Hi Y'all!: Thanks so much to the people who are reading and reviewing. I've determined, and as sad as this is for me to say, this story will be ending soon! There is only so much more left for Kaleria and Loki and I know things are a roller coaster for them, things seem to get better then the world seems to fall apart two minutes later.

I plan on making these last few chapters long for your enjoyment. To help move the process along, let's leave some kind words to keep the words flowing, yes? I was really hoping to see this story reach 100 reviews before it ended so... make an old girl happy?

Do not fret though! I have started another Loki/OC/Avengers fic, and I'm really enjoying it. It's a lot different from this one and I hope you guys stick around for it!

Thank you again for reading, let's get this show on the road!

Read, Review, and above all... Enjoy!

Kaleria panicked, rushing out of her bedroom and throughout the halls of the palace. She needed to find Henrik, and she had a need to punch Loki right in his smug face. How dare he take her son? He had no right to do so! Then again, she did let him in after all. She opened the door to her world and let him come in without any hesitation. This was her doing.

She tried to remain as calm as possible as she walked the halls of the palace. Loki could still be here with Henrik, maybe he didn't disappear with her son? Whatever the case, he was somewhere and once she found him she'd make up her mind whether to turn him in or not.

Kaleria saw her handmaiden Aersie walking the halls with a basket tucked under her arm. She smiled warmly before bowing her head. "My Lady, good afternoon."

Kaleria nodded. "Afternoon Aersie; can you tell me, have you seen Henrik?"

Aersie looked somewhat confused. "You gave permission to one of the guards to take him to the field." She said. "Do you want me to fetch them?"

Kaleria forced a smile. "No need, I was going to meet them. I had forgotten where I sent them." She lied. "I will see you tomorrow."

"You also said I had the rest of the week off." Aersie replied softly.

'Of course, Loki' Kaleria mentally growled as she kept her forced smile. "Yes, of course, thank you for reminding me."

"Are you all right, My Lady?"

"Yes, just a rough night is all." Kaleria said. "I will send for you at the end of the week." Aersie nodded as Kaleria rushed off and headed for the fields.

She walked with a quickened pace, knowing all too well that Loki would be as far out as possible. She was right. She was no longer within eyesight of the palace and was now in the middle of the field, close to where the Tesseract had placed her, Thor, and Loki when they returned.

In the distance she saw him standing, creating illusions before Henrik. His giggles echoed in the field as Kaleria walked closer. As Kaleria came closer, she saw Loki noticed her. "Oh no, mommy found us." He said to Henrik. Henrik giggled as he saw Kaleria come closer. "I told you she'd be mad at me."

Kaleria sighed with somewhat relief when she saw her son was okay. "Are you okay, my love?" She asked Henrik, he just nodded and continued playing with the illusions Loki created.

Kaleria turned her attention to Loki, a somewhat false apologetic look on his face. "We didn't want to wake you."

"We, you mean you." Kaleria said. "You can't just take my son-"

Loki interrupted her. "Our son."

Kaleria sighed. "You can't just take him without asking me, especially when you just came back into our lives."

"You needed the rest; it's been a trying few days." Loki said. "Besides, I wanted some time with Henrik."

"Well, you've had your time." Kaleria growled. "You'll be lucky if I don't turn you in after this."

"You truly believed I would put my son in danger?"

"Yes." Kaleria stated simply. "And I thought he was our son?"

Loki scoffed. "Well he's fine."

"A little warning would be nice next time." Kaleria said. "You could have been caught."

"I think I was able to pull off a nice illusion." He said, turning into Kaleria, looking down at his new form. "Don't you?" Kaleria narrowed her eyes as he turned into the guard next. "Your handmaiden was none the wiser." Finally he returned to his normal form. "No one knew."

Kaleria was dissatisfied with his answer but knew it was the only answer she'd receive for now. Instead, she decided to watch Henrik play, trying to keep her anger from showing. However, Loki saw right through her, and with his smug expression, he'd get to her. "You're staring." She remarked.

"I enjoy admiring you."

"Well I don't."

He chuckled, slowly coming closer to Kaleria. This irked her even more as she stood there, arms now folded across her chest as he stood shoulder to shoulder with her. "He's a bright young thing." Loki commented about Henrik.

"He is." Kaleria said.

"Let's have another." Kaleria began coughing, choking on air as she looked at Loki wide eyed. He smirked happily, knowing he had won.

"You're insane!" Kaleria gasped.

"Yes but this insanity is what brought you to me." Loki said.

"No, your insanity drove me away." She reminded him with a sarcastic smile and waving her blue wrist.

"Well, something drew you to me." Loki replied. "I knew the moment I saw you. You were so quiet and unsure of yourself. It was quite cute how awkward you were, well, are."

"Is that supposed to be romantic?"

"No but, it's true." Loki said.

Kaleria bit her lip, shuffling from one foot to another as silence overtook them. Loki had looked away from her and focused on their son. "It was your confidence." She sighed.

"Pardon?" Loki asked.

Kaleria rolled her eyes. "Your confidence, you were so sure of yourself, so arrogant. I had to fight with you." Kaleria chuckled. "I had to be right."

Loki grinned, leaning a little closer to Kaleria. "You never were." He teased, causing her to playfully hit his arm as the two laughed.

Kaleria would have tried to argue her case, enjoy the banter between the two of them just like they did when they first met. Yet, something was wrong. The sky darkened rather quickly, then suddenly light again. Loki and Kaleria looked at each other, confused at first before looking up at the sky. Above them, they could see an open portal leading to another Realm.

"What is this, what are you doing?" Kaleria asked, the accusation hurting Loki slightly.

"This isn't me, my love." Loki said. "It's the alignment."

"The alignment; has Thor failed?" Kaleria asked.

"We will find out." Loki said grimly, looking at his wife. Kaleria's immediate reaction was to rush to Henrik, picking him up in her arms and holding him close. She walked back over to Loki, looking up at the open portal.

"What will happen if they failed?" She asked.

"Malekith will use the Aether against the Realms, he will destroy everything." Loki said. Kaleria looked at Henrik, desperate to give him comfort; the child was oblivious to the potential danger around them.

"What do we do?" Kaleria asked.

Loki wrapped his arm around Kaleria's back, pulling her close to him as his eyes stayed on the sky. "We wait."

Kaleria and Loki watched the skies as the alignment began to slowly pass by one another. There was red and black smog coming through the portal to another realm; it was the Aether. Kaleria closed her eyes, leaning into Loki as she held her son close. Was this it, was this the end?

After what felt an eternity, noting happened. The smog has dissipated; causing Loki to chuckle in disbelief. "The oaf did it." He muttered.

Kaleria opened her eyes, looking up from Loki's chest to see the alignment was over, there were no more portals and no smog to be seen. "He did it?" She repeated in her own disbelief. She smiled looking at Henrik and kissing his forehead gently with relief. She then realized she was still against Loki's chest and quickly backed away, clearing her throat. He grinned at her reaction. "Well, that means Thor will be returning soon. We should head back in."

"Can't we stay a little longer?" Loki asked.

"Why?" Kaleria wondered.

"I want to spend time with my family." Loki's voice was soft.

Kaleria sighed, looking at her son. "Do you want to keep playing?" Of course he did. She smiled at her son, placing him down on the grass to let him play. "We are going to need to lie him down for a nap soon."

"I already have that planned." Loki beamed.

"Oh do you?" He had everything planned as a smile appeared on his face. He waved his hand, revealing a few blankets on the grass.

"Our son keeps hiding them. He's a trouble maker." Kaleria couldn't help but smile. The two stood in silence as they watched Henrik play. "We should discuss our current situation."

"What about our situation?"

"We should discuss where you and I stand now."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Kaleria said.

"Why not?"

"I don't know where we stand or what to expect from us or even want from us." Loki smirked, a chuckle escaping his lips as though he discovered something. "What is it?"

"You resent me." Loki said.

"Excuse me?"

"You resent me still; even after all this, and me trying to prove myself worthy of you." Loki sighed. "Come now, my love. What do you resent me for?"

"I don't resent you."

"You're a good liar but, I'm a better one." Loki said. "Is it for invading New York?" He watched her expression, nothing. "No, no, it's not that. How about the hand print on your wrist?" Kaleria narrowed her eyes. "Closer but, not it, I think." He took one last guess. "Is it for your abandonment on Midgard?" She didn't reply. "It is, isn't it?"

"Loki, drop it."

"You should not be mad at me for that; Thor was the one to destroy the Bifrost."

"To stop you from destroying an entire race." Kaleria said through gritted teeth.

"Yes but, their race needed to be cleansed."

"You're sick." Kaleria rolled her eyes. "This is why I resent you, as you put it. You're not the same man I fell in love with."

"I'm the same man, just better."

"I liked you before." Kaleria replied coldly.

Loki sighed, coming down to her level. "And what if I change? What then, Kali? Will you still resent me?"

Kaleria looked down at her feet, shuffling them awkwardly. "I don't think you can change. I don't think we can fix what is beyond repair."

"What happened to still believing a part of me was still lost within this pariah you see?" She was unsure when Loki moved closer to her, lifting her chin up gently to force her to look at him. His eyes were soft. "I want to fix this."

Kaleria felt tears in her eyes, her throat becoming tight. "I don't." She whispered.

"You're afraid to fix this and I understand that." Loki tried to reason. "Let me try."

"Until you learn to give up this eccentric need for power… we can't fix it."

Loki licked his lips, contemplating what to say to his wife. He exhaled deeply before responding. "Then so be it. No more power hunger for me. It will be just you and I, existing."

Kaleria forced a smile, wanting to believe him more than anything. "And Henrik."

Loki smiled. "And Henrik." Loki moved even closer to Kaleria, careful not to overstep his boundaries, knowing full well she'd run and hide like she always tended to do. He placed his hand gently on her cheek, the cold felt amazing against her skin, and the heat electrifying his. Slowly his hand moved back behind her head, resting in her hair; he used this to his advantage to pull her closer. Her body trembled as he gently placed his lips to hers that desire she felt from their first kisses coming back as she felt the cold against her.

He pulled away from her, not wanting to overstay his welcome. "Kissing me changes nothing."

Loki chuckled. "I didn't expect it to work like magic." He looked away and to Henrik, he was lying on the grass, his eyes becoming heavier. "I think someone may be tired." Kaleria turned to look at her son, smiling at the sight of him.

"Well your plan has been foiled, the blankets are gone again." Kaleria smiled.

"So they are." Loki chuckled. "Let's get him inside."

Kaleria nodded as Loki walked over to Henrik, picking him up in his arms and holding him close as the boy slept. "Loki?" Kaleria began, a thought lingering behind her tone.

"Yes my love?" He was hopeful.

Kaleria shrugged. "Don't forget your disguise." Loki nodded, somewhat disappointed as he changed his appearance to the palace guard once more, leading the way as the broken family headed back inside.

"You're just going to sit on my bed then?" Kaleria asked as she came back into her chambers, she had just put Henrik down to sleep, and watched him slumber peacefully. He had had a long and tiring day.

"You didn't mind last night." Loki replied nonchalantly as he turned the page to the book he was reading.

"I fell asleep talking to you." Kaleria replied.

"So do that again." Loki retorted, concentrating on his book. Kaleria narrowed her eyes at her husband, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched him. "You know." He began. "You're adorable when you're mad at me." The candles in the room burned brighter, melting the wax quickly for a brief moment before dimming to their normal light. Loki chuckled as Kaleria turned away from him and to the window. "You can come to bed, love. I won't bite."

Kaleria kept staring out the window. "I'm not comfortable sleeping next to you again."

Loki made a clicking noise with his mouth. "Pity, really. I thought we were going to try and fix this."

"We are, just don't push it." Kaleria said, turning to face Loki again. He was still stuck in his book.

"I'm not forcing you to do anything; I just find it silly you won't sleep."

Kaleria sighed in defeat as she trudged over to the bed, plopping down next to Loki. Loki smirked into his book as she buried her head into the pillow. "Don't steal my son in the morning, wake me first." She muttered.

Loki chuckled. "I promise."

"Liar…" She muttered, sleep taking over her. The last thing she heard was Loki chuckle once more.

Kaleria opened her eyes to the new morning. Her bed was empty and the feeling of disappointment overcame her, surprising her. She sat up slowly, remembering the previous morning where Loki had disappeared and with her son. Grumbling, she got off the bed and walked into the small bedroom, ready to curse her husband, only to be pleasantly surprised that Henrik was still sound asleep.

Kaleria took this time to relax, knowing all too well that once Loki returned she'd be high strung and lose her temper. She would wait for Henrik to awaken, grabbing the book Loki had left in her chambers. It was somewhat nice to be able to read and as much as she hated to admit it, to see Loki reading in her bed… their bed again. She groaned slightly, closing her eyes harshly as she inhaled.

She wanted to keep hating him, she was torn in her hate and love for the guy. With him, she felt angry, confused, and like she was constantly a pawn in his scheme. Without him, she was lost and nowhere felt like home. "Well, there goes my relaxation." She sighed just has Henrik began to fuss in the other room. Kaleria walked into his room, picking up Henrik and hugging hm. "At least I have you, Henrik." She smiled to herself as the tiny arms wrapped around her neck tightly.

Kaleria dressed herself and her son and began their day, walking out of her chambers and wandering the halls of the palace. Today she'd take Henrik to the library but first, she planned to visit Sif, Fandral, Volstagg, and Heimdall. She walked into the room they were being held in, Sif smiled warmly as she reached for her nephew. Henrik went to her without fuss as Kaleria passed him along. "What news?" Fandral asked.

"The alignment has come and gone, Thor has succeeded." Kaleria said with relief. "I was in the fields when it happened; I saw the Aether begin to form but disappeared shortly after."

"Thank the stars." Sif said, playing with Henrik.

"So the Realms are saved yet again." Volstagg said. "Will we be released soon?"

Kaleria's lips thinned to a straight line. "I cannot say for sure, Thor has yet to return as far as I am concerned."

"He's probably spending as much time with that mortal as he can before returning." Fandral said, passing an apologetic look to Sif in the process.

"Jane is a good person." Kaleria defended. "She took care of me when I was lost on Midgard."

Fandral watched Kaleria closely before asking. "You look tired, Kali. Worn out even, is everything all right?"

"I'm fine." Kaleria said, biting her inner lip as she avoided his gaze. "Tired is all."

"The bags under your eyes suggest you're not sleeping again." Sif added to the conversation, her thoughts trailing to a time when Kaleria hardly slept due to the imprisonment of her husband. "What's wrong?"

"I have a young son." Kaleria forced a laugh. "Of course I am going to be tired."

"Is Henrik sleeping alright?" Sif asked.

Kaleria nodded. "He's just a handful sometimes." She smiled at her son. "Nothing I can't handle. Being tired is nothing compared to the rewards of being his mother." Her eyes trailed across the room, locking with Heimdall's. He was silent yet something in his eyes told Kaleria he could see right through her. She was somewhat shocked he did not say anything at all, yet, she knew he probably would say something when she left.

Kaleria found herself wandering the halls of the palace in an attempt to find Loki, no matter how hard she tried to deny it. She knew he'd be covered by an illusion and the task of finding him would be much more difficult. However, knowing Loki, he'd find her first. She held Henrik in her arms, looking in awe at different things, Kaleria smiled at her sons wonder. "We should head to the library now." She said. "What would you like to read?" She asked, giving kisses to her son on the cheek. "We can read about Asgard, or maybe about the adventures of your Aunt Sif and the Warriors three?" She asked, tickling her son with her free hand. Henrik giggled loudly, Kaleria couldn't help but smile as she continued. "I cannot tell you stories if you're laughing so hard!"

"A child's laughter is quite the gift." Kaleria stopped tickling Henrik and looked up to see who was speaking to her. Odin had a small smile on his lips as his attention turned to Henrik. "He likes stories?"

Kaleria nodded. "Henrik loves stories, he takes after his parents." Kaleria's cheeks flushed when she realized she had inadvertently mentioned Loki to Odin, of all people.

Odin nodded, his eye never leaving the child. Kaleria noticed her son was smiling brightly at Odin, waving eagerly at the All Father. Kaleria thought this strange, Henrik had known Odin all his life, Odin was not a very prominent part of his life really. In fact, it seemed Odin would sometimes avoid the child because of the reminder of Loki. Yet today, Henrik did not shy away but was very forward. Odin smiled a little more. "He's a happy child today."

Kaleria kept her eyes on her son, studying his strange behavior. "He is, he must be eager to go to the library."

"Well, do not let me keep you." Odin said, moving closer to Henrik before placing a loving hand on the child's head and leaving.

Kaleria pursed her lips; the strange affection from Odin was alarming to her. Something wasn't right, she couldn't place it but she knew. Kaleria shook the feeling, forcing a smile. "Let's go to the library." She sang to her son; walking to the library.

It stuck with her. This lingering feeling of something she was missing stuck with her as Henrik sat on the library floor, looking at pictures from books. He was a well behaved boy, he didn't rip the books like most children would, and he liked to look at the pictures.

The feeling like she was being played was infuriating and upsetting. It left a bad taste in her mouth. She couldn't place a finger on the problem just yet but, she knew there was something. She was most certain of that.

The door to the library opened slowly, closing with a very quiet click as Kaleria turned her attention to the door. A familiar guard came walking in, the same guard that had told her of her husband's death. As the guard came closer, a golden glow formed around him, revealing green and black, and that smirk. He walked over to Kaleria and Henrik, placing a somewhat loving arm around his wife. "How are you?" His voice was velvet.

Kaleria folded her arms, pulling away from Loki's arm. "Where were you today?"

Loki scoffed. "Well hello to you too." He looked down at his son, smiling as Henrik looked up returning the smile. "I wanted to explore the palace, see the damage done, and see the memorial…" His voice trailed.

Kaleria felt a little bad now. "It's a beautiful memorial." She said.

Loki nodded. "Did he know her?"

Kaleria smiled weakly. "Frigga loved him, and he loved her. She admired his gifts."

"He is quite talented." Loki said, turning his attention to Kaleria again. "Now may I ask how you are?"

Kaleria bit her lip. "I'm fine."

"You look tired."

"I am."

"You seemed to sleep well last night." Loki replied with a grin as though her good night's sleep was his doing.

"I woke with a slight start, you were missing and I thought you took Henrik again after you specifically promised me you wouldn't."

"And I didn't."

She sighed in defeat. "No, you didn't."

"Though I cannot help but feel that you wanted me to? Trying to get me in trouble, perhaps?"

Kaleria couldn't help but smile. "Any excuse ridding me of you."

Loki chuckled, pulling Kaleria closer to him with force. It stunned her for a moment, keeping her from pulling away as Loki moved his lips mere centimeters from hers. "You'll never be rid of me." Her hands were against his chest as both of his arms locked around her back, if she was going to push him away; she missed her window of opportunity. He took what was his and kissed her lovingly. She fought the urge to kiss him back but lost miserably as she soon found herself returning his kiss.

He smiled into the kiss, causing her to smile in return as their lips touched. The feeling of their lips touching was a reminder of a time that felt ancient now. She pulled away first, the smile still evident on her lips as she remained breathless for a moment. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" He asked, still smiling.

"Ruin any and all focus I have just by kissing me."

Loki chuckled. "I know it's so hard to stay angry with me."

She playfully hit his chest, only sparking his more playful side as he held her tighter to his chest. She couldn't help but laugh as she stopped struggling to get away, resting her head on his chest as he ran his hand through her hair lovingly. "Even after all that's happened-"She began. "I can't deny how much I've missed you."

Loki kissed the top of her head, pulling away from her just enough to look down at her. "I know the feeling."

Kaleria felt her heart racing in her chest as she looked at her husband, the feeling of love and devotion returning; slowly but, it was evident. She cleared her throat before pulling away and looking down at Henrik. She saw him smiling up at her which caused an immediate response to pick him up. She held her son lovingly, noticing his attention turning to Loki; her own smile fading as she watched Henrik wave eagerly at Loki. Loki moved closer to the two, placing his hand lovingly on his sons head as he smiled. Kaleria's mind began to attempt to find a connection in all this, and soon found the same sinking feeling returning as she did everything possible to deny her suspicions of her husband's intentions.

Final Thoughts: Thanks again for reading. I plan on having a few more chapters before the big finale! Give me something fun to read, I miss hearing from you!