A/N: Managed to get one in after all! Yay for openings of schedules!

It was as if I was bobbing up and down upon a stormy sea. I went through phases of consciousness before slipping deep into my dream world again. Muddled faces and blurry voices were the characters in my dreams. I seemed unable to make connections between people, things, and places. I distinctly remember being on a stormy harbor, the sea a blur before me.

A piercing cry interrupted the haze that was my sleep. It grew louder and more shrill with each passing moment. My eyelids fluttered open, though they drooped lower and lower the longer they remained open.

The moonlight streamed through the window to my right, the familiar hum of the waterfall cascading nearby. "Shhhh!" Loki soothed, holding Sarah against his shoulder. "You don't want to wake your mother."

Such care he took with her, kissing her head softly. It was then he did something I never expected, nor heard before. He began to hum, ever so softly. It was a deep, rich sound and as he did so, her wailing began to decrease to a faint whimper. The hum changed to a song, with words I failed to understand. I was awed by this other side of him: soft and tender. It was similar to what I had seen upon Jötunheim's moon two years before. I found my lids closing once more, the sound of his light singing sending me to an uneventful sleep.

Upon waking, I discovered the both of them fast asleep in the chair nearest the window. A smile tugged at the corner of my lips at the sight. I attempted to move but was promptly met with a stab of pain. I exhaled wearily, staring at the ceiling above me in boredom.

I had never been able to tolerate inactivity well. Even when I had frequently returned home alone from a long day at work, I was able to entertain myself with television or a good book. I had none of those options in my state. My mind needed something to do and so I began to question recent events.

Hel had to be involved, of that I was certain. But why now? Why had she made such a drastic move so quickly? Centuries of planning had gone into everything she had done, so what could possibly have motivated her to-

Oh! Oh, maybe it wasn't her. Loki had been her desired pawn in the game but he had disappointed her. She had needed another son of Laufey and his elder brother was her next choice. From what I had heard, he was more difficult to manipulate and control. I wouldn't be surprised if he had been the one to make the move of summoning the Midgard serpent.

Even then, for what purpose would he have done such a thing? How did the monster relate to anything conducive? Its only purpose was to destroy Earth. I stared, more through the ceiling than at it, as I thought-twisting possible plans and motives around in my mind. I hardly noticed when Loki stirred next to me.

"I was unaware you had woken." He whispered sleepily, yawning as he spoke.

"Well, you both looked pretty out of it. I decided I'd just lie here with my thoughts."

Carefully, he rose, delicately repositioning her in his arms. "I believe you have yet to hold her."

"No, I haven't." I extended my arms open, feeling her weight upon them when he lowered her. It was the strangest sensation-knowing this tiny person was what I had carried for nearly the past year. "She's not what I expected." I whispered finally, my emotions a tangle.

I was amazed by the intensity of love I had for her, yet I also felt very strange at the thought that I was a mother. It had never been something I wanted. I could accept Sarah was my daughter, it was the notion that I was her mother that was so foreign. What was expected of me?

As great as my love for her was, I found I remained unwilling to surrender everything for her sake. I still desired challenges and I felt a sense of condemnation for automatically saying no to leaving my life behind. Was there not a way to combine the two? Was I terrible for wanting to still keep pieces of life for my own? There was nothing I wouldn't do for her, yet I still clung to my sense of self.

"Nor I. She is lovely though, is she not?" I noted the softness in his expression, the utter devotion in his eyes. My, how the mighty had fallen. The once greatly feared enemy of Earth had been reduced to an ooey-gooey sap of love, all because of a little girl. Clearly, she had inherited our manipulation abilities, because Sarah had us both. Without any effort on her part. It was incredibly unfair.

"She is." Her tiny fingers wrapped around my index finger in her sleep, a faint gurgle emitting from her throat. It was the cutest thing I had ever heard.

"You're incredibly anxious, darling." Oh yes, she had turned him to butter. Very rarely did Loki ever call me 'darling'. It required him to be in a sentimental mood, which was rare. It had suited me fine, given that I was not a particularly expressive person myself; it was only when I felt under duress that I sought comfort from anyone. Even then, it was only with a person I trusted, which essentially meant a handful of people.

"It's just that...I've been thinking about what happened, with the snake."

"Yes?"

"I'm having a difficult time understanding why. Why now? Why Earth? I know there's supposed to be something about a prophecy, but Hel's spent years planning this thing. And now she just decides to make a big move? Everything has been subtle. I thought that maybe it wasn't her idea, maybe it was your brother's."

Loki visibly stiffened at the mention of his having a brother. Still, I continued on. "But none of it makes sense. I mean, why? If his manipulation point is you, why would he attack-" The realization struck me. "Never mind. I understand it now. I think."

"He intended to destroy you." He stated coldly. "I took his family from him, therefore, removing mine is more than just."

"Yeah, pretty much."

"You do realize he will pursue us? No matter our location."

"As much as Hel will allow, yes." We both looked at our sleeping daughter in my arms. I knew instinctively our fears were the same.

"She is far from safe." In our current location, he was correct. Still, there were some places in the universe that could be made into safe havens. And I had one in particular in mind.

"Don't worry about that. I've got a plan." I whispered, my brow raising in confidence.

An amused smirk spread across his features. "Am I privy to this plan?"

"Maybe. If you're nice to me." Loki chuckled in reply. "There are some places that, despite all their power, neither Hel nor he can reach. And wouldn't you know it that I can?"

"Somewhere in time, then?"

"Oh yes, dearest. Somewhere in time."