Mrs. Stark didn't remain upset with her husband for too long, and though she made a vow to herself not to mention the subject to him again, she hadn't quite put it out of her mind yet. In fact, it was all she could think about. Pepper didn't know if it was her own desperateness to get pregnant or simply her natural curiosity that made her approach the topic with Jane Foster one afternoon while they brunched in a café.

"…but just when I thought my birthday couldn't get any more special, we slipped away from the ballroom and Thor lead me somewhere deep into the palace, up a spiraling staircase to this observatory area. There we sat together for what felt like hours, just watching the night sky. And Pepper, Asgard's sky is about a thousand times as breathtaking as ours." Jane sighs dreamingly at the memory and Pepper doesn't hold back a smile.

"Aw, that's adorable, Jane. That Thor is quite the romantic!"

Jane blushes but readily agrees, "Yes, he's full of surprises."

She goes back to picking at her chicken salad, leaving Mrs. Stark to thoughtfully gaze into her iced tea.

Jane only gets in a couple of bites before Pepper poses a question. "Does Thor ever talk about the old days, back when he was worshipped? Maybe shed some light on the myths that circulated about him as a deity?"

"If I ask him, he will, though I'm ashamed to admit, I still don't know all that much about Norse mythology apart from the things Selvic has shared or the juicy bits Darcy gossips to me about. At quiet times Thor'll tell stories about his childhood and I like those better than any myths Nordic culture could drum up."

"I can imagine so…" Notes Pepper distractedly.

Before Dr. Foster could return to her salad once again, Pepper pries further. "But does he ever mention anything about being a fertility god as well as a thunder god?"

"Um, no Thor hasn't mentioned it to me personally, but I have heard Selvic refer to him as such, once or twice."

"Oh, I see." Pepper replies automatically, masking her disappointment.

"Taking a sudden interest in Norse mythology, are we? You trying to show me up in front of my man?" Jane teases.

Pepper meets the gleam of mischief in Jane's eye with an airy laugh. "Trust me, you and I are both equally ignorant on that subject. And no, just inspired by something I saw on a TV special."

Tony would have been lying if he said he wasn't glad Pepper dropped the ridiculous notion that their resident fertility god could help them conceive a baby. He also would be lying if he said this same idea hadn't crossed his mind several times in the last week since his wife had brought it up.

He didn't think anything was medically wrong with Pepper, but he had to admit that if there was a means to give the pregnancy a nudge, it wouldn't hurt to seek it out.

That's why when he and Banner were alone together working in their shared lab, Tony blurts out, "Do you think Thor could get a woman pregnant?"

Bruce's eyebrows shoot toward the ceiling and he clears his throat awkwardly. He really should be used to Tony's offbeat humor by now.

"Ermm… I guess I'll skip asking the usual questions and instead say that Thor is the last person I'd expect to have trouble in that department."

Tony cringes, realizing how bizarre his question must have sounded. Removing his protection goggles, he strolls over to Dr. Banner's side of the table.

"Oops, I probably should have rephrased that."

"Wait, of course! You meant his ability to impregnate a human female. Although I'm not certain of it, based on casual observation, his physiology appears fairly similar to our species and is most likely capable of such. Why is Dr. Foster trying?"

"Nah, not her… uh, I've been thinking about Thor's fertility god status and got curious whether he possibly had any kinda baby making mojo."

"Hmm, fertility inducing powers, that's an interesting theory." Bruce remarks, seeming intrigued, "But I definitely wouldn't know anything worthwhile about that. I think you should just ask Thor yourself. If it's really a godly ability of his, he'd understand its strengths or limitations better than anyone else could. "

"Yea... good point. Maybe I will."