I do not own any of these characters. They are all Marvel's. Also, in this story there is no Jane Foster and thereforethere is no competition after Thor. Frigga and Loki never died either. Enjoy the third installment in the Battles and Babies series!

"Sif, are you done changing yet?" Thor called to his wife through the closed door. "We're going to be late!"

Today was a very special day for Asgard. Frigga was celebrating the fact that Loki had not caused any trouble for a year. A muffled answer came from inside the room and Thor couldn't make it out.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing fits!" Sif replied, audibly. She was currently nine months pregnant with their first child, and her stomach was huge.

"Have you tried the red top Father got you?" Thor asked. The red shirt was one of the few things that still fit.

There was some shuffling behind the door and Sif appeared a moment later. She had chosen the red top with a black, floor length skirt. It wasn't her usual style, but she had to make some changes while in this special condition.

"Ready?" Thor asked. "You look splendid."

"Yes," Sif answered as she strode out of her chamber like she hadn't ever had a problem dressing. "Thank you."

The pair was walking out together when Sif suddenly stopped. Liquid was running down her legs.

"Sif? Are you alright?" Thor asked.

"My water just broke," Sif said slowly. She side stepped to reveal the small puddle of water.

"I can get Eir," Thor said. He had been preparing for this since Sif told him she was pregnant. Eir was the best healer in all Asgard, and Thor and Sif were insistent to have him present for the birth of their first child.

"No, no. If it's a slow labor I can probably make it through the celebration," Sif told her husband.

"Are you sure?" Thor asked, concerned about going on like nothing happened.

"I'm sure. This is Loki's day; I don't want to ruin it," Sif said as they walked out of their chamber. Everyone if the royal family had a chamber – they were like mini houses all to themselves but still within the protection of the palace.

When they arrived in the royal dining room, an area that was often used for celebrations, Sif had her hands on her lower hips, walking through a contraction. This was the second contraction; the first had come quickly after her water had broken. Thor had tried to convince his stubborn wife that she wasn't going to ruin Loki's day by delivering their child, but Sif would have none of it.

"Brother, Sif!" Loki greeted as he saw his kin. His whole attitude had changed after he had given up dark magic. Sif still wasn't used to his kindness yet. "Mini Thor," Loki greeted Sif's belly bump.

Sif managed a small smile through her pain and Loki seemed none the wiser. Thor wrapped Loki in a hug, which Loki didn't seem to mind now, and he even returned it. Loki went to hug Sif, but she stopped him by holding up her hand.

"Still not a huggy person," she said as she pushed him away. Loki shrugged and escorted Thor and Sif to their seats.

Loki was at the head, Odin and Frigga on his right and Thor and Sif on his left. Other royals from other realms were there also. Thor and Sif seemed like the last pair to arrive; the dining room was already full. Sif wasn't looking forward to being stuck here while she was in labor… but she kept reminding herself that it was Loki's day and she didn't want to ruin it.

"Now that my brother and his wife have arrived, I believe we can start!" Loki announced. "Now, I know that a year ago I was still practicing dark magic. Queen Frigga, my mother, helped me realize that wasn't my place. Now, I'm very glad that I can say I haven't done any dark magic for a year! I love my new position to help my father, King Odin, with the other realms..."

Sif easily got bored with his long speech and her mind drifted. She caught a few parts of it but thought mainly about her child, seemingly intent on crashing the party. One contraction came while Loki was talking, and she took a sharp intake of breath. Frigga glanced at her, and Sif smiled. Frigga didn't question her, but turned to listen to her son's speech again. Sif quietly breathed through the contraction, taking deep, slow breaths.

When Loki finally finished his speech about his new life, the first round of food was served. The room quickly filled with mirth and noise; there were indistinct conversations everywhere you turned.

"No, thank you," Sif politely declined the plate of food that was offered to her. The servant gave her a puzzled look but moved on. Sif couldn't stand to think about eating with the contractions coming every few minutes. This earned her another glace from Frigga, however; Sif had always been hungry throughout her pregnancy. Sif looked down, not meeting Frigga's eyes. She wasn't ready to let anyone know she was in labor yet. Her contractions weren't bad, and if she could properly breathe through them surely the baby could wait until the celebration was over.

"Son, I am very happy for you. You have indeed turned over a new leaf and I couldn't be prouder," Odin smiled at Loki.

"Thank you, father," Loki said. He, too, was proud of the work he had done in the past year. Everything seemed to be back in order with all the realms Loki had once upset, and now things were as peaceful as ever.

"What do you think about all this, brother?" Loki asked, turning his attention to Thor.

"I never thought you could do it – convert your ways as you have," Thor answered honestly.

"Sif?" Loki asked.

Luckily, a contraction had just finished and Sif was able to talk. She knew that if she had been in the middle of a contraction, talking wouldn't have been so easy. "You have done good for Asgard, and we are proud to call you a prince," Sif smiled. She hoped her acting was good enough to fool Frigga, who was probably suspicious at this point. Loki smiled and nodded, pleased at his brother and sister-in-law's responses.

"How's the little one?" Odin asked.

"Active," Sif laughed.

"Eir said it's a very healthy child," Thor said.

"Good! When do we get to meet the child?" Odin asked, already eager to meet his first grandchild. Sif opened her mouth, but her husband beat her to it.

"It shouldn't be much longer," Thor answered and was going to say more but Sif shot him a glare that could kill. "She's due in a few days," Thor added carefully. He smiled at his wife and Sif rolled her eyes.

Sif winced as the next contraction started, but quickly got everything under control as not to attract more attention from Frigga. She started to rub her stomach softly, trying to get her mind off the pain. It was easy with all the noise flying around the room.

"So, what do you do when you are working with the realms, Prince Loki?" A guest who sat two seats down from Sif asked.

"I am working with different problems the realms have with one another and Asgard. It can be quite complicated at times," Loki explained.

"Ah! Well, I am King Lewis, king of Realm X42," King Lewis said.

"I am not aware of that realm," Loki observed.

"It's not mentioned often, but I'm sure you all will get to know it," King Lewis said.

"I'm sure we will. It's an honor to meet you," Odin spoke overtop of his son..

"Indeed," King Lewis said, then went back to eating quietly

Sif thought what he had said was strange. She couldn't put her finger on what bothered her about it, however, so she decided to ignore it. There were more important things going on anyway! She could feel the contraction waning now and breathed deeply with relief. Sif knew that the contractions were only going to grow in force and get closer together. She wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to keep it a secret from Frigga. Frigga would easily turn the attention on Sif instead of Loki; that was the last thing Sif wanted.

Thirty minutes passed, and when all the different entrees were served, everyone was left to socialize. Sif figured that her contractions were about two minutes apart now. She wished her labor was progressing slower, but she was still able to hide her pain and that made her feel hopeful.

Sif was thinking about what else she could do when everyone stood up to socialize and a painful contraction suddenly struck. Most of her other contractions hadn't been too painful, but she could feel that this one would be bad. She grimaced with the growing pain and grabbed onto Thor's hand under the table. Thor looked at her, his eyes asking if she was okay. Sif nodded ever so slightly and continued to breathe through the contraction and squeeze Thor's hand for support.

"Sif, will you come with me, please? I have something I'd like to show you," Frigga asked Sif. Frigga had noted every wince or grimace and Sif knew there was no point in declining her request.

"Of course," Sif said as she stood up from her chair. Sif followed Frigga out of the dining hall and into a hallway. They walked down a stairwell and into a part of the palace Sif had never been before.

"Where are we going?" Sif asked as she felt another contraction starting.

"To a room where we can be in private," Frigga responded, opening a door to a room. "Come," Frigga motioned her in. Sif went in, and Frigga switched the lights on.

What Sif saw surprised her. There was a bed set up, counters with medical supplies on top – it looked like something out of a hospital. Frigga motioned for Sif to sit on the bed while she started to rummage through the counters.

"What is all this?" Sif asked as she took a seat on the bed, breathing through the contraction.

"This used to be a delivery room. I had both Thor and Hela here," Frigga responded as she continued to look through the various medical supplies.

"Why'd you bring me here?" Sit asked, trying to play dumb. Maybe there was a small chance Frigga didn't know she was in labor and this was just preparatory.

"You're in labor," Frigga answered simply. "I saw you having contractions during the celebration. You're very good at hiding your pain, but not from me."

"So, what are you going to do? Won't Odin know that you disappeared?" Sif asked, not wanting to be stuck with Frigga while she was in labor. She wanted her husband, and Eir, who had been with her throughout her pregnancy. She had planned to be with Eir during the delivery, not with Frigga.

"Well, first, I'm going to check to see how far you are. Then depending on what my examination reveals, we can go back to the celebration," Frigga said. She found a box of gloves, snapped one on, and strolled back to Sif.

Sif felt another contraction building, gripped the end of the bed, and breathed through it. Frigga watched her work through the contraction, then when it had ended, she sat on the end of the bed.

"Lay back; this will only take a second," Frigga instructed Sif.

Sif didn't want to let Frigga check her, but she knew that it would be better for the baby. After all, Frigga had delivered two children, while Sif had had none. Sif laid back against the bed, which was already raised to a slant, and let Frigga check her cervix.

"There, done," Frigga announced after only a moment. "I'd say you're about four centimeters."

"So, I can go back to the celebration?" Sif asked, already swinging her legs off the bed.

"I don't see why you can't," Frigga said as she stripped off the glove and threw it in a nearby trash can. "I'll stay with you, make sure things don't progress too fast."

"Very well," Sif sighed. She wasn't used to accepting help, but for the health of her baby she would this time. It's not like she could really go against her mother-in-law anyway.

The pair walked back to the dining hall, stopping twice to let Sif lean against a wall and breathe through contractions.

"Sif! Mother! You're back, where have you been?" Loki asked as he strode up to the pair, Thor and Odin right behind him. Frigga looked at Sif, and Sif nodded.

"Sif is in labor, I was making sure things weren't progressing too fast," Frigga answered. Odin's and Loki's eyes widened.

"You're..." Loki asked, too shocked to say any more.

"Yes," Sif confirmed through gritted teeth as she leaned against the wall and breathed through another contraction.

"When you said I'd get to meet my grandchild soon, you meant really soon," Odin directed at Thor.

"Yes," Thor said.

"Sif, why didn't you tell us sooner?" Odin asked.

"I- I didn't want to ruin Loki's day. It's a very important milestone for him," Sif said.

"Oh Sif, you wouldn't have ruined my day! You're in labor, anyone can understand that. I'm just sorry you had to hide your pain," Loki exclaimed, excited that a child would be born on his special one year anniversary

Sif was about to answer when they were all startled by a loud BANG like a bomb going off. The walls shook, and Sif, Thor, Odin, Frigga, and Loki were all thrown backwards from the force of the explosion. Sif landed on her back, the air knocked from her lungs, and lost consciousness.

When Sif opened her eyes, a sharp pain shot through her stomach. She doubled over in pain. Thor was right next to her, rubbing her back and trying to talk. Sif couldn't hear him; her ears were ringing, and she was scared. Scared for the health of her unborn child mostly, but also for what caused the explosion. Loki was the next to gain consciousness. He did some gestures with his hands and a green force-field surrounded them.

"Mother! Father! Are you two okay?" Loki yelled.

"Son, we're fine," Odin said as he helped Frigga to her feet. Frigga's next move was to get to Sif. She knelt by Sif who was still doubled over, motioned for Thor to move, and started talking to her quietly.

"Sif! Sif! Look at me," Frigga urged, taking Sif's face in her hands. "Look at me. I know you're scared; we all are but listen to me. We will be okay; the child will be okay. We need to get out of here. Thor, come with us, Loki and Odin, find out what caused this."

Sif nodded, and Thor helped her to her feet. Loki opened a small door in his force-field, and Sif, Frigga, and Thor all ran out. They ran back down the hallway Frigga had taken Sif, down the stairs, and into the little delivery room. They locked the door behind themselves.

"What is this room? I've never seen it before," Thor asked as he walked around.

"It's the old delivery room. It was used when I had both you and Hela," Frigga explained again.

Sif was pacing around the room, one hand wrapped around her stomach, and the other placed on her lower back.

"Are you hurt, my love?" Thor asked, his attention back on Sif.

"No, the explosion just caused a fierce contraction," Sif responded. "Are you?"

"No. Mother?" Thor responded, looking at Frigga.

"I'm fine. I do hope Loki and Odin can get to the bottom of what happened," Frigga said as she started to walk beside Sif.

"As nice as this room is," Sif started. "I'd like to deliver my child with Eir."

"I know, but none of us were expecting an explosion to happen today," Frigga said. "If we get the okay that all is safe, we can try to get him here or you to him – but if not, we must stay here."

"Is this room safe?" Sif asked as she looked around the small room. Her mind had already gone into warrior mode, she was surveying for any possible entrances for enemies to get through.

"It should be, but if someone was to break in, I'd protect you both," Thor said as he laid a hand on Sif's stomach.

"I know you will," Sif said as she laid her head against Thor's chest.

Frigga smiled at the pair. She had known they would be perfect for each other.

Sif wrapped her hands around Thor's waist and leaned against him through another contraction.

"That's it, breathe through it," Thor encouraged.

"Why isn't this room used anymore?" Thor asked once the contraction had ended and Sif was pacing again.

"Eir became the consistent healer for the palace, and for all Asgard. This room was abandoned; no one had the need to use it anymore… until now," Frigga explained.

"Are all the medical supplies up to date in here?" Sif asked, wanting to make sure that this room would be qualified to deliver her child if it came to that.

"The medical supplies in the room are the same as it was back in my day," Frigga replied as she started laying different supplies out on the bed.

That worried Sif. This was Frigga's grandchild. The medical supplies had to be at least two generations old. Hopefully it all still worked well.

"Yes, it all still works," Frigga answered as if she had read Sif's thoughts.

Sif cried out with the start of the next contraction. They had been getting more intense ever since the explosion. Thor knew his wife wasn't one to show pain, so he knew things must be getting worse.

"Breathe, Sif," Thor coaxed, trying to help ease her pain.

"Don't tell me that!" Sif exclaimed, bracing herself against the wall with the force of the contraction. Thor looked helplessly at his mother, not knowing what to do to help his wife. Frigga gave Thor an encouraging smile and decided to step in.

"Sif, when your contraction ends, come lie back down and let me check you again," Frigga said, already putting on another pair of gloves. Frigga and Thor watched Sif work through the contraction, though it pained Thor that he couldn't do anything to help. When the contraction had ended, Thor offered his support to help Sif back to the bed.

"I can walk," Sif insisted. She was doing well walking when another contraction caught her by surprise. She didn't have a wall to brace herself against this time, so she reached for Thor, ready to accept help. The pain was becoming unbearable, and Sif was willing to accept whatever help she could get. She cried out again as the contraction climbed to its peak, but the cries turned to whimpers as the contraction waned.

"That one was bad," Sif said as she pulled herself up onto the bed.

"It'll only get worse, but you can work through them. Thor and I will do everything we can to help," Frigga told her. "Lie back again."

Sif moaned, but did as she was told. She hated the vulnerability of being in labor; she had always been so strong, so good at hiding her pain, but now she felt helpless. Thor took her hand, and Sif was thankful he was here. She couldn't imagine going through this without him.

"How far along is she?" Thor asked his mother.

"Her cervix has doubled since I last checked," Frigga observed. "Your labor is going very fast."

"Really?!" Sif exclaimed, excited that it would all be over soon, but scared at the same time.

"Yes. It shouldn't be much longer until you can push," Frigga said. "Don't walk anymore. With things going as quickly as they are you won't be able to walk without stopping every few seconds to contract."

"Alright," Sif sighed, not happy that her mother-in-law was calling the shots.

"Breathe, Sif," Thor said as he noticed his wife grimacing with the next contraction. Sif gave him the glare, and Thor immediately remembered the last time he told Sif to breathe.

"If you tell her to breathe, you'll only make her mad," Frigga warned Thor. He sighed, also feeling helpless.

"Then how can I help her?" Thor asked as he looked down at his laboring wife.

"Hold her hand," Frigga suggested. Thor offered his hand to his wife, which she gratefully took. Thor thought his hand was going to be crushed, though; Sif had a very tight grip.

"Ah! Sif, easy!" Thor exclaimed. He, too, was usually good at hiding pain but his wife was crushing his hand. Sif gave Thor a deadly glare throughout the contraction, and Thor didn't complain again.

Sif cried out again as the contraction reached its peak. Thor ran his other hand through Sif's long black hair, hoping it would give her some comfort. Sif looked up at her husband with teary eyes. "Thor, I don't want to have the child here; I want to have it with Eir. We can't be sure we're safe here. What if something goes wrong? We don't have the proper medical equipment," Sif cried. She had been trying to hold her feelings in for too long, and now they all came bursting out.

"Sif, darling, everything will be well. My mother will take care of you and the child. You have nothing to fear; we are safe here," Thor assured Sif. Sif nodded and rested her hand on to her stomach. She sniffed and shuttered with the next wave, gritting her teeth.

"Things are getting worse," Thor told his mother as he watched Sif struggle through the pain.

"It'll be time to push soon," Frigga assured him.

"Good," Sif sighed. "I'm ready for this to be over!"

"I know you are," Frigga laughed as she sat down on the end of the bed. "Tell me when your contraction ends so I can see if it's time to push."

Sif tried to breathe through the contraction, but it was more like panting as she couldn't keep an even rhythm. "It's over," Sif panted as she felt the contraction waning. Sif groaned as Frigga checked her cervix for the third time.

"You're ready to push," Frigga informed Sif. "When your next contraction comes, I want you to push as hard as you can."

Sif nodded and began to center herself to bring her child into the world.

"You can do this, love," Thor encouraged his wife. Sif leaned forward, grimacing with the next contraction and started to push.

"That's it," Frigga encouraged her. Sif continued to bare down until the contraction ended and she fell back against the bed.

"That was wonderful," Thor told Sif. She nodded and tightened her grip on his hand.

"Again," Frigga instructed Sif when she saw Sif trying to brace herself against the pain. Sif groaned but did as she was told. Each push was agonizing for her, but she pushed against the pain, nonetheless. After a few pushes Frigga looked at Sif straight in the eye.

"Sif, I can see your child's head!" she exclaimed.

Sif gasped, thrilled that her hard work was paying off. She pushed again with the next contraction and cried out as she felt her child's head emerge. Sif wiggled her hand out of Thor's and reached down to feel the head. She smiled, but quickly placed her hand back in Thor's as she felt another contraction building.

"Keep going," Thor encouraged her as she pushed again.

"Sif, stop," Frigga contradicted.

"Why?! Is something wrong with the child?!" Sif exclaimed.

"No, nothing's wrong," Frigga assured her. "Everything is fine, just pant through the contraction.

Sif moaned, but panted through the pain. She had no choice but to trust Frigga now.

"Ok, Sif, one last push and we should have the child!" Frigga told Sif. Sif nodded and centered herself for the last push.

"You can do this," Thor encouraged her as he placed a kiss on her forehead. Sif took a shaky breath.

Sif screamed with the end of the contraction, and her child slipped into Frigga's awaiting hands.

"Look at that!" Thor exclaimed. "You've done it!"

"It's a boy!" Frigga exclaimed as she held up the bawling baby boy for the new parents to see. Frigga cut the umbilical cord and laid the baby on Sif's chest.

Sif laughed with the joy of holding her child for the first time. The child's cries turned to whines, and he quickly fell asleep in his mother's arms.

"Do you see him?" Sif asked Thor. Thor nodded, blinking back tears, and laid his hand on the tiny baby's back. His hand was bigger than the child and nearly covered the baby completely.

"He is perfect," Thor said softy. He gave up on warding off tears and let them spill over.

"Little pushes, Sif," Frigga instructed her.

"Why?" Sif asked, too indulged in her sleeping son to wonder about all the things that could be wrong.

"Afterbirth," Frigga responded. Sif did what Frigga requested without a second thought.

"There, now you can rest," Frigga said once she had wrapped the placenta in a towel. Sif looked up at Frigga.

"Thank you, Frigga," Sif said. "You reacted well in our time of need."

"Of course. You did very well yourself," Frigga said as she moved the supplies she had laid out on the bed back to the counters.

"Frigga?!" A worried voice said through the closed door.

"We're in here," Frigga said as she opened the door to Odin and Loki.

"Are we safe?" Frigga asked. She glanced back at Thor, Sif, and her grandchild. Sif had also fallen asleep and Thor had the little bundle in his arms. He sat next to his wife, simply staring at their child in awe.

"Yes, we are. King Lewis of Realm X42 had planted the bomb. He was probably trying to attack Asgard. Luckily, Loki sent him back through the Bifrost," Odin explained.

"What happened here?" Loki asked as he looked around the room. His eyes fell on a sleeping Sif and his brother holding a tiny baby.

"As you know, Sif was in labor. Her labor progressed very fast after the explosion. It wasn't long after we got in this room that she delivered a boy. Sif and the child are resting peacefully now," Frigga explained.

"And... you delivered the child?" Odin asked his wife.

"Yes," Frigga said.

Thor looked up from his place by his wife and noticed the small group standing by the door. He glanced at Sif, making sure she was still asleep before standing up and walking over to the group.

"Brother, Father," Thor greeted his Father and brother. He tilted his arms up so they could see his new son.

"I was right! The child was a mini Thor!" Loki exclaimed.

"What shall he be called?" Odin asked Thor.

"When Sif wakes, it will be for sure, but we've been thinking about Eli," Thor said.

"Eli would be a fine name for the child," Odin said.

"I agree," Frigga agreed.

"Mmm, Thor?" Sif asked groggily.

"I'm here, darling," Thor said as he walked back to her. "What do you think about calling the child Eli?"

"I love the name," Sif said as she stretched out her arms to take back her son. Thor laid the baby back in her arms as the rest of the family walked over.

"He is wonderful, Sif," Odin said, happily looking down at his grandson. Sif smiled at her son and then at the small group around her.

"Okay, let's let the new family rest," Frigga said as she ushered everyone out of the room. "I'll let Eir know where you are."

"Many thanks, Mother," Thor said.

"You did wonderful today, Sif. I couldn't be prouder of you," Thor said as he stroked his son's cheek.

"And I couldn't be happier with my new family," Sif beamed.