Darcy kept the fact that she was pregnant to herself for the next month. It was still so early, and it felt almost too good to be true. She would tell everyone soon enough. For the time being it was just her little secret. She found herself just smiling at nothing sometimes, imagining how perfect this baby was going to be.

It was July now, and her days were filled with adventures by the water. Normally she liked summer, but this one felt hotter than normal and there was a nice lake about an hour away that she and Nathan (accompanied sometimes by Jane and the boys) would spend the day at. Nathan loved it. He wasn't quite swimming yet, so she had to keep a close eye on him, but he loved being in the water with her. She would take him out to where it was about waist-deep on her and help him swim. Or they would sit in the shallows and play games, or build sandcastles. Usually by the middle of the day he was tired out and they would go into the shaded part of the beach where he would nap for a few hours while Darcy would sketch out ideas for her book, or would read. It was a good way to spend the summer.

So July passed and August started, and with it was Darcy's fourth month of pregnancy. The fourth month came with more than just a few more pounds, and ultimately was what led to Darcy telling Thor and Jane that she was pregnant.

Nathan had remarked on it first, one night when she was kissing him goodnight.

"Mommy," he'd said, shrinking away from her and frowning. "How come you feel so cold?"

Confused, Darcy had held a hand to her forehead. It felt normal to her, so she'd held a hand to Nathan's forehead, thinking maybe he was coming down with something.

"Oh, honey!" She'd exclaimed. "You're hotter than a prairie desert on fire, honey."

Nathan shook his head at her. "Mommy, I don't understand you," he said. He often said this. Darcy wondered what it would be like when he started to understand her humor. "And anyways," he said with great authority, "I'm fine. It's you who's so cold."

"Yeah, yeah," Darcy said. It was difficult to argue with kids, because they were not hindered by inconvenient things like accuracy, or logic. She came back a moment later with a thermometer and took his temperature.

"Hmm," she said. Nathan raised his brows, as if to say see? "Okay, okay." She washed it off and took her own temperature. "Oh. Well, fu-" she broke off, remembering that Nathan was right there. "-uuuuuuuu...n. Fun. So it looks like you were right, which is...fun, for you."

Nathan smiled, happy to be right and not really thinking about what it would mean that his mother's temperature was much lower than his own. But Darcy was thinking about it, and about how Loki was a god. So was this a normal thing when people were pregnant with the child of an Asgardian god? Darcy had no clue, but she meant to find out.

So Odin was mad at Loki. Again. Basically, it was business as usual for the two of them. Odin hadn't been appreciative of being yelled at, especially in front of guards and Baldr, and Loki was still just angry about the normal things. He had daddy issues, he knew. Probably he should be in therapy, he admitted, but Asgard was so far from having or even considering having therapists that the idea was laughable. He could just imagine how that would go.

"So I've been feeling murderous impulses towards my father," he would say, lying on a couch.

Heimdall's eyes would get huge (it was always Heimdall that Loki imagined to be the therapist in these little daydreams) and he would call for the guards, immediately sentencing Loki to death. Their therapy session would be over before Loki could explain that of course he would never act on those impulses, and nor did he really want his father dead. Odin was just such a...butt.

He still could not flash, and his fury with his past teacher grew and grew. One of these days she would be made to regret taking what was his. He would make sure that she suffered as he was suffering.

But flashing to Midgard was out of the picture for now. So instead, he needed to...rebuild the Bifrost.

It had actually been Baldr who suggested that he do that. It was embarrassing to admit it, but Loki had actually pretty much been moping since getting stuck on Asgard. There was a lot of theorizing about what Laufey's next move would be and preparing for that, but Odin pretty much had that in hand, so Loki was kind of left on his own.

It was strange- he'd always been on his own before. He'd never had trouble keeping himself busy. There was always another spell to learn. Always another prank to pull. But for the past couple years he'd had Darcy, and Nathan, and so much of his time and energy had been spent being part of a team. Now he felt adrift. He had no interest in practicing spells that could not bring him home. And he was a father now- he didn't even want to pull pranks. They seemed unbelievably childish and unnecessary. Revenge- perhaps. But pranks? No.

There were always people milling about court, and he was their favorite subject. The women tittered behind his back while the men gave him a wide berth and suspicious looks. The Warriors Three were off doing jobs for Odin, and so the only person at court he really knew was Sif. And he did not want to deal with her.

So he ended up spending a lot of the time visiting Baldr, who turned out to be quite helpful and likable. By the second time Loki had seen him, he'd known they could be friends.

It had been about a week that Loki had been on Asgard, and he was visiting Baldr as he normally would every day for a few hours and the subject of his time on Midgard had come up.

"I'm sorry, you know," Baldr had said. "About sending you to Midgard for so long. I didn't...ah...mean anything by it."

Loki had shrugged it off. "I know. I hold no grudge. Being on Earth was actually the best thing that could have possibly happened to me- so really, I should be thanking you."

"Thanking me?"

"Yeah. I...uh." Loki had smiled, remembering how he'd met Darcy, when he'd thought he was just a scientist. The first time he'd seen her, he'd known she was something special. And, incredibly, she'd thought that he was special, too. "I met a girl."

"Really?" Baldr had asked, intrigued. "What is she like?"

Loki had laughed. "She's..." he could never find the right words to describe Darcy. She had something more than anyone else he'd ever met. An inner light that shone out brightly, inviting him to come share in the joys of life with her. "Well, she's funny, and kind, and ridiculous, and..." His smile had faded. "We're married," He'd admitted. "And we have a son."

Baldr had beamed at him, his open face clearly relieved and pleased. "Loki, that is wonderful news! I must say, I am relieved to hear that you fared well."

Loki had just frowned at him. "Not so wonderful, Baldr. The Bifrost is broken, and now I cannot teleport. There is no way home, back to them." He had looked away, a sharp sting in his eyes. "I am alone."

Baldr had laughed. And laughed.

"Oy!" Loki exclaimed. "What's so funny?"

"What is this?" Baldr asked merrily. "The infamous Loki, just giving up? I don't believe it for a minute. Even in the Farlands we heard tell of your mischief. You have a quick mind, brother. I have every faith that you'll figure something out."

And that, thankfully, had jarred Loki out of his melancholy. Baldr was right- of course Baldr was right. He was Loki! The God of Mischief! He would not be defeated. He would do the impossible- what none had done for an age. He would rebuild the Bifrost.

Even if he wasn't exactly sure how just yet.

"So," Darcy said the next day as she, Jane and Thor sat at their kitchen table. The boys were playing happily in the living room. She took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant," she announced dramatically.

Jane gasped, a great smile spreading over her face. "Oh my god!" She cried. "That's amazing!" She frowned, sensing Darcy's hesitation and lack of excitement. "Isn't it?"

"Yes!" Darcy said. "Of course! I would love another baby! Except..." She bit her lip. How was she supposed to say this? "I...ah...I don't think the baby is completely...erm. Well, Loki is a god," she trailed off.

Thor frowned, uncomprehending.

"But the boys are all fine," Jane said reassuringly, understanding Darcy's fear for the baby. Then Jane frowned. "So far, that is. But I'm sure there will be nothing to worry about," she finished brightly.

"Well," Darcy continued doubtfully, "see, because here's the thing- I mean maybe it's not a big deal, but it definitely didn't happen with Nathan- I'm...my skin is...cold." She made a face. Well. That just sounded stupid.

They both just looked at her, not getting it.

"What do you mean cold?" Jane asked.

"I mean, cold. Nathan said- or, actually. Here," she said, holding her hand out. "Apparently you'll be able to feel it."

Jane and Thor shared a look, and Darcy felt absolutely ridiculous, but she needed answers and Thor was her best bet. Jane humored her and reached out to touch her arm.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, surprised. "You are cold," she said and and looked at Darcy curiously. "I wonder why..." she murmured, clearly lost in theories for the moment.

Frowning at Jane's reaction, Thor touched her arm too, jolting similarly at the shock. But it was more than that- there was a look in his eyes that gave Darcy hope: there was recognition.

Thor looked Darcy over carefully, trying to notice any subtle changes that might explain it, but she looked the same. The simplest answer seemed the most likely.

"I think the baby is a Frost Giant," he said finally.

"A what!?" Darcy asked, choking on her water.

"A Frost Giant," Thor said again. "At least, part Frost Giant. You did not know that Loki was a Frost Giant?" Darcy could only stare at him in confusion. Thor coughed. "Ah. Well, yes. He is. And it appears that, for whatever reason, the babe you carry shares more of his DNA than Nathan."

Darcy shook her head, trying to clear it. "I'm sorry. But what? I thought he was Asgardian, or whatever. What the fuck is a Frost Giant? I'm guessing it's not exactly Jack Frost with a beanstalk."

"Well," Thor said, ignoring her last comment, "He is Asgardian. At heart, at least. He was raised to be such- but he is a halfling. The product of a Frost Giant father and Asgardian mother, adopted by my father and raised with me as a prince of Asgard." Darcy listened with fascination. "A Frost Giant is a monstrous being, most at least fifteen feet tall. They have blue skin, and they live in the frozen wastelands of Jotunheim."

"But...Loki doesn't have blue skin," Darcy pointed out with a frown.

Thor shrugged. "It must be because of his Asgardian mother. I'm sorry- I wish I knew more, but that's much of what I know of them."

Darcy took a few minutes to digest this new information. She put her hand on her stomach. "So...this baby," she swallowed. "Will they be blue?"

"Doubtful," Jane said reassuringly. "If Loki isn't and half of his genes are Frost Giant, then the baby shouldn't because they only have a quarter of those genes."

"Right," Darcy said, nodding. Okay. Okay, she could deal with this. At least something wasn't wrong. That was really what had worried her- the fact that she might lose the baby.

"If I had to guess," Jane said thoughtfully, "I would say that your body is reacting to the needs of the baby. That- maybe it needs a colder environment to grow, and so your body is lowering it's temperature to accommodate it?" she finished doubtfully, frowning at the idea.

"That...would make sense," Darcy said, thinking about it. She wrinkled her nose. "But is my body really that smart?" She asked, similarly filled with doubt.

Jane shrugged helplessly. "Maybe? I don't really know. I'm sorry."

"No, no that's fine," Darcy said with a distracted smile. "It's an interesting theory. But okay, what about this. What about Nathan? Why wasn't his pregnancy like that then? I wasn't cold with him like I am now. What's the difference?"

"I don't know," said Thor, feeling very out of place in this conversation. He knew next to nothing about Frost Giants, and even less when it came to pregnancy.

Jane shrugged again. "How far along are you? Do you know when you conceived?" She asked, wanting to get more information so she could form a clearer picture of the situation.

Darcy nodded. She'd thought about this already, and, counting the number of cycles she had missed and factoring in that she was pretty regular...

"It would have been within a few days of him leaving."

She gasped, remembering something. "I can't believe I forgot! He'd had an appointment to go see a doctor that week, because he'd been feeling off. Like nightmares and stuff. And he'd been cold, too. His skin, I mean. He hadn't been feeling the cold at all. Maybe- maybe that's why this baby is different?" Darcy asked, unsure. "Because something was happening with Loki?"

"It's possible," Jane said.

They all just stared at each other for a moment, thinking of what it meant that Darcy was pregnant with a Frost Giant. How would they keep it safe? What would it need? Would it be able to do anything alarming?

"Wow," Darcy breathed, a little overwhelmed by the hugeness of it all.

Jane squeezed her hand. "Don't worry, Darcy," she said. "Whatever happens, we'll be here for you."

"Yes," Thor agreed. "I will try to aid you in whatever way I can." It would be quite limited though, sadly. He had only knowledge to offer, and not much at that. He didn't actually know all that much about Frost Giants- it being something he'd never thought worth his time. He regretted it now, of course, and wished he would be able to be more helpful for Darcy.

Darcy teared up a little at that. "Thank you," she said, from the bottom of her heart. "I don't know what I would do without you. Really- it means so much to me that you guys are so supportive and everything." If she had to go through this alone...whoa. That would be a whole new level of terrifying.

"Hey," Jane said, smiling. "That's what family's for."

A few days later Darcy and Nathan were driving out to the lake again. The windows were rolled down a little to get some breeze, and the clean scent of pine drifted through the car. Darcy thanked her lucky stars that even though they lived in Boston, they were still quite close to a good lake.

She had decided that it was about time that she'd broached the subject of siblings with Nathan. A few different ways had come to mind about how to do this, but she figured the best way would be to just bring it up as a done thing and not make a big deal out of it.

She paused the CD that was playing Pete Seeger songs.

"So," she said. "So, buddy."

"I want more music," Nathan said, grinning in a 'please give me what I want because I'm so cute' way, which she could only see from the corner of her eye as she was driving. But she knew the look well. He'd used it to great effect most of his life.

"In a minute, scallywag. I just wanted to let you know something though. You know how your cousins are babies?"

"Yeah," Nathan said in a superior voice. "They're babies. Not like me. I'm a big kid. I don't even wet the bed anymore."

Darcy laughed. He was a funny little guy. "Well, sometimes," she reminded him.

He rolled his eyes. "Well...yeah."

"But not that often," Darcy amended to pacify him.

He sniffed. "Barely even."

"Right," she smiled. "Well, it turns out I'm pregnant. So that means there's going to be a baby just like your cousins in the house. How does that sound?"

"Ugh! Mom, they're gonna chew everything," he whined. "They can't come in my room. I don't want them to eat my toys."

He said it with such acceptance and aggravation that Darcy couldn't help it. She busted out laughing again. Nathan gave her a look of long-sufferance.

"Oh, Nathan, you are the sweetest, most wonderful boy in the world," she said. "If I wasn't driving a car right now, I would kiss you on your beautiful little forehead. Here's an air kiss instead though: mwah!" She made a smacking sound and blew the kiss in his direction.

"Ew," Nathan grimaced. "Mommy, I'm too big for kisses."

Darcy laughed. "Oh you. Oh you hilarious little big kid. You are such a funny guy- did you know that?"

"Yes."

"Ha. Hahaha," she laughed sarcastically. "No one's too big for kisses. You'll find that out when you get older. But that's not for a long time, so no one's going to freak out about that for another few years." She was not looking forward to him hitting puberty. What did she know about adolescent boys? Well, Loki would be back by then, for sure, so she supposed she shouldn't even think about it.

Nathan shook his head. "Mommy," he said. "I don't understand you."

"I know, kiddo," she smiled. "Don't worry about it. All will become clear. You got your hilariousness from me, you know. You'll find that out when you get older."

They spent the rest of the ride singing along to Pete Seeger, Darcy feeling lighthearted and happier than she'd been in months. Everything was going to work out, and she had a baby to look forward to. It didn't even hurt so much anymore that Loki was gone. The future was full of bright things.

"Mommy, take this and put it in your bag," Nathan demanded a few hours later. Darcy had been laying in the shade daydreaming a little while keeping an eye on him. He'd come running up to her with what turned out to be a shiny white pebble and given it to her.

"Oh, this is pretty. What do you want to do with this? Are you starting a pebble collection?"

Nathan rolled his eyes. "No, mommy. It's for the baby. Put it in your bag, kay? I don't want you to forget it."

She raised her eyebrows at his bossy tone and smiled. "Okay, okay. I'm putting it in my bag. No forgetting will be happening."

"Good. Because last time-"

Darcy groaned. "I know. I know. I said I would bring the book and I forgot. I'm sorry."

"Yeah. Exactly."

"Oh-ho-ho, Mr. Snarky Pants over here."

Nathan frowned. "Mr. what?"

She scooped him up and blew a raspberry on his belly and he shrieked with laughter. He had a very ticklish belly. "Mr. Snarky Pants," Darcy repeated, setting him down.

He grinned, his whole face lit up with happiness. "Mommyyyyy! I don't understand. I'ma go make a sandcastle."

"And I'm going to help you," she announced. The sun made her so sleepy, but she couldn't fall asleep here with Nathan so close to water. It was about time that she had some activity.

"Wheeeee!" Nathan shouted, pretending he was an airplane as he zoomed off to the part of the beach with better sandcastle-sand.

Darcy followed after him, breathing in the fresh piney air of the lake and thinking that in a year she would be back here again, but with a new addition to the family in tow. The thought made her grin, her heart feeling pretty damn full.