Leah woke in the morning curled up against a sleeping Loki, she could hear some giggling as she opened her eyes to see Astrid standing up and looking at them from her cot. The bright light show contrast of the porcelain completion of her skin and the jet black colour of her hair. Leah let out a groan wishing she could sleep a little longer she felt utterly exhausted this morning. She presumed it was because of the day's events yesterday and with the emotions running higher.
"Momma." Astrid called. Leah just kept her head down and pretended to be asleep still praying that Astrid would hopefully settle back down to sleep. "Momma." Astrid repeated.
"I think our daughter is calling for you." She heard Loki say; Leah looked up at him and saw the smile upon his face but his eyes were still closed. He had obviously been pretending to sleep too.
"I just want to sleep." Leah muttered quietly.
Loki pulled himself out of bed, Leah kept her eyes closed before she felt some little arms wrap around her. A warmth rose in her heart as she knew Astrid had come for a cuddle with her. Leah eyes opened to Astrid looking at her, her arms trying to wrapped their way all around her.
"Momma." Astrid grinned beaming as Leah opened her eyes.
"Morning sweetie." Leah smiled
Astrid just snuggled into Leah before falling back to sleep again. Loki meanwhile had climbed back into bed lying beside the pair of them. Leah wrapped her arms around Astrid before taking hold of Loki's hand. She lay there looking at him as he looked back to her. Leah smiled at Loki as he started to play her hand and the emerald and gold ring on her finger. Leah watched him as his long fingers caused a tingling sensation in her hand.
"I have been thinking, with another child on its way we will need a bigger chamber for all of us to live in." He explained quietly not wanting to disturb Astrid from her slumber. "Also Astrid is big enough to be sleeping in her own room and in a bigger bed."
"Oh." Leah paused thinking, she had never even thought about that. Astrid was getting too big for the cot she was currently sleeping in. Leah had never really expected after only a few months her baby was now too big to sleep in their room and out a cot. "I guess you're right." Leah finally sighed "She is growing too quickly Loki." Leah turned to look at him. "I never guessed that this would happen so quickly."
"I know." Loki smiled "But it will slow soon and you have been there with her every step of the way. You're a brilliant mother to her and I am sure that will continue with the next one." Loki reassured her.
"I guess." Leah muttered looking down at the dark hair sleeping beauty.
It wasn't long till Astrid woke again this time completely wide awake, as she almost seemed to bounce on the bed with the amount of energy that she had. Reluctantly both Leah and Loki got out of bed and ready for the day ahead of them.
Leah had managed to get herself into a lovely bright emerald green dress and Astrid into a lovely golden dress considering that she was going to meet Jane for the first time. Loki had already gone ahead of them to make sure everything with the healers was ready for them. Leah arrived in the healer's room having women fussing over as she had been made to lie down on a bed. The women seemed to hover around her all of them doing different things as they scanned her with weird devices.
"Well?" Loki said impatiently, Leah glanced up at him to see a very serious expression on his face. He almost seemed to be glaring at one of the healers. Leah slowly lifted her hand taking hold of his which made him look to her, the colder glare turning warmer as his eyes met hers. She knew that he was just fretting over her health and obviously the health of his unborn child.
"She is indeed pregnant your highness." The woman turned to Loki saying confidently. "It is very early in the pregnancy but a lot of development has taken place already."
"Is that good?" Leah glanced at Loki as the worry rose within her. This was not like the examination she had with Mathew back on earth, it was definitely stranger and left her slightly more anxious about it.
"Indeed." The healer turned to her. "Your child is healthy, it is very young in its chid form."
Leah just smiled looking at Loki who seemed pleased with what they had been told. She knew that he would have also been worried about what the child would be but if it was already in child form that would a weight lifted off his shoulders. Leah sat up from her lying position and got off the table with Loki's help. Astrid who had been holding onto Loki's other had not worried about what was happening at all immediately took hold of Leah's had saying.
"Momma."
"I am here sweetheart." Leah smiled to her daughter before turning to the healers. "What am I going to have to do now to keep this child healthy?"
"You have nothing to be concerned about, you need to change nothing. Just do what you're doing and do not be concerned." The healer smiled at her. "Considering what happened during Princess Astrid's birth we will check you regularly till the baby is ready to arrive. Then we will consider our options then."
"Make sure that happens." Loki said in a very warning tone which made the Healer seem to shrink slightly. "I want a close eye kept on her."
"Of course your highness." The woman healer nodded.
Loki then escorted the two females in his life out of the healing room all of them smiling. Astrid seemed to be happy just being in the company of her two parents. Leah walked holding onto Astrid's small hand glancing at Loki who seemed to be thinking about something. She took a moment to observe him before saying.
"I may head to the observatory to meet Thor" She paused for a moment till she added. "If you do not mind that is?"
"Of course, go." Loki nodded smiling back at her. "I will take Astrid if that makes it easier?"
Leah gently pried the little girls hand out of hers, Astrid began to cry. It made Leah's heart ache, Loki picked up the little girl cradling her against his chest. Leah brushed the tear away with her fingers before kissing her rosie cheek, Leah then kiss Loki gently on the lips smiling at him.
"I will check on the pair of you later."
Loki just nodded before kissing her again, Leah hurried her way to the observatory knowing that Thor would either be waiting for her or would had left by now. She stepped inside the large golden orb seeing Heimdall standing at the opening; she walked up to beside him, standing at the edge of the opening and looked out across the sky. It was still mesmerizing, she looked at all the different colours and lights that shone out across the darkness.
"You have just missed Thor's departure. It has been a while since you have come here Leah." Heimdall commented not looking at her. She knew he knew everything, considering he was called the all seeing some times he did not act like that.
"Yes it has." Leah sighed looking at the beautiful and colourful sky before her trying not to look at him as she asked the next question. "How are they?"
"They are all well, your friend the blonde one, the captain they call him. He has looked out for your return."
"Yeah well the Queen suggested I should not return to Midgard because of my safety and having Astrid." Leah shrugged sounding a little saddened and disappointed about it. She knew she was being selfish but it was something important to her which was hard for her to give up. But she did, just to keep everyone around her happy . "And my brother, how is he?"
"He is still grieving for you Leah, he will not say it but he does. That much is obvious." Heimdall glanced down to her. "Would you ever go back now to your home?"
"It's not my home any more Heimdall, I am a firm believer that home is where you want to be and where the people you love are." Leah finally looked up to his golden eyes. "Everything I want is here now, I have the family I always dreamt about here, what more could I ask for. So I guess Asgard is my home now."
"For one so young you have a very wise head on you." Heimdall smiled slightly at her. Leah just looked down not really sure what else to say.
They spent a couple of minutes in silence, it gave Leah a chance to think about what Heimdall said. The truth was she would love to be able to just travel easily from one world to the other, to see everyone who was important to her but that couldn't happen any longer. She did not want a repeat of what happened with this child within her. She closed her eyes trying to stop herself from getting to upset about the idea.
"I have upset you?" Heimdall asked breaking their silence.
"No, I just find it hard still to be away from the people I still love." Leah sighed looking to him again. "It will pass I guess."
"You and I both know that is not the truth." Heimdall replied sounding very gentle about it. "You will always miss the ones you care about."
"But it's the only way I can think about it." Leah shrugged not looking at him as she felt the tears form in her eyes from just thinking about it. "To just hope that the pain will fade."
Heimdall nodded before returning to his post starting up the process for Thor's return. Leah stepped back from the opening which would be the door way for Thor to return through. She stepped back as the portal opened and the bright light shone. Two shadows then appeared, as the light dwindled Leah saw Thor and Jane standing before her.
"Leah." Jane grinned stepping over to her and throwing her arms around Leah's neck. Leah just looked up to see that Thor was smiling at the pair of them as he carried Jane's bags.
"Hi." Leah laughed at her friend's reaction. "How are you?"
"Good, where is she?" Jane looked at Leah. "Thor has told me loads about her."
"Astrid is with Loki." Leah smiled at her friend's enthusiasm to meet her daughter. "She is going to be a big sister soon I guess, I am once again not sure what is going on with my pregnancy except that the child is fine."
"You're pregnant again." Jane gasped looking completely shocked about the idea as she looked Leah up and down. There were no signs of her being pregnant at all but it didn't stop it from being the truth. "It's only been a few months since Astrid though?"
"Yes but its fine and normal I guess." Leah nodded completely understanding her friend's confusion about the matter. "You will have to wait and see."
"I have presents too." Jane said going over to her bags which Thor had placed down for a moment as he had a word with Heimdall about something. Jane pulled out a smaller bag and handed it to Leah. "It's only a few clothes and toys for her."
"Oh." Leah looked at the small baby grows for 6 months to a year babies. "Thor hasn't said that she is walking and beginning to talk has he."
"She is what?" Jane gasped her eyes even wider now.
"Children here grow very quickly." Leah explained as they left the men to talk as they began to start the walk along the bifrost. "Astrid looks now to be around 2 years old with the size of her and the way she acts."
"Oh my." Jane stared at Leah digesting the information given to her.
"I know." Leah sighed thinking about how quickly her little baby had grown up. "But it will make it easier with the next one I suppose."
"I guess." Jane nodded in agreement.
Thor ran up from behind them, Leah parted ways with them knowing that they needed time alone together. She did kind of miss the early days with Loki, remembering the times where they sneaked around. It brought a smile to her face; she wouldn't change a thing now though, not with Astrid, the baby to come or Loki.