his and said, "Come with me." He then led her back to a small bleak hospital room with one bed in it. Lying on the bed was an awfully thin man with black hair and extremely pale skin. His wrists were bound tightly with bloody bandages. Grace instantly recognized who it was that was laying on the bed. She ran to his side and dropped to her knees. Grace did not take her tearing eyes off of him when she asked, "What happened to him?

"As soon as you left, Loki locked himself in his chamber and would not come out for anything. Not even to eat. Whenever I would knock on his door, he would always shout at me to depart." Thor explained as he brought a chair over for Grace to sit on as he continued to speak. "A few minutes ago, I knocked on his door and got no response. I grew worried and entered his chamber and when I did," He paused and took a deep breath as he wiped a tear away from his left eye. "I found him lying on his bed with his wrists slashed and blood was flowing all over the sheets. By his side was the photo of you two together and a letter."

Grace looked up at him from her seat and asked, "What did the letter say."

Thor pulled a piece of paper out of the folds of his blue robe and handed it to her and said, "Read it for yourself."

Grace snatched the letter out of his hand and read it hurriedly. It read:

I can no longer handle life without Grace by my side. Everything I see reminds me of her. Knowing that I will never see her again makes it even harder. The music in her laughter. Her loving smile. Her breathtaking eyes. Her caring heart. Her soft lips. Her never ending compassion. I will never experience any of those ever again

I have no regrets for what I am about to do. Anything is better than living without Grace.

Goodbye.

Grace set the letter down on her lap and reached up and took Loki's cold hand as tears streamed down her face. As soon as she touched his hand, his fingers closed around her hand slightly and then reopened. Grace perked up then and looked over at Thor who was sitting by the door with his head in his hands. She said excitedly to him, "He moved!"

Thor looked up at her and answered, "What?"

Grace repeated her statement and added, "His hand moved." Her bright blue eyes were wide with excitement as Thor walked over to her and looked down at his brother. He gasped when he saw that color was beginning to return to Loki's face. He ran out the door then and called for the nurse as Grace remained by his side.

Grace took his hand once again and kissed it tenderly. Loki groaned slightly and turned to face her, but his green eyes remained closed. Grace looked at his thin lips and bit her lower lip as she considered what she was about to try next. She looked back at the door and noticed that Thor was nowhere in sight, but she could hear him calling for a nurse still.

Grace then leaned forward and kissed Loki's lips lovingly and felt a hand being placed behind her head pulling her in closer to him. She pulled away slightly and saw that he had opened his eyes and was gazing adoringly at her. She blushed and looked down at the bed for a quick moment then back up into his green eyes.

"Hel is much better than I thought it would be." Loki whispered in his soft voice that Grace had missed dearly.

His hand was resting behind her head as Grace whispered back to him, "You are not dead, Loki. Thor got to you in time. Why would you try to kill yourself?"

Loki smiled and said as he played with her now shoulder length hair, "Because it was the only way I could see you again."

Grace smiled weakly and grasped his hand in hers as she said, "That was not the only way."

Loki nodded his head slightly and replied, "Yes. It was the only way father would allow me to leave Asgard to see you. Even if it was to visit my wife."

"About that," Grace began as a warm smile grew on her face. "My mother came to see me this morning; she had some very interesting news for me."

Loki looked at her and smiled back, "What did she tell you?"

"She told me that my father is not really my father." Grace replied in a hushed tone of voice.

Loki squinted his eyes in confusion as he asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Loki," Grace leaned forward in her chair slightly and said, "Was there anyone on Asgard by the name of 'Bragi'?"

"Yes. He is my brother's childhood tutor. What about him?" Loki answered her breathlessly.

"Does he have red hair and green eyes?" She asked again.

"Yes." Loki answered as he sat up in his hospital bed.

"It would seem that my mother had an affair with him and this resulted in my conception. So I am half Asgardian." Grace answered at she gazed into his wide green eyes.

Loki was speechless. He was desperately trying to digest the information that Grace was telling him. At that moment, Thor ran back into the room and he froze in place when he saw his brother sitting up. After a few moments, Thor ran up to him and embraced him tightly. "I was so worried about you, brother." Thor said as they remained in the embrace for a few more moments.

Loki pushed him away and looked at his brother suspiciously and asked, "You were worried about me?"

"Why is that so hard to believe?" Thor protested loudly.

Loki looked from Grace to Thor and responded, "All our lives, we have never been close."

Thor scoffed and answered, "I do not know where you have been, but I have always valued your opinion above all others."

"Really?" Loki asked.

"Of course." Thor answered with his blue eyes furrowed.

They all stood there for a few moments and watched each other. Grace looked back at Thor and asked him, "Could you please go into the waiting room and tell Jane and my mother that Loki will be alright?"

Thor bowed slightly to her and replied with a slight smile, "Of course, Grace." He then turned and left the room.

Once he was gone, Grace turned to Loki and asked, "How long will you be able to stay this time?"

"Well, seeing as the All Father thinks I am dead. I may be able to stay forever." Loki smiled at her as he put his hand warmly on the side of her face.

Grace smiled back at him and pulled away from him and said, "There is also one other piece of news for you."

"What is it?" He asked with worry growing in his voice for some reason.

"May I see your hand for a minute, please?" Grace asked as she pointed to his hand. Loki gave it to her and she put it on her stomach. He immediately understood and smiled brightly as he pulled her into a passionate kiss which she returned gratefully.

After they parted, Grace whispered while their lips were about an inch apart, "You cannot try to kill yourself anymore, Loki. It broke my heart seeing you like this."

Loki shook his head slightly and responded by saying, "I only did it because I could not handle life without you." He then looked into her blight blue eyes and added, "I would never do anything to harm you intentionally."

Grace pulled him into tight embrace and did not hear as a few sets of feet walked into the room. Someone behind them called out in a tentative shy voice, "Grace?" In response, she opened her eyes and turned around and saw her mother standing there beside Jane and Thor with a puzzled expression on her face. "Who is that man?"

Grace stood and walked over to her mother and took her hand and led her over to were Loki sat and said to her, "Mother, this is Loki. He is my husband."

Her mother's deep hazel eyes opened wide as she looked into Loki's green eyes. He smiled weakly at her and braced for the lecture which he knew would inevitably come. Instead of a lecture, she just threw her arms tightly around him and shouted at the top of her lungs, "I have a son-in-law!"

Back at the house, Grace and Loki sat side by side at the kitchen table as Jane, Patrice, and Beth ate some pancakes. Patrice was talking with Beth about her school and extra activities while Jane watched Loki as he examined Grace's face closely without touching her. How did she not notice how much he loved her friend before? It was just oozing out of him.

Loki was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a light blue shirt as he sat at Grace's side. She was no longer wearing his shirt but rather she wore a white shirt with roses on it. She had taken the wrappings off of his wrists and healed the scars as best she could before they left the hospital. As they walked home, Loki had held her hand tightly the entire way.

Grace reached for his hand and grasped it tightly underneath the table. Once his hand was in hers, Loki intertwined his fingers with hers and squeezed her hand tenderly. Grace smiled and gazed down at the floor when she felt his grip tighten around her hand. It felt like old times once again. With the exception of her mother being there with them.

Jane saw her friend gazing at the floor and turned to Patrice and said, "Why don't we go for a walk. Beth can come with us."

Patrice looked up at Jane and smiled. She then looked over at her daughter and her son-in-law and saw that they were lost in a different world while they were trying desperately not to gaze at each other. She looked back over at Jane and nodded her head. She then turned to Beth and said, "I often go for a walk after dinner. Would you like to join me?"

Beth, who was getting along splendidly with her grandmother, smiled and jumped up and ran to the door. She quickly put her black shoes on and ran outside. When the others were not following, Beth stuck her head back in the house and said, "Are you coming?"

Patrice smiled and followed Beth out the door after she glanced over at Loki and Grace. Jane lingered a bit longer and after Patrice had left the room she said, "I will inform her about some of what has occurred between you two. You will have to tell her the rest. We will leave you now. You have at least two hours alone together."

Jane then began to leave the house but stopped in her tracks when she heard Loki say, "Thank you, Jane." She turned around slowly and saw him looking up at her with a warm smile on his face.

"For what?" Jane asked curiously.

"For everything." Loki responded as he gazed at Grace who sat by his side. "For taking care of Grace and bringing her to the hospital to see me. But, more importantly," He paused and stood up. He then walked the few steps up to Jane and bowed to her slightly. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to stay with Grace. Even though you knew what I had done, you still allowed me to stay with your lifelong friend."

As Grace listened to Loki speak, she found herself smiling peacefully. She was still gazing down at the floor as Loki spoke to her friend. His soft voice was like music to her ears. She missed it so much! She missed him more than anything. She could not focus on anything without him there with her. Now that he was, she was ecstatic! She felt as if there was nothing she could not do. If he asked her to, she could fly for him.

Jane smiled at him and left the room. Once they heard the front door close, Loki turned to Grace, picked her up in his arms gently, and said, "We have about two hours together before they come back. What do you say we go to your room?"

Grace smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck and responded, "I think you mean 'our' room."

Loki smiled and leaned over slightly and kissed her on the lips romantically. Grace returned the kiss as her hands traveled up to the back of his head and rested there. Overtaken by the moment, Loki held her against the wall and kissed her all the more passionately. Grace responded by wrapping her legs around his waist and kissed him back. He kissed her neck then and placed his hands against the wall as he continued to kiss her neck ardently.

Grace smiled and whispered as her eyes remained closed, "Slow down, Loki. We are not even in the bedroom yet."

"I know. I just love you so much. You cannot fathom how much I missed you." Loki responded as he continued to kiss her neck. Grace smiled brightly and her blue eyes remained shut as she enjoyed the feel of being in his arms and having his cold lips caress her skin once more.

Meanwhile, Patrice was walking hand in hand with Beth as she thought over all that Jane had told her. Grace had fallen in love with and married the man who had invaded the city all those years ago. What was more, she was pregnant with his child! At first, she was shocked to learn that the man that her daughter had married was the monster who had terrorized the city, but when she remembered the look of love on his face as he looked at Grace, she realized how wrong she had been to judge him. Grace had always been a naturally forgiving person.

Beth was chattering at a million miles an hour about anything and everything that came to mind. She was holding her grandmothers hand tightly as they walked through the park. The birds were singing sweetly in the trees when they all sat down on a park bench. Patrice thought over Grace and Loki's union as Beth continued to jabber away. She wished she could have been there for their marriage. It was probably amazing!

A few minutes later, the sun began to sink into the horizon and the sky grew darker and darker. Jane said to Patrice, "We should probably be heading back soon."

Patrice looked up at Jane in shock and asked, "Do you think we gave then enough time?"

"Enough time for what?" Beth asked when she caught the tail end of the conversation.

Patrice looked at her and smiled. She ran her hand through the child's black hair and responded sweetly, "Grown up stuff, sweetie. From what I hear, they have not seen each other for four months. They have a lot of grown up stuff to catch up on." She kissed Beth sweetly on the forehead and added, "I have an idea."

"What is it?" Jane replied.

"Why don't we all go back to my hotel for the night?" Patrice said.

Beth smiled brightly but it quickly disappeared when she thought of Grace and Loki back at home. "How will Grace and Loki know where I went?"

Jane jumped in and said, "I will go to Grace's house and let her know where you went. Then I will head to the hotel to join you two for a bit, alright."

Beth smiled wearily and watched as Patrice stood up and offered her hand to her. Beth took her hand and the two of them walked off to the hotel and Jane headed to Grace's house.

Once Jane reached the house she hesitated at the door because she did not want to interrupt anything that might be occurring inside the house. She raised her hand to knock but decided against it. Instead, she leaned forward and listened closely. Not hearing anything, Jane turned the door knob and entered the house cautiously. She walked into the kitchen and could not help but smile when she saw a line of clothes leading into her friend's room. It was a good thing that they had left when they did, for it appeared as if Grace and Loki could not wait to get back to her room.

Jane followed the trail of clothes that lead to Grace's room. The door was closed and there was no noise coming from inside. They were probably asleep in each other's arms. Jane wrote a quick note on a piece of paper that she had taken from the kitchen and slid it under the door. When she stood back up she heard the covers shift inside as one of them moved slightly. Jane smiled in response and left the house.

Grace and Loki where not asleep, but rather lying in each other's arms with their eyes closed. Loki heard something get slipped under the door so he kissed Grace on the forehead and said, "I am going to see what that was, I will be right back." Grace nodded her head and released him.

Loki stood up and walked over to the door and looked down. Lying there on the floor was a note. He picked it up and carried it over to the bed. He lay back down under the thin covers next to Grace as he read it out loud so she could hear as well. It read: 'Patrice has taken Beth back to her hotel for the night. I am going to go join them for a bit then I will head back to my hotel for the night. We will be back around noon tomorrow. Also, you may want to pick up the clothes that are strewn across the floor before Beth gets home. Jane.'

"So," Loki began as he set the letter down on the bedside table. "I guess we have more time together than we thought." He chuckled as he put his arm back around Grace who had her arms wrapped around his chest and her head was resting over his heart. There was a peaceful content smile resting on her face as Loki kissed her forehead once again.

Grace looked up at him and smiled as Loki looked back down at her and smiled tenderly. She gazed up into his green eyes and ran her soft hand gently down his pale face. She gazed down shyly as he ran his hand lovingly down her face and pulled her closer to him. He then kissed her neck tenderly and Grace closed her eyes and leaned her head back as he kissed her yet again this time on her right collarbone.

"Loki," Grace said breathlessly. "I need to catch my breath before you take it away again."

Loki smiled and said, "Alright, my love. What shall we do in the meantime?"

Grace smiled and responded by saying, "How about we just lye here in each other's arms for a bit."

Loki replied with a smile and a soft kiss on the lips. "We can do that."

After a few minutes, Grace was sleeping soundly in Loki's arms. He rolled over onto his back and gazed up at the ceiling as he thought of what their child might look like. Will he or she have blue eyes or green? Black or brown hair? White or blue skin? He hoped the child did not have blue skin.

Loki lay there for about an hour with Grace sound asleep resting her head on his chest. He watched her sleeping and marveled at her beauty. The graceful curves of her body and the elegant way her naked form was laying on his awoke a feeling of love in him that reminded him why he had married her. She was the most precious person he had ever met.

Grace stirred then and opened her eyes. She looked up into Loki's loving green eyes and smiled. She said sweetly, "Do you know what I was dreaming about?"

Loki chuckled softly and responded, "I am not a mind reader, Grace. You will have to tell me. Only if you want to though."

Grace pulled herself closer to him and whispered in his ear, "I was dreaming of our wedding. Do you remember?"

A smile formed on his face as Loki answered, "Of course I remember. How could I forget? It was the best day of my life. Well, apart from tonight."

Grace giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "May I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can." Loki smiled. "What is on your mind?"

"How is an Asgardian different then a human? Because I examined you very thoroughly on our wedding night and I did not notice anything different. Other than your blue skin and red eyes that would appear every now and again." Grace asked with a hint of shyness in her voice.

Loki let out a loud heartfelt laugh and kissed her on the lips. "First off, I am not an Asgardian, I am a Jotun. Secondly, the only difference is their lifespan and a mystical ability that is only given to some. But, the lifespan is basically the same for both Asgrdian's and Jotun's." He answered with laughter evident in his voice.

She loved hearing him laugh and seeing the smile of pure ecstasy on his face. "How is their lifespan different? Do they live a few years longer?" Grace asked with a smile on her face.

"Give or take five thousand years." Loki responded.

Sitting up and holding the sheets over her bare chest, Grace asked, "I probably should have asked this when we first met, but, how old are you?"

"In Asgardian years?" Loki asked as he sat up as well. When Grace nodded her head, Loki put his hand on her back and said, "In Asgardian years I am in my early twenties. But, in human years I am close to two thousand years old."

Grace did not have the reaction that Loki had expected her to. He half expected her to tell him to get out of her house. But instead she just said, "Two thousand? You are old enough to be my great, great, great, great-grandfather." A puzzled expression grew on her face as she thought over all that he had told her. As Loki watched her, he though over all the things that must be going through her mind as she gazed down at the blanket. Grace looked up into his bright green eyes and smiled. "So, in Asgardian eyes, I robbed the cradle." She then pulled him into a tight embrace and added, "Besides, I could care less how old you are, Loki. Age is just a number anyway."

Loki laughed a relieved laugh and kissed her on the lips tenderly. Grace leaned back on the bed and Loki rested lightly on top of her as they shared their love with one another with an adoring kiss. As they were still kissing, Loki said, "You know, Grace, I can be younger if you want me to be."

Grace thought he was kidding so she giggled and said as they were still close together, "Really?"

"Oh yes, watch this." That being said, Loki pulled away from her and remained above her as he phased into his teenage self. When he looked at her, the look of adoration was still in his green eyes as he gazed down at her from much younger eyes. Grace gasped as she watched this transformation before her eyes. "I can be anyone you want me to be." He added with a younger voice.

Grace just stared at him in disbelief as he looked down at her. Loki leaned down and kissed her on the lips and Grace, in response, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her and kissed him harder as she rolled on top of him.

Loki thought she liked him in his younger form so he held it for as long as he could. It was difficult to hold any one form for long while he was in her presence and he eventually phased into his Jotun form and Grace could tell instantly. She rested on top of his cold hard body and his frozen lips moved in sync with hers as they shared a passionate kiss with one another.

Once they separated slightly, Grace looked into his red eyes and said, "I love you in this form, Loki. As well as the one you were in when I first meet you."

"So, you love my younger and older self. Good to know." Loki smiled at her as he leaned forward to kiss her but was stopped by Grace putting her delicate fingers over his mouth.

"Not quite. I will adore you in any form you decide to take. But my favorites are the ones were you do not have to concentrate as hard. Meaning, your natural forms are my favorite. Your Jotun form and your 'older' form." Grace said as she wrapped her arms tighter around him and leaned forward as she gave him an affectionate kiss. Loki retuned the kiss while he remained in his Jotun form and he added more passion to the kiss then Grace had ever experienced in her life.

He rolled on top of her and whispered as he kissed her neck, "Say my name." In response, Grace smiled and whispered his name to him as she closed her eyes. Loki continued to kiss her neck slowly and romantically as he said, "Say it again." Grace smiled even brighter as her eyes remained closed and his arms wrapped around her even tighter as she whispered his name once more.

The wedded couple then made love to each other for the second time that they were in their room on Midgard.