"You did what?! What do you mean Thor took it to Asgard?!" Nick exclaimed, living up to his name as he glared angrily with his only eye at the Avengers, minus Thor, sitting around the large table. He could not believe his ears when the very team he assembled to retrieve the Tesseract returned with nothing but an explanation saying Thor took it back to Asgard for safe keeping.
"In all honesty, Loki wanted us to lie to you by saying that the Cube was destroyed." Tony quipped, wishing he had gotten the guy drunk as Loki advised, but knew that wouldn't even work.
"And he thought I'd believe that?" Nick asked in exasperation, mildly irritated by how nonchalant Tony and the others seemed by this turn of events.
"No, not really. He just wanted to be left alone." Tony said to Nick who gave him the stink eye, "Enlighten me, why didn't bring Loki here? You know he stole that Tesseract." he said, obviously unhappy with how the Trickster got away with the Tesseract and was granted clemency instead.
"He has a daughter." Steve said, watching Nick's eye widen as the super soldier continued, "Apparently, someone outside of our solar system wanted him to find the Tesseract, bring some savage alien army to concur the planet and give said Tesseract to their master. Between the Cube and his daughter, he chose her." Nick's expression was completely dumbfounded by this bit of information.
Barton was the next one to speak, "He gave the Tesseract to Thor on the promise that he will not be taken back to Asgard against his will, or be forced to join the Avengers. He is also willing to give us information on what he knows about the people who wanted him to invade Earth as long as we don't bother him or bring him into our affairs. As long as he stays out of trouble, we won't give him hell." he finished, remembering the man's conditions while remembering the pictures he and the team saw in the kitchen, how Loki appeared completely human with the kid.
"And you just took his word for it." Nick stated, still mildly stung by the loss of the Tesseract but happy that some maniac didn't use it for their own means.
"As far as anyone's concerned, his daughter keeps him from going on some power mad quest." Bruce commented, remembering Loki's words through the com-link when the latter spoke of his love for his child. "Let's just leave him be, he wants to raise his daughter without any interference from us. We kinda owe him for not bringing war to Earth." he added, watching his friends nod in agreement to his assessment.
Nick was silent as he took in what was just said to him, and looking at each of the team members of the Avengers Initiative, he could see from their expressions that they weren't worried about Loki causing trouble. "Who's the kid?" Nick asked, curious about this child that keeps this potential ally or formidable enemy from doing what was mentioned earlier.
"Her name's Lucy. Cute kid, Thor likes her already." Tony answered, remembering the parental fondness he saw in the big man's eyes when he looked at his brother's daughter.
"What about her Mother, was she not present?" Nick asked, watching them look at each other in question before Natasha answered, "We didn't see her, there were no pictures of her with Loki or his daughter. Our most logical guess is that she died when Lucy was just an infant, and he's raising her on his own."
Tony leaned back in his chair, "He was quite mellow with his kid around. I pretty much like the guy, even invited him for a drink sometime." he said, making Nick roll his eye at him, but the former didn't stop, "Let's just leave him be like we promised, who knows, maybe he'll join us of his own free will." he added, thinking of the possibility of Loki joining their team and all kinds of discussion they could have with each other.
Nick sighed as he looked at the rest of the team, "You're all comfortable with Thor's brother roaming around freely." he stated rather than asked.
"If something happens, we'll take responsibility and bring him in as planned." Barton assured him with slight discomfort, not at all fond of the idea of separating a parent from their child seeing how he's a father himself.
Nick nodded, "See that you do." he said before leaving the room with Steve calling out after him, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to find Agent Coulson and pay Thor's brother a visit." Nick answered as though it were the simplest thing in the world.
The moment Thor arrived in Asgard, he immediately went to the throne room to meet with the Allfather and Allmother privately in order to tell them what has happened. He held the metal case containing the Tesseract in his hand while his hammer was strapped to his hip, his strides long and purposeful as he walked through the palace. He passed by servants who bowed to him, which he greeted in return as he made his way to the throne room, excited and nervous to tell them about their Granddaughter.
Upon entering the throne room, he was relieved to see the entre room completely void of people save Odin and Frigga who stood together at the bottom of the stairs. Mother and Father turned to see him, both with a smile on their face when they saw their son return, but faltered when they didn't see his brother beside him.
When Thor stood in front of them, he bowed his head to his King and Queen before opening the case to present them the Tesseract, "Allfather, Allmother, I have brought back the Tesseract as promised, this artifact will no longer fall into the wrong hands while in Asgard." he said, seeing their eyes widen at the sight of the Cube before the Allfather took it out of said case and held it in his hand. For a long moment, he stared at it, mesmerized by its glow before walking out of the throne room towards where the vault is located with his wife and son following him.
Odin placed the Cube on one of the many stone slabs in the vault before stepping back. He stared at it again before closing his only eye and letting out a sigh, "You didn't bring Loki back like you promised." he stated to Thor without looking at him.
Thor let out a breath as he looked at his Mother who stared at him, wanting to know why he didn't have Loki with him. "I wanted to bring him back home. But he had the Tesseract." he paused as Odin slowly turned to face him, there was no expression in the Allfather's face as he stared at his eldest son. "I didn't fight him for it, he gave it to me in exchange for a promise that I will never forcibly drag him back to Asgard against his will." he admitted, watching their eyes widen at what he just said.
"You left your brother on Midgard?" His Mother exclaimed in disbelief, yet was relieved to learn her son was still alive.
Thor bowed his head, "He wanted to be left alone Mother. He wanted to live peacefully away from Asgard and all the scorn it has given him these past years." he said, watching unshed tears glisten in his Mother's eyes.
Odin slammed his fist on the stone table, making the Tesseract shake from the vibration, "How could you have left him there!" he yelled in frustration, "He was supposed to return here as my son! My son!" his voice echoed in the vault as tears of anger and sadness shown in his eye.
If Loki had been there to see the expression on Odin's face, he would've believed the man truly loved him just as he did with Thor. With a sigh, the elder prince looked his Father in the eye, taking a deep breath, "He has a child." Almost immediately, their faces went from question to shock at this revelation.
"What?" Frigga was the first to speak, her eyes wide with surprise as she stared at her elder son.
Thor nodded, "Her name is Lucy, she'd be around four now." he said before reaching into his pouch at his side to take out a small picture frame. "I took this from Loki's house when he wasn't looking. He has plenty of pictures hanging up." he handed the frame to Frigga who took it carefully in her hands before flipping it over to see the picture, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle the gasp at what she saw. A fully grown up Loki was smiling back at her with unreserved joy as he held a small child with black hair and green eyes in his lap who gave a shy yet sweet smile, holding her stuffed bunny in her small arms.
Odin looked over her shoulder, all breath leaving his system at the sight of his younger son and a small child who looks like him, both happy and smiling in the picture. Seeing the small child's familiar green eyes staring back at him brought forth a nostalgic feeling as new tears came to his eyes, this time, they weren't of sadness.
Frigga placed a hand to her chest, smiling through tears as she stared at her child and newly discovered Grandchild, "By the Norns, she's beautiful." she whispered, glancing up at her son who had the same expression as hers, "She's even more lovely in real life Mother." he said, the fresh memory of his sweet adorably little niece in his mind.
Odin stared at the innocent face of his Granddaughter, the same smile Loki once held when he was just a child made his heart clench. "She looks so much like Loki." he said, finally finding his voice, a small smile came onto his aged face.
Thor's heart softened at the sight of his parents gazing fondly at the picture, "She does. Loki loves her more than anything, more than all the Nine Realms." he told them, remembering how Loki spoke of his child with love and adoration.
Odin laughed through his nose, "A child can do that to you." he said, remembering how he felt the moment he held both his sons in his arms for the first time.
"Lady Lucy has done more than that. She saved Midgard." Thor said, the King and Queen looking up at him in surprise.
"What do you mean my son?" Odin asked, a million scenarios going through his head on how this child saved a planet.
Thor looked down for a moment before facing his parents, "I don't know all the details, but I can tell you that Loki was sent to Midgard to retrieve the Tesseract and bring an army of Chitauri to conquer the planet." His Mother gasped at this information, as Thor continued, "But Loki defied his would-be master in favor of Lucy. He may as well have put himself in danger of betraying whoever sent him for the Cube, but he doesn't care for his life, only Lucy. Her existence alone has saved Loki from making the biggest mistake in his life while also saving a planet from destruction." he finished, praising his niece for unwittingly saving her Father and Midgard from war.
Odin and Frigga stared at their son, their mouths gaped open at the revelation that was presented to them before the Allfather spoke, "Someone tried to make my son into their puppet." he seethed, angry at whoever thought to control his younger son.
"I don't know who they are Father. Loki has yet to divulge that information, though I get the sense that the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be extracting that from him very soon. Loki did say that he will tell them what they need to know and to be prepared for in the future should this person come. This information exchange was also part of the deal to let him raise his daughter in peace without anyone's interference. Mine included." Thor added with a hint of sadness in his voice, still heartbroken over not being able to bring his brother and niece home. At his parents' questioning looks, Thor explained, "He gave me the Tesseract on the promise that I never take him back to Asgard by force, and the deal for his willingness to divulge information on a greater enemy is to not be bothered to join my team. As long as he keeps out of trouble, we are to leave him be as promised." he finished, remembering the conditions his brother made to him on the letter.
Odin and Frigga took in everything Thor just informed them, for once, since Loki fell from the Bifrost, they didn't know how to process this turn of events. "Have you asked him to come home?" Frigga asked, still hopeful for her son's return.
Thor nodded, "I did, but he wants to stay on there and raise Lucy as he wishes." he sighed, "As much as I want him to come home, I believe this is for the best."
"He's a Prince of Asgard, he should be here. Him and my Granddaughter." Odin said, almost making Thor smile at how he claimed Lucy as his family without reservation. But Thor kept his face composed, "Given Asgard's mistreatment of him before that incident, Loki doesn't feel it's safe for his daughter to be among people who didn't accept him." he bowed his head, "He also feared you would never accept her either." he said to the Allfather, not needing to look up to see his heartbroken expression at what Loki told Thor.
Odin felt hurt at the accusation that Loki delivered through his brother. Looking down at the picture in his wife's hand, he memorized both his son's and Granddaughter's features, not finding it in him to be angry at Loki for what he thought of him. "He is afraid I will hurt her." he stated, sighing as he bowed his head, "The blame for those horrible fears rest solely on me. If I had just I told him the truth from the beginning, if I had told him that I loved him no matter what he was, he would never have any reason to fear for his child." His finger traced the face of his younger son, "I failed him as a Father."
"There is still hope though." Thor said, making them look up at their son. "He hasn't completely pushed me out of his life yet. I can still talk to him. If I can't convince him to come back to Asgard, then maybe I can repair the bond between us. He may not want to be part of the Avengers, but he still hasn't forgotten the fact that we're still brothers." he said, hope lacing his voice as he talked about his younger brother.
"Let us abide by his wishes and leave him be, let him come home on his own terms when he's ready, not because you ordered him to." Thor said to Odin before adding, "He wants to raise his little princess in a peaceful environment away from the scrutiny of Asgard. Between being a Father and Prince, which do you think he values more?"
Frigga's fell gently on Odin's shoulder, "It does have a ring of fairness to it." she gently said to her husband who gave his attention to her, "His devotion to his daughter overpowered his lust for power. We should honor that kind of love and sincerity if he was willing to relinquish the Tesseract to Thor. I agree with Thor, as much as it pains me not to see my child yet, his fear and reservation is understandable. Let him come home when he's ready. When that happens, we can finally meet our first Grandchild." she said, counseling him over Loki's decision to remain on Earth.
Odin listened to both his wife and son, their testaments overruling his desire to have his son back and make amends with him, right the wrongs he committed to him personally. But looking at the picture, he knew he can no longer force Loki to do anything anymore, because his son was now a Father, and will choose his child over Asgard if it came down to it.
Closing his eye, he released a long sigh, "I don't like the idea of him remaining on Midgard, but for my Granddaughter's sake, I will accept it." he said, conceding to his younger son's will.
Thor let out a relived sigh, happy that he won't be forced to break his promise to his brother, "Loki will truly appreciate that. This is a step in the right direction."
Odin smiled a little, "Loki is a Father now. If this picture was any indication, he will be a better, more understanding parent than I ever was to him." he said, regretful for not being the Father Loki needed growing up.
Thor placed a firm hand on his Father's shoulder, "There's still time Father, Loki is a kind man underneath all that mischief. He'll come home. We just have to be patient." he said, hoping this will be enough to give his Father some comfort.
Odin held back his tears as he stared at his family, relishing in these few moments where they can stop being royal and just be as they are now. "I know, I owe so much to Loki." Odin nodded, placing his hand on Thor's, finding comfort in the contact.
Thor squeezed his shoulder, a fond smile present on his face before separating from the Allfather. "I must go now Father, Mother, for the Avengers would want to have assurance knowing the Tesseract is guarded." he said apologetically, wishing he didn't have to leave so soon.
Odin nodded, "Do your duty, my son." he said, knowing he has a duty as Midgard's protector.
"Thor," Frigga spoke, still holding the picture in her hand, "when you see your brother again, tell him we miss him." she requested, glancing down at the smiling faces of Loki and Lucy.
Thor smiled, "I will Mother." he said before placing a kiss to her cheek then left the vault for the bifrost.
The King and Queen were left alone, surrounded by the ancient trophies. Frigga stared after her son before looking down at her son and Granddaughter again, the beauty within their smiles warming her heart as well as her husband's. Odin wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders, his only eye staring at the picture, "Loki has done despicable things when he found out the truth. But this child, who is unaware of how vital her role is in these realms, is the only one who can redeem him." he said, memorizing the resemblance between Father and child.
Frigga held the picture to her chest the way she would for her children, "She is a hero, she saved our son." she said, looking up at her husband, love and hope shining in her eyes and added, "Lucy is his light in the darkness."
Odin shared in her smile, "Aye, that she is. If the Gods are willing, Loki will let us meet her." he said as they left the vault arm in arm.
An idea came to Frigga, making her smile broaden as excitement filled her. "My Queen, what are you planning?" Odin asked, catching that familiar expression on her face.
Turning to Odin, she stifled a laugh as she answered, "Nothing, I just want to get started in making my Granddaughter's room." Odin chuckled at this, the enthusiasm in her voice warming his heart as they strolled through the palace.
AN: The name 'Lucy' is an English and French feminine given name derived from Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning as of light (born at dawn or daylight.
I'm sorry if I made anyone a little ooc, I just wanted to set an emotional buildup with a dash of fluff. I hope this warms your heart. Thank you for reading. Even if some of you aren't a fan of Twilight, I appreciate you all giving this story a shot. Until then, hit the review button.