Chapter 24: Bad news? Or just new reality
This was a new year. 2018. January. Sam was back from New-Orleans, and Natasha was back from Clint's farm. The holidays were over and so was the three months of paternity leave Loki got. Of course, Steve had offered more, but Loki said a good slave could work even with a small child and that he had gone through his training even with Alex so they had settled for three months.
However, Steve thought it was a good idea to first tell Loki about something different than work.
"Loki, I would like to talk to you, just you and I," said Steve on that morning.
Well, that never announced nice subjects. So Loki was a bit nervous when he let his children with Wanda and Vision in the playroom.
"Did you like the holidays?"
"Yes, mister Rogers, it was a nice time and I am grateful you allowed me to partake in the festivities."
"Loki, I am not allowing you that. It is just something normal to do here."
"I would also want to say I am very thankful for all the gifts my children and I received."
"Well, you are welcome, but I am not behind every gift. It was also nice to see the Bartons."
"Yes, it was. They do not have any animosity toward me, which I found strange."
"It's not. Laura is forgiving and Clint is too, as you know. And it allowed Alex to socialise with kids his age."
"Yes, he was quite friendly with Nathaniel. After a certain adjustment time, of course."
"And that's the subject of our discussion. Loki, this was the first time Alex ever met any other children, right?"
"It was, indeed. Slaves don't socialise with others, not even children."
"Loki, we agreed to raise Alex as a normal child, right? At his age, did you have friends? Or any other acquaintances beside your brother?"
"There were a few children, noble of course. I did not get along with most of them, but I had to play nice because I was a prince."
"Okay, so your childhood was not normal nor by Earth standard, nor by Asgard's," said Steve. "When I was young, I had a few friends. I was not popular, but I get along with most kids in the neighbourhood. My point is that children do socialise with others of their age."
"Okay? I'm sorry, I don't see where this conversation is going. It sounds like you want Alex to socialise more with other children," said Loki trying not to talk above his station.
"It is exactly what I want to say. You already know about our school and we have discussed that Alex will go to a midgardian school. But I saw how hesitant he was at first. He had spent three years being trained as a slave and he has not forgotten about all of it. What I am proposing is that he could go to a daycare. A place where parents let their own children, too young to go to school, and the children can socialise during the day, learn about a lot of stuff, just have fun and make friends."
"You want Alex to go there so I can better focus on my work here," said Loki finally understanding.
"No! Not at all. What I am proposing, I am proposing it with Alex in priority, not your work. Alex doesn't have to go to the daycare every day, it could only be three days per week, maybe. We could start slow. But my goal is to get him to socialise, to meet children and to learn how to act in society."
"I understand," said Loki.
He had to admit it was not a bad idea. Alex could use the social interactions, and the friends. He would get to be a real boy. But he would be far from Loki who would not be able to protect Alex.
"Where would this daycare be?"
"There is one in the town nearby. There are a few actually. If you want, we could go. They can let us visit if we ask."
"But Alex would be far from me."
"Well, every child has to learn how to be themselves. Who they are without their parents. It might be difficult at first, but it will help Alex. And it will make it easier when it is time to go to school."
"What if there is an accident? Or if the other children don't play nice with him because of who he is? They could resent him because he is half-jotun, or a foreigner, or because he is my son."
"Loki, most children don't know who you are. And Alex doesn't have to tell them he is not from here. Also, it's normal at first to be nervous, for both yourself and him. It will be fine. The children are not by themselves, there are caregivers, people whose job is to make sure the children are fine. I know you worry, every parent does, but Alex would be fine. And once he makes friends, he would love it."
"You said we could visit those places. Do you mean 'us'?"
"Yes, us. We could go together, you and I, to visit with Alex."
oOo
"Absolutely not," screamed Natasha. "Fury accepted to leave us alone and manage the Loki situation on our own as long as Tony can prove Loki has not left the compound. And I have to give him weekly report on the situation. You know that Steve! Please, don't make it harder than it had to be."
"Nat, I understand Fury wants to monitor Loki from afar, but Loki is our responsibility, not Fury's," said Steve. "I don't need Fury's authorisation to get Loki out of here for a visit to a few daycares. We are still trying to find a solution so someone else than Loki would drive and pick up Alex at the daycare. But we have to solve this problem now, because we will have the same problem when Alex will go to school, and then the same with Storm. Look, Natasha, those children deserve to be normal, to have a normal life."
"And Loki deserves to be on house arrest. Do you really want to put a known criminal in the vicinity of young children? Preschoolers? Toddlers?"
"First, Loki will not be working at the daycare, just visiting. And second, I totally understand the need to keep sex-offenders far from children, but Loki is more a terrorist, not the same kind of offender. And third, you were fine with having Clint's children here."
"It might be just visiting for this once, but what about other events? One day, there will be a show of some sort at school and Loki will want to go."
"Do you trust Loki?"
"I do. But here only! Friday can monitor him and when he goes outside, we are there to watch him. We even have the buttons Tony made so we can zap him if he tries anything."
"How about you come with us for those visits? You can handle the security and you are more experienced with how to raise a child than I have."
"Just because I know a thing or two from Laura doesn't mean I can raise a child. I did babysit the Bartons, but they are well behaved."
Still, she would go to those visits.
oOo
"Did you have fun with Nathaniel?"
Father and son were just drawing in the playroom while Storm was napping in the next room.
"Yeah. Nate is nice."
"So you loved having a friend of your age?"
"Yeah."
"Alex, would you like to go to a place where you could play with children of your age? And go there every day. A daycare?"
"I saw a daycare on TV. It seems fun. The children are playing and making craft and taking naps and having fun," said Alex.
"Is it somewhere you would want to go?"
"I don't know... Will you be there?"
"No, I will stay here."
"Because you cannot leave the house."
"No. But daycares are for children," said Loki.
"Will I have to sleep there?"
"For naps, yes. But you will come back here before supper."
"On TV, the children go to daycare because their parents have to work."
Weirdly, Loki was grateful for the television because Alex was learning a lot of things about how was life on Midgard. For him, seeing those images on the screen was allowing him to learn about the real world. He could see the romanticised life of imaginary characters that were his age, just living a kind of normal life. So maybe Alex was more aware of what the life of a kid should be on Midgard.
"How about we go visit some daycares with mister Rogers and then you could go there?"
"Okay."
Well, Alex took it better than Loki.
"Nate told me he goes to daycare too. He has a lot of friends."
Yes, daycare might be a good idea. Loki was not totally on board, but it might be a good way for Alex to have friends. But then again, Thor had made friends, but Loki had managed to endure them, he had never had friends of his own. What if Alex was not making friends?
oOo
"Look, I contact Fury about the daycare situation," said Natasha to Steve and Tony. "If there is a way to monitor Loki during those visits, Fury has no objection. But I have to be present for every visit."
"I can live with that. I was thinking I would pretend to be a close friend of Loki offering advice. You could pretend to be his friend too," said Steve.
"And I can give you the button so you can zap him if absolutely necessary," said Tony. "I can also install an app on your phone so you will always know Loki's exact position and the bracelet would tase him softly if he goes too far. However, we don't want to attract attention to his situation."
"And maybe he should have a disguise," proposed Natasha. "The children won't recognise him, but the adults might."
"You know what the best disguise is? A good pair of sunglasses, a cap and a hoody," declared Tony. "Works every time. Trust me."
"I would have suggested Loki could change his appearance, but Tony's right, it does work. We did test it when Hydra was after us," said Natasha.
"And we would have to forge some documents," said Tony. "The daycare would want to make sure Alex is from Earth, meaning they would want a birth certificate and his parents' names."
"I'll ask Loki about those informations."
oOo
"Hey Loki, we need your name for some documents," asked Tony.
"But you know my name," answered Loki without understanding.
"We need some information about Alex and Storm to forge them some identification documents that they will need all their life," explained Steve. "Like complete name, birthday, birth place, parents' name, those informations."
"Well, I am just Loki."
"But you have a last name, haven't you?"
"No. I was born a Laufeyson, but giving that I killed Laufey, I cannot hold that name anymore. I was raised a Odinson, and I could have pretended to be Friggson, but my sentence made it clear I am neither now. A slave doesn't have a family, therefore no family name. I don't have a name except the one my master wants to give me. Mister Rogers was kind enough to allow me back a name."
"Okay, so by Asgard's standards, what would be your last name now? Or complete name," asked Steve.
"Well, a slave identify by his master. I belong to you, to the Avengers, therefore, I am Loki of the Avengers."
"It has a nice ring to it," said Tony, "but what would be the midgardian equivalent? Also, we are talking here about something more like an alias, something that would hide your true identity as Loki from Asgard, brother of Thor."
There was a silence, and after an instant, Loki realised they were waiting for him to answer.
"Only my master can decide of my name," said Loki.
"What name would you want for you and the children," asked Steve.
"Maybe something that sounds like your real name, but also sound midgardian," suggested Natasha.
"Like Lucas, sound a bit like Loki," said Tony. "And it is a common last name."
Loki looked at Steve to tell him that it was a suitable name.
"Okay, so I am giving you and your children the last name Lucas. Loki Lucas, Alex Lucas and Storm Lucas," said Steve.
"Okay, as for the birth place, even though Alex was born in Asgard, we will put New York state for both the children. Except if you prefer something else, like Norway," said Tony.
"No, New York is good."
"The birthday, for Storm, we have it, October 13, 2017. And for Alex, is it April 1, 2014?"
Because, of course, Storm was born of Friday the 13th!
"Yes, that's right," answered Loki.
"Loki, usually, children have two parents. We can put you as father, but it is rare to be of unknown mother," said Steve.
"Even if I knew who their biological fathers were, I would not want it known. I am their mother and father at the same time. It might be a big responsibility, but I will do it because I love them."
"Okay, I think we have everything," declared Tony. "I can forge those documents and make them legit in a day."
"Now, you need to discuss all the rules for you to visit those daycares," said Steve to Loki. "I will be with you and so will be Natasha. You decided weither or not we take Storm with us or if she stays here. But you will always need to stay within arm reach of me or Natasha. Of course, you can ask as many pertinent questions you want pertaining to the daycare. And you will have a disguise like Nat and me. We will drive to those places, so not many people will see us, but I want us to keep a low profile."
"I will act as appropriate, Mister Rogers, and I won't disappoint you, I promise," said Loki.
He remembered his stay in the cell and his promise to never be punished that way again. It would not behave for himself, but not to be separated from his children. It was still strange for Loki, who had been taking care of himself and not much else all his life, to now care so much for someone else that he would actually behave for his children's sake.
"I trust you, Loki, but we are just being cautious," said Steve.
"Out there, there will be no Friday to keep an eye on you at all time," said Tony, "Fury agreed to you having more guards."
"You can tell Fury I would always behave accordingly," said Loki, "you have my word."
"Also, speaking of Fury, he will come by one day to inspect," announced Natasha. "Part of the deal is that he comes to inspect you, the security around you and everything once a year. Giving that you needed time to adjust at first and that Odin came, Fury let pass some time, but we can except a big inspection from him at one point."
oOo
And just like that, the next day, Steve, Natasha, Loki, Alex and Storm were off to visit some daycares. Loki didn't want to let Storm behind because, well, it was the first family outing. It was the first time Loki was really outside. Oh, he had been outside at the compound a few times, but this time, Loki was outside the Avengers compound for the first time since coming here less than a year ago. His last five years had not included a lot of different places; he had been to the training facility without getting out, then Thor brought him directly to the compound with that awful drapes covering him and he had not left the compound ever since.
Now, he had a cap, sunglasses and a hoody, looking like a lot of normal midgardians. He was not a god, just a father of two. So mundane. How special is that? The special of being normal. Weird. But Loki thought it was far better than being a slave. He was a prisoner being left out for a day.
Giving that it was the first time Loki got away from the compound, he wanted to be able to tell Storm she had been there for their first family outing.
They made their way in a car Tony had let them borrow. Just an ordinary car big enough for all of them and the car seats. At the first daycare, they all went from the car to the front door without trouble. Loki knew the exterior was more dangerous than the inside of the daycare for a number of reasons. First, he could run away, so Natasha was watching him more. Second, someone might recognise them, even if it was unlikely. Third, Alex could run away after a squirrel or something else, so Loki hold his hand while holding Storm in his other arm.
The woman in charge of the daycare was a nice young lady and she was very friendly with Alex and Loki. She showed them the rooms where the children played and told them how she was taking care of everything. This daycare was the closest to the compound and the smallest. She was in charge of only seven children at the moment and could accept one more. Loki was satisfied with the visit and must admit it helped to have Natasha with them because she was the one thinking of the right questions.
The second daycare was bigger, but still lovable. There were three groups of children separated by ages. Natasha thought it was a good idea and maybe Storm could also come here when she would be older. Loki was less in line with this idea, giving that he had grown up with as little children around him as possible. Once in the car, Steve told Loki that there would be even more children at school, which was a good point for that daycare.
The third daycare, well, let's just agree to say it was far from the best.
The fourth was good too, but according to Loki, it was far too big.
The fifth was a bit like the second and Loki wondered which one of the four viable possibilities would be the best. That choice would impact Alex for a good portion of his life and even though Loki had not been able to give him the best start in life, he wanted Alex to be well-adjusted.
"Which one did you prefer," asked Natasha to Alex.
"Well, the one that had kittens on the wall was good."
Which one was that? Number 2? Or maybe 3? Definitely one of the five they visited.
"But I also loved the one with the big yard too," said Alex.
So number four. The biggest one.
"Well, I thought the first one we visited was nice," said Steve. "Maybe a bit small, but really fun."
"What about you, Loki? Which one did you prefer," asked Natasha.
"Well, they all have some qualities. I think the first and second one were nice, but if it's too big, Alex could get lost. As for the smaller ones, what if the other children are not nice? And what if the daycare doesn't see if Alex is not well or being intimidated?"
"Okay, now, you are being a father hen," said Natasha. "And you know Tony would investigate on all five daycares before Alex's first day. If it was possible, he would install Friday in there. He will vet the daycare you choose, Loki, so we will all be sure it is a really safe place. And, please, don't turn into a worst version of Clint. When Cooper went to his first day of kindergarten, it was a nightmare."
"I thought Clint would be cool about that," said Steve.
"In public, yes. In private, absolutely not," answered Natasha. "Therefore, I was the only one to suffer."
oOo
As they were going back to the compound, a raven was following them from afar. Yes, the same raven that had followed them all the way and to every daycare. The raven followed the car to the compound.
oOo
By the time they arrived back, Tony had already run his background check on the five daycares.
"So, please tell me you are going to forget about number 3," said Tony as a greeting.
"We can all agree that place is not suitable for kids," said Steve.
"Great, because I already leak that information to the government and the media. Loki, Alex, which daycare did you prefer?"
"The one with the nice lady," exclaimed Alex.
Of course, all of them had a nice lady by Alex's standard.
"Oh yeah! What more?"
"Well, one of them had a big yard. Also, there are a lot of children in the daycare. And they do a lot of craft and drawing," said Alex.
"That's great," exclaimed Tony.
oOo
It was only after dinner that the discussion about daycares came back. Alex and Storm were taking a nap, leaving the adults to more serious talks.
"So, Loki, which one did you prefer?"
"Well, they all have their pros and cons. I think it is a priority to put Alex first, to give him a place where he can learn and grow," said Loki. "This being said, I would accept any choice you made."
"No! Loki! No," said Steve. "Alex is your son and he will go to the daycare of your choice, not mine. I can help and support you, give you advice, but the final decision belongs to you. Not me, not Tony, not anyone but you."
"Your son, your responsibility," said Tony.
"But it is your money that is going to pay for it. We all saw the prices of those daycares," said Loki, "and I cannot ask you to spend that among of money without having a say in the decision."
"We are giving you that right," said Tony. "Look, I have more money than I can ever spend. Okay, I spend a lot on building my suits. What I meant is that I make more money than I can spend at the moment. And I have good money placements. You want to discuss money, let's discuss slavery! You belong to Steve. Alex, your son, also belongs to Steve. Steve is an Avenger and with his job, I get to pay his expanses. Meaning that I pay for any reasonable expenses he has. Don't worry, he is very reasonable. My point is that money is not a problem for me. So don't let the price slow you down in your decision."
"What do you think is more important for Alex," asked Steve knowing Loki would put his son first.
"He needs to learn about a lot of things. I would go with a medium size daycare, not too big, not too small, well taking cared of, clean. A place that offers a good program that will prepare Alex for school. Overall, I think Alex should learn how to behave and interact with other children."
"Well, as for size, I would go with number 2 or 5," said Steve.
Natasha was rereading the flyers given by the daycare.
"Well, number 2 has a large variety of activities. As for number 5, they want to stimulate the children. However, number five has a program that I think would prepare a child in a better way for kindergarten," said Natasha.
She then pointed a few parts for both pamphlets to Loki who read them fast.
"What do you think," asked Steve.
"Well, numbers 2 and 5 are my favorite, but number 5 is also further," said Loki.
"Not by far," said Tony. "We still have to come up with a way to drive Alex back and forth to the daycare, but we can totally find a solution. I could ask Happy to drive Alex."
"Or one of us could," suggested Steve. "I don't care doing it."
"I could do it too," said Natasha. "And I don't think I would be the only one."
Loki bowed his head. If only he could drive his son to the daycare… But he was a prisoner, therefore not allowed to go out in the world. Also, there was a good chance a parent would recognise him and that would lead to bad consequences that Alex would be the one to suffer. No, it was better if someone else was to drive Alex to the daycare.
"Number five is the best, I think," said Loki. "It seems to be clean, to have a good variety of activities. It's close to a few parks and they have a good program to help children get ready for school. Not that Alex has not started to learn, but he is learning fast. I would like permission to continue to teach him about asgardian subjects, such as runes and our stories, if you don't see any inconvenient to it."
"Of course not, Loki. You can teach Alex and Storm about Asgard all you want. They should know about their origin," said Steve.
"So, number five? I think it is the best," said Tony. "Is it the one with the big yard?"
"Yes, it is," said Loki.
"And it has kittens painted on the wall in the big room," said Natasha.
"Okay, I will call them to enroll Alex," said Steve.
Natasha and Tony nodded and left the table, leaving only Loki and Steve.
"Loki, you did well today," said Steve. "I was expecting you to behave and you did. You proved I was right to trust you. I know it was your first time outside and it might not be easy for you to be close to freedom and yet not have it."
"Mister Rogers, I have no reason to run away. Of course, if I were to do it, I would take Alex and Storm with me. But I don't want to. You want to know why? I have come to accept my place here and it is not so bad. I would really want to provide for my children, but I actually don't mind being a prisoner. It could have been far worse, therefore, I will gladly take this life here, with my former enemies."
