A/N: Oh, dear. As it turns out, passing the bar exam has been a blessing and a curse. Being a lawyer leaves me precious little time for anything other than... well, being a lawyer. So I apologize deeply for how long it took me to get this chapter done. I'm hopeful that with the premiere of "Loki" on Disney+ that I'll be a bit more inspired as well, and that I can set time aside every night to do some writing consistently. For now, I've given you a nearly 9,000 word chapter to (hopefully) enjoy. Also, can I just say, writing Tony Stark is more hilarious than I thought it would be, and I almost wish I'd brought Stephen Strange in as well!

I hope y'all can forgive me for sucking so hard at consistently updating. I swear I won't disappear for nine months again!

Song: "Measure of a Man" by Clay Aiken. Don't you judge me.

"Thanos?" Steve repeated. "Who is Thanos?"

"He is from a planet called Titan," Loki said. "He is the only surviving member of the planet's population." He was still doing all he could to avoid looking at Grace, although he felt her eyes on him.

"So why's he after you?" Tony asked.

"Because I—" He stopped and took a deep breath. "I failed to obtain the Tesseract. He gave me the scepter—and an army with which to conquer this planet—in exchange for my delivering the Tesseract to him."

"And two years later he suddenly decides to take revenge? I don't buy it."

"Nor do I," Thor added. "Heimdall and Father believe this to be Jotunheim's doing. We believe they have only just learned of your survival, although how they discovered it remains to be seen. We have seen no trace of any other involvement."

Loki felt his temper threatening to bubble over. Grace must have noticed because she put a hand on his arm. "Can you explain," she asked Steve, "why you think we'll be safer here than in Asgard?"

"It's not that Asgard itself isn't safe. It's the reason we sent your parents there. It's just that we're worried Asgard isn't safe for you."

"If Jotunheim is in fact seeking vengeance, they will think to look for you there," Thor said.

"No chance they'll look for us here?" she asked.

"Oh, they might," Tony said. "But there's a better chance of protecting you on our turf than on anyone else's."

"I guess that makes sense. But how do you know my parents will be safe in Asgard, then?"

"Jotunheim is not aware of your parents' existence," Thor said. "But if they are aware that Loki has survived and that you are with child, as we believe they are, he and anyone with whom he is found are in danger."

"So, the plan is to just…what, keep us here indefinitely?" She put a hand on her belly. "Because I'm telling you, there better be someone here with an epidural when I have this baby, or you'll have bigger problems than Jotunheim, I can assure you."

"Don't worry, we got a doctor on call right here," Tony said, clapping Bruce on the shoulder.

"You know I'm not that kind of doctor," Bruce said. "But we do have a plan to handle any, uh…medical situations that might arise."

"And," Steve said, "we're going to make a plan to handle the situation with Jotunheim so that you can get back to your normal lives as soon as—"

"You are not going to be able to make any such plan, because you are not going to be dealing with Jotunheim," Loki interrupted, unable to be silent any longer. "I am telling you, this has nothing to do with them. This is Thanos. I am certain of it."

"No offense, Loki, but you aren't exactly the most reliable source of information," Bruce replied. "And even if you were, you've been largely out of the celestial loop for a while, right?"

Loki grimaced. "I understand that you are not inclined to trust me, but please do not think I am unaware of the danger we are in, or of the many individuals who would like nothing better than to see me suffer." He pushed his hair back and sighed heavily. "If you are certain that we will be safer here, then here is where we shall stay. But please, do not discount out of hand the possibility that I know more than you believe I do."

By that point, everyone was staring at him, including Grace. To her, he seemed like he was losing it, which was terribly distressing; usually, she was the emotional wreck. But everyone else at the table—save, perhaps, for Thor—looked skeptical.

"All right, let's say you're right, and it's Thanos," Steve began. "How do we know you aren't working with him anymore? How do we know this isn't some kind of set up?" He glanced at Thor. "No offense. We've just had…experience with your brother."

Thor shook his head. "As have I, for a century. I do not believe, however, that he is being deceitful. He is wrong, perhaps, but—"

"I am not lying, I am not working with him, and I am not wrong!" Loki yelled. "What must I do to convince you of this?"

For a full ten seconds, no one said a word. And then Wanda's soft voice cut through the silence. "It's not about what you can do. It's what I can do." Grace was about to ask what she meant, but Wanda had already moved to sit on Loki's other side. "Look at me," she said.

For once, Loki did as he was told, without question. As far as Grace was concerned, that alone was proof that he was being truthful. But she also knew him only as he was after the Battle for New York. He was the father of her child. Of course she trusted him. Everyone else at the table—and, frankly, in the compound—had history with him, history that kept them from even beginning to trust him. She couldn't blame them.

Maybe that was why he was willing to do as Wanda asked—because, of all the people at the table, she knew the least about him. She was arguably the most objective. And then she raised her hand to his forehead, drawing out crimson threads and manipulating them with tiny movements of her fingertips. Her eyes glowed the same color as the threads, boring into Loki's with the greatest intent.

Loki sat perfectly still as Wanda read his thoughts. He needed someone to believe him, someone who could help protect the most precious people in his life, and he was terrified that if he moved even an inch, something would skew, and he would lose what seemed like his last, best hope of that. He knew that Thor and the others thought they were doing what was best. He knew they thought he was just being arrogant and stubborn. But he also knew the threat they were facing, and he didn't care what any of them thought of him. Nothing mattered to him anymore except saving his family, and the only way that would happen was if someone believed in him. The way Grace did. The way Amy did. The way his mother did.

And then he remembered the night Grace had asked to see him as he was as a child. He hadn't allowed himself to see his childhood in so long. It was almost as emotional for him as the first time they had made love and he bared his soul to her. That had been the night he had become human, the night he allowed himself to truly feel what he had done. It seemed so long ago. And now, his past was catching up to him, and he needed to stop it. He silently begged an unknown entity for help. Suddenly, Wanda pulled her hand away as if she had been burned and let out a slight gasp.

"What?" Steve asked. "What is it?"

"He's not lying," she said. "It's not a trap."

"How do you know that?" Tony asked, and that was all Grace could take. She felt anger on Loki's behalf, much the same as she had felt when no one would tell her what was going on.

"Look," she snapped, "I realize that I'm out of my element here, and that this is 'your house,' but what does he have to do to convince you that he isn't lying? If you're not going to believe your own team members"—she gestured to Wanda—"then why are we even here? I realize you all have a not-so-pleasant history with him, but I can promise you, he would never put me or our children in danger. Now, if you aren't going to trust him, fine. Trust me."

As she finished her thought, one of the water glasses on the table suddenly shattered, even though no one had been so much as touching it. No one got up to get a towel; instead, they stared at the broken glass, then at Grace, who looked just as shocked as the rest of them.

"Darling?" Loki began, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Are you feeling unwell?"

Grace put a hand on her stomach. "I—I'm not sure. I think maybe I need to lay down."

Bruce squinted at her. "How long until you're due?"

"Just over a month. The baby is about thirty-three weeks developed, but the growth rate is different because of Loki being…who he is." The fact that she said who and not what wasn't lost on Loki, and he was once again reminded of her innate ability to see a person's heart rather than their heritage.

Thor cleared his throat. "Grace, why don't we have someone escort you to your chambers—"

"Room," Tony corrected. "The only Chambers we have here is an Agent Chambers, and believe me, you don't want anyone escorting you to him. Terribly body odor, we've all tried to—"

"Perhaps," Thor continued, glaring briefly at Tony, "you will feel more yourself after you rest. Today was no doubt exhausting for you."

She nodded, and, with Loki's assistance, stood up. Tony summoned an assistant and told him, "Wherever Coulson went, that's where she needs to go."

Loki kissed her hand. "Should you need me, you need only send word."

"I know. I love you."

"I love you," he said, and with his hand on her stomach, she knew the sentiment was intended for both her and their unborn child.

After she had been led from the room, Loki turned back to the group at the table. He had been holding back a few pieces of information while she remained present, not wanting to cause her any further distress. His face must have betrayed him, because Tony immediately said, "What are you hiding?"

Loki briefly debated the merits of keeping these things to himself, but they could only help him if they had all the information. "I know what his goal is."

"Thanos?" Bruce asked.

Loki nodded. "I did not wish to alarm her"—he looked back at the hall into which Grace had disappeared as if worried that she might return—"but what he aims to do is just that—alarming."

He took his seat and tried to make eye contact with each of them, as though imploring them to believe what he was about to say, even before he said it. "Do you recall that I said he is the only surviving member of his planet's population?"

"Yes," Steve and Tony both said, before looking at each other in annoyance.

"Well, that informs his plans. He has but one goal: to extinguish half of all life in the universe."

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room, which was broken, as usual, by Tony. "Oh, well, is that all? I mean, there are a few people who I could do without—"

"Is everything a joke to you?" Steve asked, the disdain evident in his voice. Turning his attention back to Loki, he said, "Why does he want to do that?"

"Because he is mad," Loki said, in a tone that was far more patronizing than he intended. "He wanted to do it to save his own people from extinction, his theory being that the universe's resources are finite and that there were more people than his planet's resources could support. Of course, his people believed this idea insane, and cast him out. Over time, however, his prediction came to pass. And so, he believes it is his destiny to save the universe by—"

"By eliminating half of it," Bruce finished. "Talk about circular reasoning."

Thor had been eerily silent throughout this conversation, and Loki glanced his way. "Brother? Do you have nothing to say?"

With his bright blue eyes focused on Loki's, Thor asked, "Why did he ask you to obtain the Tesseract? Was it in furtherance of this plan?"

Loki shook his head. "He never offered the information, and one learns very quickly when in his presence not to ask questions. At any rate, in my then-existing state of mind…"

"You mean when you were trying to kill everyone?" Tony asked.

Loki sighed. "The scepter was capable of mind control. You know this. It was how I was able to manipulate Agent Barton and Erik Selvig. And sometimes I think—"

He cut himself off. He did not wish to offer excuses. But, perhaps because she had so recently been connected to his mind, Wanda was able to finish his thought. "You believe you were under its control as well." When he stared at her with a mix of confusion and interest, she added, "Some of my powers, and some of the things I did…"

She didn't finish her statement, but he understood what she was saying. "I cannot deny that I already had enough rage within myself to have inflicted a great deal of destruction upon this planet and its people," he said. "However, I have long suspected that the scepter was placed in my hands because that rage made me easy to manipulate."

Tony smirked. "For a guy who makes a living in manipulation, that must have been pretty embarrassing."

"Tony—" Steve started, but Loki held up a hand.

"Much as it pains me to admit it," he said, "I was, you might say, an easy target. I have my theories as to how the scepter operates, although they are just that: theories. However, I always found something very strange about the fact that Thanos placed a great deal of value and importance on it."

"Why is that strange?" Steve asked.

"Because he has several 'children,' as he calls them, who he 'adopted' from various planets he decimated. One of them is named Ebony Maw. He's quite an appalling creature, really, but he has several talents. One of them is mind control and manipulation."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "So why would Thanos need to control you with a scepter if this—Ebony Maw?—could do it himself?"

"Because Loki needed the scepter to aid him in conquering Earth," Thor replied. "So, there would be no need to waste the effort manipulating his mind from afar when the scepter could do the job on its own."

"I think the question we should be asking," Bruce said, "is why Thanos cares so much about getting that scepter back, if he's got Ebony Maw."

"Maybe he plans to give it to someone else to accomplish what Loki couldn't?" Wanda suggested.

Tony stood up and started pacing back and forth behind the table. "That wouldn't make sense. We sent the Tesseract back to Asgard with—well, with you," he said to Loki. "We got the scepter back from H.Y.D.R.A., and I can't see how he would know that. Besides, giving it to someone else would be pointless if it's the Tesseract that he's after, because I'm guessing Asgard's army is a bit more formidable than what we've got going on here in the U.S. of A. He'd need way more than one guy with a scepter, I'm sure."

"Indeed," Thor said. "The Tesseract is under our protection, and there is no chance whatsoever that any army he sends in after it will obtain it for him, much less one man."

"Whatever the reason he cares so much about that scepter," Tony continued, "I think we should get it back to Asgard to live with its friend the Tesseract."

Another thought occurred to Thor in that moment. "Loki, I realize you do not believe Jotunheim to be involved, but the fact remains that Heimdall can neither see nor hear activity on their planet. And as I said, he sensed a foreign presence. Do you believe there is any possibility that Thanos is somehow involved with Jotunheim? Was he aware of your true parentage?"

"I do not see how he would have been made aware of that. That is a secret I kept very closely guarded for a great many reasons, not least of which included shame. I did not inform him of the circumstances of Laufey's death, nor did I tell him of my adoptive family. Again, as I said, one learns to be as circumspect as possible when it comes to Thanos."

"I think Tony's right," Bruce said, rubbing his forehead. "It would be best to get the scepter somewhere more secure than Earth. If Thanos is going to come looking for it, he's going to start here, since this is the last place it was."

"Agreed," Thor replied. "Especially since Loki and Grace are to remain here, the scepter should be elsewhere. I will take it back to Asgard and put it in Odin's vault."

"Do you believe it wise to keep the scepter so close to the Tesseract?" Loki asked. "Given that Thanos would ideally like to have both."

"I don't see a better option," Tony said. "We can't exactly keep it in one of our basements."

Wanda nodded. "Personally, I'd like it as far away from me as possible. That scepter causes nothing but pain."

"It's settled, then," Thor said, and turned to Tony. "Stark, if you will please show me to its location, I will ensure it is placed into the vault. It will be guarded at all times, by Asgard's finest warriors, until we can determine how to dispose of it once and for all."

"You got it, Point Break," Tony replied, smirking slightly at Thor's consternation.

The pair strode off out of the living quarters, presumably to a secure part of the compound where, Loki was sure, he would never be permitted. Wanda also rose from her seat, saying that she was going to go check on Grace and Amy. He thanked her for her kindness and, once she too had gone, turned back to Bruce. "Might I ask—Agents Barton and Romanoff—"

"As you can imagine, they aren't feeling particularly charitable," Bruce replied. Loki was unsurprised; given that he had manipulated Barton and that Romanoff was his closest friend, he would have been stunned had they agreed to assist. In fact, he wasn't entirely sure why Bruce had agreed either.

"Bruce," he began, curiosity getting the better of him, "why are you willing to do this?"

"Thor asked us to, and if he asked, we figured there had to be a good reason. And when we found out about Grace's situation—"

"No. What I mean to say—why are you willing to do this? I needn't remind you that I escaped captivity by causing you to…turn."

Bruce furrowed his brow. If he didn't know any better, he'd have thought Loki felt ashamed. It was almost hard to believe that this was the same person who had been hellbent on world domination two years earlier. Was it possible for someone to change that much in such a short time—at least without exposure to mass amounts of gamma radiation?

"Well," he said, "I guess I know what it feels like, not to be in control of your own mind. Or, in my case, mind and body. And at any rate, this isn't about me, or even you. It's about protecting innocent people, like Grace and your kids. And I guess if what you say is true, the rest of the world, too."

Loki swallowed hard. He was once again reminded that he wasn't one of those innocent people. And despite all he had tried to do to atone, it hardly seemed enough. The irony was that he had used Bruce's weakness against him, and now, Loki felt like the weak one. "I am sorry, Bruce. Truly."

Bruce rose from his seat and shrugged. "It isn't the first time I was provoked, and it won't be the last. But," he added, extending a hand, "I appreciate the sentiment just the same."

Loki gripped Bruce's hand and stood up as well. "Thank you. I know it doesn't repair the damage I have done, but I do hope it helps."

Bruce offered the slightest of smiles, his dark eyes glittering behind wire-rimmed glasses. "It certainly gives me a little reassurance that you're serious about this whole 'changed man' thing. I imagine you're not exactly thrilled to say the words 'I'm sorry.'"

"Let us just say that I have become progressively more familiar with the phrase. Particularly over the last few months. And speaking of that, perhaps I should attempt to procure dinner. I imagine both Grace and Amy are famished by now."

"I can show you to the cafeteria," Bruce offered. "Tony put a lot of money into it, actually. Not exactly surprising, considering the guy hides snacks everywhere. He's like a squirrel."

Loki laughed. "As is my daughter."

"Well, there are certain…similarities between Tony and a toddler, although I'll deny ever saying that."

"Deny saying what?" Loki asked, a tiny, conspiratorial smile on his face. Bruce clapped him on the back lightly and began to lead him toward the cafeteria.

As they walked, all Bruce could think about was the last time he had seen the demigod; how the quiet rage had been so evident, as though the Hulk had been brewing under Loki's skin for centuries. Now, it seemed, that rage had been replaced by a sort of protective shield, something between anger and love, with just a bit of fear mixed in. He could also sense that it had changed Loki in many respects, not least of which being the absence of arrogance. Yes, he had been insistent that he knew what was coming, but Bruce got the sense that this wasn't because Loki felt the need to be right. Rather, it seemed like desperation, which was a feeling to which Bruce could relate.

"So, uh…" he began, attempting to make small talk, "do you know what you're having?"

Loki's head snapped up. "I'm sorry?"

"The baby. Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"Ah, I see. No, we have not been told whether it will be a boy or a girl. I am simply glad to know that it will be human in almost every way."

"What would be so terrible about it being more, uh…more you?"

Loki glanced at Bruce, who was avoiding eye contact, focused intently on the path ahead of them. "As it stands, we have been informed that it will prefer cold temperatures and have an increased resistance to injury, the latter of which is arguably the only possible benefit to being part Jotun. But any more than that would bring my child—any child—suffering. The Frost Giants are brutes, completely consumed with domination and physical prowess. I realize this makes very little sense to you, but—"

"I understand more than you might think," Bruce replied as they reached the dining hall, situated in the center of the facility. "You hungry, too?"

Loki shrugged. "I do not necessarily need to eat at the moment, but as we are here…"

For the next ten minutes, Loki made his way from one food station to the next, hoping what he selected would please his daughter and betrothed. Amy was generally placated with macaroni and cheese or peanut butter and jelly, but Grace was another matter entirely. With the pregnancy had come cravings and various food sensitivities that sometimes seemed to change daily. While he stood contemplating soup versus salad, he was very nearly startled by a familiar voice next to him.

"Go with the soup."

Loki whipped around and found Coulson standing behind him, clutching a to-go cup of coffee in one hand and his cell in the other. "Agent Coulson. What are you doing here?"

The agent gestured to his coffee. "Same as you. Getting dinner. I'm guessing you mean something else, though. And by the way," he added, "I was only kidding earlier. You can call me Phil."

Loki squinted at him. "Oh, I—thank you. And yes, what I meant to ask is, why are you not with Grace and Amy?"

"Wanda came by to stay with them until you get there. When I left, she was talking to Grace about the baby. Amy's still sleeping."

"Unsurprising," Loki replied, settling on chicken noodle soup for both him and Grace. It seemed a safe choice, at least. "She is probably utterly exhausted. We were at the zoo this morning, and—"

Phil smiled. "Oh, believe me, I heard. She told me all about the birds, including the magic ones her 'space grandma,' as she put it, can make."

"Ah, yes, well…most children would likely find my mother's magic quite entertaining."

Nodding, Phil said, "You're probably right. Although—oh, if you're set, I can take you to them."

Loki looked around the dining hall. "I am, but I arrived with—"

"Dr. Banner had to head back to the lab with Stark. They're trying to work out a way to get around whatever defenses the Jotuns have established that are keeping them shrouded."

Loki pondered this as Phil led him back the way he had come with Bruce, and very nearly asked to be taken to the lab. But he realized it was unlikely that they would allow him to assist anyway; even if Wanda had assured them of his intentions, he knew it would still be some time before anyone other than Grace and Amy trusted him. Besides, there was still an unfinished conversation to have. "You were saying about Amy enjoying magic?"

"Sorry?"

"Earlier, you said you thought I was right about children being entertained by magic. But you began to add something afterward and didn't complete the thought. You said the word 'although' and then stopped. What was the rest of the thought?"

"Oh," Phil replied, giving Loki a sideways glance, "it was nothing."

"At the risk of sounding immodest, you do realize that you are speaking to perhaps the most skilled liar in the Nine Realms?"

Phil ducked his head and sighed. "I should know better, I guess. After all, I died because I fell for one of your mirages. Or would it be a hologram?"

"I prefer the word 'illusion.' Now, will you kindly tell me what you were going to say?"

After another moment's hesitation, Phil said, "Your brother told us that your mother taught you to use magic."

"My mother taught me to control it. I apparently began using it well before then."

"Okay, she taught you to control it, then. But look what you chose to do with it." Phil's voice was strong and clear, but Loki could tell he was loathe to have made the observation.

"For what it is worth, it was not because of my mother's lessons that I was able to do what I did. In fact, I once told Grace of a time when my mother restricted my abilities because I misbehaved. At the time, I did not understand it, but knowing now what I did not know then, she was trying to protect me. Quite likely from myself, in fact."

"So, then…why?"

Loki sighed. He knew why, but it seemed like an entire lifetime ago. In fact, it seemed like an entirely different life. "Because I believed the only thing that could give meaning to my life was power and authority. That I used magic was merely incidental to that quest."

They walked in silence from then until they reached the door to Grace's room. Loki suddenly became aware of the weight of the food in his hands and quietly laughed.

"What?" Phil asked.

"I have only just realized that all this time I've been carrying this food, I could have used my magic to temporarily vanish it. Seems I've begun to forget what I am."

"Or maybe you're just becoming more human."

Before Loki could reply, the door opened, and Wanda emerged. "She's asleep. They both are."

"Thank you," Loki said, "for staying with them."

"You're welcome. They're both wonderful." She looked to Phil. "I think Tony wanted to talk to you. He stopped by the room thinking you'd be here."

"I don't think Stark has ever wanted to talk to me. Needed to, yes, but I think he prefers me at a distance. Do you know where he went?"

"I think he said he was going back to the lab, but you know him. He could have gotten pulled into the war room for all I know."

Phil sighed and looked at Loki. "I'm sure eventually he's going to want to talk to you, too. So don't go far. Finding him will be hard enough."

"I don't believe Stark ever wants to talk to me, either. But I have no plans to abandon my post here."

Phil gave a last wave and headed off in search of Tony. Wanda was about to do the same but turned back around at the last second. "Loki?"

"Yes?"

"I don't know if this is my place to say, and I don't want to offend you, but—"

"Wanda, please, say what you must."

She took a deep breath and it appeared to Loki like she was steeling herself. "Are you sure," she said, "that Grace is entirely human?"

His eyebrows shot so far up his forehead that he was surprised they didn't fly off his face. "Of course she is. Why would you even ask that?"

She sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything…"

"No," he replied, softening both his expression and his voice, if only to keep from drawing the attention of any of the agents lurking about. "I apologize. It's just—well, again, what makes you ask that?"

She glanced around, checking for agents herself. "When I was sitting with her, after Amy was asleep, she said something about putting a blanket on her. And there was one on Amy's bed, so I went to put it over here, but it…"

"It what?" he asked, although he felt he knew what she was about to say.

"It moved on its own."

All day, Loki had been trying to ignore the thoughts that had been creeping from the back of his mind to the forefront of it. The way Grace had looked at Amy's shoes. How dizzy she had seemed when she got up from the blanket in the park. The glass shattering in the war room. And, most significantly, the crack in the sidewalk. All along, Loki knew what he had seen and now, there was no denying it. Why hadn't he predicted this? But then, no one had even believed it possible that this child could be conceived at all. Maybe it wasn't that no one had predicted it. Maybe it was that no one could.

"I assume you will be informing the others?" he finally asked. To his surprise, she shook her head.

"I think if anyone does, it should be you. I know all too well what it feels like to be both human and…not."

He stared at her for a moment, trying to decide if she was being truthful. But, again perhaps because she had so recently connected to his mind, he knew instinctively that she was. "Wanda, can you tell me—"

"We can have this conversation later," she interrupted. "She needs to eat, Loki."

She wasn't wrong, he realized. None of them had eaten anything since early that afternoon. It didn't matter much in his case, but Amy was still a growing child, and Grace—well, between the fetus relying on and using her nutrients for its own sustenance and the stress this day must have caused her, he was concerned for her health more than he normally might have been.

"Yes," he said. "Yes, you're right. Thank you again for staying with them."

"Of course."

He opened the door to their room as quietly as he could. Amy was asleep on a twin bed along the far wall, covered by what he assumed was the blanket Wanda had mentioned. Grace, on the other hand, wasn't under a blanket; she was asleep on top of the covers on the queen-sized bed, curled into an approximation of the fetal position with one arm under her pillow and the other cradling her abdomen. He wondered what she was dreaming of and was suddenly transported to the nightmare he'd had when they had only barely begun to acknowledge their feelings for one another. He remembered how she had come to him, shaking him gently until he came back to himself, and then had crawled into bed next to him to comfort him.

He had never confessed it to her, but that night was when he had begun to fall in love with her.

He set the food down on the nightstand and sank onto the bed next to her. She looked so sublime under sleep's spell. He almost didn't want to wake her, but again, he knew she needed to eat. Placing a hand on her hip, he rocked against her gently. "Grace, darling…" he whispered, trying not to wake Amy quite yet. "Grace, wake up."

She stirred, and just as he was about to shake her again her eyes fluttered open. Almost immediately, she let out a quiet gasp and tried to sit up far too quickly. It was as though she couldn't quite place her surroundings for a moment. But just as quickly, she got her bearings and relaxed against the pillows. "How long have I been asleep? What time is it?"

"Of the former, I am unsure. As to the latter"—he checked his watch—"a little after five."

"I need to get up," she said, again attempting to climb out of bed. "I need to get something for Amy to—"

He gestured to the nightstand and said, "Already handled, my love. I got you something as well. We can wake her in a moment, but I want to talk to you about something first."

She nodded, dipping her head slightly. "I want to talk to you about something, too."

"I suspect it isn't the same something," he replied, almost sadly.

"You first."

"Well, I…" He then realized he had absolutely no idea how to begin. He glanced back at Amy, still very much asleep, and noticed her shoes were sitting on the edge of the bed, still laced. "Wanda stayed with you while I was gone."

Grace furrowed her brow. "I'm not sure if that was a question or an observation."

"Perhaps both. But she mentioned to me how much she enjoyed your company."

"I like her a lot, too. Amy really liked watching her do that red light energy thing. I think it reminded her of your mom's birds."

Loki shifted so that he was sitting closer to her, tucking one leg underneath him. "Did she tell you much about her powers?"

Grace shook her head. "All she would really say was that she's human but that she sometimes doesn't feel like it. I know she wasn't born with all of them."

"That is true—she is human, and most of her abilities are not naturally occurring."

He didn't say anything else, and Grace was growing both hungry and impatient. "Loki, whatever it is, can you tell me? At the rate you're going, I'll deliver this kid before you say it."

He chuckled. "I'm sorry, my love. I simply find myself at a loss for words, mainly because I do not wish to upset you."

"I'm a nearly full-term pregnant woman who hasn't eaten in like, five hours," she said, a tiny smirk on her lips. "Pretty sure everything is going to upset me."

He knew she intended it as a joke but suspected she wouldn't find his next sentence at all amusing. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Today, when we were at the park's edge—did you happen to notice a large crack appear in the sidewalk?"

Something changed in her stormy eyes, and she looked down at her hands. "I was afraid you'd noticed that, too."

"It was a bit difficult not to. And Wanda informs me that there was an incident with the blanket?" He gestured to Amy, still covered up to her shoulders.

"Not so much an incident as—well, earlier today, at the zoo, it was—" She couldn't seem to form coherent thoughts.

"Let me guess. It was when you attempted to tie her shoes." When she looked shocked, he added, "Your reaction when I asked if everything was all right now makes sense to me."

With a slight shrug, she said, "I thought I was seeing things. Pregnancy brain or something."

"I understand. It isn't as though I could have predicted this either."

He reached behind him and handed her the soup and a plastic spoon. She accepted both gratefully, not having realized how hungry she was until she opened the container. Thankfully, it had cooled enough that she could eat it immediately. He opened his as well and they ate in comfortable silence for some time, until she said, "Loki, there's one other thing."

"Oh? What is it?"

She took a final spoonful of soup and set the container aside. "When I was laying on the blanket in the park, just before you had me get up…something weird happened."

His eyes bore into hers. "What was it?"

"It was like—like, I could see my hands in front of me, but it was like I was seeing—"

"Double," he finished. The expression on his face was something between unsurprised and stricken.

"Yeah, exactly. Except it was only my body. Nothing else was like that."

Suddenly, she felt sick. Her heart began to race, and her breath quickened. The feeling was all too familiar; it was just that she hadn't felt it over a year.

"Grace?" she heard Loki saying. "My love, what's wrong?"

She tried to keep her breathing steady and focused on not waking Amy. Her daughter had never seen her having an episode like this and, if Grace had her way, never would. But she was scared now, suddenly overwhelmed by the events of the day combined with the totality of the supernatural circumstances surrounding the pregnancy itself. And because she was working so hard to control the rest of her bodily functions, something had to give. So, she started to cry.

"Loki, what's happening to me? Do you think there's something wrong with the baby?" She put a hand on her belly. "Maybe we should go to Asgard after all. Maybe they can—"

Loki put his hands on her upper arms, trying to get her to calm down. "Grace. Grace, please, breathe." He inhaled, filling his lungs entirely. She followed his lead, and then let the air out in a whoosh. After a few rounds of this, he said, "There's no need to panic, and there is no need to go to Asgard. I believe I know what's happening, and if I am right, the child is not in danger."

"Then what is it? Am I in danger?"

"I do not believe so, no." He watched her shoulders relax as he said the words. "I believe perhaps, as mad as this may sound, that by virtue of the pregnancy, you may have absorbed some of the child's powers. Which, I suppose, are my powers."

She tried to process what he had said. Was that even possible? The baby was only supposed to be half-Jotun, and none of the Asgardian healers had mentioned this as a possibility. Wouldn't they have known? And what about after the birth? Would she still have these supposed powers? Would she have to learn to control them like that character from those stupid vampire books Stacy had forced her to read?

"Grace, darling, easy now," Loki said, and it was only then that she realized she had been saying all her thoughts aloud. "I realize this is upsetting at the very least, and that it is also quite confusing. But the fact of the matter is that we cannot know anything now. Nothing good can come from your getting upset."

She wanted to hate him for being right, but this was exactly why their relationship worked. When she was losing control of her emotions, he would logic her back to reason. And when he was incapable of processing his own feelings—he'd had relatively little experience doing so, after all—she was able to help him work through them. It was the beauty of their partnership, and a large part of why they loved each other so much.

And that was when she realized what she had been wondering ever since the day she discovered she was pregnant with their child.

"Loki…I know why this happened."

"What do you—"

"I mean I know why I was able to get pregnant. And it has nothing to do with my birth control or your alien sperm."

She grinned at him, and he suppressed his own smile as best he could. "And your theory is?" he asked.

"It isn't a theory, Loki. I'm sure of it."

"All right," he said, holding up his hands in resignation. "Tell me."

She looked directly into his bright green eyes, because she wanted him to see her feelings reflected in her own. "When we met, I think we were both searching for something, even though neither of us realized it. I never thought I would want a father for Amy, or even a partner for myself. And I know that you certainly weren't looking for anything like that, either."

"All true statements thus far," he said, nodding.

"And you remember how possessive I was about her. How I always called her my baby."

"I do. Because I also recall how meaningful it was when you referred to me as your daughter's father for the first time."

She smiled at that memory, of the first time they had made love and the way he had poured his heart out to her afterward. And although she hadn't known his true identity at the time, what he had said had been real—even if his name hadn't been.

"Why did that mean so much to you?" she asked.

He didn't even have to think about his answer. "Because I loved her so dearly by then, and because I knew then that you loved me. You trusted me with the most important thing in your life."

"I trusted you with more than that," she said, gently correcting him. "I trusted you with a literal piece of myself. I gave you a piece of myself when you became her father."

He took a moment to absorb her statement and swallowed an exceptionally large lump in his throat. "I only wish," he finally said, "that I had something so precious to offer in return."

She leaned toward him and put a hand on his cheek. "But you did. That's what I'm trying to tell you."

"What?"

"That's why this could happen, honey. Because I gave you part of me. So maybe," she concluded, "the Norns decided I should have a piece of you."

With that, she took his hand and placed it on her stomach. He splayed his fingers out, so that they covered the whole of it, but couldn't look at her any longer. "Loki, what's wrong?" she asked, seeing him look away.

Letting out a half-laugh-half-sigh, he replied, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

"You may be the God of Lies, but we both know you suck at lying to me." She ducked her head, trying to catch his gaze. "Now, you want to try that again?"

He shook his head. "I don't want to upset you."

"You won't, unless you keep avoiding the question."

He lifted his eyes but kept his hand where it lay. "The night you told me you were with child, you told me a story—the story of Amy's birth. And you told me that the reason my actions hurt you so deeply was that when she was born, you felt that you were alone."

"I also told you that I'm happy because this time, I won't be."

"Please," he said as stroked the place where he believed their child rested in her womb. "Let me finish. I am overjoyed to be part of this, to share with you. But there is a part of me that…"

"There's a part of you that what?"

He glanced over his shoulder at Amy, still sleeping peacefully as the light cascaded over her face. Sometimes, when he looked at her, he could still see the tiny infant who had fallen asleep on his chest, who had trusted him before she knew what trust was. Before he was even worthy of that trust.

"I wish that I had been there for you then. That you felt alone was, in part, due to my actions. And I will always feel some measure of guilt and regret for that."

Grace had no idea that he felt this way. She knew he had felt remorse for his actions, but that he felt guilt for her entering motherhood feeling alone was entirely unknown to her until that moment. "Honey, please don't—"

"I know that you are going to tell me I shouldn't feel guilty, or that I shouldn't have these regrets, but—"

"Let me finish," she said, echoing him. "I would never tell you not to feel any sort of way. Your feelings are your own. But what I was going to say was, please don't think that I have any regrets. I was alone, yes. But Amy saved me from the misery my life might have become if she hadn't come along. She got me through the worst of it. She was a blessing. Regardless of that, I wasn't ready for you, Loki. And you weren't ready for me. And it was because I had Amy that I was able to love you when you came along. It's because of that love that we're here now, having this baby. The circumstances are weirder than I expected, and scarier, but we're here. We're alive. And—"

Just as she was finishing her thought, there was a strong, decisive kick directly underneath where Loki's hand lay. Both he and Grace were taken by surprise—but while hers was physical, his seemed to be much more. And that was when she realized that Loki had never felt the baby kick. She suspected that he had never felt any baby kick, to be honest. It didn't seem like something he would have wanted to do before she met him, even if he had been given the chance. She put her hand on top of his and gently pressed it down. He met her gaze and, as had been the case with the day he had seen the image of their child, he had tears in his eyes.

"Does it still feel cold?" he asked.

She nodded. "Sometimes. Especially when I have my hands on my stomach. I guess he responds the same way to you."

"You still believe it to be a boy?"

"Yes. And I think he's going to need a name soon. But before that, I think our little girl needs to eat. She's already been asleep too long. Getting her to bed is going to be a nightmare."

She went to climb off the bed, but before she could, he grabbed her arm gently. "Grace…"

He intended to explain everything to her, he truly did. He knew she had a right to know, to be told exactly why they were staying at the compound, and what Thanos wanted, outside of revenge. She knew Loki had intended to turn over the Tesseract in exchange for conquering Earth. But she didn't know, nor had she ever asked, why he had been asked to retrieve the Tesseract at all. He knew he should tell her.

But then, he remembered the feeling of his child moving under his hand, the child whose life depended on Grace. And she was already under so much stress—not only due to the pregnancy itself, but now because of his past coming back to haunt them all. Despite her nap and dinner, she still looked so tired and pale.

He wanted to tell her. But he needed her to be healthy.

And so, even though he hadn't lied to her in any meaningful way since she had returned to him on his balcony all that time ago, he chose to do exactly that.

"I just want you to know," he said, "that I love you and that I will do all I can to keep my family safe."

Her eyes searched his, as though she could tell he was holding something back. But then, she seemed to change her mind—or at least decided not to question things further. "I know you will. I've never doubted that."

He held back a flinch at her acceptance of his falsehood, and hoped that when all was said and done, she wouldn't end up doubting him.