It was eight weeks later that the Asgard Academy of Magic had its grand opening ceremony; it was Loki's pride and joy, his pièce de résistance, his brainchild –

"Yes, yes, I get the picture, Loki."

"I'm still mad at you, you know. You said you'd be here."

Loki could just feel Stephen sigh over the connection. He had been on Stephen's case about it for days.

"My sweet, gentle Loki, I don't know how many times I have to say I'm sorry until you can put this to rest, but I'll say it again. I'm sorry I can't make it, I know it's your special day but –"

"Yes, yes, there's a super-important, super-dangerous relic arriving from Tibet or Budapest or wherever and you need to see it interred and sealed so the world doesn't end et cetera et cetera –"

"Loki."

"Fine, Stephen. I'll see you when I see you, I guess."

"Love you."

"Yeah, right."

"What are you all grinning about?"

Loki's head snapped up.

"Valkyrie. You startled me."

"Uh-uh." She cocked her head. "There's something different about you."

Loki surreptitiously gave himself a once-over. Everything looked as it should be. "Is there."

"I don't mean the way you look." Valkyrie lifted an eyebrow slyly. "Or do I?"

"Brother!"

Oh good. Saved by the King.

"Thor."

As the King of Asgard drew closer, his aura emanated through the chamber like a ray of sunshine, causing almost all of the trainees to abandon their spells to catch a glimpse of His Majesty the King; every crook and cranny having been made brighter simply by having the presence of Thor, the God of Thunder. The seiðkonur in attending was clearly anxious for having so many spells incompletely cast; for good reason too as the unclosed loops of energy were highly volatile and unpredictable.

"Thor, I think you're distracting the pupils, come." Loki said sharply. He locked eyes with another seiðkonur who had begun ushering some of the smaller children out.

"Nonsense! I think you're doing great work here, Loki. I would like to stay and watch a little longer –"

Loki's worst fear came true as the more volatile spells began to coalesce and merge and the resultant geyser of energy shot heavenward –

"Your Majesty!" "Highness!"

And blasted the entire fresco ceiling into pieces. Loki's heart leapt in his throat as debris the size of boulders started to rain down on them.

"The children!"

Without thinking, Loki called upon his seiðr, coaxing his intrinsic magic to bend to his will and in a split second, a blast of raw energy erupted from his hands and a giant green and gold energy field domed upward from the ground as he awakened the elements; he lifted his hands and the barrier lifted, pushing the debris off to hover in the air –

"Go." He gritted his teeth. "Thor, Val, get everybody out of here. Now!"

After five long minutes, his arms started to shake with exertion and perspiration trickled down the sides of his face.

"That's everybody out, Loki!" Val called from the side door, where everybody had escaped to the outside grounds.

He nodded tersely, and in a split-second, teleported out to safety and he reappeared outside with the rest just as they heard the loud, resounding crash of the collapsed ceiling landing on the ground.

Thor stared at him aghast. "Loki…"

Loki held a shaky hand to his forehead.

"Is everybody alright?"

"Yes, Your Highness, the children are all accounted for, and no one was hurt, all thanks to you."

"Good, good." Loki put his hands to his waist. "I think it's safe to say school's officially out for the day, yes?"

Thor was still staring at him, looking as guilty as Hel. "Loki, I am so, so, sorry…"

"Worry not, Brother. You go on with the rest of the tour, I shall join you shortly after I am done cleaning up the mess here."

Loki gestured for the royal retinue to lead the way, with the King of Asgard reluctantly in tow.

He raised his hand to Thor, waving his brother along, a sickly smile on his face.

"Smile, Valkyrie." Loki gripped her elbow and led her out the other door.

"Whu-What are you doing?"

Loki grunted suddenly and Valkyrie automatically circled an arm around his waist to catch him as he stumbled.

"Help me to the Healers."

Valkyrie narrowed her eyes suspiciously, for she never did see Loki get hurt –

He must have seen her expression.

"I am pregnant." She watched as Loki surreptitiously reached to touch his lower stomach. His hand was shaking. A painful breath whistled past his lips, "Call Stephen."

"Can't you do your magic telephone thing?" Valkyrie could feel Loki leaning more and more against her with each step they took.

"Can't. Right now it is taking everything I've got not to faint."

But the moment they stepped around the corridor and out of Thor's immediate sight, Loki's knees buckled, and he did not even feel his body hit the floor.

"Lackey!" Dimly, he could hear her curse but it was too much like trying to speak underwater so he did not even bother replying. "Lackey, you bastard, get up!"

"Guards!" She leapt to her feet, "Thor!"

No…

Awareness returned to him slowly, in peaks and troughs that wavered from full wakefulness and dazzlingly bright colours to muted wisps of whispers and fleeting grey shadows.

Loki listened to his body. The pain in his abdomen was still there, dull and throbbing, but to his great relief (because he would so hate to wake up to excruciating pain) it was nowhere near the sharp, eviscerating, blinding agony that had earlier threatened to steal all breath and all life – his eyes flew open.

"Whoa, whoa!" He felt hands immediately push his shoulders forcefully down until he was lying on his back once more. "Loki, easy!"

"Stephen," he gasped, clawing at his husband's arms as he tried to rise again.

"Shh. You're fine. You're alright."

Loki's heart pounded madly in his chest as his lips worked to form the words, "Baby?"

Stephen's hand slowly came to rest on Loki's still-very-flat stomach. "She's alright too."

Loki's eyes watered. He could not speak.

"She is," Stephen reassured him again. "Did the scan, saw the heartbeat and everything."

Loki leaned his head back deeper into the pillow, his eyes squeezed shut. Oh thank the Norns.

"Thor is beside himself."

Loki palmed his eyes and stifled a groan, "He knows?"

"He carried you here." Loki's eyes near popped out of his head. "The King's authority supersedes yours, you know. Valkyrie did the right thing."

"I was beside myself too." Stephen closed his eyes and shook his head, his hand still stroking Loki's stomach gently. "I don't know what was worse, having somebody call me to tell me you were hurt or that you were hurt badly enough you could not call me yourself."

"So what is it this time then?" Loki closed his eyes again, bracing for the worst.

"Medically speaking? A threatened miscarriage. Magically speaking? I think you overexerted your seiðr." Stephen inhaled deeply. "Hopefully, it's nothing a few days of bed rest won't fix."

Loki groaned. "Bed rest? So soon?"

When Stephen did not respond, Loki opened his eyes.

"Stephen."

The Sorcerer Supreme's face had gone pale, his eyes glazed over.

"Please don't…" Loki laid his own hand atop Stephen's still resting on his belly, "Don't make that face."

Stephen still looked stricken.

"I'll do as you say." Loki stroked the back of Stephen's hand. "I'll stay in bed, I promise."

Stephen finally looked up. He asked quietly, "Would it be too much to ask for you to stay in bed until the baby is born?"

"Surely you jest."

Stephen only smiled sadly. "If only."

Loki leveled him with an icy glare. "No. I am pregnant. Not an invalid."

"How would you like to bargain?"

"Oh, this should be good." Loki rolled his eyes. "I forgot you like to haggle."

"What if I stayed in bed with you?" Stephen gently eased forward and propped himself up with both hands braced against Loki's sides, leaning down so close until their noses were almost touching.

"What about your precious relic?"

"You're my precious relic."

"As devastatingly handsome as you are, Strange, I am going to need a bit more convincing than that."

Stephen caught Loki's lips and kissed him gently. And kissed him again. And again.

Loki's pale hands reached up to caress his cheeks, cool thumbs playing across the high arches of his cheekbones.

"Do reconsider," Stephen murmured. "I could do this all day."

"I'm sure you could." Loki's lips curved into a smile against his own.

And so they did.