Jacks dirty secret: yay excitement!

Sorceress of the trees: Cairo's brain is always moving and when she's angry it tend to work overtime.

No Vacancy mind: haha no worries about forgotten reviews. :p just glad you enjoyed the chapters. Nope couldn't keep em' apart.

Poodle warriors: her relationship with tony is getting better. :p

Doctor Loki love: I am glad I was able to clear things up for you. Gotta hate brain farts. Lol.

Loki's dreamer: she is!

Ellize Avalon: I also enjoy drunk Cairo. As Odin doesn't like the idea of Jane and Thor it is unlikely Odin would make Cairo Immortal for Loki...just sayin. I feel Cairo has grown a lot since this story began. The calm before the storm...your not completely wrong there. I always have a shit storm winding up in my mind.

A/N: please forgive my spelling and grammar problems. I quickly proof read this and had to leave to see my brother in law in the hospital.

Chapter 26

"What were you thinking!" Her sister yelled at her. "You could have gotten killed, kidnapped, tortured, raped or worse." Sydney had come home after hearing about Cairo's late night escapades that had been kept from her all day long.

"Worse?" Cairo said. She was sure her sister covered all the horrible things that could have happened how could it get worse. Cairo tried not to smirk as it would only serve to irritate her sister further. The moment her sister had started in Loki had snuck off leaving her to take the scolding alone.

"You know what I mean!" Sydney said exasperated.

"I was just blowing off steam." Cairo said to her blowing a stray hair out of her face.

"Blowing off steam? Well I nearly had a heart attack today when I found out. You know what you need? A babysitter." Cairo rolled her eyes.

"Nothing happened and I'm home safe and sound now." Cairo replied and began walking away toward Tony's personal gym. She hadn't tried her hand at working out there yet.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Sydney said indignantly.

"You have two feet you can follow and continue to scream at me." Cairo said to her.

"Don't take that tone with me...you have no idea how angry I am." Cairo did know however. And knew that she'd relent shortly. Unlike Cairo her sister was unable to stay angry long. Cairo made it inside the in house gym and noticed a treadmill that hadn't been there when she had first gone in there. Tony always seemed to be buying new things. Her sister was going on a rant behind her and Cairo chose to just drown it out for the most part catching bits and pieces in case her sister accused her of not listening.

"Have you talked to mom recently?" Cairo interrupted Sydney after a while.

"What? No. Not since before I came here." She said. "Why?"

"She called me this morning. Apparently Fury gave her my new number." She had luckily remembered to switch the SIM cards back. A fail safe in case Allen and his people noticed anything strange.

"And?"

"She was worried about me. Tia arrived this morning but didn't tell mom what happened to her but apparently mom had this gut feeling something was wrong." Cairo shrugged. "We had a nice chat but kinda boring until she broke the news she's pregnant." Sydney had the same reaction as Cairo had.

"She's what?!" Sydney said her mouth dropping open. "Mom's like 50, it gotta be a mistake. Menopause maybe." Sydney was thinking.

"Moms turning 46 this year and dads 50. But no she went to the doctor. She's preggo." Cairo was amused how all focus was now off her.

"Wonderful. Does she know how dangerous it is to have a kid the older you get. Hell does she realize that she'll be 55 when that kid is 10." Cairo couldn't help but smile.

"They apparently have been hoping for another one for years now." Cairo informed her.

"Mom mentioned it once and I went all doctor on her ass to make her understand that it was dangerous." Sydney paused. "I guess that's why she called you and not me." Sydney took a seat on one of the chairs facing the boxing ring. "And where can we expect to derive our baby brother or sisters name?"

"You remember two and half months ago that trip they took."

"Paris? Oh shit. Seriously." Sydney face palmed herself.

"That's the one." Cairo laughed. Tony wasn't wrong when he said their parent got around. Every year they took a trip to some part of the world. They always said that you only live once and that traveling was their passion. Both her parents had high paying jobs and could afford to take those trips. On the side her father was a photographer and did a lot of shooting while away on vacation.

"It's strange isn't it?" Sydney said after a moment. "How life moves on around you when your stuck facing dangers no one else is aware of."

"I guess so." Cairo joined her sister sitting in the other chair.

"Think we'll have kids someday?" She asked then. Cairo furrowed her brow together. She hadn't thought that far ahead of herself.

"You maybe." She finally replied. "I care too much for a man I can never truly have." She said opening up a little.

"Loki? I knew it ya know. I'd hate to say I told you so but..."

"Yeah yeah yeah." Cairo shoved her sister playfully. "We've decided to try a different kind of relationship. I guess we're sort of a couple for now."

"It's your life but I think you're crazy. He's a Norse god and your a human, unless you find a way to become immortal your lives will end sadly." Sydney gave her a sad look.

"I don't want to be immortal." Cairo said and her sister looked confused. "To be human is to grow old and die. The life we live in between there is like a gift. I will stay by Loki's side until either he leaves me or I die but at least I know I lived how I wanted to live." Cairo had been doing some heavy thinking since that mornings conversation with Loki in the bath.

"You're changing." Sydney said as if noticing it for the first time. "Change is good. And oddly I like this Cairo. I might not like the idea of you wasting your life on a guy who may not be there till the end but the fact that you understand that and still want it is admirable. I'd say you love him. To me that sounds like love."

Cairo didn't answer. She cared for Loki a lot and had finally let herself feel it but the word love was something she had trouble admitting to. "Maybe." Cairo responded. "Wanna trying boxing? I'll beat your ass." Cairo offered changing the subject.

"Sure. Why not but I'll be doing the ass kicking." Cairo laughed.

(Loki)

When the yelling started with Sydney Loki took off. He was not in the mood to listen to the two sisters squabbling. He took a seat out in the balcony to enjoy the sun before it went down in a couple of hours. Thor had not returned with Sydney and Loki could take a well educated guess were he had gone.

Loki could no longer feel disgust for Thor's feelings over a mortal woman. It was ironic that Loki would come to understand it by caring for one himself. He enjoyed the fresh air as he settled into a comfortable position. He could still hear Sydney but her voice was disappearing. They had left the living room. He wondered if Cairo would tell her the news about their upcoming new addition to their family. Loki had been sitting right next to Cairo when she got that call and her reaction was priceless.

Loki knew Thor had come home when he bellowed Loki's name from inside the home. Loki didn't answer. If he wanted to speak to him he could come find him on his own. Loki was not shocked when Thor did find him but he was shocked to see he had Jane with him.

"Brother this is the lady Jane. Jane my brother Loki." Thor introduced. Loki could see her calculating expression. It came as no surprise to think she knew who he was and what he had done. After all one of her dear friends had been one of his puppets after all.

Loki stood deciding he would not be an jerk about all this. "Lady Jane. Nice to finally meet you. Thor speaks of no other." Loki said and as was custom in Asgard he kissed her knuckles.

"I never thought I'd be meeting you." She replied back. She looked to be unsure how to respond otherwise.

"My brother here has been doing well with his recuperation." Thor told Jane. "He is slowly repenting his old crimes. I hope that his past misdeeds will not leave a sour gap between you." Thor told her. Loki couldn't help but mentally chid Thor. Loki was not and would now repent what he did. At the time it was something he saw as right and now if he had the chance to do it again he would do it perhaps differently but he would have certainly tried.

"You fill her head with your silly hopes Thor." Loki said scowling. "I do not regret my action nor will I ever. What is done is done. It is no secret why I am truly on this realm." Loki said. Thor looked saddened by Loki's words but it didn't matter. Loki was learning to get along with the humans, respect them even but if Thor thought Loki was about to start crying over his past he was sorely mistaken. Loki sighed. "Though I will admit to becoming rather attached to a few of these mortals. They are not as simple as I once thought." That was all he would say to satisfy Thor.

"He speaks of his lover Cairo." Thor told Jane. "Where is the lady I would like her to meet Jane."

"She is with her sister somewhere in the house." Loki replied. His lover, that's what Thor called her but it didn't sound right. Perhaps companion would have been a better word. No that didn't sound right either. Loki couldn't put a word to what Cairo was to him.

"So you kill humans like we're nothing but bugs, use us and then when you're sent here for punishment you decided we're worth taking to bed." Jane sounded disgusted with him.

"My relationship with Cairo is complicated as is yours with Thor. Sometimes you cannot help how you come to feel for someone." Jane gave him a 'bullshit' look.

"So you love her then. After everything you've done you fell in love with one of us." She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"I care for her yes." Loki said unwilling to say the word love. Was it even appropriate to think he loved her?

"Well I hope you treat her good. She must be one hell of a girl to overlook the things you've done." Jane was not impressed with Loki. Not surprising in the long run.

"She's a very strong woman. Come inside I will help you track her down." Loki said. Thor had been quiet throughout Janes outburst. "Perhaps you would like to stay and join us for supper. Pepper has decided she would cook today. Roast I believe with vegetables." Loki offered. Jane looked take aback by the sudden offer.

"I am pretty hungry." She said following him back inside.

"Let us go to the kitten first and let Pepper know we have an extra guest to feed." Loki replied.