Poodle warriors: I wanted these two to be like I imagine Loki being as a child. Wild, mischievous, cunning. :p

Max is a chick name: same time, same place indeed. Hehe :)

Kat Snowstorm: that was my brother as a kid but I was a good little girl :p

Doctor Loki love: Loki is hard on Kat only cause he knows she can handle it. He refuses to treat her differently because she is his friends wife. I do love the long review! And yes the kids do bring out in Loki a different side even Cephera does not. My last sentence was meant to be more for her temperament not magic. He wishes they were less mischievous and wild. The magic part he enjoys greatly. I actually can't wait for Diana to get older. I have my thoughts for her made. Devian I'm still working on. I love all input. 3

Sydney loves fiction: thanks for another kind review and awesome pm. Your always so encouraging.

Chapter 69: Too late for that

One year later

Cephera lay on the bed with one child laying on one side and one on the other. They were both cuddled into her sleeping soundly. Now three years old they had calmed down a bit. They had a better understanding of the word no and were getting easier to handle.

Over the passed year her trips to earth were still limited to once a month but she felt herself and Fury were finally coming to an understanding once he realized he couldn't bullshit her. Of course Heimdall was a key partner on that front. His sight was very useful to delve into secret stuff SHIELD had on the go that might effect Asgards alliance with them. She used Heimdell's sights, Loki's guidance and Odin's direct orders to help her along. Every time she left Loki told her how much he didn't like it. It was becoming kind of cute.

She had a lot more time on her hands these days. She no longer had classes. Cally had un-expectantly quit. Though she was still in Asgard somewhere she hadn't provided a reason for leaving and said no goodbyes. It had been Cephera's decision to no longer attend classes of any kind and so no other instructor was hired. Between her ambassador duties and her kids she decided to simply be a mother, a wife and an ambassador. Aside from her visits with SHIELD she stayed with her kids everyday now.

Her bond with them was tight. They seemed to only listen to her though which seemed to be a problem. When she wasn't around they would often misbehave. But she blamed Loki for this. He was unable to be stern with them as he should. He often found their jokes funny himself and once they saw him laugh they assumed it was ok.

Loki entered the room looking tired. He was still training Kat but the magic was harder and harder each year even taking a toll on him. He spotted her with the children and was careful not to wake them as he kissed her.

"Sleeping in the middle of the day." He teased. "What a hard life you have these days."

"And you not in training. I'm surprised mister dedicated." She said back in a whisper.

"I ended it early today. She became overwhelmed." He had stripped off his sweaty clothing and pulled on a pair of clean pants. He seemed too tired to use magic of any kind. He climbed onto the bed carefully and put an arm around Diana and Cephera. Devian was out of his reach. "I think I'll just relax until supper." He said smiling.

"Try not to wear yourself out." She told him.

"I thought we talked about letting the children sleep in our bed." He said changing the subject. Loki wasn't fond of having them coddled by allowing them to join them in their room.

"You were not here. We were playing and they got tired. I saw no problem as it was only a nap." She replied giving him a fake sad face.

"No more. Next time use one of their beds." Since turning three they now slept in bigger beds in the same room. Their nursery had been expanded into the next room and the room was divided by a play area. Both children able to play in the middle while either side was their own personal space. Cephera woke to find Devian cuddled up with Diana often.

Diana was now a head taller then her brother and Devian followed and copied everything she did. Diana was also very protective of him keeping him at her side always.

"Fine." She agreed. "No more sleepy time in our bed."

They had all fallen asleep there and when they woke it was Thor who had been the cause. He had knocked on the room door until Loki called for him to enter. "Brother supper is ready. We were concerned when none of you showed up." He said looking at the sweet scene before him.

"I hadn't realized we slept that long." He yawned and stretched while Cephera gentle woke the still sleeping children. They would be up all night after that nap.

"Come on. Time to eat." She told them.

"I'm not hungry, I'm sleepy." Diana said frowning.

"You can't stay in bed forever." Cephera told her. "Up." She shoo'd her daughter off the bed.

Supper was the usual talk and chatter. The children enjoyed the warriors three telling their tales of adventure. It kept them at least sat at the table until everyone was finished.

After they ate Cephera, Loki and the children went outside to the gardens. Cephera chased the kids round the fountain in a game of tag. Diana was not allowed to use her teleports in this game for obvious reason. Sometimes when she played alone with Devian she would anyway.

"Momma it's no fair. Your legs are longer." Diana whined when she failed at tagging her.

"Then you will have to run faster." Cephera said smiling. Diana got an idea and whispered to Devian. Cephera watched Diana began her pursuit again and watched Devian as he ran the other way. Devian grabbed hold of his mother and Diana did from behind. "If I knew we were going to play teams I would have gotten your father to play." Cephera laughed.

"Would you play father?" Devian asked turning to Loki who had been just watching.

"This is not my kind of game. Your mother is dreaming again." He replied.

"Show us magic." Diana quickly said back letting her mother go to join her father. Their speech had developed quite a bit over the passed year. It was also very proper for kids their age. This was Loki's doing but Cephera didn't mind.

Loki waited for both children to sit with him before beginning his magical display. They were always eager to learn when they weren't making trouble.

Cephera lay cuddled up to Loki. It had been a long beautiful day. She enjoyed when such days arose. Watching loki with his children was always the best moments of her life lately, that and the sex.

Their was never a dull moment nowadays. Now was no exception. The bedroom door came flying open "Father, Devian can't sleep. He wants you to come help him." Diana said rocking on her feet.

"We've talked about walking in like that. Manners my sweetheart, knock first." Loki told her climbing out of bed. Diana ran off first.

"You know it's a trap right." Cephera said to her husband before he reached the threshold of the doorway. Whenever Diana rocked on her feet in an attempt to look innocent they were up to something.

"More then likely." Loki said grinning. He knew all to well their mischief. He was often the focus of their mischief. They always wanted to prove to him their capability in magic but they enjoyed doing so in ways that meant him getting tricked into something. Just the other day Cephera found Loki out cold after being put to sleep. His hair was tied in many different pig tails and his face a mess of Kat's makeup.

Cephera left him that way much to his annoyance. They never really tried anything with her. But then again she gave it right back to them but only when it was things they should not be doing. Small jokes were fine but sometimes they went overboard. The fact she drained magic also made her not as much fun.

She heard the laughter before she saw him. The twins were having a time of it from their room down the hall and Loki's foot steps was heard approaching his. Cephera sat up and waited. It took all she had not to laugh when she saw him. But she felt her lip tremble slightly and he noticed as well.

"I've decided I want no more children. These two are enough to last me more then a lifetime." Loki replied his hands running through his very pink hair.

"You don't mean that." Cephera laughed. His face told her so. As much as the twins sometimes were a handful Loki still enjoyed the thought of more someday.

"Your right." He agreed with a sigh. "A little help?" He asked.

Cephera nodded. She walked to him and put her own hands in his hair. Sometimes Loki was unable to remove the magic unless he knew from which spell it derived. Sometimes he made it worse. Kat was sometimes behind the children's knowledge. She liked how they picked on their father but Cephera hadn't told Loki this. Kat would never survive class if he knew. She drained all magic from his body pertaining to his newly pink hair and as it became black once more she said "besides...it's to late for that."

Loki's head jerked quick to look at her square in the face. "You're pregnant?" He asked. Any signs that he might have meant his previous statement was gone as she knew it would be.

"Yes. I was doing spells with Kat last week and just like last time I was unaffected. Was just waiting for a good time to tell you. Was going to surprise you but now is as good as any." Loki slipped a hand behind her neck and kissed her.

"Ewww." Two voices echo'd from the doorway. Loki turned quickly and grabbed both children with a playful growl. They laughed at him and pretended to try and get away.

Only when he let them go and shoo'd them back to bed did he speak again. "I hope this one is more like you and less like me regarding their mischief. I don't know if I could handle being ganged up on by another addition."