Loki was in a state of shock as he realized that his wife was gone. His first instinct was to find Amora and to kill her in the most torturous and agonizing way possible but the All-Father beat him to it. Odin had her arrested for manslaughter for her part in the death of the Lady Natasha and sentenced her to a life in the dungeons of no escape. Lorelei protested vehemently but her words fell on deaf ears as Odin advised her that Amora should thank him for his ruling because if she were free for Loki to have access to than she would be dead.

The young god was inconsolable and his only source of comfort was his children who he spent every minute with. His daughter had always looked like her mother except for her eyes. Her eyes were his but Aaron was the spitting image of his mother complete with bright blue eyes and red curls. They were all of her that he had left. He rarely left their sides.

Months passed but the grief never faded. Loki sat in the corner of the nursery as he watched his children sleep when Lorelei appeared in the doorway.

"Growing brave are you?" Loki remarked coldly as he turned his eerie gaze toward her.

"I did nothing to your wife or to you," Lorelei protested.

"What was the point? What did you get out of it? What did you think I was going to remember?" the young god probed.

"Our friendship," the sorceress revealed quietly. "Even when you married in Midgard you didn't cut me off the way you did here. I could handle anything but that. Your refusal to even speak to me after all our years in each other's company."

"Get out," He whispered evilly as he turned his gaze back towards his children.

"Amora has a proposal for you," Lorelei divulged as she moved cautiously into the room. "She knows a way into Niffleheim with your combined powers, she can take you there."

"And what use would that be for me?" Loki laughed mirthlessly. "You know as well as I that mortals do not go there or Valhalla. My wife is no more."

"Hela rules over the dead who knows what power she has," the sorceress insisted. "Would you not welcome even the smallest chance no matter how futile it is?"

Loki agreed though he doubted anything could bring her back. Lorelei was right even the tiniest chance was not something that he could pass by. He secured her freedom and the two journeyed to the realm of Hel. The goddess was not at all happy for the intrusion and scoffed at his request at first.

"Her spirit is in the ether where all mortals linger. I could pull it back and give her a new life on Midgard but she would not know you," Hela stated with a devious smile. "Is it that you want her to live or do you just want her for you?"

"I want her to live." Mortals had short lives less than 100 years but she deserved to have a full one, she was robbed of years of happiness after all the suffering that she went through. It wasn't fair. He wanted her to live even if it was without him.

"I will do it on one condition," Hela insisted as she leaned forward along her dark throne. "I want your vow that you will never go to Midgard."

"I swear by the All-Father that I will never go to Midgard again," Loki vowed.

Natalie Rushman was a 32 year old Kindergarten teacher. Her parents died years ago, and she had no family to speak of outside of her Golden Retriever Ivan. She'd just moved to the area from Toronto…

…or so she'd been led to believe.

When Natalie woke up from the dead, she had been led to make it feel like another normal day in her normal life…but she couldn't help but feel how "off" everything felt. She felt like a piece of herself was missing.

She went throughout her days like a regular teacher, extremely devoted to her students. Natalie loved children…she always had. She didn't quite know why she was so good with them, but dealing with them was easy for her. Natalie quickly became known as the "Toddler Whisperer" at her job.

One afternoon, she was walking down the street and suddenly heard someone call her name. "Natasha?! Tasha!?"

That wasn't her name, so she kept walking, thinking that the strange man wasn't calling for her. She rounded a corner and was suddenly grabbed by the arm. Instincts immediately took over and before she knew it, she grabbed the man's arm, spun him around and slammed him up against the building.

Natalie gasped and let go of him, apologizing profusely. She didn't know she knew how to do that.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! You really shouldn't just grab people like that, sir. You scared the wits out of me", she exclaimed, taking a step back.

Clint stared at her in shock. Natasha never said "wits"…nor had she ever bothered to apologize for defending herself. He straightened slightly, "Natasha? What happened to you?"

Natalia laughed nervously and shook her head, "I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone. My name is Natalie…"

"No…your name is Natasha. Natasha Romanoff."

Again, she laughed, but her laughter grew more nervous and fearful as she took a step back away from the man in front of her, "Sir. My name is Natalie Rushman. Please leave me alone."

Natalie started to walk away, but he called after her, "You have a C-shaped scar on the left part of of your lower back. You got it from a knife fight in Barcelona. There's a dime-sized scar on your right shoulder where you were shot in Budapest…."

She stopped in her tracks and turned around, staring at him incredulously, "How do you know that?! What are you? Some kind of stalker?!"

Clint stepped forward, "Do you feel like something is missing from your life right now? Do you feel like you're in a fog? I can prove to you that you are who I say you are."

An hour later, she was inside of SHIELD, staring at video footage of "herself" fighting as Clint and Nick Fury looked on from the corner of a room. Clint leaned in, "She doesn't know about Loki…she doesn't remember her life with him…"

"We could keep it from her. Regain one of our most valuable assets."

Clint stared at her as she leaned forward, staring at her image on the screen. It was a tempting offer. He'd have his Tasha back…but Clint knew how important her marriage was to her…and there was a little girl somewhere without a mother. A little girl who had been Natasha's whole life. He had to tell her. He wouldn't live with himself if he didn't.

It took Clint hours to explain her life. Some of the things he said sounded familiar, others were unbelievable…namely the fact that she was married to a demigod. She could hardly believe it…but looking around the high-tech SHIELD headquarters and seeing herself on video and in pictures made this slightly believable.

She was in tears by the end of it, "I have a family?" I have a daughter and a husband?"

Clint nodded, "I don't know if you've had more children…I hadn't seen you in over a year…"

"Why isn't he here? Where is he?"

Clint didn't have the answer to that, so he took her out to she and Loki's old house in the Hamptons. She began to feel some familiarity about the surroundings, as she stood in the middle of the nursery on the second floor, clutching a blanket to her chest.

She leaned over and picked up a picture off of the nightstand. It was her holding a newborn baby, smiling at the camera. Natasha shook her head and blinked, "Why don't I remember? What happened to me?"

Meanwhile, Clint stood outside of her house with his head tilted upwards, calling toward the sky, "THOR! THOR! WE NEED YOUR HELP DOWN HERE!"

Loki sat along the grass in the palace gardens as he rolled a small rainbow colored ball towards his son who was sitting along the ground. He grabbed at it happily, holding it in his tiny hands as he squealed in glee. Aaron was six months old. It was hard to believe that much time had past since he had lost his wife.

"Me Ayin, me me," Anya pleaded as she clapped her hands expectantly waiting for him to toss the ball her way but the little baby decided to try and eat the ball instead as he attempted unsuccessfully to get his mouth around it. "Dada mine." the little toddler pouted.

"No, Aaron. You roll it… You roll it like Daddy," Loki explained as he took the ball gently and helped him roll it toward his daughter.

"I need to speak with you, brother," Thor commanded as he walked up to the trio.

"What am I being accused of now?" Loki smirked as he stood from the ground, picking up Aaron. He smiled as he watched his daughter toddle towards the god of thunder.

"Unk Or up up," she grinned as she held out her arms. Thor immediately complied as he picked up his niece tenderly.

"I have had news from Hiemdall," Thor advised as they walked back towards the palace. "My assistance is being requested by SHIELD."

"What does that have to do with me?" Loki inquired.

"Hiemdall sees a woman there… a woman that looks like Lady Natasha." The thunder god divulged as Loki froze in mid-step. "I don't know how but I think you should come with me. If by some chance."

"No… I can't go to Midgard," Loki snapped. "Tell Shield to leave the woman alone."

Natasha sat on the steps in the house, then shot to her feet when the large blonde man with a cape walked in. He was otherworldly, but this was not her husband. She felt nothing toward him but brotherly friendship.

Clint walked in behind Thor, "Natasha, this is Thor. Your brother in law. He is the god of thunder…"

"Where's my husband? Is he alright? Why can't I remember anything?"

Thor took her hands to try to help calm her as he relayed the story of her death and her relationship with Loki. The blonde god was able to get into even more detail than Clint was, thanks to Loki's close relationship with him and his own personal witnessing of her life in Asgard.

"You have to take me to my husband and children. I've been walking this earth for months, feeling I was living someone else's life. I felt like a part of me was missing…and it turns out I have children and a husband who, by both of your admissions, I loved desperately. Take me to him!"

An hour later, Natasha was being led into the grand hall of the Asgardian palace. She moved forward slowly, staring at the back of the man who sat on the floor with two young, red headed children.

"Loki?" she said softly, her voice uncertain.

Loki heard the sound of her voice behind him but he couldn't bring himself to move. He had told Thor to tell them to leave her be. She was supposed to have a new life. What if Hela thought he sent his brother to retrieve her in an attempt to find a loophole in their bargain?

"Mama?" Anya inquired curiously as she peeked timidly over her father's shoulder.

The young god slowly moved to stand as he turned his emerald gaze toward her. His heartbeat quickening at the sight of her standing only a few feet away from him. He wanted to pull her into his arms but he was afraid of the consequences. "Do you remember me?"

Natasha gasped and covered her mouth once the little girl's wide green eyes connected with hers. She looked up at Loki as she knelt down to move to the little girl's eye level, "Hi there, beautiful…hi. You…are gorgeous."

She didn't know if she should reach for the girl, so she just knelt there, gazing at her before turning her eyes to Loki, who held their son in his arms. A tear streamed down her face as she stared up at Loki, "I see glimpses…I feel…when I look at you, I feel…I feel so much…"

Natasha looked at the red headed children and wiped at her tears before Anya slowly ventured over to her, "Mama cwy?"

Anya put her hand on her mother's cheek to capture one of her tears, prompting more tears to flow as Natasha gingerly placed her hand over her daughter's as she cupped her face. She closed her eyes and leaned into the toddler's touch. This felt right…this was her baby girl…this was the filling to the emptiness she had felt for so long.

Natasha looked up at him, "This is my family…this is where I belong…why didn't you come for me? I felt such an emptiness in my heart and now I know why…I was missing you and my….my children…"

She pursed her lips as she rubbed her hands together. They itched to touch him and the baby boy he held, "I never got a chance to hold him, did I?"

Loki was unsure what to do as he held his son tightly in his arms. Aaron tugged insistently on the necklace that hung against his chest. He had taken to wearing her wedding rings as she had once done with his. "No… you didn't… you died before you had the chance. I couldn't come for you. You were given life again on the condition that I never go there. I swore I would never return to Midgard. That's why you don't remember. You're not supposed to. She said you wouldn't know me. I wanted to bring you back to us but all she offered me was to give you a new life. I wanted you to live… to have a chance at happiness even if it was without me."

Natasha stood and took a limit step forward, "That's the problem…for six months, I've been living a perfectly normal life…I'm a teacher. It's a great job. I have friends and a really nice apartment…but I'm not happy. There is no happiness without you. Without my children. It's impossible."

"I made a bargain with Hela. I'm not sure what she will do if she finds out you're here," Loki admitted. She gave her life. She could easily take it away. He couldn't bear that. He couldn't go through it again.

"Your bargain included you never returning to Midgard again, right? Thor told me…she didn't mention Thor. She also never mentioned me coming here or you seeing me if I happened to make my way here. I doubt a goddess ever wants to be known for going back on her word, am I right?"

"No, she never mentioned those things. I only swore that I would never step foot in Midgard again. That was our bargain," Loki agreed. Still he felt uneasy. She could still take offense and angering the goddess of the netherworld was not exactly a smart thing to do. "Would you like to hold him?"

Natasha nodded slowly and took a slow step forward, "Yes please…"

She gingerly took the baby out of his arms and cradled him, "Hello…my goodness…you are handsome." Natasha looked up at Loki with tears in her eyes, "He's so beautiful and I missed so much…he doesn't know me…"

"He will learn and Anya remembers," Loki replied soothingly. He lifted his daughter up into his arms. "Don't you, shorty?"

"Mama… Mama home." the little girl smiled.

Natasha turned her wet eyes up to her daughter and nodded as she looked at Loki, "Mommy is home…I didn't even realize how much I missed all of you…my family…"

Hours later, Natasha lay in bed with both of her children in her arms. They fell asleep against her, and she refused to be parted from them. She just kept staring at them. Natasha smiled warmly at Loki as he approached the bed, "I can't imagine the pain you went through…Thor was fairly vague on my death. I don't understand why I died…"

"You died giving birth to Aaron.. there were complications," Loki advised as he leaned against the post of the canopy bed. He wasn't sure if he should give her any details of what surrounded her death. "You see this picture." He took a few steps toward the nightstand as he pointed to the two frames that rested there. One of their wedding and one of Anya on the day she was born. "You gave these to me the night that we conceived our son. I had suffered an accident months before and I lost some of my memory. Years of our life together so you gave me these."

Natasha stared at the pictures as a small smile spread across her face, "We were so happy…I don't understand how the fates could be so cruel to take me away from you all…"

Moments later, Loki helped her lay the children in the nursery. She could barely tear her eyes away from the sleeping forms of her children as she moved back toward the bedroom with Loki.

They sat beside each other in silence until she reached over and took his hand, giving it a firm squeeze, "I'm here now…and I want to be a family again. I want to be your wife again…"

Loki gazed down at her hand as a tear escaped the corner of his eye. "It's ironic. Now that I remember everything, you are without your memory." He let go of her hand as he stood up and moved across the room to the top of the dresser. He opened a jewelry box that rested on the top before pulling out the pearl bracelet that he had given her during the Winter Solstice. "I gave this to you. You wore it all the time. It's a mother's bracelet. I couldn't get rid of any of your things. I wanted to keep these chambers just as they were. I even had our son's name added to it even though I knew that you would never get to see it or at least I thought you wouldn't." He moved back toward the bed as he held it out for her to take.

Natasha slowly took the bracelet from him, staring down at it as she moved back to the bed and slowly lowered herself down onto the mattress. She looked back up at him, "This…you gave this to me…when you told me you wanted to have another baby…right? I feel like I can remember you saying 'more children'…"

"Yes.. I didn't always want them… to have children," Loki revealed as a soft smile began to form along his lips. She remembered something. All on her own. "I gave you that to tell you that I wanted to have more children with you. As many as you wanted. And that night we made Aaron."

Natasha smiled and quickly handed him the bracelet, "Would you please put it on me?"

"I would love to, pet," Loki grinned widely as he took the bracelet and began placing it around her wrist. His dark green eyes gazing into her sweet blue as he closed the clasp securely. "These are yours, too," he smiled softly as he touched his fingers to the rings that he wore around his neck. He twisted his fingers around a strawberry curl as he began to twirl it languidly. It was almost like a dream, having her so close. "I have missed you so much, my little spider."

"Little spider…." she smiled slightly. "That sounds familiar…"

Natasha stared at the jewelry, desperately grasping for the memories attached to the pieces. She watched Loki's expressions carefully and couldn't help but lean in to press a chaste, but lingering kiss to his lips.

"I'm back where I belong…I can feel it…"

"I remember what that's like, pet, to have all the feelings but not the memories," Loki mused as he caressed her cheek tenderly, letting his thumb trace the edge of her bottom lip. "I love you, Natalia." he whispered as he leaned in and moved his lips gently over hers.

Natasha's lips began responding to his. Before she knew it, desire, pure love and instinct took over. She wrapped her arms around his neck and moaned, deepening the kiss as she pressed her body against his, "Loki?"