A/N: Okay, so about the not-updating till May/June. Ha. Hahahahahaha. My muse woke up, and wrote this monster of a chapter in about two days. I'll still be studying for exams, so don't expect regular updates, however.

"She knows."

Fury's eye betrayed nothing as Maria Hill sat across from him. On the desk, a sheaf of documents lay only for his viewing pleasure – if it could be called pleasure at all.

"It changes everything – "

"It changes nothing," Fury cut in brusquely. "She'll still be here."

"And if he intervenes? There's no way we can hold him off long enough to get her out of here. This isn't just a baby, sir. This is his heir."

"He's no king, Agent Hill. That man is as common as you or I."

That raised more than a few questions in Hill's mind.

"Then why are we keeping her here? You can't seriously think that you can barter with Loki, sir. He takes what he wants, when he wants it. What makes you think he'll negotiate with you over this?"

Fury was silent, and for the first time, Maria Hill felt a flicker of unease. His gaze was hard – and she could see just how this war had worn away at him, had shaped him into somebody that no one could have previously pictured, not even the most insightful.

"It's not her we'll negotiate over," he said quietly.

Eva had not emerged from her room for several days. Not even Aidan's pleading could get her out, and Loki had not visited at all, presumably occupied with his politics. Not that she minded – the less Loki knew about this, the better. Meanwhile she was lost in her anxiety, and every so often her hand would cup her belly, wondering if whatever was growing in there would be her undoing. No doctor could aid her – this was no mere human baby, and there was every chance that the medical staff would seek to kill it dead before it had even been born. It was Loki's child, after all. There was no doubt of that. The god had been quite right when he had observed that no man had warmed her bed in the first months of Loki's conquest of Earth. Eva had been too worried that sex would cause her to care – yet more ammunition for the trickster god to use against her.

So the father was, instead, the god himself.

She knew roughly how far along she was. Two months. Conceived probably during their first few encounters. The pills hadn't worked, and it was that which annoyed her highly. Irrational, since the worst thing should have been that she was carrying the enemy's offspring. But there was something deeply discouraging about the fact that the two per cent chance of pregnancy just so happened to rear its ugly head for her.

"Bollocks," she had muttered once, and promptly chucked the pregnancy test at the wall. Annoyingly, it had stayed intact, solid evidence of her shitty predicament.

Her parents were supportive, as Elise had promised, and Eva could not deny that she was grateful for it. God knew she needed someone to lean on right now. Aidan was his usual caring self, and asked endearingly innocent questions that Eva found surprisingly simple to answer.

One question, however, was whether she would keep the baby. And it was not asked by her brother, but by her mother. It had caused many a sleepless night for Eva, and one night, in an effort to comfort his obviously troubled sister, Aidan had crawled into her bed and curled up beside her. Absent-mindedly, Eva had wrapped an arm around him, and it was only then that she gradually succumbed to sleep, somewhat soothed by the restful breathing of her brother next to her.

And in that simple act, Eva had found her answer.

"You're staying with me, little one," she whispered, stroking her still-flat stomach. "You'll love your grandparents, and your uncle. Your daddy… I don't know what's going to happen there. But there'll be more than enough love for you without him in the picture. We'll get through this, I promise you."

In the morning, however, Eva was not so certain.

"Miss, if you'd like to come with us, please."

Warily, Eva eyed the doctor and the nurse in the doorway. "Why?"

"We'd like to run some tests, check your baby is okay – "

Ha. Good one. Normally, she'd be very happy to let doctors test her, but Eva was not that naïve anymore. These were SHIELD medics, and were very likely devoid of any ethical code when it came to examining the baby of the enemy. She had decided before they'd even finished speaking, and with a sweet smile, she closed the door on them, locking it shut immediately. Whatever 'tests' they wanted, it was not to ensure her health. And that made her very, very protective of the baby inside her.

It would take them very little time to pursue her even with a locked door as a slight impediment, and she ran to the bathroom, glancing for anything that would aid her escape.

Two seconds later, and her eyes fell on a vent.

She locked the bathroom door – ignoring the banging that sounded from the entrance to her small bedroom – and tested the vent. She lifted once, shifting the pressure, and swore as the vent moved only slightly.

"Come on, come on," she grunted, and with an almighty heave that she was sure would only take a flex of Thor's muscles, the vent entrance broke open. She could have wept in relief, and crawled into the shaft, letting the entrance swing shut behind her. Quickly she made her way on her hands and knees – swearing under her breath at how not fit she was – and rounded a corner. With that, she allowed herself to pause for a moment; hidden from view, she felt vaguely safer, but her knees were already protesting at the abuse they had just endured.

But then she heard men shouting, and she scrambled down the passageway, trying to think. Thor's room was two doors down from hers; Steve's was two up. Both would probably aid her, but she was inclined to head towards Thor, knowing that he would protect her unconditionally. Steve was a gentleman – but Thor had actual ties to Loki, and unswerving loyalty to Eva.

Thor it is.

She shot down the crawlspace as best she could, trying to be as simultaneously quiet as possible. But her panic only increased when the voices of the men grew louder, and there was banging as the vent grill was swung back and forth.

"Through here!"

Fuck.

Frantic now, her heart racing, she crawled faster than she ever had in her life, and when she came to a vent that she had mentally calculated must belong to Thor's bathroom, she wasted no time.

"Thor!"

There was silence.

And then the door burst open. "Eva?"

God bless Asgardian hearing.

"In here! Please, get me out!"

Thor did not question it, and in a single second he tore away the grill and pulled her through, more than a little perplexed at her unconventional appearance.

"Eva, what in all the Nine Realms are you doing?" he asked, staring at her with a creased brow.

"SHIELD, they – tests – baby," Eva managed, before sinking to her knees. More than a little concerned now, Thor gently lifted her, brows furrowing deeply at her words, and he laid her gently on his bed.

"Eva, please. What troubles you?"

"SHIELD doctors, they… they want to do tests on my child. But I know what that means. I can't trust them, I can't, they want to hurt the baby, I know they do!" She took his hand, eyes wide with fear. "Please, don't let them take me. Don't let them do this, I –"

"Do what?"

In her panic, Eva hadn't even noticed Tony sitting in a chair, looking mildly more awake and alert than he had these past few weeks. Eva bit her lip as she sat up to face him; she knew that Loki was an extremely sore spot with Stark. Not that she could blame him. She'd be pretty broken too if someone killed her sweetheart.

"SHIELD are after the baby," she said quietly. Tony raised an eyebrow.

"Can't say I'm surprised. It is Rock of Ages's kid, after all."

"You don't need to remind me…"

"Yeah, yeah," Stark dismissed it with a wave of his hand that made Eva silently wonder if he was slightly drunk. "What are you going to do with the hell-spawn?"

Eva looked at him in disbelief.

"Er, keep it?"

Stark gave her a look. "You got balls, Manning – "

Banging suddenly erupted on the front door, and Eva went white. Mjolnir flew into Thor's hand, and he gestured to Eva. "Go into the wardrobe. Now."

Eva obeyed, closing the closet door shut as she sat in total darkness, only to yelp a second later when the door opened. But it was Stark, and he handed her… a cell phone?

"SHIELD can't block it," he told her, glancing out at the banging. "Go on. Do it now." Without even a reassuring smile, Stark shut the door, and Eva stared at the phone. A lifeline. A lifeline that she really, really did not like, and definitely did not want to classify as a 'lifeline'. But it was one. She didn't realise she was shaking until she tried to key in the number that would both damn and save her. Her thumb slipped, and she swore under her breath.

"Please, please –"

She managed to dial it after what seemed like the most nerve-wracking length of time, and she pressed the phone to her ear. Please pick up, please, please –

"Yes?"

She could have cried with relief at the sound of that smooth baritone – and she knew how fucked up that was, but right now she barely cared.

"Loki."

The delighted mirth in his voice almost made her break.

"My, my, little lioness. Do you miss me that much? I would have thought you'd be ecstatic to be free of me… or am I wrong?"

"Loki –"

"Are you to return to me, lítteinn? Of your own free will? I must say, that is surprising –"

"Loki." Her voice cracked, and she swallowed. "Please. Don't."

There was a pause, and he had clearly picked up on her genuine distress, for his tone was considerably softer, edged with concern.

"What is it, Eva?"

She bit her lip, trembling.

"I need your help." Only he would know how hard it was for her to speak those words, and his response was sombre, all traces of amusement gone.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, I –" She closed her eyes. "Not yet. But they might try, and I can't keep them away forever, not since they found out that I –" Her voice broke again, and it was no more than a whisper when it finally found its feet.

"Eva," he gently pushed, unusual for him, and she forced the words from her mouth, heavy, rasping.

And damning.

"Not since they found out that I… that I carry your child. I carry your child, Loki, and – "

The door was wrenched open, and Eva screamed as agents wrenched her from the wardrobe, dragging her out and into the bedroom.

Thor was nowhere to be seen, and Stark was lying comatose on the floor. Eva barely had time to register those facts before she was hauled down the corridor. She tried to resist, desperately, but as so often happened, her strength was pitiful, and she was pulled easily down passageways and up flights of stairs, before a door opened and Eva almost choked on the rush of fresh air that hit her.

When the sunlight finally let her see her surroundings, her heart dropped.

Her family were standing, guns poised to their heads. Fury stood beside Aidan, holding the gun to the boy's skull – and she felt bile rise in her throat. All she saw was a man twisted by desperation. Not long ago, he had been a man of integrity, of decency and honour… now?

Now he was as culpable as the rest of the bastards on this godforsaken vessel.

Aidan was shaking; his eyes were wide with terror, and Eva could see that her mother had been crying, face stained with tears and devoid of colour. Guilt pooled within Eva, and she glared at Fury.

"Really?"

"What else can I do? You're my last bargaining chip, Manning." A sort of madness lingered in Fury's eye, and it made Eva very, very wary.

Especially when he dragged Aidan away to the edge of the deck. Elise let loose a strangled yell, and Daniel struggled not to run towards the two of them as the gun muzzle pressed tighter, fear evident as his hands flexed, wanting nothing more than to comfort his little boy.

"Fury, stop," Eva said, urgency plain. The director gave an almost hysterical laugh; it was one that clearly betrayed just how desperate Loki had driven him. As if the gun to a child's head hadn't given that away already. Never before would Eva have believed him capable of such an act, but times had changed everyone. Even the best men were susceptible to madness and horrors. Fury was no exception.

"Please," Eva rasped through a dry throat, dry with apprehension. "He's just a child. He's innocent!"

"Nobody's innocent anymore, Eva Manning," Fury dismissed her, and Aidan winced visibly as the barrel of the gun pressed against his temple. "You see what Loki's done? Huh? He's turned this world into his own personal puppet show!"

"I don't think it's quite that apt, Nicholas."

Eva let out a breath at the voice that sounded from behind her. Never would she have thought Loki's voice would bring relief. But times had changed.

"Now, let the boy go and I will let you keep your life," he continued, voice unbelievably smooth, without a hint of anger. "As Eva has said, he is innocent. A child. Caught in the crossfire, I believe is the phrase. Let him go. Now."

Fury deliberated – and then Elise let out a scream as he almost casually tossed Aidan over the edge of the ship. Eva's heart jolted, but she felt a rush of air and saw a blur of green and black follow Aidan overboard.

All at once the agents, including Fury, fell to their knees, yelling in pain, and Eva stared as they writhed, curling up into themselves. What on earth…?

Loki's sudden appearance in the air – with a shocked and white-faced Aidan in his arms – caught her attention. Disbelief overwhelmed her as the god landed lightly on the deck, and yet the evidence was there. Loki had rescued Aidan. He had saved him.

Gently, Loki set the little boy on his feet, and Aidan stared up at the trickster in confusion.

"But… you're the bad guy."

To his credit, Loki didn't seem offended. A tiny smile played with the corners of his lips, and he glanced at the boy's parents.

"Is that what they tell you?"

He turned away without another word, and his eyes were soft as they rested upon Eva, briefly gazing at her stomach before returning to her face.

"And how is the mother of my child?"

Her own eyes narrowed at his lack of surprise, the almost blasé tone with which he delivered that enquiry.

"You knew."

Loki neither hesitated in speech nor wavered in glance.

"I do not deny it. Yes, I knew. I have known ever since Fury discovered it."

Eva wanted to hit him – but Loki had just saved her brother's life. He was supposed to be the bad guy, as Aidan had previously pointed out. Although one good deed hardly constituted redemption…

"Come." Loki interrupted her inner battle. "It is not safe for you to linger here any longer. Particularly because of what grows in your womb. We must return to New York."

"And what of my family?" she managed to choke out. "What happens to them?"

"They will be returned to their home," he said calmly. "There is no reason why they cannot live as they once did. I will ensure that no harm comes to them. You have my word."

"I told you before, I hold little faith in that."

A quiet laugh rolled from his mouth. "Perhaps that view may change. I have just rescued your brother, after all, and prevented agents from attempting to harm you. Are you not going to question that, my dear?"

There was a thump, and Eva turned to see Thor standing on the deck.

"Where the hell did you go?" she cried angrily, Loki momentarily forgotten as she focused on the blond behemoth before her. "I was dragged by SHIELD and forced to watch Fury drop my brother off the side of this ship – all because you disappeared!"

"He was looking for me, Eva," Loki said steadily from behind her, and Thor confirmed those words with a wordless nod. "He knew that Fury had lost control. Only I could remedy your situation, and no other."

Eva ran a hand over her face, suddenly tired.

"Fine. Just…"

"Fear not, Eva Manning," Thor said gently. "It will be alright."

Eva fixed him with a challenging stare.

"Can you promise that? Can you?"

Thor inclined his head once more, and then her surroundings shifted, taking her family by surprise – they yelped when they found themselves standing on plush cream carpet and staring at period furniture. Her old suite.

Eva sighed, and turned away from Loki to look at her little brother. He was still shaking, violently, and Eva dropped to her knees in front of him, taking his hands. "Aidan. Aidan. Look at me. It's all right. You're all right. You're safe now. Nobody is going to hurt you."

Eva was as shaken as he was, but she was not going to break in front of her little brother, even when her parents hugged him on their knees as well, her mother's tears streaming as the shock hit her, as the adrenaline wore off and she realised just what she had gone through. Daniel was the only one not crying, although his face was ashen, and his hands were trembling.

Eva did not miss Loki's commanding tone, however, clear through the haze of panic and distress.

"Blankets. Now. Tea for the adults and hot chocolate for the boy. Quickly."

Somebody murmured their assent and left the living room. Eva heard the doors shut followed by Loki's soft footfalls, and she turned her pale face to look up at him.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, plainly disconcerted by his actions.

"I am doing what anyone would. Your family have just had guns to their heads; I should think a hot drink would help them." Loki raised an eyebrow, and Eva could only stare in disbelief.

Trying to understand this man was akin to untangling bindweed – complicated, frustrating, and messy. She could spar with the surface, tease him and toy with him – but each facet she perused was exactly that. A facet. Eva wondered if anyone truly understood Loki. Not even Thor, who had known him longest, had the full measure of the trickster.

And unthinkingly, in that moment, she spoke two words that she would never have uttered to him before.

"Thank you."

Loki watched her, unreadable, before giving her a nod and turning his head to focus on the bundles and trays entering the room. Assuming his kingly façade once more, he slipped easily into the role of sovereign, and Eva's family soon found themselves wrapped in blankets and clutching steaming mugs, sat in armchairs and falling quiet. Eva couldn't blame them. They were in the abode of the enemy, and yet he was treating them in a manner that could almost be labelled as kind. It didn't seem to suit Loki at all.

Hours later, when Aidan had gone to bed – sleeping in his sister's own four-poster for comfort – Eva stayed up with her parents in her living room, dressed in soft pyjamas and a thin robe, clutching another mug of freshly-brewed tea. The evening city lights seeped in through the gaps in the curtains, and the lamps were dimmed. They had been served a wonderful dinner by the kitchen staff (many of whom greeted Eva warmly, much to her parents' surprise) sans Loki. It appeared that he preferred to stay away when family were around. Predictably, Eva had no inclinations to confront him about it – she would bet that if Loki had joined them for the evening meal, it would have won the award for 'Most Awkward Dinner Ever', and knocked all the competition straight out of the running.

"Is this where you stayed?" Elise asked as she leant against Daniel, voice soft in the silence of the room. Her daughter gave a nod.

"Yes. This is my suite. And no, I don't understand why he gave me these rooms either," Eva exhaled wearily. "I'm so sorry about SHIELD. I should have negotiated to get you out earlier. I didn't realise Fury was quite that far gone…"

"Eva. Stop." Daniel leant forwards slightly, moving his hand to squeeze hers, his palm warm from holding his own mug. "You're a twenty-six year-old woman with a bachelor's degree in Viking studies and a master's in Scandinavian studies. You're not a politician, sweetheart. Less than a year ago, you were going to accept a wonderful position, live in a decent flat, and do what you wanted to do most – teach. Nine months hasn't changed that, I can see it. But you can't 'negotiate' and 'barter'. You've done well so far, but I worry for you. We both do. You're pregnant with his child, and what on earth are you planning to do? Stay here?"

"Well, I can't go back to SHIELD, can I?" Eva pointed out. She ran a hand through her hair, agitated. "Ironically, the safest place for me to be right now is with Loki. His baby is growing inside of me; he isn't going to do me any harm, probably the opposite. You really think he would hurt me in my condition? He's the type of man to be hell-bent on getting an heir… Wow, that sounds really strange when I say it out loud. Huh." She shook her head, pursing her lips for a moment. "He isn't going to hurt me. Look, he saved Aidan's life. Why, I have no idea, but he did. He saved an innocent child. Think about that for a second, alright?"

Daniel was quiet, tapping his mug in thought. Elise looked anxious, and Eva knew what she was thinking. Her baby girl had been brainwashed into loyalty towards Loki. Ha. Not likely. Eva was going on survival instincts, and since staying with SHIELD had brought her closer to death than living with Loki ever had, she was inclined to remain with the latter.

It did, however, remind her that Elise still believed Loki had raped her daughter. Several times. Eva had let her parents believe the lie in order to keep SHIELD from using her mother and father as blackmail, but now…

Eva sighed – she seemed to be sighing a lot, these days. She supposed it came with the territory.

"And there's something else you should know."

Her parents eyed her warily.

"You're not going to tell your baby has three heads and bursts out of your chest, are you?" Daniel asked hesitantly. Eva cracked a smile and chuckled, the tension lessening a little.

"No, definitely not. Loki isn't human, but he has humanoid characteristics. You don't need to worry about extra heads – though I would hope you'd love your grandchild even if they did had two more heads than the norm. No, the thing is…" Eva swallowed. "Loki, he… he didn't rape me."

The silence was piercing, as were the gazes of her parents, and not for the first time did she wish the ground would swallow her whole.

"He didn't?" Elise's voice was small, and Eva was well aware just how shocked she was. Whether it was more because her daughter had lied or because her daughter had willingly had sex with the being who had conquered the Earth as he pleased, Eva had no idea. She shook her head.

"No, he didn't. Christ, I… I loathed him, I still do. But I slept with him. Several times. I didn't tell you it was consensual because I didn't want SHIELD to overhear and use it against me. It could have gone horribly wrong, for you or for me. I didn't want to risk you or Aidan getting hurt because of that piece of information. Please understand me when I say that I lied to protect you both. And Aidan. Do you think I could have borne it if SHIELD blackmailed me with his life? What happened today on the Helicarrier could have happened earlier if they'd known – "

"Do you love him?"

Eva blinked at her father's brusque tone. "What? No! No, I don't. And that is the truth, Dad. I don't love him. I'm not his queen and I sure as hell don't want to be. Yes, I was fucking stupid for sleeping with him, but I – god, I can't even explain why I did it. I honestly can't. Other than the fact that we occasionally have civil conversations about intellectual things, and he does have a sense of humour – albeit a little twisted – I can't explain why. It just happened. A shitty excuse, but there it is."

She set her mug down and ran both hands over her face. This was not how she had wanted things to go. Not at all. Exhaustion suddenly crashed over her, and she got up from the armchair.

"I'm going to bed," she muttered. "I'll see you both in the morning. Let yourselves out."

"Eva – "

Eva ignored them both and walked into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. She rested against the door, her face screwing up as she fought the urge to slam her hand into the wall in frustration. Forcing her breathing to slow, she crawled into bed moments later, and Aidan instinctively snuggled up to her as she put an arm around him, his deep-sleep breathing gradually soothing her anger.

"I know I'm a fool," she whispered, gently kissing his forehead. "I'm sorry, baby brother. I'm so sorry."

Sleep did not come to her until the dawn.

A/N: This was longer than I anticipated. Heh. I hope this keeps you all satisfied :)

Lightning xoxo