A/N: 400 reviews. Bless you all, I can't even thank you all enough for your words. I only hope I don't disappoint you!

Also, apologies for the long wait. I have seven weeks left of high school - and then exams. Exams which are vital in getting me to university. So I wouldn't expect an update after this until June. I'll be lucky if I manage to push one out in May. Very lucky indeed.

Anyway, I'll let you read the chapter :P

Loki had felt her absence instinctively and instantly. Eva had quite literally disappeared off the face of the Earth. And he knew exactly where she had gone. Not that it had come as much of a surprise. He was well aware of what Jane Foster and Thor had been working on. In fact, the only thing that had surprised him was Eva's look of desolation as she sat down on her bed. He was so used to seeing the spitfire side of her that he'd almost forgotten that she could crumble.

"Why did you kill Pepper?"

Loki surveyed her, expression unreadable.

"Stark needed to taught a lesson – "

"Oh, but you just gave him reason to want you dead. He never wanted to hurt anyone. He simply wanted you gone. I doubt he wished for your death until the day he learned of hers," Eva cut in quietly, standing up and moving towards him, eyes flickering. "A broken man is a dangerous one. And you know I'm right. All you need do is look at yourself for comparison."

"Is that how you view me?"

"You've always been broken. And somehow you believe that ruling my planet will seal the cracks in you. How very wrong you are."

Fingers brushed her lips, and peridot irises searched hers.

"I hope you do not see yourself as part of the sealant," he mused. That brought a laugh forth from her, and Eva viewed him almost pityingly.

"I'm not one for redeeming another, darling. Especially not one as far-gone as you. You'll have to find another sweetheart willing to save you. Someone whose heart is ready to warm yours."

His mouth twitched, and the fingers moved to feel the smooth jawline, elegant as the rest of her. A hand lifted to grasp his wrist, and her eyes flashed in plain warning.

"Don't pretend to know tenderness, Loki. It doesn't suit you at all."

This time, a smile was evident, though it was small in size and sad, wistful perhaps. Gently he removed her fingers from his wrist, and a kiss was placed to her knuckles.

"You think me a monster when all I desire is what is best for you and your world," he murmured. "It matters not how you see me, but you know that I can be far more frightening than I am now."

"Oh, I know," she replied steadily. "I know. I've known since the day I met you. Only a fool would have no fear of you."

"And you are most certainly not that."

Eva's brow cocked in surprise. "A compliment? I should feel flattered."

"And do you?"

She stared at him for a long moment, and then the corner of her mouth pulled up. "No."

She walked away from him, and sat on the edge of the bed. "I know why you're here, Loki. Your father. Odin. I must say, Asgard is quite the spectacle."

"A realm full of proud idiots," Loki remarked dryly. Eva raised an eyebrow.

"Is that really what you think?"

"Yes."

It sounded like a lie, but Eva did not press further, only sighed and closed her eyes, falling back on to the bed.

"I could have told you Odin would refuse," he continued almost idly in tone. "He does not like to intervene unless – "

"Unless absolutely necessary, yes, I know," `Eva cut in tersely. "I would have thought he'd take the chance to apprehend his wayward child, though."

"He does not count me as his son."

"Oh, I think he does, Loki. You're wrong there. And Frigga definitely counts you as her child, I've no doubt about that."

There was silence. It was almost predictable, really. Family was a sore spot for the god, yet when Eva opened her eyes, he was gone. Clearly the mention of Frigga had affected him more than he would have liked, and Eva exhaled once more, curling up on the bed.

"You have some serious issues," she muttered. Her mind drifted to the moment where she had seemingly convinced Fury that she had something up her sleeve, and a crease formed along her forehead. Truthfully, she hadn't the faintest idea how to best Loki, and she knew that. But the only way to keep from seeming weak in front of SHIELD was to maintain a façade, and keep on maintaining it till all hell broke loose.

And she didn't doubt that such an event would probably occur soon.

Loki knew what hid behind her mask of arrogance, knew how fragile she truly was. Eva did not have the answer, and as for vague ideas – not even they cared to make themselves known to her weary mind. She wasn't anywhere close to giving up the fight, but god was she tired. She supposed that Loki was difficult to tire, being of the immortal vein, and a flicker of resentment lit within her. He'd looked alert and composed when she had first met him, and that had not changed in the slightest. If he was fatigued, he hid it well. Just as she'd expect a master of façade and trickery to do.

The child that still lingered deep within her longed to run to her mother, to be comforted and told that everything would be all right. Eva doubted that anyone truly lost that instinct, even Loki. But she hadn't been a child for years, and she couldn't rely on her parents to sort her shit out now. Not when they couldn't handle Loki. The god terrified her mother and unnerved her father. Eva was unarguably the best candidate for dealing with Loki, especially since he seemed to regard her with a sort of amusement. Privately, Eva was grateful that SHIELD would never know everything about her month with the self-professed king. There were some things that would instantly jeopardise not only her family but also innocents if SHIELD discovered them. And if SHIELD tried to blackmail Loki using that information – an idiotic idea, but she didn't put it past them – innocent lives would die until the intelligence agency finally got the hint. Loki was not a man to be trifled with, and trying to think of a way out of all of this, trying to imagine overthrowing him… Her fingers pressed into the fabrics of the bed, her eyes closing as her brow furrowed in frustration.

"One day," she whispered. "One day he'll be gone."

Eva only hoped that it would be soon.

Laughter.

Eva watched from where she sat on the bench as the two children chased each other gaily in the gardens. The bench was nestled in a pale-wood canopy, and she looked down to see the curve of her belly, swollen for the third time. She was dressed in fine silver-grey, the skirts sweeping the grass and the first of the autumn leaves beginning to fall. Still warm. The sun was a welcoming beacon, and Eva tilted her head up to the sky, smiling at the balm with which the light caressed her face.

"My Queen."

The smile widened as she felt his lips brush her throat from behind, and a long-fingered hand curved over her stomach. She tilted her head back, and his soft laugh sounded in her ear.

"You should be with the council," she said dryly. His fingers traced patterns over the swell, and he stepped over the bench to sit beside her, his long legs stretched out.

"They can wait. My wife cannot," he replied simply, and he grinned as the two little ones ran up to him, shouting with joy upon seeing their father. He embraced both of them at once, kissing their foreheads, and he stood, lifting both of them up, one settling on each hip.

The two children – both eager, intelligent, beautiful boys – babbled away, telling their father every bit of interesting news they had. And Eva simply observed, light amusement falling from her lips as her family was gathered together.

Loki's eyes flew open, sleep instantly abandoning him as the details of the dream swam over and over in his troubled, tangled mind. How idyllic the scene had seemed. But was it a vision?

He had cause to doubt it. He was well aware that Eva would likely never look at him in reality like the way she had in that little slice of arcadia. The little mortal despised him, despised his very nature even as she acted the little whore in bed, as he took her like a king took his concubine. But he understood that labelling her a 'little whore' was incorrect, pointless. Not once had she beckoned him like a harlot – and that, he supposed, was why he relished her as a bedmate.

But she had been his queen in the idyll.

An almost bitter chuckle could be heard, and he sighed. Convincing her to take up the role would require further persuasion… not that he'd mind. He'd always revelled in a challenge.

Loki recognised that perhaps Eva was intriguing him to a degree that was dangerous, but then he wanted her as his queen. He was entitled to this fascination. Norns, he was King. He was entitled to anything and everything!

And that meant having her. She'd give in eventually. She'd need to, what with SHIELD's plans for her slowly falling into place. But Fury was a fool. If the mortal truly thought that things could be hidden from the god of trickery and deceit…

He was Loki. He was King, and nothing was concealed from him.

The room was silent but for the occasional sound of a well-thumbed page being turned. Eva had endeavoured to lose herself in literature, and Stevenson had finally succeeded in drawing her into his world of duality and human nature. She disagreed with Hyde's appearance, however. If she were to describe the epitome of evil, it would have a face like an angel and a soul born of the Devil. She'd learnt that the worst hid behind the best faces. SHIELD was no exception, however much they tried to play the 'good guy' card.

At least Hyde came to an end, she thought darkly. If only real life mirrored fiction.

Alas, she was not so naïve as to believe that.

"Eva?"

Roused from her reverie, she lifted her head from the book to see the figure standing in the doorway. Immediately a smile graced her features, and she patted the bed. "Come sit, Aidan. What's wrong?"

Her little brother did as bid, and eyed her book.

"Jekyll and Hyde…"

"It's very good. You'll like it when you're older," she replied, eyes twinkling. "It's the top read for good versus evil."

"The bad man dies, right?"

Eva tapped her nose. "You'll have to wait and see. Spoilers."

"You always say that," he grumbled. Eva laughed and pulled him close, kissing the top of his head.

"I wouldn't want to spoil the fun for you, little man. How's the maths going?"

Aidan pulled a face. "I don't like it."

"Hardly surprising. I never did, either. Hence why I gleefully tossed it out the window after my GCSEs."

Miraculously, they had managed to find a SHIELD agent who was able to teach Aidan the basics in maths, and another in English. It was not long before the two warmed to the little boy, and they waved away all offers of payment for their services. It was a relief to Eva's parents; the time Aidan had spent out of schooling was understandably worrying.

"What about English?"

The face was still present.

"Don't like that either."

"Typical."

The two of them fell silent, Aidan lolling against her as she returned to her book, both of them comfortable in their oft-visited silence. Eva read in a trance, her eyes skimming the words as they lured her deeper and deeper into the story – and then her stomach flipped.

Startling Aidan as she leapt off the bed, she ran straight into the bathroom – and the contents of her stomach made a quick exit as she fell to her knees in front of the toilet.

When her stomach had finished rebelling, she sat back, gasping for breath, and Aidan's voice sounded from the doorway.

"Eva? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she rasped. "I'll be fine, buddy, probably just something that I ate, that's all."

"Okay." He didn't sound convinced, and she heard him pitter-patter off somewhere. Sighing, Eva flushed the toilet, stood up and went to brush her teeth, hating the horrible taste in her mouth. Whatever it was, it was most likely one of those twenty-four-hour viruses, although how that had come onto a ship that was god knew how many feet in the air…

Eva settled back on to the bed, trying to lose herself in the book again, but a few minutes later a knock on her door made her look up.

"Come in."

Elise stepped into the room, concern creasing her brow as she sat on the bed.

"Are you alright, liebling? Aidan said you weren't feeling well."

"I'll be fine. It's most likely just a bug," Eva reassured her mother with a slight, rueful smile. "Honestly." She set her book aside and hugged Elise close, emotion suddenly welling within her. "I'm sorry for all this shit I've put you through. It's my fault; I should never have said yes to SHIELD's request. I should have stayed away, I – "

"Hush," Elise murmured, her slight accent more soothing to Eva than any lullaby. "What's done is done, Eva. Now we simply have to deal with the consequences."

Eva blinked back tears, and as she pulled back, Elise's gaze softened, and she cupped her daughter's cheek with a hand.

"Be strong, liebling. Be the fierce woman I know you are. Do not let him destroy you."

"I don't know if I can," Eva whispered, and for the first time in weeks, her façade cracked a little, trembling as frightened doubt slipped through. "What if we can't win, Mama? What then?"

Elise kissed her daughter's forehead.

"That doesn't mean you should stop fighting." Her thumb stroked Eva's cheek. "I know how scared you are, Eva. I know that you believe keeping your parents ignorant is the best way. But your father and I love you; we know that you are desperate to get out. Please, talk to us. Me."

Eva shook her head, and a tear slipped from her eye.

"I can't. I'm sorry. I just can't."

A shadow of disappointment crossed Elise's face, but the woman simply exhaled and pulled Eva close again.

"I hope you can open up soon, liebling. We are here for you; remember that."

Eva smiled, albeit shakily, and when the conversation turned to lighter things, she was more than a little relieved. Until she threw up again. Elise patiently waited, holding a glass of water which Eva gratefully took, swallowing a few sips. Setting the glass on the side, Eva curled up in bed, and her mother stroked her hair back from her face, pressing a kiss to Eva's cheek, before she quietly left the room, the door closing behind her.

But the sickness did not abate, and by the time a week had gone by Eva's suspicions – cold, trickling ice – had begun to take hold. She told no one of her thoughts, only let them whirl mindlessly around. She knew what would settle her worries, but asking for one would set alarms off, surely. Doctor-patient confidentiality, she suspected, did not apply to the woman who was supposedly Loki's whore. Even if it was only a pregnancy test.

Only. Only. Panic was rife within her, and even Aidan noticed how tense she was becoming. Several times her family tried to get her to confess what was bothering her, but she refused to answer. How could she tell them that she may or may not carry Loki's child? The scenarios filled her head: shock, disgust, urging her to abort it, to just get rid of it however she could. Eva tried to tell her mind that that was not how they'd react – but in her frantic state, that worked very little.

"This is stupid," she finally scolded herself aloud, as she leant against the shower wall, the water cascading down, steam clouding the glass partitions. "I shouldn't even be thinking… I'm not pregnant. I'm being silly."

She took that back the next day, when a sombre and concerned Elise placed a thin white object on her bedside table. Instantly Eva protested, a blush colouring her cheeks as she turned her wide-eyed gaze to her mother, shaking her head.

"Mama, I'm – "

"Don't, Eva. Please. Just take it. You've been sick far too many times for it to be a simple illness. Believe me, I know."

The blush darkened – and a stupefied frown creased her brow as a thought entered her mind and she stared at Elise.

"Mama – where did you even get that from?"

Elise cracked a wry smile, though it was oddly sad in its undertone.

"I'm not so old that I can't have kids, Eva."

Guilt flooded her daughter, and Eva instinctively went forwards to tightly hug Elise, biting her lip.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I have you, and I have Aidan."

"But it's my fault you couldn't have – "

"Stop." Gently, Elise pulled back to look at her saddened daughter. "You must not blame yourself for something that absolutely was in no way your fault. Eva Lena Manning – you are my daughter and I love you. Never think for one second that I blame you for what happened. I never have, and neither has your father." Her fingers tucked a strand of blonde hair behind Eva's ear, expression soft. "If you go into that bathroom and the results are positive, we will support you no matter what you choose. It doesn't matter who the father is. It's a baby. An innocent life – and I'd like to be a grandmother at some point."

Her eyes twinkled as she smiled then, and Eva laughed, glancing down and biting her lip once more.

"I love you," she murmured, raising her head to look at her mother. Elise embraced her once more, and her answer was wholly sincere.

"I know. And you know I love you also."

It was only when Elise had left that Eva turned her attention to the suddenly hated object on the counter. Inanimate as it was, Eva felt a distinct dislike for it, and a childlike desire to burn it to a blackened crisp using only the power of her eyeballs came to the forefront of her mind.

But, as with all human temptations, curiosity overcame loathing, and Eva found herself feeling the shape of the test in her hand. Cool to the touch. White plastic. Clinical, of course. As it should be.

A sudden, horrible vision of her crying out in a hospital room as her body tried to push the baby out of her hit her like a train; Eva closed her eyes, trying to still her trembling body. No. Be calm. You're not pregnant. You're not. Just being silly, remember?

She no longer thought that five minutes later.

The horrific realisation filled her as though she were drowning, and for the first time in months, tears rolled freely down the cheeks of Eva Manning's face as she grappled with her anguish – and her terror.

All the while, Loki had been watching, veiled from sight as he so often was.

The show of unrestrained despair did not surprise him.

What did was the feeling in his heart. But what was it? He could not discern it at first… but then he did, and it only grew, swelled to sit discontentedly in his blackened heart.

Hurt.

A/N: So there you go. I hope you enjoyed, and do tell me your thoughts! Till next time!

Lightning xoxo