Thor had always been annoyed when Loki had called him "fool" or "oaf". He didn't think himself so thickheaded, though he would be the first to admit that he didn't always think before acting. He wasn't a complete idiot, no matter what his brother in all of his anger had said. Still, when Maisy came to him after breakfast with Odin and happily declared her plans to stay in Asgard, Thor couldn't help feeling a tad dense.

"You… want to stay? Here?"

"I do," she smiled and nodded.

"In Asgard?"

"Yes, Thor."

"Forgive me, Maisy, but were you not furious with Odin last night?" Thor scratched his beard and watched her carefully. He supposed she could be under some sort of spell, but he would have never thought it of his father to do such a thing.

"I was," she laughed lightly, and Thor became even more confused. Not only did she seem content to stay in the very place she'd just attempted to escape from via a questionable portal, she looked genuinely happy. He hadn't seen her this smiley since before Loki had been killed. His suspicions skyrocketed.

"So what has changed in less than twenty-four hours?" He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms..

"Odin and I," she laughed again, "We sorted it out."

"I see." Thor did not see.

"I don't blame you for sounding doubtful," Maisy patted his arm, "But don't worry Thor. He convinced me that it really is for the best."

"If you say so," he pretended to act nonchalant, "Truly, I can think of nowhere safer for you. But if you do not wish to stay then do not let him bully you into doing so. The Avengers can keep you safe on earth as well."

"No, I want to be here. Obviously I'll still want to visit earth from time to time, but this is where I want to be right now," before Thor could object, she quieted him with one phrase, "Think of the baby."

Asgard certainly would be the best place for the baby, at least until it was old enough to defend itself. Even after the good he'd done with the Avengers, people still hated Loki on Midgard and Thor wouldn't put it past someone to target Maisy and Loki's child. Many had died during the attack on New York and it would be surprising if someone didn't want revenge.

And yet, there was something off about Maisy's sudden gladness. How could she be so cheerful now when she'd been ready to burst into tears at every moment for the past week? What had Odin said?

Once Thor had finished his conversation with his sister-in-law, he hastily made his way to his father's study and knocked on the door. The king was quick to answer, calling for Thor to enter.

"I take it you've just spoken with Maisy?"

"Father," Thor said warily, "What exactly did you say to so thoroughly convince her to stay?"

"I did not threaten her if that's what you're worried about."

"I'll admit that the possibility occurred to me."

"We simply discussed what her options were and we found a solution that was pleasing to everyone," Odin said, shuffling through papers on his desk and frowning at them, "Hmm, when did I make plans to ban theater troupes from performing in the streets? Obviously that's nonsense."

He tore the paper in half, balled up the halves, and tossed them into the fireplace. Thor didn't particularly care about his father's plans for Asgards thespians so he ignored it.

"And what is this solution that is so pleasing to yourself and Maisy?"

"She is free to go to Midgard as she pleases, but the majority of her time will be spent in Asgard. That way our healers and midwives will be able to keep a close eye on her condition. This is the first human-Jotun baby we have on record. There could be complications. And the healers want to document the pregnancy."

"A sensible solution," Thor nodded, but nothing Odin said accounted for Maisy's incredibly good mood.

"You still doubt me."

"I just do not understand how, after one discussion with you, Maisy can be so positively joyful. These past days have been so difficult on her-"

"Ah! I can explain that," Odin interrupted, "Melantha of the Dark Elves is coming for a short visit."

"Queen Melantha? Here? Whatever for?"

"To pay her respects to the widow," Odin waved the issue away, "And discuss inter-realm relations with myself."

"I don't think a mere visit from a friend would boost Maisy's spirits so high after the death of her husband," Thor said skeptically.

"I can think of no other reason," Odin shrugged, an action that looked unnatural on the prim king, "Hormones?"

"Perhaps…"

"Regardless, I have much to do, so please," he gestured to the door with a slight shooing motion and Thor was again struck by the fact that his father was not acting like himself. He seemed more carefree, less stressed out than he'd been in recent years. Perhaps it was something to do with Loki's death, though the thought irritated Thor. He couldn't believe that Odin could be relieved at his son dying, adopted or not. But Thor could think of no other explanation for his father's attitude shift.

Which was good for certain people who were hiding secrets...

A note from the author: Yes, I am terrible. I said I would post again shortly and here we are almost two weeks later. Sorry about that guys. I'm going to post another chapter right after this (hopefully FF won't mess it up and make the formatting all wonky as it tends to do when you post two chapters so close together).

Anyway, thank you for your patience! And thank you for reading/following/favoriting! :)

Special thanks to my reviewers:

Ninja Squirrel: We are all drowning in tears lol. As for how it benefits Surtur... well, I don't really explain it, but in myths Loki plays a big part in Ragnarok so earlier in my story or the first one or somewhere Surtur says that Ragnarok will come along faster with Loki on the throne. So, he's not one hundred percent sure that Loki on the throne is a good thing for him, but he thinks it will help bring about the end of Asgard. I'm rambling, but yeah... that's my thinking behind things lol.

Dragoncat: I hope your writing endeavors are going well! I finished NaNoWriMo this year, but I haven't finished my story for it yet. I'm definitely going to, but it might take me a while. :P

You guys are awesome, thank you again and again and again for your patience! :)