Chapter 29: Perfect
Cephera was round. To round. Loki thought it every time he lay with his head on her chest and his hand on her rounded belly. Currently Shiaji was curled up on her belly while Loki rubbed the upper portion. Thor was suppose to escort Cephera to Midgard to have an ultrasound and a health check but the past three months Thor had been off realm with Odin trying to resolve some peace keeping issues with other realms. Loki had been oddly left in change with his mother at his side.
Loki was glad Odin trusted him enough now to have left him in this position but Cephera was six months pregnant and without any kind of technology to help determine how large the baby was Loki was more concerned with her than being king. The healers and medics at the palace said she was in good health but Loki felt in desperate need for more confirmed answers. Something more solid that could ease his mind.
He could not leave Asgard to go to Midgard. He was banished from stepping foot there and he didn't want to send her alone and so he waited for Thor's return. Loki watched her belly give small movements from time to time. And gave off a laugh when Shiaji leapt off her belly when he was kicked from below. "It's strong." Loki commented rubbing the area the kick had come from.
"Maybe they." She said. Loki tried not to get hopeful on that topic. The medic told her she could be carrying more than one which would account for her size but Loki was taking no chances with that assumption.
"Maybe." He replied kissing her lips softly. She'd been doing a lot of lying around since she had grown so large. Her feet swelled often and her back ached. She didn't complain though. "I wish Thor would return soon." Loki said after a moment.
"We've still some time." Cephera insisted. She kept telling Loki she felt fine but he was constantly worrying over her. He had Shay stay with her at all times that he could not and when Shay was unavailable it was either his mother or her servant. He checked in at least a dozen times a day to make sure she was ok. Loki had the medic measure her once a week to keep an eye on just how large and fast she was growing. It did concern the medic that the growth was much quicker than anything they had seen. As much as everyone was excited for the child they were also concerned for the health of the mother.
"You have no way to know that. What if tomorrow you wake and the baby is ready to come but cannot be birth normally. Such things as C-sections have never been performed here in Asgard." Loki said to her brushing her bangs off her face.
"I keep telling you why don't we have Sif or some one go to Midgard and bring back a doctor who can show the medics here what to do or do it themselves." Loki shook his head.
"The only people on Midgard we can appeal to is SHIELD but without Thor there would be much to explain. They don't know Sif or the warriors three. We can't just abduct a random doctor to bring to this place." Loki reminded her she sighed but didn't argue further.
"Then if there is truly nothing we can do right now stop complaining about Thor being gone. We must be patient." She said. Loki looked at her. She was right. He was all complaints but no way to resolve them. He would just have to wait and hope nothing happened before Thor's return.
XxX
Another week went by and finally Thor returned with Odin. It would seem peace talks went badly at first but they managed to come to an agreement but only after the original leader of that realm had perished in a battle he began. Thor came to Loki as soon as he was able. "My apologizes brother on my late arrival." He said.
"No matter. Cephera is still well though she needs that visit and soon." Loki said eager to get to the point.
"Let me change my worn clothing and I will take her now." Thor said.
Thor arrived in the room and eyed Cephera not knowing just how she looked. Loki helped her to her feet and found she was having trouble standing. Her feet were to swollen. "Allow me." Thor said picking her up into his arms. He looked to Loki a reassuring look on his face. "I will have her back by the end of the day if I can." Thor told him.
"Whatever needs doing." Loki replied with a nod and a quick kiss to his wife before escorting them all the way to the Byfrost. Letting her out of his sight at that moment had been the hardest thing he had done in a long time.
(Cephera)
Thor brought Cephera to Stark towers. Apparently it was the new headquarters to the Avengers. They took the evaluator up to the top floors. When the doors opened Tony was there to greet them. Or rather to greet Cephera. "Holy hell." He said looking from her face to her belly. "You know when I said all those things to you about being happy with Loki I didn't mean make more of him." He said gesturing to the baby bump. "And I was drunk. No one should listen to me when I'm drink." He insisted.
Cephera only laughed at him. "I need assistance of one of your medics." Thor told him.
"Wrong floor buddy. Two floors down you'll find the medical floor. You're not going to make a mess are you?" Tony asked following Thor as he stepped back on the elevator.
"I certainly hope not." Thor said still holding Cephera in his arms.
"So is this what an aliens baby looks like in a human?" Tony asked poking her belly.
"It's not an alien in the sense that you are speaking of." Cephera said knowingly.
"Does it hurt. I mean it's not gonna jump out through your belly and eat us?" Tony asked her stepping back like she was a ticking bomb.
"Nothing like that." She said shaking her head. She found Tony amusing. Something about his words sounded playful, teasing even.
"Cephera says you can view what's inside her?" Thor said to Tony in a hopeful tone.
"You bet big fella." Tony said. "Though I'll admit we don't have many pregnant women come here. Usually it's a hospital." Tony confessed. "You're just lucky I outfitted this place with everything since moving the Avengers in." Tony smiled proudly.
"Good. I am glad." Thor replied all seriously. Tony eyed him but said nothing.
"So what's the problem really?" Tony asked.
"The baby within me is growing faster than most children. It could be twins but if it's not then I may need the child removed before it becomes to large to sustain it." Cephera explained. She left out the frost giant part. It was a need to know kind of thing.
"I see." Tony said looking at her belly again. The doors opened with a ding and Tony escorted them down the hall a short ways. "We only have two of these machines." He told them. Thor set Cephera down on a bed as an in house doctor came to their assistance. "Friends of mine. See to it she gets the best care available." He said but didn't leave.
They prepped Cephera in ways Thor was unfamiliar with but he didn't interfere. They all gathered round as the doctor slid the device over Cephera's stomach to see just what grew inside.
(Loki)
Thor returned much sooner than Loki thought he would but when he met up with him near the throne room hallway he stopped. Cephera was not with him. "Come brother." Thor said instantly stalling Loki from speaking first. "We must seek permission to allow you to go to Midgard at once." Thor declared.
"What's wrong?" Loki asked.
"Nothing is wrong in a bad way but trust me when I say all will be answered when we get there." Loki hated to keep quiet but he followed Thor to see Odin. After a small amount of deliberation Loki was given permission to go to earth but he was to be declawed so to speak. His magic was sealed as was his inhuman strength. It was to give the humans ease while he was present. Loki didn't care what he had to do. Thor was being secretive regarding his wife and Loki was more than nervous.
Entering Stark tower Loki felt a sense of nostalgia but it faded quickly as they reached the medical floor. Stark was present which irritated Loki. "Don't break anything." Tony warned Loki.
"Don't tempt me." Loki replied with a sly grin.
"Stop that and get in here." Cephera called. Loki ignored Starks stare as Loki entered her room. Cephera was safely led on a bed her belly still plump.
"Are you unwell?" He asked her coming to her side quickly.
"No. Loki I carry only one child. The doctor says it's developed enough to remove now but further growth would be dangerous." She told him. "I'm giving birth today loki." She told him. Loki looked up to Thor as if to confirm it was true. He nodded and Loki looked to Cephera again. "I need your strength my love. I cannot give birth normally. They will be required to cut me open to retrieve the child." She continued. "I've refused the anesthetic Loki. With it in my system I wouldn't be able to feel to heal myself properly." She said. Loki knew it was important to her to heal without scaring. She had told him before this was what she wanted in case they should try for another child.
"I will not leave your side." He assured her. She smiled at him but she did look afraid. To stay completely alert through this would be agonizing and Loki felt worried for her sanity.
XxX
Nothing could prepare Loki for how he felt as Cephera clasped his hand as she bared the pain of being opened up. She yelled her agony clutching her teeth together at times and breathing heavily. Loki did what he could to speak to her and soothe her but there was not much to be done. Nothing stopped her cries of pain until a wail rang through the room echoing off the walls.
Cephera held her breath and cried. Loki had been knelt beside her until then. He stood to look at his child while Cephera used the last remaining energy she had to heal her incision. Her body mended slowly which concerned him but she seemed well enough a small smile creeping over her face before she nodded and closed her eyes. For a moment Loki's heart stilled but her chest rose and fell and the doctor checked her vitals as his child was cleaned up.
It all felt very surreal. Cephera now passed out on the bed. The cries of their child just across the room. Loki felt he was in a dream and yet he knew it all to be so real. "Loki." Thor's voice brought him out of his trance and Loki turned now to the nurse who was coming his way. A bundle in her arms.
"It's the first time I every saw an alien baby." She said looking a little embarrassed but amazed. Loki reached out and took the child from her. "It's a boy." He was told. Loki peered down at his son. He looked like any other newborn aside from his obviously larger than usual size and the marking that littered his soft white skin. Raised marks like those Loki possessed when he had once turned Jotun. It seemed some of his frost giant traits came through.
Loki had his son cradled in one arm and touched his fingers to the marks along his sons forehead. He had a small patch of dark hair and his mothers eyes though his eyes held no pupils. Just round violet orbs. Loki watched his son stare back at him and thought how perfect he was.
Not sure if tomorrow is the last chapter or not. Might add one more beforehand. :)
Thanks for all the continued support and the mega awesome reviews!
- Twifan 1987: Loki as a father will be nice.
- Vulcaniumx: lol. I loved your awwww. :)
- Exploding Sushi 15: haha sorry now girl. Lol. I wanted a boy. Tee hee
- Celestial Wolves: hope you liked it!
- Loki's Dreamer: I haven't had kids in stories in length for a while and alas still not for a long while. But the next fic is all about Loki being a daddy. Lol
- Gfor098: as those children you speak of are created between a frost giant sorceress, Angrboưa and Loki I have no intention of making them belong to Cephera...unless of course there as spell involved or something crazy.
- Benfan 1: he has grown indeed!
- Akera Writer of the Night: you're are so totally adorable. :)
-88 Dragon 06: I thought the drunkeness would be a cute moment for the brothers.
