Author's Notes: Yes, it was better that Loki didn't speak. He knew darn well that everyone would assume he was trying to manipulate them. Of course, he thought he knew that no matter what was said that his butt was grass and Odin was a lawnmower. Surprise, surprise! But, as happy as last chapter ended, things can still go wrong…cue ominous music.

… …

Kara groaned as she fought her way back to consciousness. Fainting was starting to become a habit, one she did not care for in the least. She forced her eyes open and nearly passed out again as the room refused to come into focus. "Crap," she muttered. "Why does everything look so weird?"

The surface she was on moved slightly and a familiar lean hand stroked her cheek. "Keep your eyes closed for a bit yet, love. You haven't finished adjusting yet. I'm surprised you are even awake."

"Why was I even out? Did…oh. That mead and magic thing I drank. Okay, what the hell is it doing to me? By the way, I'm still pissed," she warned him.

Her infuriating new husband had the nerve to laugh. "I know you are. But truly, this was not my fault. My parents concocted the scheme after they realized how much we loved each other, and how much my attitude had changed."

"But what if the Tribunal had recommended something else as a sentence; would Odin have overridden them? Wait…your parents? Suddenly they're your parents again? Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

She waited several long minutes for Loki to answer. Finally he sighed and she felt him stretch out beside her and pull her into his arms, burying his face in her hair. "After you fainted, Odin…after everything I've done, Kara, he still calls me his son." Her heart melted at the wonder in his voice and she twisted so that she could hold him as well. "He said I was worthy."

"Good, I'm glad he finally pulled that spear of his out of his ass so that he could bend down from his lofty perch and see that," she grumbled.

"Gungnir," Loki supplied. "And leave be, Kara. I do not want bad blood between you. He has given us a lifetime…a much longer lifetime together than we could have hoped for else."

"I know. I-I just would have liked to know what I was agreeing to." She grimaced as she felt the hurt and uncertainty running through him again. "I love you, and I love the idea of us being married but, I kind of feel like I've missed out on the…hell. You wouldn't even know what kind of things we do back home when people decide to get married. There're all sorts of traditions and planning and parties and such that a girl looks forward to, and I didn't get to do any of it." Kara felt the hurt melt away but guilt replaced it. She frowned. Why was she picking his emotions up so clearly when she wasn't even trying? "Um, Loki?"

"Yes, love?" he said softly, one hand tracing down her cheek to cup her jaw.

"Was this elixir supposed to enhance me in any way other than helping me to be able to handle this key thing?"

"I-I suppose it could. Why?"

"My empathic abilities seem to be stronger. Either that or I'm not automatically shielding anymore, which is possible…but I don't think that's it."

"Hmm. We'll have to ask Eir. You will, eventually, grow physically stronger. But that should take years, not hours. As time goes on your muscle and skeletal density will gradually increase to near Æsir standards. Though from what I've seen in the past that would take several decades to even become noticeable." He set her on her back and pulled away. "Let me send someone for her. As I said earlier, you really should not have awoken yet."

"Okay. It would be kind of bad if my pyrokinetic abilities increased too, I think. Oh boy."

"Oh boy, as you put it, indeed. Just rest, Kara, I'll go send a messenger."

… …

Loki stepped out of his chambers and looked around with an annoyed frown. Not a servant in sight…but no guards either, which was an improvement. He strode down the hall to Thor's door and knocked. It opened before he'd finished. "Brother! Why are you not with your lady wife?" Thor asked.

"She's awake and I'm worried, I don't want to leave her alone long enough to find a messenger, could you find someone to summon Lady Eir?"

Thor frowned and wrapped an arm around him, walking him back to his own door. "I'll go myself, t'will be faster. What shall I say is worrying you?"

"Other than her being awake hours before she should?" Loki shook his head. "Her empathic abilities seem to have increased. If they are stronger, we worry that her more dangerous abilities may be as well. That…"

"Gods. Yes, that would be an issue. I'll find Lady Eir, try not to worry." Loki staggered slightly as Thor clapped him on the back and ran down the hall.

Shaking his head he went back into his chambers and straight to the bedchamber. Kara had tossed off the bed clothes and her body was covered by a light sheen of sweat. "Tell me what's happening, Kara."

"Hurting all over, and I'm hot…trying to drop my temperature, but it's not working. Maybe a cold shower?"

He frowned. "We don't have showers such as you have on Midgard. I'll cool the bathwater." He hurried into the bathing chamber which, like all of the royal apartments, held what amounted to a small wading pool that was used for bathing. It was fed by hot springs and cleverly designed plumbing which forced the water to flow into and out of the large tub, keeping it constantly renewed. He turned the valve which allowed the ongoing flow to its off position. Once the water stilled, he concentrated, shifted his form and dipped a hand in the water. Steam rose for a moment before the coolness spread. Shifting back he tested the water's temperature. While it wasn't frigid, it was certainly well below even an Æsir's body temperature. That should do.

Kara was sitting up on the bed, her arms folded across her stomach, hugging herself tightly when he returned. Reaching out for her, he flinched and pulled his hand back. "Sorry," she whispered. "I'm too hot for you to touch…and I still can't see."

"Do you think you can walk?" She nodded miserably. "All right, move in my direction, I'll tell you when you reach the edge of the bed." She crawled along the mattress as he watched carefully. "Stop. Sit down, swing your legs around, the edge is about a hand span in front of your fingers. Kara reached out and felt the edge of the bed before sitting and then she managed to get turned around and her feet dangling a bit above the floor. "There will be a slight drop, so take care as you slide off." He grabbed a tunic he'd left over the back of a chair and prepared to catch her if necessary. She wobbled a bit, so he used it to steady her until she was standing firmly.

"Okay, I think I'm good to walk now," she told him.

"Good, love. Walk towards me, just follow my voice. If you feel like you're going to fall, I'll catch you, don't worry." She took a hesitant step forward and he began to back up, guiding her with words of encouragement toward the tub.

"Brother? What are you doing?"

Loki spared a glance for Thor, Lady Eir pushed past him, her gaze concerned. "She can't regulate her body temperature, it keeps rising. I can no longer safely touch her. She thought a cool bath might help."

Eir frowned and stepped up to Kara, cautiously holding out a hand. "I do not know if that will help, but I do not believe it will hurt. If she gets much hotter, we will have a problem with anything flammable touching her, so this is likely a wise precaution." Eir gave him a reassuring smile. "There's nothing in her energy that suggests this is harming her, it is likely simply the way her metabolism works."

"Kara, keep following me," Loki told her. "Just a few strides more, love."

"Okay…just don't touch me with that cloth again, I don't..." she wobbled and straightened again.

He frowned and decided to see if he could get her in the water in his Jötunn form without excessive injury. Shifting forms again, he quickly stripped. Thor's eyes widened. Eir nodded. "Good thought. It should insulate you for a moment or two."

"Exactly. Kara, I've shifted, this might hurt both of us a bit, but I'm going to grab you and pull you into the water quickly and then back off, ready?"

"Um, okay," she whispered, wobbling again.

Loki looked at the tub, gauging the distance and angle to move then turned back to her. Quickly taking her collapsing body into his arms, he got them into the water in mere seconds and settled her on her knees, arms hanging over the edge to keep her from slipping under. Hissing in pain, he backed off. The water began to freeze around him in moments, but the ice traveled only so far before it became steam as her still overheating body all but boiled the water around it. "How much more of this can she take?" he asked, horrified at his own helplessness.

Eir had knelt down in front of Kara, her hands up as she felt his lady's energy. "I am still not finding any problem, Loki. I do not understand why this is happening."

Loki glared as Odin and Frigga came through the chamber's door. "This is your doing," he snarled. "If you wanted me dead, you should have simply executed me, not murdered an innocent woman to accomplish it. Or did her half-hearted threat frighten you so very much that she had to die?"

His so-called mother's expression was distraught, or so he was meant to think. She had played him as skillfully as Odin. The old man shook his head, also pretending distress. "You are frightened and striking out in your pain, Loki. I will forgive your accusation. But I urge you to think. If I wanted your wife dead, I would not have allowed Eir to heal her previous damage. If I wanted you dead, I have had ample opportunity to accomplish it without allowing the people to see how much you had changed and how much you deserved to be forgiven for your actions. Should the two of you die now, I alone will bear the blame and I shall lose the confidence of all of the Nine Realms."

Frowning, he considered the words. No, that could not…or could it? He shook with the pain of watching Kara's suffering, and discovered something surprising. Jötunn cannot cry. His eyes ached, yet no tears emerged. "I cannot even cry for her," he told them, feeling lost. Loki stared at the man who had raised him. While his frigid form could not cry, the Æsir King could…and was. "Can we do nothing? Is even the All-Father helpless to save her?"

"Loki, we do not know that she is dying," Eir insisted. "Except for the overheating, everything seems normal, her heart beats strongly, and she breathes well. Please calm yourself."

"How can I be calm? It is all on me. Had I never started any of this, she would be well, not fighting for her life. Everything I touch I destroy…I truly am a monster."

"Stop that this instant!" Frigga snapped. "That is not true and I will not have you believe such a thing."

"I-I'm sorry…I feel so useless."

… …

"Brother, you've never been useless," Thor grumbled and then sighed as Loki glared at him. Honestly, his younger brother made such drama of things. He frowned, this time at himself. Loki's wife was in great distress, that was worthy of the drama. "Be strong and calm, Loki, that is what you can do for her," he offered.

Loki stared up at him with the disconcerting blood red eyes of his Jötunn form. "I am trying," he shot back in an annoyed tone. Thor grinned. If his brother was taking the time to be annoyed with him, then he was calming and thinking instead of reacting. "Eir, she was also in pain, enough to complain about when she is not one to do so, should that be happening?" Loki directed to the healer.

Eir sighed. "No, it should not. Normally, a mortal would have a headache and itching as a result of the rapid changes to their nervous system. But Kara's nervous system required no change, so this is a mystery."

Thor frowned as he thought of what he knew about preparing mortals for lives in Asgard. "Wait…Lady Eir, if Kara's nervous system needed no growth, would the magic perhaps move on to other bodily systems?" He took a step back as all four of them turned to stare at him. "It was just a thought," he muttered. "I know little of such things."

Loki was shaking his head; his brother must be thinking him an idiot again. "Thor…if I ever call you an idiot again, remind me of this moment." Thor stared back in shock. "Eir," Loki continued. "Do you think perhaps…?"

The goddess of Healing's eyes widened and she scanned the panting redhead again. "It's possible."

Amazing…had he guessed right? Thor was so lost in that unique feeling that he almost missed it. The ice was spreading closer to Kara's body and rapidly. "Brother, shift back, she's cooling down!" His brother's skin began to pale and he brought his fisted hands down on the ice that hemmed him in. It shattered and he began to push towards his now shivering wife. "Forgive me for laying hands upon her, Loki," Thor said as he grabbed a towel and pulled his new sister from the tub, quickly wrapping it around her cooling body.

"Of course," Loki returned as he continued to push the ice aside so that he could climb out as well. "Go ahead and take her back to our bed and get covers on her, if you would."

Nodding, Thor scooped the woman up and carried her out to the bedchamber, then stepped back so that his mother and Lady Eir could attend to her. He returned to the bathing chamber, collecting Loki's breeches and undergarment as he went. "She doesn't look like she's in pain any longer," he offered as he handed them to Loki.

"Perhaps the crisis has passed, then." Loki pulled on the garments and hurried into the other room.

Thor stopped to look at his father. Odin seemed troubled. "What is wrong, father?"

"Events of import rarely go smoothly, regardless of how carefully or well you plan. It is a lesson I still have difficulty with, it's no wonder that Loki has not yet learned it." The elder god smiled wryly. "And you have learned how to reason without panic, even when the matter is one of which you know little. I'm pleased to see it."

"Loki would have thought of it soon enough," Thor defended his brother.

Odin's smile widened. "I know he would have. I do not disparage him." His eyebrow rose. "I can give a compliment to one son without criticizing the other, you know."

"Honestly, it has not often happened that way, father," Thor said.

"I know it. And that is my failing. Come, let us join them."

… …

Loki found himself hovering while Eir completed her examination. Her hands were moving head to toe as she thoroughly checked Kara's progress. She gasped as her hands halted above Kara's abdomen. "What's wrong?" he asked as worry shot through him yet again.

"I-well, nothing is wrong, actually. But this is unprecedented."

He tried to hold back his annoyance but knew it had to be showing. "What is unprecedented, my lady?"

Eir glanced up at him, her lips quirking at his impatience. "Thor?" she asked as his brother entered with his…their father. "Did she seem any heavier to you?"

Thor's eyebrows rose. "I would not know, I've never felt her weight before."

"I should hope not," Loki muttered before he could stop himself. He sighed. "My apologies, I'm very much on edge."

Thor grinned. "As you should be with your wife being unwell."

He nodded and leaned over the bed, sliding his arms under Kara and lifting carefully. His eyebrows rose as he felt the unaccustomed weight and he set her back down again. "She is substantially heavier," he told Eir. "Not nearly the weight of an Æsir woman, but still, half again as heavy as she was, I think."

Eir nodded. "Thor was right. The magic has advanced the other changes since her nervous system was already more than adequate. What should have taken two decades has taken mere hours." She looked over her shoulder at Frigga and Odin. "She's already developed a rudimentary meng mein and her bone and muscle density has increased a bit."

Loki stared up at Odin; his father was frowning thoughtfully. "She'll have no difficulty at all holding the key, then," he said. "Son, I do think you'll need to take her to Midgard briefly before you go to Jötunheim . Perhaps to one of their desert areas where her fire can do little harm regardless of its strength as she will be able to access and control far more power than she could before."

"I cannot take her anywhere if she is holding my power from me."

"Accompany her, then. The Bifröst is stable enough to send the both of you and retrieve you later."

"Perhaps we should use the Cube and have Thor escort us. It would reassure the governments of Midgard. We could take the other Avengers back at the same time," he suggested.

Odin nodded. "We'll discuss it on the morrow."

"All-Father, Prince Loki," Eir began. "She appears to be stable now."

… …

Darcy stretched as best she could under the circumstances. Not that she had any complaints. She enjoyed waking up with a bed partner curled around her possessively. Grinning, she ran a hand through Bruce's untidy dark brown curls. Despite his anxiety about controlling 'the other guy', his performance hadn't suffered…not in the least. Shivering as one of his strong hands kneaded her butt she lifted her head to look at the digital clock set in the wall. Wow, almost dinner time. No wonder she was starving. "Hey, big guy. I'm hungry. What do you say we go make some dinner?"

An equally dark brown eye opened and peered up at her. "Is it dinner time already?" he asked with the cutest befuddled frown.

"Yep, and we missed breakfast and lunch." She snickered. "Jane has probably been searching all over for me. I wonder if Pepper and Natasha have surfaced yet?"

He groaned. "I am not hearing that. I'm pretending I didn't see it." Darcy giggled as he shuddered. "Seriously, Darcy. The fecal matter will hit the rotating device if Clint finds out. Particularly if Tony finds out first." Bruce sat up and ran a hand through his hair. "I can picture Tony getting pinned to the wall by arrows through his Armani suit."

"Humph. Birdy boy needs to lighten up. Fun is fun, it doesn't have to mess with love."

"He's an assassin. I think not ever lightening up is in his job description."

"Nuh uh. Ex-assassin. He's a sharpshooting Avenger now."

Bruce stared at her. "I don't think he'll ever lose the assassin's edge…I don't think either of them will, they've known nothing else for far too long."

"Well, then he'll just have to learn how to deal with it. You've learned how to deal with 'the other guy', that had to be a hell of a lot harder." Her grin snuck back. "Speaking of harder things…" she said, playfully stroking him.

"God. No, dinner first. If I don't get a good meal in me, I'm going to be cranky."

She scooted off of the bed and grabbed her clothes. "Yeah, cranky isn't such a good idea."

… …

Bruce stopped short as he reached the kitchen. The volume of chatter was almost enough to make him lose his appetite. Darcy had gone on ahead as he needed to check test results and start another test run so those results would be ready for him in the morning. There were five, count 'em, five women talking over each other around the kitchen table. Okay, to be fair, Jane, Pepper, Darcy and Beth were doing the bulk of the talking. Nat was confining herself to the occasional pithy remark. He looked around. No sign of Erik…but hey, he couldn't blame him. If food wasn't a current priority, he'd turn tail and run himself. "Well, if it isn't sleeping beauty," Jane said with a sly grin. He closed his eyes and dug deep for the calm. "Cat got your tongue?" she continued in a teasing tone.

He decided to go with it. "No, that was Darcy," he said matter-of-factly and enjoyed the reactions. Darcy was absolutely preening, Beth's eyes had widened and she giggled, Jane bit her lower lip in an effort to avoid giggling. The other two? Pepper had dropped her head into her hands and Natasha was sitting back, one corner of her mouth curled up into a smirk. "I don't suppose there's any food already prepared?" Silence greeted him and he sighed. "I knew that was too much to hope for."

"Pepper called in a delivery order, it should be here soon," Darcy told him as she pulled out the chair next to her. "Come on, sit down and don't be a grumpy pants. I'll get you some coffee?"

"No thanks, caffeine is not my friend. I'll get my herbal tea."

"Oh, is that yours? Cool, I'll get it. I usually have it in my cupboards for after finals, when I need to come down from the caffeine overload from cramming." She popped out of her chair, grabbed his hand and steered him to the empty seat. "Sit down, chill, and I'll get it ready for you. Do you like anything in it?"

Hmm, this was nice…but when was the other shoe going to drop? "Um, just a touch of honey. There's raw honey right behind the tea."

"I'll bring it over so you can add your own." Darcy patted his shoulder as he sat and then nuzzled his jaw, licking his ear as she pulled away. He could picture the playful grin she was no doubt wearing.

"So, I hear you all had a good time last night," Beth said, sounding suspiciously innocent. Bruce stared at her for a second, his mouth twitching when her eyes widened and she suddenly blushed. "Um, I meant when you were watching the rest of the movies after I had to take off," she muttered as her eyes dropped to the table.

No wonder she had so much patience for Steve's habit of blushing, she wasn't that much past the easily embarrassed stage herself. Cute. "Yes, the movies were fun. I think I'm going to take it easier on the glögg next time, though." He winced as a mug of tea was almost slammed down in front of him and looked up at Darcy's annoyed expression. "I'd really like to avoid the hangover," he explained.

"Oh, well, that's okay then." She set the jar of raw honey down far more gently and held out a spoon. "Do you like Thai food?"

"I like nearly everything. I take it that's what was ordered?" She nodded. "Sounds good. I'll eat almost anything except sashimi and kim chee."

"Don't worry about the kim chee," Pepper told him. "Tony has forbidden it from ever entering the tower. One of the assistants I hired for him brought some into the office one day and Tony absolutely lost it. He had a pro odor removal service come in."

"Good." He stirred the honey into the tea and tried to pull his mind back from speculation on what was happening in Asgard.

"I think it's stirred," Darcy said quietly. "It's okay, we're all worried, even me and the only person I really know up there is Thor."

"It's only been two days. Even if they took care of everything successfully, there's probably a good deal of clean up and such before they could be returned," he mused. "Definitely too soon to be concerned."

"Yet, we all are." Bruce looked up as Erik Selvig entered the kitchen. "All of our readings indicate that the gate that was open in Asgard was closed late yesterday. I'd say that indicates a victory for Asgard. The enemy would still be moving troops through it if they had won, I'm certain."

"Then clean up, taking care of wounded and such probably didn't get very far until today. And they may not think it's a good idea to use the tesseract so soon after closing that gate."

"They'd be right," the physicist agreed. "Complimentary energy being used could be a boon to the enemy. I doubt Asgard had the equivalent of a nuclear weapon to send back to the other galaxy as we did. From what Thor has told us, their weaponry is intentionally much more…personal."

"Makes sense. With the kind of power they pack, that kind of weaponry would be too great a temptation for someone…"

"Someone like Loki?" Natasha suggested.

Bruce sighed. "Someone like Loki used to be. I really think he's changed."

… …

"He really has changed," Frigga said with a soft smile. "Through all of that, not once did he truly care about his own survival, it was all about his Kara."

Odin nodded and stroked his queen's cheek. "You were right, beloved, and I am glad of it." He sat down on the bench she'd abandoned and indulged her need to fuss over him, arranging the layers of his clothing just so, smoothing down his hair with a brush. Frigga was the one who had transformed him from a warrior forcing his rule on his people into a king. Loki had found his love now, the woman for whom he'd be the man he'd always had the potential to be. The transformation was breathtaking. He was glad he'd lived to see it. "Did he have cause to automatically think the worst of us?" he asked the one person who would never dissemble, who would never tell him what she thought he wanted to hear.

"Yes, he did." Odin sighed at her blunt rejoinder. "He doesn't understand that you have changed as well. Both of our sons have grown so much, but you have grown right along with them. Their trials have tempered you, deepened your compassion, broadened your wisdom. I have seen that and have been quite proud."

"Thank you, dear wife. I only wish that the process could have been less painful for all of us."

"Hmm. A phrase comes to mind that Thor brought back with him from Midgard." His eyebrow lifted as her mouth quirked in amusement. "No pain, no gain," she told him with a quiet laugh.

"If the opposite also holds true, then we have gained immensely," he said dryly. "Are you done fussing? We should stop by and see the newlyweds before we head to the Hall. I wish to reassure Loki that I will allow none to take it amiss if his lady isn't up to socializing after all she's been through this day."

"All that remains is your crown, my lord," she agreed, then laughed again at his grimace. "Do not be give me that look. It is a formal feast and your helm will not do." He sighed and relaxed as she fitted the thrice-be-damned thing across his brow.

… …

Loki was still stroking her hair when her eyes finally opened. "How do you feel?" he asked softly.

"Better. I'm kind of achy all over, but it's not hurting anymore." She turned toward him and frowned as he gasped. "What?"

"Has your vision stabilized?" he asked her as he stared at the change in her beautiful eyes.

Kara shrugged. "I guess. I can sort of feel my focus changing as I look at different things. Everything seems clearer somehow. It's weird, but I can see everything and not get nauseous trying. Now what is it that has you freaked out?" She sighed as he frowned in confusion. "What's so strange that you're staring at me like that?" she clarified.

"Your eyes, the irises. They've always reminded me a bit of a kaleidoscope I brought back to Asgard for my mother's last feast day. With the different colors when I'd move and look at them from different angles, they'd appear to move about. Now, I'm not moving at all, but as you focus on different things, the colors are moving about on their own, in and out and such, very much like that kaleidoscope in truth."

"I need a mirror," she muttered and moved to get out of the bed. He followed after, ready to catch her if she couldn't stand on her own. Kara sank down on the bench in front of the mirror and stared into it. "Oh boy. This is not good. I'm going to have to wear wrap-around sunglasses so I don't look totally freaky."

"Not at all, Kara. It is absolutely breathtaking," he assured her.

"Uh huh. We'll see what the guys have to say about it."

The 'guys', he decided, had best be complimentary or they would regret it. He looked up as a soft knock sounded on the door to the corridor. "I'll go see who it is," he told her as he reached for the silk shift meant to be worn under the dress Frigga had brought her for the feast. "You put this on, I'll not have my wife's naked form be looked upon by others."

Kara snorted. "A bit late for that, don't you think?"

"That does not count, you were ill. Cover up, love. I'll be right back." He walked backwards, watching until she sighed and pulled the loose shift over her head and began tugging it down over her hips. He was surprised to see Odin and Frigga, dressed in their finest, on the other side of the door. "Is everything all right?" he asked them, stepping back so that they could enter.

Automatically returning his mother's embrace, he looked to Odin for an answer. "That is what we came to discover," his…father said. "Has Kara had any further problems?" he asked.

"Ah, no. She awoke a few moments ago and is feeling much improved, though she seems tired, of course."

"We're glad to hear it, Loki," Frigga told him. "We were both so worried, even though Eir pronounced her well."

"Son, I wanted to assure you that you need not be in attendance this night should your lady need more rest. I will deal firmly with any complaints."

Loki found himself grinning. "I think that the complaints might first come from Kara. She is already put out that she's missed out on all of the preparatory aspects of a marriage, should she miss out on the celebration, she'll be impossible to live with."

Frigga rolled her eyes. "I told your father that would be the case, but he would have none of it. He was much too pleased to be the one pulling a prank on you for a change."

"Not just on Loki, my dear, and it was not for the joy of pulling a prank. We very neatly dealt with everyone's concerns while giving our son and his beloved an outcome that would please them both."

"I don't know that you've dealt with the concerns of all of Midgard, father. Their governments may yet feel I've gotten off too lightly, that you've simply slapped me on the wrist and let me go."

Odin shrugged. "I shall deal with them if necessary. They do not understand how a century of being unable to use your magic on a daily basis will chafe at you and that it makes a prison more secure than any could otherwise devise. I do understand that it will be difficult, you have made using your power an art form and an integral part of your life. Having to do daily tasks by hand for such a long period is a punishment both mental and physical."

"Yes. But you have given me an ample distraction from the tediousness of it."

"Is that what I am, a distraction?" Kara asked from behind him.

Loki turned and smiled at her. She'd not only donned the silk undergarment, but had added the gold under dress as well. "Yes, a lovely and most welcome one, sweet lady." He held out a hand, his smile growing as she crossed the room to take it and then tucked herself into his side.

Odin's eyebrow had lifted and Frigga gasped. "Oh, Kara. I thought your eyes lovely before, but now they are extraordinary!" His mother smiled and looked more closely. "The effect is absolutely entrancing." she turned to him with an odd expression. "Do you know what this reminds me of?"

"Yes, I was just telling Kara about the kaleidoscope."

"That was my favorite feast day gift ever."

"Second favorite, my dear," Odin told her. He shrugged when she turned to look at him. "If you recall, I brought Loki home to you on your feast day."

Frigga smiled brightly. "So you did. You are right, that was my favorite present."

"Loki, I know that I told you that I rescued you hoping you'd be a path to peace with Jötunheim, and that was my thought when I took up a few weeks old abandoned infant. Frigga and I were unable to have children together. Thor was a toddler when we were wed, so she did not have the experience of raising him from infancy. I cannot begin to describe the joy on your mother's face when I gave you to her. I may have had thoughts of how useful you would be when I took you, but when I saw how much having you to raise meant to my beloved wife, I loved you simply for being. I still love you."

Kara's arms tightened around him as he stared at his father. "Thank you. That…that means much." He tentatively held out an arm and was surprised when Odin ignored it to pull him and Kara into an embrace. He smiled as he felt Kara loose her hold on him and step back. "I love you as well," he finally managed. "I have always only wanted to please you."

"I know, my son. Rest assured, you have."

… …