Leah remained where she was trying to get her head around what had happened, how it had come to all of this. She had lost the majority of people she care for, loved and classed as family. Was loving some one so bad, bad enough to be told never to return. The sun had started to set in the starry sky as the clusters and the patterns of the universe started to expose themselves in their full beauty. Leah just looked up into the sky knowing her brother was out there some where when she heard her name being called, She looked over to see Loki a very worried and panic-stricken Loki coming towards her. Her tears came even faster the moment she saw him, she had missed him so much. Loki just knelt down beside her wrapping his arms around her pulling her against his body. Leah grabbed hold of him sobbing into his chest, he just held onto to her tightly not saying a word.
Loki gently lifted her off the floor as her tears dwindled, he carried her back to their room laying her down in bed. She hung onto him not wanting to let go and lose contact with him, she needed him now more than ever. He gently pried her hands off of him before she felt him lay behind her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her up against his body. She let out the odd sob, as everything felt so fresh in her mind like an open wound unable to close. Out of exhaustion, her eyes closed and her breathing calmed as she fell into a deep dreamless sleep.
Leah woke early in the morning to hear raised voices, she opened her eyes taking in her surroundings. She remember then what happened on earth and that she was now back in Asgard. The window was open, she watched as the curtain blew inwards during a breeze letting out a gentle sigh before she focused on the voices which grew louder.
"If they have harmed her in any way, caused her any suffering, they will pay." Loki shouted sounding very angry and bitter. "They will not know what happened till its done."
"Calm yourself brother." Thor said a little louder and some authority.
"They did that to her, they caused her distress, anxiety and pain." She heard Loki growl menacingly "I should go back there and finish what I started."
"No Brother. Leah would not want you to do that, she was worried you would break your punishment as it is. I do not know what they did or said to her, she didn't tell me brother perhaps she will tell you." Thor's voice muttered trying to reason with Loki. "She was out of my care for two days, no one would tell me where she was or who had her but she is well and returned to you now."
"I should have known better than let her go." Loki hissed obviously ignoring what his brother was trying to tell him.
"Brother we knew the risks before we left, it was the reason why she wouldn't return to explain to all of them her choice." Thor explained calmly "That she left them for you. Leah is here now brother, the healer said she and the child are fine, that is all you could ask for. At least she was able to reason with them for their return."
"How were you able to return with her then?" Loki asked sounding a little bitter but calmer than he had been previously. "How was she able to reason with them?"
"I found her in one of their healing rooms and she was given a choice of being a prisoner or banishment. She told them her choice immediately with little thought." Thor told Loki the truth. "She chose you brother, over her own brother and family, she chose you. She said her final farewell to her brother and we returned. So you can understand now why she was upset."
"They gave her my banishment from Midgard. She is unable to go back to her home now." Loki now sounded guilty and quieter "Because she decided to be with me, they punished her."
"Yes." She heard Thor reply. "Be gentle on her brother, this will be hard on her. I am returning to earth today to take Jane back to her home, I will see if I can resolve this and I will check on her brother while I am there. Spend some time with her, I will be back in an hour."
"Thank you brother." Loki said quietly.
She heard the door open and close, Loki didn't come into the bedroom for some time, she knew that he must be taking in all the information that Thor had given to him. He was surely going to be mad with her, she expected him to shout at her but he didn't come to see her for a while. Leah just sat herself up in the bed, waiting to see Loki, She still felt tired and had a slightly empty inside. She just sat there for a moment thinking back to her brother and what had been said back on Earth hoping perhaps it would calm down and she would be able to return eventually. She then remembered about the ultrasound and she had yet tell anyone about the development of the baby. She grinned pulling the photo out of their child, there normal looking child. Her heart felt suddenly lighter right then, just thinking about the baby they were going to have made everything look better.
"Your awake." She heard Loki say, she looked up to see him standing in the doorway his arms crossed, his eyes had narrowed slightly as he stared at her. "How do you feel today?"
"Okay I guess." She nodded looking at him unsure really what to say, she just stared at him hoping that he wasn't going to be to angry with her. She wasn't sure that her head could take him shouting at her.
"What happened to you Little one?" He asked stepping into the room, she could still see the anger behind the calm looking exterior. She just shook her head looking away from him not really sure what to say to help the matter. "Tell me little one." Loki commanded making her close her eyes trembling slightly knowing that he would not give up in finding answers.
"I can't go back." Leah finally said like she was emitting it to herself. "I am a traitor to SHIELD now." Leah let out sigh still not looking at him, trying to find the right words to explain everything to him. "They took me from my brothers bedside, not by force even though they threatened it. I didn't want to risk anything, the baby, nothing. So I decided it would be easier to just go with them to answer some questions about you, me, us. That is all."
"You went with them willingly?" Loki growled, she could hear the anger in his voice return. She always knew he was going to be annoyed at her for doing that but she didn't really have a choice then.
"Yes." Leah turned to look at him seeing the anger in his eyes which made her shrink slightly under be bed covers, she knew that he wouldn't understand. She just let out a long sigh. "They were armed, I didn't want to risk our child or my health while I am pregnant. I am sorry if that angered you but I wasn't left with much choice love."
"So why did you end up in their healing room?" Loki persisted to find the answers he obviously wanted to know about.
"I went into a false labor, common in human women, it can just happen during pregnancies apparently." Leah sighed knowing that this would probably anger him further. She looked down not really wanting to see his response to her answer. She just hoped that Thor hadn't said too much now that would get her into further trouble with him. "I got checked over by my friend who is the doctor I spoke of, the one who discovered that I was pregnant."
Loki didn't say anything, which made her look back to him, he seemed suddenly troubled and worried. She knew it was about their child again and her health carrying it. Leah looked back down to the photo of their child, she then held it out to him, hoping he would look to see. He took the photo from her frowning before looking back at her.
"Our child." He asked looking a little surprised.
"Yes." Leah nodded smiling slightly knowing that this may actually help calm any concerns he had about it. "Our child now, it has a head, two arms, two legs, ten toes and ten fingers. It looks normal to me and pretty perfect in fact."
She saw a smile come to Loki's face, She just sat watching him amazed how his expression softened as he examined the photo better. Leah knew how worried he had been about what his child would be after what happened to the others. This would at least give them the hope that they needed that the child would be alright.
"Perhaps some good has come from this." He glanced down at her now looking a lot happier and back to himself.
"Maybe that's how we should look at this." Leah agreed trying to think more positively even with all the pain she had from leaving her brother. She just let out a sigh and looking out of the window from the bed. "Not as something bad but something good."
"I am sorry that you were put in that situation because of me, because of what I did." Loki slowly sat down on the bed beside her. "I never meant you to be punished for my crimes."
"It was the only choice I could ever make." Leah leaned against him looking at the photo with him. "I love my brother dearly but I love you too. You are my future now."
"Marry me." Loki asked sounding a little quiet about it but she heard the words clearly in her ears.
Leah just stayed where she was for a moment, frozen as she took a second to think, she didn't have the apprehension like she did when he asked the other times. She had really made her choice back down on earth, she chose him over her brother and family that said everything really.
"Yes." She whispered
"Pardon?" Loki pulled away from her looking down a little shocked as he grabbed hold of her shoulders making her look at him directly.
"Yes I will." She nodded smiling at him. "That is what you wanted to hear right?" She giggled
Loki just pulled her up against him as his lips crashed down upon hers, she just moaned against his lips. He pulled her upon his lap holding her in place as he continued to shower her with kisses. He finally pulled back taking hold of her face saying.
"I love you."
"There is one condition." Leah cut in knowing what she truly wanted then. "We get married after the baby is born so I am not this size on our special day and then we are not marrying just because we are having a baby together."
"It would not matter." Loki looked at her baffled by what she was saying.
"It would to me." Leah muttered sighing rubbing her bump. "Please."
"Fine." Loki smiled back at her kissing her softly on her lips. Leah just let out a yawn, trying to fight it, as she felt her body protest out of exhaustion. "You are tired little one, you need to rest."
"I am fine." Leah protested.
"Rest." Loki insisted kissing the top of her head. "I will wake you later on."
"Stay." Leah glanced up at him wanting to keep the contact with him "Please."
Loki just nodded laying down beside her as she rolled onto her side resting her head onto his chest. She let out a long sigh closing her eyes as she fell back into a peaceful sleep holding onto Loki's arms which were wrapped her.
x-x-x-x-x
"So you and the Capt?" She heard Clint drawl as Leah opened two bottles of beer.
"What." Leah turned looking at him completely confused by what he meant by that, seeing the grin on his face. She went to hand him a beer and sitting down on her bed and placing her feet on the table beside it.
"Your spending a lot of time with him, I mean you're a young woman and." Clint began taking the beer from her a big smile still spread across her face. "It would be natural for two people to."
"Oh god stop. Call yourself a spy, your completely off the mark" Leah muttered understanding fully what he meant now as the horror of what he was trying to say hit her. "Me and Steve are just friends, that's it, he has no one now Clint. I am just trying to be a good person, it was my job to help him adjust into this century and we became friends in the process, It's nothing romantic."
"I was just saying." Clint chuckled at her response drinking some of his beer. "If it was anything like that be careful. Don't rush into anything, I mean if you were to go from friends to anything else. Just well don't jump into bed with him okay."
"Please stop now." Leah ran her hand through her shorter bronze hair before sipping at her own beer before letting out a long sigh. "I can't stand the embarrassment. Nat gave me the sex talk ages ago and trust me that was bad enough. Trust me when I say this is a lot worse than that time. I think I am old enough and well able considering I am a agent of SHIELD to look after myself Clint."
"I am your big brother Lee." Clint sat down beside grinning at the reaction he was having from her. "Its my right to be protective, trust me when I say if you ever find some one, the hurdles they will have to jump before I will consider if they are good enough for you will be extreme. There will be background checks, one on ones, the lot."
"Your beyond embarrassing." Leah laughed at him before thinking for a moment. "I don't think I will ever have that life really, how many agents do you know who have a normal life outside this." She glanced around the small bare room she had in one of the many SHIELD bases "Then considering what I am and what happened to me, who would want me."
"You will find some one who will accept you for who you are, all of you." Clint pulled her against him. "I promise. Any way we have not done too badly together have we."
"God, I am not into incest." Leah glanced at him before laughing at her own sick joke. "I suppose we have done okay I guess."
"That's not what I meant. I promise you sis, what ever happens I will always be there for you, what ever you decide to do I will always be proud of you and support your choice." Clint sighed kissing the top of her head. "Love you Lee."
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