"I am not naming my daughter Thora." The God of Mischief continued to stare down a hopeful-looking God of Thunder.

Thor smiled encouragingly, "But it would bring me much honor. And it sounds…pretty. Please, brother."

Loki rolled his eyes, "No. For the last time – no."

Thor's lower lip trembled ever-so-slightly even as he crossed his enormous arms over his even more enormous chest. "But she would be named after the thunder! And her uncle, who will love her dearly. What other name is so very special?"

Loki sighed, "Darcy and I have decided on Astrid. Divinely beautiful; a fair goddess - which is exactly what she will be." A small smile lifted the corners of Loki's lips against his will. "My beautiful, little goddess."

Thor looked distressed, "Astrid? That is a terrible name! What woman wants to be known for beauty when she could be known for thunder itself! Thora! It is perfect, my brother."

"Darcy thinks Astrid is retro-chic…whatever that means. She likes it. And I love her. Not to mention that the meaning suits the soul that will bear it. I am sorry, brother. I promise to seriously consider the name Thora should we have another daughter." Such a lie, but a relatively harmless one this time.

Thor still didn't look appeased, "But…Loki. It would be a wonderful way to fortify the bond between us. And I shall name my firstborn daughter after you: Loka!"

Loki stared at Thor in semi-horror. "Loka! That is not even a name! It makes no sense and it is hideous." Loki paused and then tilted his head thoughtfully, thinking about Jane's reaction should she find out Thor was promising to name their daughter Loka. "Actually, now that I have let the name marinate in my mind – it is strangely appealing. Loka. It certainly makes a statement! If you insist on naming your daughter such, I would be so very flattered."

Thor smiled with his whole body, nearly vibrating with happiness, "Then it is settled! You name your daughter Thora and I shall name mine Loka!"

Loki let out an internal sigh. Allfather help him, he loved his brother – but this was trying his patience. Being in Asgard had put him on edge despite receiving a moderately warmer reception this time around. Darcy was still sleeping deeply – a food coma as she liked to call it – and Loki had been caught by Thor on his way out the door of his chambers. Apparently Thor had waited outside for almost an hour, not wanting to disturb the sleep of either Loki or Darcy. But also not wanting Loki to walk the halls alone. Not for protection, of course – Loki could more than handle himself. But for a show of solidarity and acceptance. They were brothers, and Thor would not let anyone think otherwise.

With that thought in mind, Loki held his tongue. He would not be naming his daughter Thora – Darcy would kill him. But he did want to demonstrate how much his brother's thoughtful actions meant to him. Compromise; Loki had always been good at that.

"Her middle name."

Thor's brow raised, the smile fading a bit. "Middle name?"

"On Midgard, a child has three names." He paused to think about how to sell this idea. "The first is what the child is known by – or a lengthened version of such. The second is traditionally for someone the parents wish to honor. It is a symbolic gesture of respect and…regard. The last is the family name."

Thor looked hopeful again, "Astrid Thora Lokidóttir? That is a bit long, but quite lovely."

Loki grimaced, "'Lokidóttir' is an argument still ongoing. Darcy will cave eventually, though I hope you understand that 'Thora' does not help my case in that regard. And I am not promising anything until it is approved by Darcy. Midgardian ideas on naming are very unusual. Darcy was named after a male that her mother desired romantically."

Thor's eyes widened comically, "And her father was not bothered by such a slight?"

"The male was fictional – a character in a book. Which makes me quite nervous. I fear Darcy will try to talk me into naming our firstborn son 'Severus'."

Thor looked confused but sympathetic. "That is most unfortunate. I hope Jane has no such ideas."

Loki smiled wryly, "Oh, I am not so sure about that. Copernicus Thorson sounds quite lovely. Jane does so love her stars."

Thor cringed and Loki couldn't contain his chuckle. Thor reached out to push Loki jokingly, but underestimated his strength – as per the usual – and Loki stumbled a step before regaining his footing. He continued laughing anyway.

Thor gave his brother a peeved look, "You are teasing me again." He seemed to pause as if something had suddenly occurred to him. "You are teasing me again. You are my brother again. This pleases me." He let his own mischievous smile curl his lips, "Cow."

Loki rolled his eyes, "Not that again. I shall have you know that Darcy loves the helmet. She often imagines me leaving it on while we are being intimate. I have yet to indulge her, but now I believe I must. You have insulted my helmet and it must be mollified."

"Your helmet is not sentient, Loki."

Loki couldn't keep the surprise off his face at Thor's appropriate use of the word 'sentient'.

"At least horns are manly. Feathers? Are you a bird? If you fell off the Bifrost, would you simply flutter up like a butterfly? Oh no, wait – you are useless without Mjolnir!"

"Children!" Loki and Thor both turned to look at the source of the shout. Frigga was giving them a half-amused, half-disapproving look. "Must I separate you?"

"Loki started it!"

Loki gave his brother a look, "Oh, very mature. Telling on me to Mother."

Frigga's voice was pitched low with censure, "Loki."

Loki sighed, "Sorry, Mother."

"Do not apologize to me. Apologize to your brother."

Loki sighed louder and turned to give Thor a grudging, "Sorry."

Frigga finally let her faux-disapproval fade and smiled brightly at her boys. "Good! Now I need to speak with Loki for a moment, Thor. Would you mind giving us a bit of privacy?"

Thor looked confused but he smiled, "Of course. I shall be eating breakfast if you are looking for me, Mother." He turned to give a small smirk to Loki, "Cow." And then he was off and running in the direction of the dining hall. Frigga just shook her head at the childish display.

Her voice was resigned, "He will never grow out of that, will he?"

"I hope not."

Frigga turned her head quickly to catch her son's expression after such a statement. He seemed almost wistful. Her voice was careful, "You two seem to have made amends."

Loki turned to Frigga with an odd expression. "He has forgiven me. Mother, I tried to kill him. Not actively, but…my plans called for his death. Yet he still forgives me. Had he done such a thing to me, I would not have been so generous."

Frigga's voice was patient, "Because he is Thor. And you are Loki. And there is nothing wrong with that." She stepped closer and reached up to frame Loki's face with her hands. "Son, I am so proud of you. For realizing that you erred; for saving your brother; for coming here to face your punishment with honor. And your Darcy Lewis is quite special. I can see why my efforts at matchmaking have failed so miserably in the past. She is unlike any woman in Asgard."

Loki reached up to grab his mother's wrists and gently tugged until her hands were clasped between his, resting against his chest. He smiled, "Indeed she is. I was not very kind to her in the beginning. And then it was all a game – to both of us, I believe. But it became serious before I had even realized it. She wormed her way into every aspect of myself – my life, my bed, my heart, my soul. It was invidious. She is the Goddess of Mischief for pulling off such a trick on me: making me love her without my permission."

Frigga smiled, "A coup worthy of a Princess of Asgard. You will marry her?"

Loki nodded, "In time. I must ask her first. And there is something I must do before that can occur."

Frigga smiled with satisfaction. "And you are to be a father. Soon, I believe – judging by the roundness of her stomach."

Loki laughed, "Oh please, Mother. Do not call her 'round' to her face. But yes, quite soon. In two months, you shall be a grandmother."

"And you a father."

Loki smiled, but Frigga was able to see behind it to the fear lurking in his eyes. Her voice became serious, "Loki, you will be a wonderful father. I have faith in you, my son. You are so intelligent. You will not make the same mistakes that were made with you. And Darcy will be with you – she seems quite adept at keeping you in line. And keeping you happy, which is all I have ever wanted for you."

Loki's smile was genuine this time, "I am happy, Mother."

Frigga nodded, but her face quickly took on a hesitant expression. "Your father explained to me that he apologized to you last night. And I realize that it is now my turn. So Loki, I must say that-"

Loki cut her off, "No. No, Mother. You never have to apologize to me." He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her temple. "Never."

Frigga's eyes filled with tears and she let out a little, desperate laugh. "You amaze me, my son. You always have."

Loki shook his head at her sentimentality, but allowed a smile to grace his face. His voice was wry, "We need to raise your expectations. But alas, it may be futile at this point. Now I could use some breakfast before Volstagg awakens. And I must save some sustenance for my love or she will be displeased. Although she actually likes Volstagg. Can you believe such a thing?"

Frigga smiled, "Yes, because he is a lovely man. But I am afraid I must detain you from your repast just a bit longer. Father requires your assistance with something."

Loki raised an inquisitive brow, "Indeed? Should I be concerned?"

"It depends upon how much faith you have in Jane Foster."

Loki's eyes widened. The test. Father required his help in testing Jane? Loki was both concerned and relieved. It had to be something unusual if his help was needed. But also, he would know in advance what the test would entail.

Jane Foster would pass this test, even if Loki had to perform a touch of manipulation. As annoying as he found the woman, Thor loved her. A brief memory of Thor covered in blood flashed before Loki's eyes.

Jane would pass the test. Loki would never let his brother feel that much pain again.

A/N: Sorry this was so short. I wasn't intending on ending the chapter here, but I had to let you guys know the amazing thing I found out…wait for it…

There is going to be a Loki cologne. I shit you not. First the Loki valentine and now Loki cologne – I can't even make this stuff up! There's going to be a whole Avengers line. But Loki's is priceless. It's called 'Mischief' and the tagline is "Made to Rule".

When I found out about this amazing bit of mindfuckery, I got in a texting debate over what Loki would smell like. Sex and Daddy Issues seems to be the winner. Then there was a debate over what Daddy Issues smell like. I say grapefruit and tears – she said disappointment, the Bifrost, and Anthony Hopkins' hair gel. Either way, I'm totally buying it and spraying it on my pillow. I'm not even ashamed.

Ok, I'm a little ashamed. But I'll upload a link to the cologne information on my profile. The website descriptions are hilarious. Who wants to smell like Hulk though? Or Nick Fury? And 'Thor' must smell like B.O. and an entitlement complex. Whatever…to each his own.