A/N: Hello people, if you look at the date of previous chapters, you may be horrified to know that, well... it's been awhile. Now, I don't want to make any promises I can't keep, but I'm very happy to present you this chapter. A lot of growth has happened over the last couple of years, so if things feel different please bear with me.

I reread all the reviews left to me in the past and just... Wow, thank you! If only I could see my writing the same way some of you do.

Enjoy! I hope to have more for you soon. xx

"Hey Vince, it's me." Thor and Loki watched from the couch as the frustrated mortal pinched the bridge of her nose. "Do you mind if I start my weekend a day early? Yep… can't trust them alone at the moment… heh, if only. Okay, okay thanks Vince, my apartment and sanity owe you big time. I'll pass it along." She pulled the phone away from her ear and ended the call. "Vince sends his regards, although he doesn't seem too convinced that you're still breathing."

Thor was the first to speak up, yet still unable to quite meet her eyes, "Sorry about your table. I didn't realize there was already a tool for plunging, and named a plunger at that! Wouldn't that have been useful back in the day, eh Lok?" His attempt at humor had fallen short upon the withered look that his brother shot him as the redheaded woman sat in one of the kitchen chairs, the hand that pinched the bridge of her nose opening to cradle her face in her hands. Her elbows rested on her knees and her shoulders slumped as she sighed with a weight that felt heavy even for the god of thunder. The seconds ticked by as the men waited for a slow and painful death.

Erin massaged her temples in an attempt to soothe herself, "I'm not sure if you understand the concept of money - spending, saving, the general rules of currency - but I'm sure you can deduce by a quick look around my apartment that I don't have a lot of money." She stood suddenly, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "No matter, we can just eat our meals on the couch, together. As one, big, happy, family. And you'll just have to watch out for any crumbs or wet spots, Thor. Loki is pretty neat, but I, on the other hand, am known to be a hazard with my beverages." With that, she turned abruptly on her heel and stomped off to the bathroom to shower. Loki was convinced that her red locks had turned into pure fire before she slammed the door behind her.

Thor let out a breath that he wasn't aware he was holding. "Wow, Loki, she's a scary one. You really know how to pick 'em. The way mother described her, I had no idea she could be so frightening. Then again, I never thought mother could frighten me until she did. Guess all women possess that ability, immortal or not."

Loki grunted in agreement, for once totally on the same page as his brother. "How is our mother?"

"The same, keeping dad in check. She misses you."

"I miss her." The two sat in a somewhat comfortable silence, listening to the water from the shower in the bathroom.

"Listen," Loki started, standing and looking down at his brother, "you can stay for a few days, and we can try to get reacquainted. As for now, let's call it a day and give Erin some time to cool down and relax."

The large man agreed with a nod and smirked at the raven haired one, "Have you yet to realize the hold she has on you?"

Loki rolled his eyes and retreated to his and Erin's room while Thor called after him. "It's a good look for you, brother!"

Erin finished her shower after the hot water relaxed most of the tension from her shoulders, tight with the stress of the day's events. She wasn't as angry anymore. The mess wasn't terrible to clean with the help of both Thor and Loki, but the bill the plumber gave her before he left had knocked some wind out of her, especially when she saw the added fee for him coming on such short notice. She stepped out of the shower and onto the bathmat, towel drying her hair and slipping into her robe. She made her way into her bedroom, quietly closing the door behind her and searching her drawers for pajamas to wear. She noticed Loki's quiet form sitting on the edge of the bed, his gaze far off in thought. "You know, I've always wanted to get a better kitchen set. It'll be a fitting punishment to have you shop around for one with me as well." She closed her drawer and turned to him, a smirk on her lips, "I think that'll fit the crime just right, don't you think?" He didn't respond so she waved her hand in front of his eyes, "hey there, earth to norse god?" She wasn't ready when his hand suddenly reached out and encircled her wrist, pulling her into his lap, eliciting a yelp. Her breath caught as his brilliant green eyes bored into hers. "Loki?"

His arm had circled her waist to keep her in place and the hand that had been holding her wrist released its hold to cradle her cheek, his thumb ghosting over the soft pink flesh of her cheeks, the warmth of her blush causing a tightening feeling to form in his gut. "How do I always feel this way with you?" he murmured, his breath tickling her lips.

"What way?" she asked, her eyes breaking from his gaze to slowly descend to his lips, so dangerously close to hers. Loki also noticed their close proximity, his brow furrowing as he tried to process her question all while controlling the urge to close the small, charged space between their lips.

"Light," he said slowly, his eyes roaming her face, "peaceful." His fingers moved from her cheek to tangle themselves in her hair, still slightly damp from her shower. His grip on her tightened, forcing her face mere centimeters closer to his, the small space between them growing smaller and unbearable on them both. Erin's eyes fluttered close as she felt herself surrendering to the scent of pine enveloping her…

Suddenly, what can only be described as the sound of a woodchipper halted them, causing Erin to jump at the offensive noise that interrupted them. "What on earth is that?" she asked Loki, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. Loki broke from his trance, his hold on her loosening as he tilted his head back, "Thor."

"That ungodly sound is coming from him? It sounds like a car backfiring!" Loki untangled himself from his pet and moved her off his lap to cross to the door and ease it open, beckoning with his hand for her to follow him. From the small opening of the door they could see the god of thunder sleeping on the couch that looked way too small for him, one leg resting along the back of the couch and the other sticking straight out over the arm, his head lolled back on the opposite arm rest with his mouth hanging open wide enough to catch cats, let alone flies. The snore that ripped from his throat did indeed confirm he was the source of the sound that interrupted them. Erin stood in the doorway to her room, unable to suppress the giggle bubbling from her. Loki looked down at her, his own smile mirroring hers and their eyes caught for the briefest of moments, reminding them what Thor's snoring interrupted.

Loki cleared his throat and broke his gaze, "We should get some rest." He pulled away from the doorway and retrieved his own clothes from his drawer, leaving her alone while he changed in the bathroom.

Erin barely had time to register what happened before she took the time to change herself, only to sprawl out across the bed with her hand clutching her still rapidly beating heart.

When Loki came back in, she was already burrowed under the covers on her side, giving him enough space to slide in next to her. He lay flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling while trying to still fight off the stiff erection he felt between his legs. He found himself grateful that Erin lay facing away from him with enough space between them so that he could better regain control of himself. It was harder to do than he thought, and between that and Thor's unbearable snoring, he doubted he'd be able to get any rest.

Erin stirred next to him and whispered so quietly Loki wasn't sure he heard anything, but he could just make out, " I'm at peace with you, too." Minutes later he could hear the familiar rhythm of her steady breathing, unbothered in her deep sleep, and Loki found himself being lulled into his own.

Erin woke slowly, her consciousness slowly returning but her eyes refusing to open just yet for fear of her most comfortable sleep yet coming to an end. She decided to hang on a few minutes longer - to the warmth of her bed, the comfort of her blankets, the weight of Loki's strong, slender arms circling her middle. Her eyes finally opened at that realization, her breath quickening slightly at the butterflies forming in her stomach. She tried to turn over, but his grip only tightened, pulling her closer to him. He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent. Erin stiffened at the feeling of his body against hers - his chest at her back, his hips at her rear - the clothes separating their flesh agonizingly thin.

A clatter from the kitchen startled Loki awake, causing him to sit up abruptly, his hand placed protectively on Erin's side. His voice was deep and guttural with sleep. "What was that?" A second clatter followed by a few hushed swears confirmed that it was only Thor and made Loki relax back into the mattress, his body releasing the tension it was holding. Erin turned over to face him, her head resting on her arms. "Sleep well?" His disheveled hair fell across his face as he turned towards her. "Surprisingly so, considering the quality of your mattress," he teased lightly, earning a small smack from the woman beside him.

"You watch it, mister, there's always the floor," she threatened lightly, her smile betraying her. "Or you could share the couch with Thor." He placed his hand over his heart, "You'd never," he gasped mockingly.

"Just watch me," she countered breathlessly, now acutely aware of their closeness. Erin suddenly was self conscious of her breath. "I should go and make sure he isn't demolishing any of the other furniture in my apartment." She rolled out of bed and hurried out of the room without a glance back, leaving Loki to sit with himself a little longer, thinking about how this woman had managed to have him questioning everything he ever thought about Midgard and its inhabitants.

Loki dressed himself in his usual black trousers and matching button down shirt, opting to forgo his jacket and rolling his sleeves to the elbow. He ran his fingers through his hair once to smoothen the flyaways and went into the kitchen where Thor and Erin stood, the woman laughing at some asinine tale his brother was sharing with her. Loki watched as she threw her head back, the sounds bubbling out of her in frivolity. Thor was lucky to have a front row seat to the beauty his woman possessed. His woman. Loki had no right to claim her as his own, no matter how much he desired it. He longed to make her laugh, to see her lips tug to reveal her brilliant smile, but knew there would always be someone else to do that. Someone more handsome, more charming, more unbroken. His eyes searched for hers, trying to find a way to anchor himself to her so that the tightening in his chest would cease. Please, please don't leave me alone. At that moment, as she brought her mug to her lips, her eyes scanned the room and quickly settled on him. Her eyes gazed at him warmly through the steam rising from the mug, effectively melting away the cold fear threatening to consume him. She reached for him, tugging him closer to her to place his own cup of tea into his hand. "Here you go, I was afraid it was going to get cold waiting for you." He murmured his thanks, grasping the mug as though it was an extension of her. Thor watched their exchange, clearing his throat after a moment.

Erin turned to the thunder god, unable to conceal the blush reddening her cheeks. "So I thought maybe today we can walk around the city, maybe head to the park, do some general sight-seeing - how does that sound?" She looked between the two of them, pleased to find them nodding along in agreement. "Wonderful, let me just get some things together and we'll go." She set down her now empty cup and retreated to quickly grab her jacket and a few other items in case before meeting them at the front door. "Well gentlemen, shall we?" She locked the door behind her and looped her arms through both the men, happy to still keep a little distance between them.

They spent most of their day at the park, although it wasn't as easy for them to bond as she hoped it would be. To start, Loki found a spot where people were playing chess, several groups of two focused on the games in front of them. They stopped and Thor attempted to play, but couldn't remember the moves of all the pieces, and then resulted in cheating by distracting Loki to switch the pieces while he wasn't looking. It never worked though because he always took too many off the board at once or put the wrong piece on the wrong colored square. Erin laughed the entire time, but thought it best to move on when the bickering got a little too heated. Next they saw a group of younger adults paying with a frisbee, which piqued Thor's interest. He managed to play with the group but when he made a pass at Loki it went soaring right into the side of his head, angering the raven haired god a great deal. They thought it best to leave after Thor used a little too much of his strength and sent the disk flying through the tall trees at the far end of the field. The trio apologized and hurried along, Thor attributing the disc's distance on 'impressive wind.' They left the park, Erin feeling a little defeated from the day.

As they made their way across town, Thor pointed to a nearby building, "What's that place?" Erin followed his finger, searching. "That's the city's art museum. It's pretty great. It's a little late but we might have time to have a quick look." She redirected the group to the historic looking building, ushering them inside.

There weren't many people in there other than them, so they managed to roam the halls freely, quietly viewing the pieces that they passed. Erin felt Loki fall back from their group, the sound of his footfalls coming to a stop. She turned and saw Loki frozen in place, his gaze mesmerized by the painting before him. Erin followed his gaze, she and Thor joining Loki in staring up at the painting. It was the largest in the room, filled with deep blues and grays, depicting a woman being pulled from a ship, her love reaching for her as siren's dragged her into the raging waters of the sea. Loki broke the silence encasing the three of them, his voice distant, "Humans think that they've been around since the dawn of time, blissfully unaware and content not knowing that gods have lived eons before the first man drew breath. I used to laugh at the insignificance of you all." He tore his gaze to meet Erin's eyes briefly, before being pulled back to the painting, "but I see this before me and can't help but think that maybe there's some magic your kind possesses after all." Silence fell around them once more, the air heavy with its reverence.

Some time later they made their way to the exit, strolling leisurely about the small courtyard where they first entered. The sun was setting beyond the city skyline, its red and orange hues bathing the buildings in its golden light. They settled on a nearby bench to watch what remained of the sun to set behind the horizon.

"Oh shoot," Erin stood abruptly, "I have to run back inside. You both wait right here." She took off without waiting for their reply, jogging back in the direction of the museum.

The brother's sat together quietly, neither ready to break. Loki, surprising himself, was the first to speak, "I'm… I'm not thrilled you're here," he started, "there's a lot of feelings I have about you, brother, but I never want you to think that I despise you." He found himself struggling with his words, a rarity for the god.

"Loki, you are my brother. You will always be my brother, no matter what," Thor turned to face Loki, his hand reaching forward to clasp his brother's, "We will always be family."

Loki smiled despite himself and returned the grasp on Thor's hand, relieved and hopeful for their future as brothers. They turned back toward the remaining sliver of sunlight, Thor's arm going around Loki's shoulders.

"You don't have to do that."

"Ah, right, sorry. Baby steps." He pulled his arm back, whistling awkwardly.

The rushed footsteps drew their attention to Erin running back to them, her red locks bouncing behind her. "Sorry about that, but I thought I'd make a quick stop in the gift shop." She produced 3 small trinkets, the painting they viewed in miniature size attached to a chain with a ring, "keychains!"

Loki looked to his brother who returned the look with confusion.

Erin's shoulders slumped as she rolled her eyes. She thrust them into their hands, "Just take them."

Loki rolled the plastic and metal in his hand, facing the tragic painting up at him. He smiled to himself, reaching to put the gift into his pocket, "thank you."

Erin responded with a warm smile before clapping her hands decisively, "okay who's hungry? I'm thinking of pizza. What about you guys?"She woven her arm through Loki's, her head pressed into his shoulder so naturally as they walked back in the direction of home.

The next few days passed quickly and uneventfully. Erin had trusted Loki and Thor to be on their own enough to go back to work after the weekend, leaving them one final day together before Thor was set to leave. Erin was happy to go to work and leave them to spend time with each other, mostly due to having some time away from Loki. Sharing a bed didn't seem like too much of an issue, until night came when she realized she had to, well, share a bed. She could barely sleep knowing he was so close, his warmth radiating off of him. She'd try to keep some distance between them to not intrude on his space, but there would be some mornings she'd find her legs tangled with his, their breaths mingling in the small space between them. Erin recalled his arm gripping her waist, his grip in a vice that made her incapable of moving less she woke him and confronted the compromising position they were in. She shuddered at the memory of the soft warm skin of his thumb caressing the sensitive skin underneath her nightshirt. I need to get laid, she thought to herself. If she was being honest, she didn't want to fool around with anyone though. She just wanted Loki, his black hair tickling her cheeks, his warm caress, his sharp tongue making her laugh, making her moan… She shook her head, attempting to empty the thoughts from her before she had to confront the reasons why she was thinking these things. I'm just giving him somewhere to stay and then he'll head back to his real home where he is meant to be, she thought to herself forlornly, and I can have sex whenever, with whoever, I want. She slumped forward and rubbed at her eyes. Who am I kidding? She released a lengthy breath before stepping inside the bookstore to get ready to open up.

Loki, however, was on a mission bustling about her tiny apartment. Thor could hear him digging through drawers, sorting papers, retrieving pens, tapes, a stapler, and more paper. "Um, brother, what's got you so hurried this early in the morning?"

Loki, pulling at the scotch tape, didn't look up from his task as he answered, "Erin wrote a book, a play. It's well done and she doesn't have the courage to send it to a publisher, so," he unceremoniously dumped the stack of papers on the coffee table before him, "I'm gonna do it for her, but I need your help."

Thor looked at his brother incredulously. "How am I gonna help?"

Loki fished a small piece of paper from his pocket. "This is the address of the publishing company that she wanted to ship it off to. We need to write this on the package and give it to a mailbox."

"Where do we find one of those?"

Loki scratched absent mindedly at his chin. "Lots of places, I think. I remember Erin pointing out one near the bookstore she works at."

"Well, send it, we shall." The thunder god patted his brother's back roughly, laughing in delight. "This woman must be very special to you to make you want to perform such a selfless deed."

Loki brushed him off, unsuccessfully fighting off the heat rising from his neck and blossoming on his cheeks. "She just deserves some sort of reward for putting up with your oafish self these past few days," he bit back, snarkily.

"I wonder what her reward will be for putting up with you." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at his brother.

Loki shoved down all the deeply inappropriate thoughts that tried to surface. He couldn't think of that now, this was supposed to be for Erin to help her achieve a dream she didn't even allow herself to think she could. "Just help me with this, will you?"

Thor chuckled and helped him address the envelope and put the correct amount of stamps on it. "Anything else?"

"Now we give it to the box." They walked intently to their destination and the end of the street where Erin worked, standing before the blue box, its chipped paint revealing the rusted metal underneath. They waited, staring at it expectantly. Loki gripped the thick package in his fingers, unsure of the next step.

"Are you supposed to feed it?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Loki retorted, "it doesn't eat mail." He waited a breath longer.

"May I be of some assistance?"

The gods turn to see the book shop owner walking up to stand in line with them. Loki cleared his throat, "I'm, uh, not familiar with the mailing system here."

"'Course you're not!" Vince winked conspirationaly at the younger man. "Allow me," he reached for the package in Loki's grip and opened the slot of the mailbox, placing the parcel in the slot and closing the door to ensure it fell into the bin. He stepped back and waved his hands dramatically. "Voila!"

Loki offered a small smile and turned back to the box, staring patiently. Thor stood quietly next to him, waiting as well.

"It- It doesn't send instantly, you'll have to wait a few days for it to get to the destination, then it takes another few days to come back." Vince explained patiently as though they were children. "You put a return address on the parcel, yes?"

"Um, yes?"

"No matter, Erin certainly left all her current information in the manuscript anyway."

Loki raised his brow at the elderly man, "how do you know about her manuscript?"

"Hah, that girl has been hanging onto that for years! I've been waiting for this day for so long I was afraid I wouldn't live to see it." He patted Loki's arm knowingly, "there isn't much that escapes my notice, son." With a final squeeze, he shuffled on in the direction of the store, calling over his shoulder, "not to worry, your secret is safe with me."

Thor and Loki shared a look, thrown by the demeanor of the quirky gentleman.

"Well, I think I've had my fill of Midgard." Thor remarked, "I'll have to tell Jane about that man - she'd like him… she'd like Erin as well." He eyed the quiet god. "You deserve happiness, Loki, and she seems to give you that. Don't be a fool to let that slip away." He grasped Loki's shoulder, comfortable with the exchange rather than to hug him. "I think it's best I go now. I," he started, "really enjoyed our time together, Loki. Take care of yourself."

"You too." Send Mother my love."

"And father?"

Loki paused. The silence dragged longer and Thor understood the silence. With another firm grasp, Thor took a step back and ascended rapidly towards the sky. Loki watched him, popping the collar of his coat to shelter from the wind. He turned in the direction of the Rabbit Hole and walked briskly, missing his woman now more than ever.

Erin looked up from her book at the sound of the bell above the door. She smiled sweetly at seeing Loki entering and shaking the cold off of him. "Hey you. Where's Thor?"

"Just left, probably will stop to see Jane before he heads back home."

Erin stood and made her way around the front desk to help him with his coat. "And he didn't stop to say goodbye? How rude," she joked. Before she could reach his shoulders to remove his coat, his hand snaked out to grab hers and pull her flush against him. His hand stroked her hair and cradled her head into the crook of his neck, holding her to him tightly. "I'm happy to see you."

Erin's eyes fluttered closed as she returned his hug. "I'm happy to see you too." She sighed contentedly before unraveling herself from him. "Vince mentioned there was a Nordic temple in upstate New York; I thought maybe we could go up and visit. They say that those who visit and make an offering come as close to being heard by Odin as the vikings did." She paused, "Would you want to go? I thought it may be good for us to get away too."

Loki watched as she tugged at her bottom lip, trying her best to remain patient with his answer. Her hands fidgeted at her sides and then came together to clasp and unclasp, as if she were unsure whether to say a prayer.

He sighed. "If that's what you would like, I don't see why not."

She squealed and threw her arms around him, forgetting herself momentarily. "Excellent. Let's leave in a few days. I kind of already told Vince we were going." She rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed.

Loki decided to stay with her until the end of her shift, reading in the nook upstairs, completely content. His eyes would drift to Erin every time he heard her come upstairs to return a book or to tidy. He watched her move with a new lighthearted ease he never noticed before they had officially met. She looked angelic. Loki caught himself staring a little too hard at her, especially when she reached to put a book on the highest shelf, her lower back exposed to him. He watched the book fall from her hands and bounce on the ground, the broken spine facing up. Before she could reach down to pick it up, it levitated upward, high above her head and slid perfectly into its place on its shelf. She glanced over at her companion, who remained unfazed and unbothered, and she would've believed him if she didn't catch his tiny smirk behind the book he was reading.

At the end of her shift, Erin and Loki walked their usual route back home. She pulled her phone from her bag and placed a quick call before putting it away, her face pinched. "Hmm, I haven't heard from Anna lately. I hope she's doing okay," she said as they turned onto her street. "Maybe I'll stop by and ask Gabe if he's seen her."

Loki stifled a groan at the mention of Gabe, "I'm sure wonderboy will be happy to help you with anything you need, but for now," he interrupted her before she could speak, steering her up the front steps to their apartment, "let us enjoy a nice quiet evening without my oafish brother around to muck things up."

Erin swatted him lightly, "It was great having him, and you can sulk and moan all you want but I know the truth. You. Enjoyed. It." She punctuated each word with a small poke to his chest. The door unlocked and she pushed it open, dropping her keys and bag onto the kitchen table and heading off to change, until she did a double take and back tracked into the kitchen, where a brand new wooden kitchen table sat in place of the old with a red bow stuck on top of it. There was a small envelope with her name on it next to the bow. She reached for it and plucked the small folded paper out, sending a small stack of bills fluttering to the floor. She read:

Erin, sorry again about your table. I'm still a little unsure of your currency, but hope that this will suffice.

Erin smiled at the note and went to retrieve the fallen money, counting the bills as she did. "Whew! I don't know where he got this but I won't ask any questions." She happily showed Loki the note and the table, "See? Pretty alright of him." Loki ran his fingers over the wood, knowing his brother's style of building, and agreed. "Yeah, pretty alright."

That night they both shared a pot of tea and some cookies at their new table before retreating to her bed, the folded sheets on the couch untouched and forgotten.

The woman sat on the uncomfortable chair with her feet in the stirrups, her hand white knuckling her partner's while his other hand smoothed her dark brown tresses. The woman started to bite at the hangnail on her thumb in anticipation for the appointment.

A female doctor entered the room, her hair pulled in a low ponytail. Her smile was warm as she said, "Good morning, I'm Dr. Lewin." She opened the front of the gown the woman was wearing and squeezed a small bit of gel onto her swollen belly. "How are we feeling today?" she asked conversationally, rubbing the gel onto the woman's belly.

The woman shared a glance with her partner. "Nervous, excited?" She took a deep breath as Dr. Lewin used an instrument on her belly to search. A few minutes passed as the doctor focused on the task at hand and the woman and her partner grasped at each other's hands patiently.

"There it is." Dr. Lewin spoke suddenly, pointing to the screen displaying the inside of the woman, a small bean shaped figure floating in its center. "Congratulations, Mom and Dad."

The woman released a breath she didn't know she was holding and blinked back tears. "Oh my God, there he is."

"Would you like to know the sex?"

She shook her head, "No, I already know he's a boy." She turned to her partner, "He's our boy."

Dr. Lewin smiled politely, cleaning off the excess gel and taking off her gloves. "I'll leave you to get dressed and we'll meet in the other room." She left the room, closing the door behind her quietly.

The woman turned to her partner, her smile beaming up at him. "He's beautiful."

Her partner chuckled, sweeping some hair from her eyes, "he's not even here yet, babe."

"I know, but he will be. Our family will be here."

He smiled down at her, placing a kiss on her forehead, "I love you."

"I love you, too."