Pairing: Loki/Jane

Rating: M

Description: The after effects of the engagement dinner as well as results of a certain test. ;)

Chapter 8

Settling on the bed while moving so that he could lean comfortably against the headboard, the dark haired Prince eyed the bathroom door as he waited for his wife to come out so the two of them could be together in bed. As he listened to the sound of running water emanating from the bathroom, Loki's mind wandered back to the dinner. While the night had started off successfully with his mother smiling happily at the sight of her firstborn and his fiancee making a grand entrance, the events after Sif's speech that brought on an annoyed frown to his lips. Thor's sheer audacity with staring at Jane far longer than he was comfortable with replayed itself in his mind as he only wished he had been able to do more than magically destroy the legs of the chair his brother was sitting on. He knew he was going to need to address Thor as soon as possible; the idea of his brother pining after his wife a nauseating one. Jane loved him; just as he loved her dearly.

"Penny for your thoughts?,"

The sound of his wife's voice pulled him away from his thoughts as he looked in its direction; his lips curving up in a content smile as he saw the woman who had his heart months after his visit to Midgard. "I was just thinking about the dinner party."

"Same," she murmured before walking over to her side of the bed. Slipping off her footwear, Jane reached for the blankets before blushing brightly at the sight of her husband's nude form that had been partly hidden under the blanket. "Where are your clothes?"

The sight of her shocked expression caused Loki to let out a loud laugh as he moved to grab onto his wife, tugging her onto the bed with him. "You know how I thoroughly detest wearing clothing to bed, Jane. Something I've done my best to convince you to do, too," he teased as he caressed the exposed skin that had been revealed from her less than graceful landing on the bed. Knowing the two of them needed to discuss what had happened, he chose to quickly bestow a soft kiss on her bare abdomen before pulling himself up.

Momentarily flustered from both the sudden tug to having her stomach touched and kissed, Jane shifted so that she was next to Loki. Taking one of his hands in hers, she smoothed her fingertips along his knuckles. "So, Thor.." she began.

"Indeed, my 'dear' brother, Thor." Loki grimaced while watching his wife caress his hand; his other hand moving to tuck a lock of her brunette hair from her face before he continued."I watched him watch you the entire time after Sif's speech. I still don't understand the full idea of it all, but the last time I saw him look at you like that, you were visiting Asgard for the first time." Memories of seeing the woman who would later become his wife replayed themselves in his head. 'You know, the first time I saw you, I was amazed at how unlike you were compared to every other woman my brother had fancied in the past. You know how he had a hankering for women such as Sif or those who were soft and giggly." He grimaced at the memory of one such woman whose giggling had filled the whole of Asgard during a night of passion. "But," he continued as he looked from her hand on his to her eyes, smiling at how lovely her eyes were. "when you brought up your amazement at the Bi-Frost; the sheer enthusiasm that radiated from your small body made me have the beginnings of a small crush on you. I cannot help but wonder how you felt when you first saw me." He knew they needed to continue the discussion about Thor's behavior, but he also knew that he didn't want to stay too long on his worry that Thor would do something scandalous. .

As she had listened to him speak, Jane found herself staring at him lovingly; chuckling softly at his telling of their first meeting before registering his request for her to tell her version. "Well, once Thor and I made our way through the entryway and to the throne room, I saw this man who was as tall as his brother watching me. You see, he has a not-so-secret joy of people watching; a hobby where I've been one of the most active participants," the sight of his amused grin as he listened to her made Jane lean in to brush her lips against his before pulling away to continue. "As Thor introduced me to Hogun, Sif, and the others; the man whose dark hair was and will always be one of my favorite things about him moved toward the two of us and took my hand. You see, while the others bowed and/or introduced themselves, this smirking handsome man was the first and only to take my hand and kiss it; much to the chagrin of Thor. After that, I also formed a small crush on you. The day when you and Thor had arrived in London with the request that you were to spend time with me has always made me think Frigga knew something because the day we announced our engagement, she had the biggest smile on her face."

"Well, then. It's highly possible as my mother does have the ability to foresee the future. Actually, the night before I left, she came to my room to tell me how much you loved talking about constellations."

"Really?" The fact that his mother had mentioned that confirmed the suspicions that had been formed in the back of her mind for the longest time. "That was the reason we had our first kiss!" Surprise caused her mouth to open as her eyebrows rose up.

Laughing softly at Jane's expression, Loki nodded. "Really. And here we are; madly in love with zero chance of recovery."

She, too, laughed before leaning in to kiss at the tip of his nose. "You will always be my favorite choice; right after tea or coffee."

He snorted. "To think I lost out to beverages. How will I live?," he exclaimed; his facial expression mimicking that of a lost puppy before he laughed as Jane poked his side. "Woman, you must accept that you love to touch me." He said while capturing onto the hand that had poked him.

"Hey, I accepted that a long time ago!," she exclaimed while trying to free her trapped appendage by tugging lightly.

"Mm, that you did, but I love how free you are with your touches. Especially when you move to your scandalous side and grab my rear end in public." He mumured, smirking at Jane's surprised expression.

"How did you–"

"Know it was you?" he finished her sentence while drawing her still trapped hand up to his lips. "Jane, we were on that contraption — an escalator? – and you were the only person standing behind me so unless the older woman in front of me had very long arms, I feel it's safe to say that my wife got possessive with me in public." Placing a warm kiss on her knuckles, he turned her hand to nibble lightly at her wrist; his eyes watching her intently as she saw her blush as she moaned softly.

"Tease," she whimpered as she felt the bite.

"As always," he smirked against her skin before letting go. As soon as he did, however, he moved to lay down and grabbed onto his wife as he did so.

Blinking as she felt him pull her down onto the bed once more, Jane scooted so that she was laying next to him and she opted for resting her head on his chest. She knew she would prefer being on her left side as she slept with Loki curled up behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist from behind; this position fit better for their continued conversation. "I wonder where Sif went," Jane murmured.

"Likely to her family's home, I'd imagine. After having to witness Thor acting the way he did, I could only imagine she wouldn't want to stay in the palace tonight. I still don't understand the reason why they chose to be engaged if my brother still desired you." Sliding a fingertip down her neck, Loki found himself worried once more that Thor would do something inappropriate with Jane. While he trusted his wife to the moon and back, it was his brother's unpredictable behavior that had him on edge.

"Yeah, that still is confusing," Jane replied; her own fingertips moving along Loki's bare stomach as she traced random designs along the skin. "If things start getting weird, I think we should just go home. Yeah, I love visiting with your parents as well as Fandral and the others, but I don't know if it's in our best interest to stay for much longer; especially after tonight with Thor."

"I agree, my dear. Though–" and he paused in mid sentence while feeling the smooth caress of Jane's fingers along his abdomen, "I would feel better having you see a healer about your possible pregnancy. Now that you're an Aesir and I'm –" he took a deep breath before closing his eyes only to open them once more, "half Asgardian and half Frost Giant, I would feel tremendously better knowing that you'll be all right during the pregnancy."

Pride swelled up in Jane's heart as she listened to the man beneath bring up his parentage. Memories of the night when he had revealed that his biological father was, actually, Laufey as well as choosing to show her what being the son of a Frost Giant entailed, she knew the struggles that he had gone through to be able to be comfortable about it. When he was around her, she mused, he seemed more confident about it; even changing into one during a few passionate encounters. Blushing slightly, she recalled a time when she had asked him to change into his Frost Giant side and spent the rest of the night making the God of Mischief moan louder than he had in centuries. Smiling at the memory, Jane rolled onto her stomach to fully kiss at the amazing, wonderful man beneath her. Lips brushed along his cheeks and jaw; his surprised laughter filling the air as she continued.

"What is this for?," Loki managed out; laughing and smiling as Jane proceeded to cover the lower half of his face with kisses.

"Hm? Oh,"and she brushed a light kiss along his smiling lips before continuing onward with her explanation, "you brought up the fact that you were half Frost Giant without getting upset. You have to remember that from the day you told me to now, it's been a process. So,–" and she moved up to kiss from his nose to his forehead. "The fact that you did it just now is why I'm so proud of you."

Smirking at his Jane, Loki nodded in acknowledgement of her explanation before cupping her face and returning each of the many kisses that she gave him; each of them greeted with a happy smile that seemed nearly permanent

on his wife's face. "Well, thanks to your ever present acceptance of me, it was bound to happen eventually. Still, are you all right with us staying here for a time if you do wind up being pregnant? If you aren't, we can go home straight away."

"I don't mind staying for a while. Plus it'll be good to visit with your parents and tackle your library," Jane murmured before returning to her previous position next to him.

"Oh?" It was his turn to feel the swell of pride as he watched Jane make herself comfortable next to him; her head resting along his chest as a leg draped possessively around his.

"Mm; while I've been here countless times over the past, it never seems like we have enough time for me to go through each section. You could always bring some of the books home with you, you know.."

Loki nodded; smiling to himself as the very idea had been something he was toying with as one of his gifts for their upcoming wedding anniversary. While the way the people of Asgard celebrated such events were far more different than that of Midgard, he liked the idea of giving your spouse meaningful gifts to mark each year the two of you remained as husband and wife. "Getting sleepy?," he inquired as he watched Jane's face contort in a massive yawn; her jaw opening as loud as it could manage as an exhausted sound reverberated through her throat.

"Getting there, yeah. Mind if we postpone what we planned earlier?," Jane asked while tilting her head up to peer inquisitively at her husband.

Brushing the back of a finger along her jaw, Loki nodded. "Sounds like a plan, my dear. Plus, we've had quite the adventure so far."

Nodding as well, Jane moved to her preferred position on her side; smiling sleepily as Loki followed suit, an arm draping around her waist as he tucked himself along her small form. She had, one night, referred to this particular position as 'spooning': he was the big spoon and she was the little spoon. The day after when she was in the shower, Loki had gone to the kitchen to inspect their spoons in curiosity. Smirking to herself as the memory continued on, Jane recalled when she had walked out of the bathroom to find her tall husband holding onto two spoons and smiling to himself. Being married to the God of Mischief definitely had its perks as he, adorably, explained what he was up to. "Sleep well, sweetheart."

"You as well, my dear," he murmured while recognizing that, he too, could do with some sleep. Lightly kissing the back of his wife's neck, Loki tucked his head along her shoulder as his breathing eased; Jane following soon after.

Morning found the couple sitting anxiously in the bathroom; Loki resting against the tub while his wife sitting next to him as the two eyed the purchased pregnancy test.

"How much longer, Jane?"

Peering at the watch Erik had given her for her twenty-eighth birthday, "A couple more minutes."

"What are we looking for if it's positive?"

"Two lines."

"Negative is– one, right?"

Having gone through the same line of questioning two minutes before, Jane stood up only to stand in between her husband's parted legs. Once she felt comfortable, Jane cupped Loki's face and smoothed her thumbs along his cheeks. "Hey; I'm just as freaked out as you are, ok? This is one of the biggest things I've ever gone through. So, whatever results we get once the test is done, I know we'll be all right."

Realizing that he was allowing his anxiety to rear up, Loki laughed softly before nodding and resting his forehead along hers. "I just– my father wasn't the best role model for this, Jane. I don't want to be anything like him if you truly are pregnant. Even then I don't want to be as he was. Yes, he's managed to get better with age, but I want our child to know that they can do whatever they want and I'll love them no matter what their decision is."

Moving her hands to wrap around his shoulders, her palm began to rub light circles along his shoulder blades. "I know you'll do your best, Loki. You've been such a wonderful husband to me and I know you'll treat this possible baby with all the love and care that you have."

"Thank you, Jane. Really. You know, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have ever considered starting a family. Yes, I toyed with the idea, but I was still too selfish and lost in my misunderstood confusion about who I wanted to be to even properly consider such things. So, when I fell in love with you and we got married, I did start to think of what it would be like to have a baby with you." He smiled, shaking his head as he pulled away to look at her lovingly. "You've changed me for the better, my dear. Now, we have less than a minute to see if we'll be getting a new addition to our little family."

Nodding, Jane was glad Loki was back to being all smiles once more. Now if only she could summon the courage to smile at this very terrifying development as she glanced over at the test that was going to possibly change her life forever. "I'm still scared, though. Unlike you, I didn't get the full experience of having parents as Erik raised me after the car accident. Yes, I'm forever grateful that he was able to be the one to take care of me because he told me countless of stories about my parents, but there's just something that I imagine that's different between hearing the stories and experiencing them for yourself, you know?"

His smile dimmed as he nodded; cupping his beautiful Jane's face and leaning in to kiss her lips softly. "I'll be right here through all of it, Jane. Through your cravings, the back rubs, all of it. Plus, I know my mother will want to be of any assistance which is part of why I'm glad you agreed to us staying here in Asgard while you go through the beginning of your possible pregnancy. It'll be good for you to spend time with her, I feel. Plus, your loving husband will be here whenever you need me. So, I feel we have this sorted. Ah," he gently grasped onto Jane's watch. "It's time, love. Are you ready?"

Nipping lightly on her bottom lip, Jane nodded jerkily before making her way over to where the test had been placed on the rim of the sink. Once she gathered up the test applicator, Jane moved to stand in between Loki's legs; tears forming as she looked at the results.

"Jane?," Loki whispered, concern coating his voice as he reached for her face; his thumbs wiping away the tears spilling down her cheeks.

Sniffling lightly as a bright smile etched itself on her features, she turned the applicator around so that he could look at it. "We're pregnant, Loki."

Looking at the applicator in front of his face, Loki's eyelids narrowed as he mouthed the number of lines that were staring back at him. His eyebrows rose up in surprise as he looked from the applicator to Jane's still flat abdomen. "We're having a baby?"

Smiling brightly, Jane moved the applicator over to a nearby table before cupping her husband's face lovingly and proceeded to kiss him soundly; the God in front of her groaning softly before returning the kiss sweetly. They were going to be parents before they knew it.

"Yes, yes, yes, we are!," Jane said as she pulled away from the kiss; laughing through her tears of joy.

"Oh, Jane.." his face felt as if it was going to fall apart from the sheer amount of smiling that he was doing. The touch of moisture slipping down his face caused him to frown slightly as he brushed a thumb along his face. Upon inspection, Loki started to laugh at the sight of his own tears. Given that he had just learned he was going to become a father, he figured the idea of him crying was understandable. "I love you so much, Jane. More and more each day."

The sight of her husband crying along with her caused Jane to lean in to kiss away at the streak of tears on his face before she hugged him, "Just as I love you, Loki. More and more each day as well."

Draping his arms around his wife, the God of Mischief held her close as he buried his face along her neck; his excitement for the baby as well as his ever growing love for his wife filling his heart. "We'll have to tell my mother."

"Erik, too," Jane murmured; she holding onto Loki tightly. "Odin, as well."

"Mm, indeed," he replied as he pulled his head away to kiss at her forehead. "After that, I'll take you to the healers and I'll take you to the library so you can lose yourself in as many books as you like." He wanted so much to give his wife all that she wanted and needed; her happiness far more important than his.

"What about you? What are you going to do?"

"Do? Well, I plan on staying near my wife for the whole day as I simply cannot imagine staying away from her today." He murmured as a hand slid down to caress her abdomen. "We'll need to start discussing baby names, after all." Loki added, continuously smiling.

(Well- ! Upcoming parenthood, here we come! 3 See you all later!)