A/N #1: Putting this note up top for once just to give a tiny warning – it's about to get a little intense. After the reaction to Jane's test, I figured it's better to be safe than sorry. So hold on to your butts, kids!
Loki didn't like the sound of a Caesarian section. Excluding the fact that Julius Caesar had been a self-righteous little bastard (who cheated at dice), the procedure seemed barbaric. He understood that Dr. Finklestein felt it would be Darcy's best – perhaps her only– chance.
But cut her stomach open? Reach in and pull the baby out? He'd heard of such things but only after the mother had died, done either in an attempt to save the child or to give it a separate funeral. Midgardian medicine had seemed so modern and impressive, but this was simply insane.
He would do whatever was necessary to keep them both alive. But his Darcy? Cut open?
Despite Dr. Finklestein's advice and Darcy's assurance that it was pretty usual these days, it was Bruce Banner who had finally convinced Loki to allow such a procedure.
While Tony was the Avenger Loki liked the most, Bruce was the one he respected the most. Not that Loki would ever admit such a thing to the man. Though quiet and unassuming, the mortal had a truly terrifying power within him, a force of pure chaos which could never be controlled. Tony called it 'The Hulk'. It wasn't an unapt description. But somehow Bruce kept it contained. It was a constant struggle for the man but he did it with composure and a dry wit. Loki could relate to that more than he wanted to admit. So when Bruce had concernedly asked whether they were delivering the baby via C-section and gave his opinion on the matter, Loki listened.
But that didn't mean he liked it.
Still, he allowed Dr. Finklestein to schedule the appropriate day for the procedure. Loki had put his foot down and made it clear that his daughter would be born in Asgard. Not only would the privacy and familiarity of the environment ease him, but Eir needed to be there. And the Goddess of Healing was tethered to Asgard so there wasn't really a choice. Darcy had readily agreed. And after a few chilling looks from Loki, Dr. Finklestein also agreed. On the scheduled day, the doctor and his colleague – a man with some sort of pain numbing specialization – would bring their Midgardian medical equipment and meet Loki at the new apartment so he could transport everyone up to Asgard.
Once the plans were finalized, Darcy and Loki never spoke about the procedure. She seemed to know how much the very idea of it bothered him. Personally, Darcy didn't really care. The baby was coming out one way or another and at least with a C-section there was a greater element of control. She was fine as long as she didn't have to watch. And Loki had told her any scars she gained from the procedure would disappear along with the others she had accumulated through the years just as soon as she swallowed the apple. Not that she was vain or anything, but that news certainly didn't hurt.
But the best laid plans of mice and men…
Two nights before the delivery was scheduled, Loki and Darcy slept soundly in their bed. It was their last night on Midgard. In the morning, they were to visit her parents and then head up to Asgard to settle in for the birth. Despite the anxiety of the upcoming events, both had fallen asleep almost as soon as their heads hit the pillows. But they didn't stay asleep for long.
A strange chill woke Darcy up. She shivered, tucking her body closer to Loki's and pulling the blankets up to her chin. Still, the cold seemed to creep in from somewhere. It took her a minute to realize that the room itself was much warmer than her actual skin.
Oh.
The strange pressure Darcy felt near her bladder made the dots start to connect. Was she…?
Darcy tried to roll over to face Loki, but the movement ended up being a big mistake. Liquid seemed to run down her thighs and an uncomfortable tightness started radiating beneath her belly button around to the small of her back. Her hand shot out behind her and she inadvertently smacked Loki in the face.
His voice was rough with sleep, "Wha-what?"
"Loki?"
The helplessness in her voice was like a bucket of cold water to Loki's sleeping brain.
"Darcy? What is wrong?"
She didn't move to look at him, afraid that the pressure would become unbearable again. "I think I'm in labor. Not sure. Something's happening. I think my water broke. Or else I just peed the bed. Honestly, I'm hoping for incontinence at this point."
Loki bolted upright, his hand pulling the blankets back.
"Oh." For once, he seemed to have no words.
A familiar twinge ricocheted off her spine and settled near her uterus. She remembered this feeling just before all hell broke loose the last time. After the tightness and the spasms had come the excruciating pain.
Son of a bitch.
"Seriously? Less than two fucking days and this happens? Come on, Astrid. Work with me here."
Darcy's words broke the spell that had fallen over Loki. He jumped up from the bed, not bothering to dress, and was suddenly easing his arms beneath Darcy's body.
"Just hold on, my love. We must get to Asgard."
As he gently lifted her from the bed, the movement caused the pain to finally kick in and any vestiges of calm left Darcy's body. She tried not to scream, but as he blinked out of their apartment and into his bedroom in Asgard, she found herself failing miserably. It wasn't just the pain which she had experienced last time. No, now it was the cold. She was so cold. She felt as if she was freezing from the inside out.
Her grunt of pain turned into a moan as Loki placed her down as gently as possible.
"I shall go fetch the doctor. Just hold on, my love."
Loki appeared in his parents' chamber again. As Odin and Frigga awakened to their son's panicked face and his words of Darcy Lewis' pain, they felt a strange sense of déjà vu. His mother pointed out that he was wearing nothing but undergarments and Loki rectified that with an incredulous look, as if he couldn't believe she'd care about something so trivial at a time like this. Then Loki threw himself to Midgard as Frigga once more fetched Eir from her quarters. After grabbing the doctor from his bed and nodding to his wife, who smiled weakly in return, Loki pulled the man back with him to Asgard.
The mortal took one look at Darcy writhing on the bed and turned to Loki, "You need to bring Dr. Brown. He's got the equipment we need. And he's going to administer and monitor the epidural."
None of that seemed to register in Loki's panicked mind, "There is no time! She is in labor now. Deliver the baby!"
Dr. Finklestein grabbed Loki's arm, forcing the god to focus on him, "Look, Mr. Odinson. Your fiancé is in a lot of pain. He can lessen that. You need to calm down."
Loki nearly snarled, "Calm down? When it is the woman you love, you can try to be calm!"
The doctor sighed before making his way over to the bed, "Hello, Darcy. It'll be okay now. I assume you're experiencing contractions. How far apart are they?"
Darcy whimpered, "I don't know. It's cold. It's so cold it burns."
The doctor frowned, reaching his hands out to press gently on her stomach. The startling hardness he encountered caused his head to whip around to Loki. At that moment, the door opened and Eir glided in.
"So the baby is coming?"
Loki nodded, not taking his eyes off of Darcy. "She is in pain."
From his peripheral vision, Loki could see Eir nod. Then the goddess walked toward the bed, greeting Darcy kindly as she pulled the girl's knees up so that she could kneel between them. Nodding politely to the mortal doctor, Eir asked, "And how are you, Carl?"
Dr. Finklestein was oddly pale, "Fine, fine. But there's something unusual going on. Feel this." He took Eir's hands and put them on Darcy's lower stomach. For a moment, the goddess went completely still. Then she took a bracing breath and made eye contact with the girl moaning beneath her hands.
"Darcy, how cold are you feeling right now?"
Darcy's chattering teeth seemed to answer the question, but she forced out a breathless, "Cold. It hurts. It burns."
Loki's hand reached out toward a nearby pillar for support. The stone cracked beneath his palm and he pulled away, absently fixing it. He hated feeling helpless. Damn both his fathers. Damn everyone. Why did he have to be Jötunn?
The doctor was speaking again, "Mr. Odinson was supposed to bring my anesthesiologist, but he seems a bit too distraught at the moment. Do you have some sort of godly epidural?" Eir gave him a soft look before sliding her hands lower and closing her eyes in concentration.
Darcy screamed.
Eir sat back with a frown before turning her head to look at Loki, "I cannot numb her. Have you tried to ease her pain?" Loki shook his head. She continued, "Perhaps you should attempt that which you did last time."
Loki just stared at her for a moment before walking closer, kneeling down beside Darcy on the bed. Her body was shaking and there was an odd bluish hue to the skin around her navel. Loki tried to smile encouragingly, but Darcy's eyes were screwed up in pain and his attempt went unnoticed. He placed his hands on her stomach, trying to link in to his daughter.
Chaos. Panic. Anger.
Astrid was not a happy little girl.
Loki's heart skipped a beat as he realized just why Darcy's stomach was so hard…why it was turning blue. Fear in his eyes, he turned his head to the mortal doctor, "Deliver the baby now. Perform the procedure."
Dr. Finklestein's eyes widened. "I can't perform a C-section without an analgesic."
"Medication cannot ease her pain now. Nor can magic. You must get the child out of her immediately!"
The doctor seemed to realize that something terrible was going on – something beyond even the remarkable power of the man standing before him. With a slow nod, he reached down into the bag beside him, pulling out a bottle of brown liquid, cotton, a blade, a strange pair of scissors and other unsettling equipment. He looked up at Loki, "I can't do this. Not here. This needs to be done in a hospital. Somewhere sterile. I don't even have the proper implements, the proper medication. No IV, no heart monitor. Dr. Brown-"
Loki cut him off with a shout, "Midgardian medicine cannot help her now!" He sounded almost lost as he added, "Not even my magic can help her."
Again, the doctor tried to explain, "But the dangers of doing-"
Loki grabbed him by the collar, "There is no time! She is dying. Deliver the child!"
When Loki released him, Dr. Finklestein locked gazes with Eir who stood up and helped him straighten Darcy's legs. He positioned himself at Darcy's side and watched as Eir mirrored him. Then Eir stretched her own body, placing one arm on the top of Darcy's thighs and the other just beneath her breasts. She looked up at the doctor with a nod.
Dr. Finklestein looked at Darcy's frightened, pained face, "This will hurt. Don't try to fight unconsciousness."
Darcy's body was shaking even more violently, "Just get her out of me! I can't handle…I can't. Loki." The God of Mischief moved to place a kiss on Darcy's cool forehead. He whispered words of encouragement and love into her hair as the doctor cleaned and prepped Darcy for the procedure as best he could.
After a few minutes, Dr. Finklestein took a deep breath, "Alright. Hold her still. I'm sorry, Miss Lewis, but you need to just bear with me and hang in there."
The doctor's hand was steady as he brought the scalpel to rest several inches below her belly button. He went to make a small horizontal incision, but he stopped the second the blade pierced Darcy's flesh. He watched in muted horror as frost formed on the tip of the blade and slid upwards engulfing half of his hand. He screamed in pain, falling backwards off the bed. Eir pulled her own hands away quickly, staring down at the doctor in shock. With a strange sense of numbness, Loki watched as every inch of his skin that was touching Darcy's own turned blue – turned Jötunn. He slid his gaze down to Eir, who had moved to kneel beside the injured doctor. She gave Loki a grave look, "There is nothing I can do now. I heal with my hands. I cannot touch Jötunn flesh." She brought the doctor's frozen hand to her lips and breathed upon it until she could remove the scalpel that had frozen to his skin.
Dr. Finklestein tried to talk over his pain, "I can…I can try to walk you through it. If you can touch her."
Loki's voice was calm – too calm, "I do not need your guidance. Do you think I did not conduct my own research?"
"Loki?" He looked down at Darcy. She seemed to be in shock. "It hurts but I can't feel…anything. I can't feel anything."
Darcy stared up at Loki, trying to focus on his beautiful face. Sif had complained that his lips were too thin, but Darcy didn't think so. She loved his mouth. She loved…she…
Darcy became vaguely aware of an argument going on around her. The mouth she loved was spitting vitriol at the beautiful goddess. Something about cutting her open. He was yelling about how she would die – how he wouldn't let that happen. The goddess was explaining how that was the only way to save the child.
The child.
Astrid.
Save Astrid.
Loki had to save Astrid. He just had to.
Darcy's voice was ragged, "No, Loki. You save her. Whatever you have to do. Please. Please just save her."
He spoke to her slowly, as if she didn't understand, "Darcy, you will die."
"I don't care!" And in that moment, she truly didn't. "Please. Please, save her."
Loki took a shuddering breath, "I cannot. I cannot live without you! Please do not make me try."
A warm hand gripped Darcy's own, but she couldn't focus on who it was or what they were doing. The deep voice belonging to that hand cut through her pain.
"Listen to her, my son. She knows of what she speaks."
"Father! I cannot. I will not!"
Odin...so he was the one holding her hand. Why? Darcy couldn't focus. Black spots cropped up around the corners of her vision. Then little splotches of white light. Was she going blind?
Eir's voice came as if from a distance, "She is fading, Loki. You have to remove the child."
Loki looked from Eir to Odin, his face almost painful to behold. "Father, I cannot...I must save her."
Odin's voice was patient, "My son, she has made her choice. Let us focus on saving the child."
"No! I am not losing either of them! I am not losing her!" He looked down at Darcy's form, barely clinging to consciousness. His face took on a hint of madness and he quickly leaned down to whisper something in her ear that sounded like, 'I am sorry'.
Then he was reaching up his sleeve to the knives he always kept there. He pulled out a slender dagger with a wickedly sharp blade. He positioned the point of the blade at her navel and then looked up at both Eir and his father. Eir nodded grimly, pushing Odin out of the way so that she could sit beside Darcy on the bed. Odin stepped back to allow room, but kept his arm extended so that he wouldn't lose his grip on Darcy's hand, his fingers squeezing her wrist and counting the slowing heartbeats.
Loki's voice was ragged and dangerous, "I love you, Darcy. You are not allowed to leave me yet. You are never allowed to leave me!"
Then he slid the blade into Darcy's body and she bucked up automatically, a scream piercing the night. Without faltering, Loki's blue hands eased the blade down until it scraped against her pelvic bone. There was an unsettling grating sound as he sliced, as if he was cutting through something far more solid than flesh. A mist rose from the incision, like warm breath on a cold night. He kept his eyes closed throughout the process, keeping a mental track of the baby's location so that he would not nick her with the blade.
Unconsciousness hit Darcy like a blessing.
Odin watched the grim determination on Loki's face as he bisected the woman he loved and pulled the child out of her. The cavity left behind didn't bleed – it was too dry and brittle. The baby had frozen its mother's womb, like living liquid nitrogen. Loki quickly handed the baby off to Eir who had wrapped her arms in swathes of fabric and took care not to touch the child's flesh. Odin watched as she carefully inserted something down the baby's throat. Gurgles, splutters, and then cries emanated from the little body.
Loki's voice was panicked, "Eir, help me! You can touch her now!"
Eir passed the child off to Odin, who had to let go of Darcy's wrist - the last heartbeat too long ago for his comfort. As Jötunn flesh had never affected him, Odin immediately cradled the little form to his chest almost instinctively. Then he looked down at it. The eyes were no different than an Asgardian, but the skin had a blue hue - paler than Loki's had been, but still startling. As he watched, the skin began to fade to pink. He was struck so deeply with an almost visceral flashback of a moment so like this one that he nearly dropped her. Loki...just like Loki.
Odin looked up at his son, watching the frantic way he ran his hands along his lover's body – thawing the flesh, reviving it, healing it, yelling for the mortal woman to come back to him. Eir was removing viscera from the woman's stomach cavity with more haste than Odin had ever seen the graceful goddess move. Just when Loki's panic hit fever pitch, a noise like a wounded animal left Darcy's throat. Odin watched in horrified fascination as Loki's face was overwhelmed with grief and joy simultaneously. He could hear Loki shouting to Darcy, telling her to stay with him as Eir nodded confirmation that her task was finished. Loki pushed the Goddess of Healing off of the bed roughly and placed his hands over the two halves of Darcy's lower stomach, holding them together and whispering, chanting, praying for her to heal. Odin heard some of his prayers with a vague sense of bemusement. Loki was praying to him. How unprecedented. Loki had always made it a point never to pray to Odin – never to pray to any god. He had only done such a thing twice before - once when Darcy nearly lost the child and, before that, when Thor nearly bled to death on Midgard. Now his son was once again praying to him to save this woman.
Odin kept his eye on the scene before him. There was nothing he could do for the girl now, but he wished he could assist in some way. Contrary to the opinion of nearly everyone in Asgard, Odin took no pleasure in seeing his children suffer.
The King looked back down at the creature in his arms. It was wet with blood and fluids, wrinkled, writhing, screaming, alien.
But beautiful. Just as Loki had been so very beautiful.
Odin unconsciously held the girl closer to his body, giving her the warmth she needed to steal - the warmth her little half-Jötunn body could not yet generate. He was not sure how much time had passed when he finally noticed the silence and looked up again.
Loki had his head pressed tightly against Darcy's breast, his hand near her throat - doubly assuring himself that her heart still beat. Eir was smiling serenely once again.
So the mortal woman had survived the birth. Against his will, Odin felt a smile curl the edges of his lips. Time was once more bringing change. Darcy Lewis would be a goddess after all. He let his bitterness and disappointment drift away as he looked back down at the child. Both females had earned their immortality this day.
He kept his voice low, "Loki?" Loki looked up, face blank but wet with tears. "Hold your daughter."
Loki shook his head erratically, "I...Darcy needs-"
"Darcy needs you to hold your daughter. Eir will watch over your future-wife."
After a moment of stillness, Loki leaned down to place a gentle kiss on his lover's parted lips before standing and crossing over to Odin on shaky legs. Odin watched Loki's face as he took his first true look at his daughter. Pure awe slid over the mask of numbness and grief. Then a shocked laugh fell from Loki's lips as he reached out to take the child from his father, cradling her as gently as he could. Her cries eased at his touch and the delighted smile that Loki suddenly gave him made Odin's old heart skip a beat.
"Father…have you ever seen anything so perfect?"
Odin smiled, "She is beautiful, Loki."
"Astrid. Her name is Astrid."
Odin nodded approvingly, "That is most appropriate."
Loki brought his lips to her little wrinkled forehead, placing a soft kiss upon it. The child stared back at him with wide eyes, as if fascinated. Loki's expression made it clear that the feeling was mutual.
Unnoticing or uncaring of the tears dripping down his face, Loki spoke softly to the little girl, "I finally understand what your mother means when she says I cheat. I wish so much to be mad at you for hurting her so badly, but I cannot remember to feel such harsh emotions when you look at me with that beautiful face." He smiled as the child let out a little cry, "I am your father, Astrid. Welcome to the world. Your mother will be very excited to meet you just as soon as she can awaken. You were not kind to her for these past several months. But she will forgive you easily, I would think. You truly are perfect."
Eir had situated the blankets around Darcy's sleeping form. She now stood near the door, the mortal doctor standing beside her and cradling his injured hand. Eir's voice was as calm as always, "I believe there is a very worried grandmother and a very impatient uncle who will wish to hear the news. May I go inform them, Loki?"
Loki nodded, not removing his eyes from the miracle in his arms.
From his daughter.
A/N #2: Heavy stuff over with - back to the generally pleasant. I couldn't believe how many reviews were foreshadowing this chapter. Yes, there was going to have to be a C-section. (But this was Asgardian style, bitches.) And yes, here's as much of Odin's POV as I can handle at this point. And yes to just about every other question people asked. You are all amazing – and psychic.
The praying thing is a tiny homage to StarTrekFanWriter – who remains far more talented than me.
And thank you DeadEnd (and others) – CafePress does have the shirt. I totally bought it. Now if I see that girl again, I can gesture to my own shirt. Although, she might just think I'm pointing to my boobs or trying to flash her. My life is awkward…