A/N: Hoooooly crap, you guys! Sorry that took so stinkin' long. This bar exam crap is getting real old (pray to GOD I passed it, would you?). At any rate, the action in this story is about to pick up. Shit's getting real.

NaNoWriMo is upon us again, so I'll hopefully be able to churn out at least one more chapter before the end of the month, but I'm also working on three other stories at the same time, so, you know, we'll see.

Thank you for sticking with this story, for all your kind comments, messages, shout outs, and favorites. You guys are why I do this. Grace and Loki are lucky to have y'all on their journey with them.

Song: "Calling All Angels" by Train

For the first time since she conceived, Grace felt good. No, not good; she felt great. She had as much, if not more energy than before the pregnancy. Even though Tom kept insisting she could work at home, she had begun going to the office more, and her mood swings and back pain had all but vanished. Aside from her breasts and stomach, nothing about her body was still swollen, and she could eat anything she craved without the regret of heartburn. It was glorious.

Loki also noticed the change in her. Although he did not know how she felt, he could certainly see it. He had heard the word "glowing" used to describe pregnant women but had never quite understood it. Now, he did. Sometimes he swore he saw a halo of light surrounding her. She was more beautiful than he had ever seen her, and that made him even more excited to experience the remainder of the pregnancy with her.

A week after the baby shower, Grace, Loki, and Amy were at the Central Park Zoo, enjoying what remained of summer before the chilly autumn air gripped the city. During their outing at the library during Grace's baby shower, Amy had found a book about penguins, so Loki and Grace decided to surprise her with some real ones. They walked hand-in-hand while Amy toddled just ahead of them.

"I was thinking we could take her to the penguin feeding," Grace said, checking her phone. "It's not for another hour or so, but we can check out some of the other exhibits that are on the way, and then get lunch after."

Loki just smiled. "I am not opposed to anything, so long as you are feeling up to it."

"I feel great," she replied, watching as Amy stopped at the entrance to the rainforest area.

"Mommy! Daddy! Can we?" she asked excitedly.

"Of course," Grace replied, and then noticed that Amy's shoelaces had come untied. She was about to ask Loki to tie them—crouching down wasn't so much of a problem as standing up—when suddenly, before her eyes, the laces…tied themselves.

Seeing the strange look on Grace's face, Loki furrowed his brow. "Darling? What is it?"

"I—it's—" She couldn't quite put into words what she had just seen. "Her shoelaces—"

He glanced down. "What about them?"

She wasn't sure how to explain it and wondered if maybe she hadn't seen it at all. So, she just shook her head. "Nothing. Let's go."

As they walked through the two-story representation of a rainforest, Amy was enraptured by all the animals, but she was especially interested in the wide variety of exotic birds. The brightly colored macaws made her squeal with delight, and she decided that the birds Loki and Frigga had conjured were parakeets.

Grace watched as Loki and Amy admired an exhibit of short-tailed bats, and although she tried to be as excited as they were, she couldn't stop thinking of Amy's shoelaces. It was ridiculous, she knew; it probably hadn't even happened. But she kept eyeing them, almost as if she expected to see them untie themselves.

"Grace?" Loki's voice broke her trance. "Where were you just now?"

"I'm sorry. I think I'm just getting a little tired."

He cocked his head. "Would you like to go home?"

"No," she said quickly. "Maybe we can head to the penguin feeding soon. If we make the early one, we can finish out the day in the park. Preferably under a tree or on a bench."

"Of course. Are you quite certain you wouldn't rather just go home?"

She glanced at Amy, still holding his hand but paying attention to the toucans. "No, the whole reason we came is because she wanted to see the penguins. I've been a Mom long enough to know that you want to avoid disappointing a toddler at all costs."

He eyed her suspiciously but said, "If you are sure."

Halfway to their destination, she heard him chuckle under his breath. "What's funny?" she asked.

"I was just thinking about our last trip to Asgard."

"What about it?"

"The morning of our meeting with the healers," he began, a smirk forming across his face, "you said I would not find you as beautiful when you were in an advanced stage of pregnancy, because you would—as you put it—be unable to walk without waddling, like a penguin."

She shrugged and instinctively put a hand on her belly. "I warned you. And I still have another month and a half of this!"

He didn't reply, and she was a little hurt. She had expected him to contradict her. However, she also knew that, despite his well-earned reputation as a skilled liar, he was never untruthful with her. But when they were finally seated at the exhibit, as Amy watched the zookeeper drop fish and krill into the mouths of the waiting birds, he leaned over to Grace.

"You were wrong," he said.

Grace adjusted Amy on her lap. "About?"

He gestured to the penguins. "You walk nothing like them, and you still get more beautiful each day."

Two hours and a lunch later, they were, as Grace had requested, sitting under a tree in Central Park, not far from where she and Loki had met. Loki was up playing tag with Amy, purposely running slowly so she could catch him, and Grace was laying on a blanket, dozing in the warmth of the sun. She occasionally felt a kick against her womb, as though the baby wanted her to know it was still in there. She found herself wishing they had been able to learn whether it was a boy or girl; even though she had a feeling it was a boy, it would have been nice to know for sure. She supposed they would find out soon enough, though. Only another couple months from then, they would be bringing home a new member of their family, and whatever it turned out to be, it would be something they created together. And in her dream-like haze, she realized it wasn't just a baby they created together. She and Loki had created an entire family.

Suddenly, in the distance, she heard Amy's voice ringing across the grass. "Uncle Thor!"

Grace sprang up and tried to adjust her eyes to the light. She saw Loki's tall, lanky form walking toward a larger one, and then was able to see Amy in Thor's enormous arms. For a minute, the three of them stood huddled together, and Grace wondered what was keeping them. She attempted to get to her feet but was having a hard time; her body didn't feel like it was entirely under her control. Everything felt slightly weak, like her bones had softened. It wasn't until she raised her hands to rub her eyes that she realized what was wrong. She was having double vision; there were two sets of hands in front of her face, twenty fingers, and four arms. She looked at the rest of her body and it was the same thing. But her surroundings—the trees, the grass, the blanket—all looked normal.

Before she could contemplate the reasons for this sudden symptom, Loki was at her side, helping her up by her arm. Thor was still across the field with Amy, tossing her into the air and catching her as if she were Mjolnir.

"Hey, what's Thor doing—" she began, but Loki cut her off.

"We must go. Now."

His face was impassive, but Grace knew his eyes better than anyone, and what she saw in them was enough to cause a chill under her skin and her heart to drop into her stomach. "Loki, what's wrong?"

He held onto her hand tightly as he all but dragged her toward Thor and Amy. "I shall explain when we arrive at our destination."

"Are we going home?"

"No."

"Asgard?"

"Grace, please," he said, very nearly snapping at her. "Just allow me to explain when we arrive."

Finally, they reached the spot where Thor stood with Amy now on his shoulders. "Grace," he said, "I apologize for the unexpected visit, and the haste with which we must act."

"It's okay," she lied, if only to keep Amy calm despite the worried look on Loki's face. "When do we—"

Before she could finish the question, Thor was leading them toward the edge of the park, umbrella in hand and Amy on his shoulders. She appeared to be the only one who was unconcerned, merely enjoying using Thor as her own personal horse. Then Grace remembered what Loki had said about giving Amy a stallion and had to suppress a smile. It seemed like so long ago, even though it had only been a few months.

No one said anything for what felt like an eternity, but when they reached Fifth Avenue, Thor stopped and turned around. "They are just across the street." He leaned down to allow his brother to collect Amy from his shoulders. "I must attend to other matters, but I will meet you there this evening."

Loki nodded. "Shall I wait to explain until your return?"

Thor glanced at Grace, who, it was clear, was incredibly uncomfortable. "I believe you may at least want to wait until you can speak freely."

"Okay, that's it," Grace finally snapped. "Someone needs to tell me what is going on or I am taking our daughter"—she snatched Amy from Loki's arms—"and going home!"

Suddenly, a deep crack appeared in the pavement directly underneath where Loki stood. His and Thor's eyes widened, and they stared at her as if she had just grown another head. Loki tried to think of a way to calm her down long enough to get her into the car. "Grace, I—"

"Is there a problem here?"

The new voice came from a man wearing a dark suit and aviator sunglasses, who had approached them from the entrance to the park. Thor turned to face him, but Loki kept his eyes on Grace, still trying to wrap his mind around what he had just seen.

"Coulson!" Thor exclaimed, a bit too happily, in Loki's opinion, for the situation.

Grace glared at Thor. "Who the hell is this?" she demanded, still clutching Amy, who was getting very antsy.

The man in the suit stepped past Thor. "I apologize. That was rude of me." He took off his sunglasses. Grace was immediately struck by his hazel-green eyes; they were soft and kind, a contrast to his harsh, professional appearance. "My name is Phil Coulson. I'm a special agent with the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. Otherwise known as S.H.I.E.L.D."

"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Grace repeated. "Is that, like, part of the FBI or something?"

He smiled at her. "Sort of. We're kind of like the CIA, except not many people know about us. Given your, uh, situation, you're now one of them. We'll be able to explain everything when—"

"Please don't tell me when we get where we're going. I want to know where we're going now," she snapped.

Coulson turned to Thor. "You were right. Stark will love her."

"What the—Stark? As in—"

Loki nodded. "Indeed."

"And why am I going to meet Tony 'Genius Billionaire Playboy Philanthropist Iron Man' Stark?"

"Ma'am—" Coulson began.

"Please don't call me ma'am," she replied hotly. "Grace is fine."

"Grace, then. Please, just come with us. We'll explain everything. We just need to take you and your family to a secure location."

She glanced from him to Loki to Thor, looking for answers. Finding none, she turned back to the agent and stared hard at him. For some weird reason, she found herself trusting him. Maybe because Loki and Thor seemed to.

"What about clothes? Amy's things? My pregnancy stuff? I need certain things in case I go into labor or—"

Coulson smiled again. "Everything you and your family need will be waiting upstate."

Before she could ask what was upstate, she was being led across the street toward a black SUV, Loki gently holding onto her arm. There was a car seat already prepared, into which Loki secured Amy, and then he helped Grace in beside it. Before he got into the front passenger seat, he turned to his brother. "Please take care of yourself."

Thor was slightly taken aback. "I have no plans to die today," he replied with a grin. Loki was taken back to the last time he'd heard Thor say that phrase—the day they had gone to Jotunheim.

The day that set him on the destructive path that led him here.

"I will see you soon, then?" he asked.

"Yes," Thor said. Then, he leaned into the window of the SUV and smiled at Amy and Grace. "Do not worry. All will be well."

Amy was much less alarmed by this entire situation than Grace was. "Bye, Uncle Thor!" She waved joyfully at him.

He reached in and took her hand to kiss it. "Farewell, Niece Amy," he said, giving her one of his mischievous winks. Sometimes, Grace thought, he and Loki were more alike than either of them wanted to admit.

Loki got into the car next to Coulson, who pulled into traffic. There was silence for a minute, during which Amy watched the outside world pass by—it was rare that she got to ride in a car, so this was a novelty for her—and finally, Grace spoke.

"So, Agent Coulson—"

"If I'm supposed to call you Grace, you need to call me Phil," he said, and glanced at Loki. "You can call me Agent Coulson."

"I suppose that is fair," Loki replied mirthlessly.

Grace got the idea that there was bad blood between them. "How do you two know each other?" she asked, digging through her purse to get a baggie of Cheerios for Amy.

Loki wasn't sure how to answer that. Grace knew about his past, of course. But there was a significant difference between knowing what he had done and meeting someone he'd done it to. Then, a strange thought occurred to him. "Agent, would you care to explain exactly how you came to be here?"

He referred, of course, to the fact that last time they had seen each other, Coulson was drowning in his own blood. Mindful of Amy, Phil replied, "Oh, well, that. We get great health benefits."

Something about Phil's answer unnerved Grace. She was beginning to get the idea that she was about to learn much more about Loki's past than she ever cared to. He didn't exactly hide it, but they never discussed it in great detail. The Loki she knew was not the Loki he had been, and they were trying to build a new life together. Why bring up the pain of the past for no reason?

She didn't know it, but the past was about to become the present.

Through the entire plane ride from Teterboro to their destination, Loki hadn't said a word. While she had originally been annoyed by the secrecy of everything, Grace realized his demeanor was indicative of something so serious that he literally couldn't speak of it. He had never seemed so unnerved, and it unnerved her in return.

Amy, on the other hand, was quite happy to go on this adventure. She spent the plane ride asking Phil all manner of questions: who was he? Why did he wear a suit? Were he and Uncle Thor friends? Grace told him she could keep Amy occupied with her iPad which she carried in her bag, but he just smiled and answered Amy's questions as best he could. Grace appreciated his ability to distract the little girl from the situation that distressed everyone else. She even smiled despite herself when he told Amy that his suit was armor, like her Uncle Thor's.

While Grace was still anxious, as the plane landed on the expansive lawn of the Avengers Compound, she was focused on keeping Amy calm. Phil got off the plane first and, after speaking with several agents on the lawn, came back inside.

"Okay, come with me, please," he said, and Grace waited for Loki to stand up and help her with Amy. But he was still in his own world. Seeing this, Phil stepped in and extended his arm to Grace for balance.

"Thank you," she said to him, struggling to her feet. Loki still hadn't moved. She gestured to Amy. "Phil, I hate to ask, but is there any way you can—"

She didn't even have to finish. "Hey, Amy," he said, kneeling. "You ever ridden in a golf cart?" Amy shook her head. "Well, you're about to."

With an encouraging smile, Grace watched Phil take Amy down the plane stairs and into the promised golf cart. She assumed a second one would show up for her and Loki, since the first one was filled with agents, who surrounded her daughter. Now she just had to get him to move.

"Loki," she said, touching his arm. "We need to go."

His gaze was now focused on the building across the lawn. He knew within its walls was sanctuary, that protection had been promised. But he was still hesitant. It wasn't as though he believed it to be a trap; rather, it was that he worried that those who agreed to protect his family wouldn't be able to.

He wasn't even sure he would be able to.

Finally, he looked up at Grace, his beautiful betrothed, with their child in her womb and worry in her bright eyes. Grace, who had never asked for any of this, whose only crime had been loving him. How was he to explain any of this to her?

He stood and took her hand, trying to stave off the inevitable for just a little longer. "I am sorry, my love. Yes…yes, let's go."

She put her hands on his chest as he tried to usher her out. "Loki, you can lie to everyone else, but I know you, and I know something bad is going on. We're, you know"—she gestured out the window at the building he'd been staring at—"here. And for Amy's sake, I didn't show it, but you're scaring me. I need to know you're here with me."

Her words made him ache, as he remembered what she had said about being alone after Amy's birth. He had vowed she wouldn't be alone. And with everything that was about to come to pass, he needed to keep that promise, above all else. He would not abandon his family.

He put his hands on her shoulders. "Grace, you will never be alone."

She smiled as best she could. "I love you. Now, can we get off this plane? I have to pee, and for all I know, Phil is letting Amy drive the damn golf cart."

The Avengers Compound seemed, to Grace, like a combination of an army training camp and a four-star hotel. Of course, it was Tony Stark's creation, so this shouldn't have been entirely surprising. Although she had never been inside Stark Tower, she imagined it was like this. Everything was so…shiny. And expensive. Clearly, the man didn't know the meaning of the word "basic."

When they arrived at the main building, they were met by more agents, who led them to a passenger transport cart, like the ones at the airport. Grace held Amy on her lap, and Loki sat next to her, holding her hand like his life depended upon it. Though they rode through the complex in silence, almost everyone they passed turned to stare at them—or, more specifically, at Loki. He was doing his level best not to make eye contact with any of them. Grace could understand why; she knew all the agents and employees must have known who he was. Did any of them fight him? she wondered. Were any of them hurt? Did he try to…

She couldn't let herself think about it.

She had no way of knowing it, but Loki was thinking the same thing: how many people there had been on the helicarrier? How many had been injured? Did they still have trauma—physical or otherwise—because of him?

And now, here he was, about to endanger their lives again. The guilt he'd spent so long working through was flooding his heart, his lungs, his entire body.

Eventually, they came to a set of double doors that required the drivers to give optical scans. When they passed through the doors and the carts came to a slow stop, she was surprised to find they had entered what looked to be living quarters. She wondered why, of all places, this area was password protected. Loki got off the cart and took Amy from Grace's lap as Phil helped her up again. She steadied herself and took a moment to familiarize herself with her surroundings. There was a fully equipped kitchen with bar seating on one side and what looked like a dual conference-dining table on the other. There were multiple sets of couches, loveseats, and chairs scattered throughout the huge room, as though it were the lobby of a hotel. Dotting the walls were doors with frosted-glass fronts, which she assumed to be offices.

Before she could ask, for the thousandth time, what the hell was going on, an elevator door opened behind them. She whirled around and was confronted with a group of four people—three men and a woman—amongst themselves as they approached.

Most of them, Grace did not recognize.

But there was no mistaking Tony Stark.

He was shorter than she thought he would be, and not particularly muscular. But she could understand why women fell for him; his anchor beard and mustache combined with his tight Black Sabbath t-shirt made him look just the right combination of masculine and nerdy. He was deep in conversation with a shorter, stockier man with unkempt, fluffy hair and a somewhat nervous quality about him.

"Loki," she whispered, "are these—"

He didn't say anything, but she could tell by the look on his face that these people were exactly who she thought they were.

Suddenly, there was complete silence in the room. Time seemed to stop along with movement and conversation. Even Amy had stopped moving and stared up at the four people in front of her, studying them the way she had studied her surroundings. Finally, she broke the silence as only a child could. Tugging on Loki's pant leg, she asked, "Daddy? Are these your friends?"

Loki hesitated. What could he say, after all? He certainly didn't think any of them considered him a friend. At best, he was a problem to be solved. Before he could answer her, however, the man Grace had just recognized as Captain America—Steve Rogers, she thought, was his real name—met Amy's eyes.

"Yes," he said, firmly but kindly.

Tony, on the other hand, looked Loki up and down. "New costume?"

"Actually, I would say the clothing in which you last saw me would now be considered a costume."

"It's an improvement over the cow helmet."

Grace could tell by the look on Loki's face that he was preparing to snipe at Tony, so she grabbed his hand and squeezed it, distracting him with her presence. "Oh, I—I'm sorry. Please allow me to introduce—"

"Grace and Amy Lawson," she interrupted, somehow managing to hoist her daughter onto her hip. Amy hid her face in Grace's shoulder, much like she did the day Loki introduced her to his father. "It's…weird to meet you all."

The tension broke slightly with Grace's attempt at humor. Steve smiled at her. "Most people meet us under weird circumstances."

"And some of us are just weird," Tony added, glancing at Steve. "Let's speed this along, shall we? You've met Mr. Rogers here, older than he looks but still pretty spry." Steve was so used to Tony's barbs that he didn't even acknowledge this one. Grace hoped Loki would learn to do the same soon.

Tony gestured to his left side, at the man he had been in conversation with when they'd entered the room, who now seemed to want to shrink into the background. "This is Bruce. Brilliant scientist, much more imposing than he'd like you to think. Your boyfriend here is quite well acquainted."

Loki groaned, remembering Bruce in his other form, repeatedly smashing him into the floor. "That experience is one I would prefer not to relive."

"Sorry," Tony said, "but you were trying to kill—"

"And this is Wanda," Steve broke in, sure that Tony had forgotten there was a child in the room.

The lone woman in the group, a striking ginger-haired woman with the most perfect porcelain skin Grace had ever seen, stepped forward. "Hello," she said, in a soft, almost hesitant voice.

"Hi," Grace said. "I love your jacket." She gestured to Wanda's red leather trench coat.

Wanda smiled and ducked her head. "Thank you."

Tony clapped his hands. "Okay, now that we're all one big happy family, can we get down to business?"

Loki cleared his throat. "Perhaps, ah, not in front of…" He gestured to Amy, who was still hiding her face in Grace's shoulder. He wondered if she might have fallen asleep. "Grace, I believe it is past time for her nap."

Grace nodded. She set Amy down on the floor and took her gently by the shoulders. "Amy, you need to take a nap now. Mommy and Daddy have to do some grown-up things, but we'll be there when you wake up."

Amy's pupils dilated with apprehension. "I don't want to, Mommy."

Truth be told, Grace wasn't too keen on the idea of letting her daughter be whisked away to parts unknown either. But she knew that whatever she was about to learn would be far too complicated and upsetting for a two-year-old. She looked up at Loki helplessly.

"Sweetheart," he said, bending down to Amy's level, "it won't be for long, I promise."

"But what about my story?" she whined, in only the way an overtired toddler could. "I always get a story before naptime."

Phil stepped between them. Grace had forgotten he was in the room. "What if I tell you a story?" he asked Amy.

"Oh, Phil, you don't have to do that," Grace said. She looked at Loki. "What if I just go stay with her until she falls asleep and—"

"Honestly, it would be fine," Phil said. "I'm full of stories. Besides, I'm good at handling toddlers." Grace saw his eyes dart to Tony for a second. She looked at Loki again, silently asking his opinion on the matter.

"If Agent Coulson is amenable, then I believe we should accept his gracious offer," he said, bowing his head slightly. The fact of the matter was that there was much to discuss, and they were losing precious time.

"Amy, would that be all right with you?" Grace asked.

"Okay, Mommy," Amy said as she took Phil's hand.

"You be a good girl, okay? It's just like when we go to Aunt Stacy's, except Phil's the boss this time."

"Okay, Mommy."

Grace bent down again and kissed her daughter on her chubby cheeks. "I promise I'll be there when you wake up. I love you."

"I love you too, Mommy."

Loki kneeled as well and took Amy into his arms for a long hug. "Sleep well, darling."

Amy nuzzled against his neck and grabbed his hair lightly in her tiny fist. "I love you, Daddy."

It wasn't as if he had never heard his daughter say those words before. She said them all the time—to him, to Grace, to Grace's parents, to her dolls and stuffed animals. But perhaps having to do with the reason they were all where they were, his heart leaped into his throat, filling his voice with emotion as he repeated them back to her. "I love you, my sweet girl."

Phil turned to Grace. "Anything I should know?"

She smiled. "She likes Harry Potter, but I'm sure whatever stories you can make up will be just fine."

"Make up?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I've got enough true stories to last a lifetime." With that, he took Amy's hand and, as they walked away, Grace could hear him starting a story having something to do with Thor, Tony, and Steve fighting in a forest.

Loki watched Coulson walk away with Amy, trying to commit the sight of his daughter to memory. It was only after the two had rounded a corner and were out of sight that he realized he was being stared at. While Grace and Wanda were conversing about he knew not what, Steve, Tony, and Bruce were all gaping at him. The three of them looked at one another, unsure what to make of this.

Finally, Bruce said, "I never thought I'd see anything weirder than the Other Guy, but this might be it."

"I'm sorry?" Loki said, and at the sound of his voice, Grace and Wanda turned to face him.

"Nothing," Tony said. "It's just...last time we saw you, you were trying to kill us all. Now you're trying to get a two-year-old to go to bed. Kind of disturbing, actually."

Loki had been afraid of this. He looked to Grace, waiting for her reaction to this blunt summary of the last few years of his life. If she was thinking anything, she didn't let her face show it. Instead, she took his hand and looked at Steve. "All right, I think it's time I got some answers. I assume you're in charge here, since you're...well, Captain America. Can you please tell me what the hell we're doing here?"

"Well," Steve began, "I think we should probably wait for Thor. He's the one who alerted us to the issue, after all. He'd probably be the best person to give us—"

Loki cleared his throat. "Pardon me, but have you forgotten that I am also here? And I have a better idea of what is to come than any of you, including my brother."

Tony looked like he wanted to say something, but Bruce put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's all just have a seat," he said, and looked at Grace. "Are you going to be more comfortable at the table or on a couch?" He gestured to her stomach, which she was unconsciously cradling with one hand.

"Probably the table. It's getting more and more difficult for me to get on my feet, so the higher the chair, the better."

Once they were all seated at the conference table—Loki and Grace on one side, the rest of them on the other—Tony cleared his throat. "All right, now that we're all acquainted and we've given Coulson something to do with his time, should we talk about the elephant—or should I say, alien—in the room?"

Loki sighed. Perhaps waiting for Thor would have been better, because he had no idea where to begin. But after a moment's reflection, he realized that of everyone in the room, Grace was the only one who didn't have a clue as to why they were there. So, he addressed her only, as though no one else existed.

"Grace, I know we have not spoken often of my—my past," he began. "You know what I did before I knew you. You know what happened in New York City."

She nodded. "I know. I figured if you ever wanted to tell me, you would. Otherwise, I didn't need to know. It's in the past."

From the corner of his eye, Loki could see Wanda staring at him, with more of a soft gaze than a frosty glare. "Well," he continued, "it appears my past is now our present."

"What do you mean?"

It was at that moment that Thor burst through the door, now wearing his battle armor. He strode over to the table and set Mjolnir down next to it. It was rare that Grace got to see the hammer in its true form, but then, it was also rare that she saw Thor in anything but a hoodie and jeans. She realized this must be more serious than anyone had let on.

"I apologize for my tardiness," he said. "It took far longer than I thought it would to prepare the realm's defenses."

"Defenses?" Grace said, alarmed. "What defenses? For what?"

Thor looked to Loki, then to the other four. "Nothing has been explained?"

Tony shrugged. "Your brother started to, but it seems like he's gonna get cagey about everything, so maybe you ought to do it."

Loki glowered at Tony. "Would you like to explain it, then? Seeing as you have very little understanding of what you are dealing with—"

Tony shot to his feet. "I'm sorry, I seem to recall carrying a nuclear bomb into a space portal you opened up and nearly dying in the process."

"All right!" Steve yelled, looking between Tony and Loki, as though they were unruly children. "We're wasting time. Loki, go ahead."

Loki ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath, calming himself. "As I was saying...when I came to Earth, as you know, I brought an army made up of a race called the Chitauri. I became acquainted with them after I fell from the bridge in Asgard. They were to win the Earth for me, in return for—"

"Loki?" Thor said, a puzzled look on his face. "What are you talking about?"

"I am telling her why we are here," Loki replied, in a tone that implied Thor was an idiot.

"Then why are you telling her about the events that took place while you were on Earth the first time?"

Loki furrowed his brow. "Because that is the reason we are here. You told me you believed there was a plan for vengeance, that we needed protection."

Thor shook his head. "I apologize. I should have made myself clearer. Grace, the Jotuns—Loki's father was—"

"A king," Grace finished. "I'm aware." The fact that she had this knowledge was both a pain and a comfort to Loki.

Thor smiled sadly. "What else are you aware of?"

Grace glanced at Loki, as if seeking permission, and he nodded once. "Well, I'm aware that his father was a jackass who tossed him out on a rock because he wasn't as big as a regular Jotun. And I'm aware that that's the reason Loki came here trying to be a king himself."

With a raised eyebrow, Thor glanced at Loki. "You have not told her of my exile?"

Loki shook his head. It hadn't been his story to tell. He never thought it would be relevant and wasn't entirely sure why it was coming up now.

Thor took a deep breath, and Grace listened as he told her the story of Loki's attempt to usurp the throne of Asgard, using the Jotuns to help him. As Loki listened, he remembered the trips he had taken to Jotunheim, especially the one that not even Thor knew about—when Loki had revealed himself to Laufey as his son. He had kept that secret from every being in the cosmos; not even Heimdall seemed to sense it. But still, he wondered why this mattered at all.

"Recently," Thor was saying, "Heimdall has been unable to observe Jotunheim again. The last time this happened was when they were plotting to invade Asgard with Loki's assistance. Obviously, that is not what is happening this time, and we have no reason to believe they would attempt to invade with Odin on the throne. Their new king is not as foolish as Laufey. And at any rate, we know Loki is not assisting them." He looked to Loki reassuringly, trying to signal that he trusted Loki in this.

"Okay, then what is going on?"

"We believe that the Jotuns have discovered that Loki is alive, and that you are pregnant. We believe they are seeking vengeance for the death of their former king, and for Loki's perceived betrayal."

"This is what you meant by vengeance?" Loki scoffed. "Jotunheim was decimated by my hand. New king or not, they have no ability to come to Midgard—Earth—and seek us out. How would they even know Grace is with child?"

"Because we don't think that nuclear bomb I nearly died trying to get rid of obliterated your entire army," Tony chimed in. When Thor glared at him, he shrugged. "Sorry, just wanted to remind you guys that we're still here."

"As Stark says," Thor continued, "we believe there are more Chitauri, and that they are assisting the Jotuns. After your pregnancy was announced to Asgard, Father asked Heimdall to monitor Jotunheim for any sign of nefarious activity. He recently sensed a presence there that was not of that realm. As I said before, he has been unable to ascertain anything more. But the Chitauri have a reason to seek vengeance against Loki as well. It is the only logical conclusion."

Loki couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was this what his father had been concerned about at Grace's examination? Is this why he insisted the child be born in Asgard? For their protection? And if that was his concern, why not just say so?

More secrets. More half-truths. More ulterior motives. It sickened him.

Especially because he knew they were all wrong.

"No!" he yelled, leaping to his feet. "You have no idea what you are talking about."

"Whoa, whoa, let's everybody just calm down," Bruce said, clearly nervous. "Loki, what do you mean?"

Loki rubbed his forehead. "This has nothing to do with Laufey's death, and nothing to do with the Chitauri seeking vengeance for their losses."

"Then what the hell does it have to do with? Don't tell me there's some other weird alien species you've pissed off," Tony replied.

Loki sank back into his seat. "Have none of you ever asked yourselves why the Chitauri would have wanted the Tesseract?"

"For the same reason H.Y.D.R.A. wanted it," Steve said. "Weapons."

"Funny, that's the same reason S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted it," Tony added.

"I don't think the Chitauri need help making weapons," Bruce said. "Did you miss the giant metal snakes?"

"Listen to me!" Loki nearly snarled, and it made Grace jump. Something inside her was beginning to feel wrong, all wrong. "The Chitauri are not interested in the Tesseract. They are interested in pleasing their master."

"Their master?" Wanda asked. "Who's their master?"

Loki didn't even like saying the name. It felt like a taboo, as though the mere mention of him would summon him to where they were. They had only met once, and once was enough for Loki. After that, The Other was the intermediary. But there was no getting around it now, not if he wanted them to understand. Not if he wanted their help.

"Thanos," he whispered. "His name is Thanos."