A/N: I'm here, I'm here! Exams are done and school is officially over! Forever! I'm free!

Can I just say how amazed and flattered that so many of you have alerted and reviewed this story? You all deserve brownies. I wish I could bake them for you.

The palace was beautiful; Eva could not deny that. A definite improvement on the Chrysler. Charlottenburg was an architectural wonder. But it wasn't England. It wasn't near her family. Oh, her family knew of her… condition, but she had not seen them for days. Loki had had them sent back to England – promising that no harm would come to them. He and his lady, however, had relocated to Germany, as he had said they would.

Loki's smile, for once, was gentle, and he guided her into the rooms that she instinctively knew were hers before he had even confirmed it. They were opulent, furnished beautifully, and the full scale of her position suddenly hit her.

Eva Manning, a once hopeful scholar, was no longer that. Instead, she was Eva of Midgard – Queen. Of an entire realm. It was not a position that she had wanted, but her current state meant that she had no choice. She carried a King's child in her womb, and Loki had seen fit to dispel the 'whore' remarks that had been flung her way far too many times. His spokespeople had made the announcement mere days ago: Eva Manning was to be his queen, and thus…

Wife. She could barely stand to think the word, and her hand rested uneasily upon her slow-swelling stomach, as if the babe growing within could give her some measure of calm. Almost three months gone, though thankfully the gently clinging gown revealed her condition to none.

Killing the child had never been an option for her. Openly, she was pro-choice, but privately, personally, in her own circumstances, she was pro-life. She could not terminate her own creation. Yet neither could this babe be put up for adoption for a 'more suitable' family. There was no family more suited than this one. If it were not for Loki's magic keeping her warm, she would have died from the cold the half-jötunn child radiated. No other being on this earth knew more about the frost giants than Loki himself – and she suspected that he would make a better midwife than any of the human ones available.

"What are you thinking?" came his soft, curious voice. She raised an eyebrow.

"You tell me, mind-reader."

He made a sound of amusement, and his fingertips brushed her cheek.

"I do not always look into your thoughts, Eva. So please, indulge me."

Eva sighed, and glanced away.

"The birth."

"Ah." His hand moved to cup her belly. "Have no fear, my lady. It will be all right."

"Trying to comfort me?" She could not hold back the sarcastic tone, and he exhaled.

"I will not let you be harmed, Eva. You are carrying my child – a King's child. You will have the best care available."

"Yes, and most would rather see my baby and myself dead. They could just as easily poison me as heal me."

"No. I will not allow that to happen," he assured her calmly. "You said it yourself: mind-reader. Any who come with ill intent will be quickly discovered. You will deliver the child, Eva, and no harm shall come to you. That I can swear to you." Uncharacteristically, he took her hand in his, and raised it to his lips. "I promise, minn dróttning."

She tensed at that name, and turned away. "Do not call me that."

"Why not? It is who you are. My queen. Do you deny your title, then?"

"I would if I could," she replied curtly. "I had no wish for this. You know that."

Slowly, he turned her back to face him, and his expression was almost tranquil. "Ah, but if I let you go, now… you would be hunted by the press. You would have no protection, Eva, and you would be left to the mercy of your own people. Do you not see the dilemma?"

She did, but that didn't mean that she appreciated the status she had now. "I just… I want what I had before. Anonymity. Safety. No one knew who I was, nobody gave a damn. And I was content. Happy. But you tore that away. Made me visible, to every single person on this planet. I'm somebody now that I would never have even dreamed of being. Queen of this world. Don't you know how ridiculous this all is? I'm a queen, with an heir growing inside me, and wife to a husband I can barely stand!"

"No different to your monarchs of old, then," he remarked dryly, and he laughed as she smacked his chest. Catching her hand, he pressed a kiss to her palm, his eyes amused. "Oh, Eva. You are the most significant human being in this realm. You carry a worthy burden, a burden that you will hold in your arms within four months. My son."

"Your son?" she cried in disbelief. "How can you possibly know that you've fathered a son?"

"Because I do," Loki replied, infuriatingly simply. "That is my son within your womb, Eva."

"Oh, please do not tell me that Asgard is sexist enough that a woman cannot rule or inherit thrones!" she hissed, abruptly livid. "Are you telling me that should I birth a daughter, you will disregard her?"

Loki's eyebrows lifted, and he tutted.

"And what cause would I have to disregard, as you put it, any child of mine? Gender should not affect the level of love you bear for your offspring – "

"Love?" Eva laughed derisively. "What would you know of love? Hmm? You've never loved in your life, Loki, so don't give me that. You only want this child to ensure your bloodline – though that is entirely pointless, seeing as you will be overthrown in mere months."

"Oh? And where will that leave you, I wonder? Alone, with an infant son, without any protection, and every single intelligence agency hunting you as if you were a fox. You would be utterly helpless, Eva. You need me. Accept that. You need the care and safety I can give you. That I do give you. You are protected here. You will live safely, and in peace. No one will ever hurt you. I can promise you that."

Eva's mind fell back to the moment when she had accepted, and her heart tugged.

"Will you come or no?"

"Why do you insist?" Eva cried angrily, backing away. "I am not she!"

"I am asking. You are the most suited to the role, believe me," Loki answered steadily, his eyes flickering. "You carry my child and you are not afraid of me. An admirable quality, one that I value in you. You are not frightened of confronting me." His lips twitched, betraying his mirth at the memories of her bite and bark. "A she-wolf indeed. My lioness."

"I hope you've stopped wanting to tame me," she retorted coldly. Loki laughed, his eyes warmly amused, for once free of malice.

"I have. Your strength is worthy of such a crown as a queen's. Come, Lena. Be mine." He advanced, and his fingers brushed her jaw, soft and smooth. "Be the Queen I know you are. At my side. Helping your beloved Midgard to better itself. What say you, Eva Manning?"

Eva was silent, struggling. As she had been for weeks, trying to decline for as long as she could. Every fibre in her being screamed at her to refuse, but she could not ignore her mother's words, wise as Elise was despite her unease around the Norse god.

You have power, Eva. You could sway him.

The King's lady looked up at him, eyes steady, firm, and she spoke the simple yet solemn words that made the lady into the Queen.

"I accept."

Loki's smile was triumphant, and he raised her hand to his lips.

"My Queen."

Loki stood on the edge of a cliff, gazing down at the landscape below. A roaring sea, flecked with foam, crashing down upon the beach. It matched the god's mood perfectly. His mind was in turmoil, for though he had won Eva's hand – finally – there were other matters to attend to. Matters concerning the Earth and beyond.

They know.

He is coming.

And you will die.

His hand tightened on the sceptre. He could feel fear creeping down his spine like the cold sweat of a dream. And he could rely on no one. Not even the Avengers, were he to utilise them, would be able to stop this.

They have no idea.

The scars on his body had healed, but the ones on his mind were threatening to rupture. He knew he had looked much worse for wear when he had first arrived – but the Other had been right. He was ready to lead.

And now they thought him ready to die. An insignificant pawn, easy to kick aside in order to advance to the main goal.

It did not take a genius to know what that goal was.

But that will not happen. No.

Loki might have had resolve, however it did not stop him from feeling the apprehension settle over his heart like the hand of a jötunn. And squeeze. If he told anyone just what might happen… panic would ensue, and he would no longer be viewed as King. The mortals would take matters into their own hands. Foolish beings. The forces that were coming were much stronger than a few legions of Chitauri. Earth did not have a hope.

But he knew damn well that Asgard would intervene. The safety of a realm threatened, after all. Odin would not be best pleased. Not that Loki cared. He was past satisfying the old man. He had never been able to do that; why try now?

Glancing up at the sky, his eyes fell to slits as they briefly focused upon the sun. A sun that could very well be blacked out. On impulse he lifted from the cliff, higher and higher until he could gaze upon miles of landscape. No doubt the humans would view this curiously, but he had little care for that now. He had other things on his mind.

He turned in the air and flew north.

It was close to Christmas now. Eva watched the snow from the window, her gaze wistful. The snow blanketed the grounds - it was far more copious than the snow she had ever seen back in England. She had to admit it made the view utterly beautiful, particularly the icicles that glistened, the snow-coated trees.

"Exquisite, isn't it?"

"It is," she murmured. "Was this how it looked in Jotunheim?"

"Jotunheim is a barren realm. Nothing grows – you will not find anything akin to the trees you see before you," Loki responded, his hand sliding over her belly. "You are pensive. What occupies your mind so?"

"My family," she admits softly. "It is almost Christmas… I have not seen my grandparents, my aunts, uncles… I have not seen them in months. They know I am alive, but I miss them."

"I've noticed. You are awfully quiet, you have been these past few days," he commented. "Nothing near to your usual confrontational self."

"You want that part of me back?"

He merely smiled against her jawline.

"Go, then." His hand curved around her waist, lips pressing to her cheek. "Go to your family. Be with them. But I expect you back within a month."

"You cannot command me, Loki. I do as I please. And if that means I stay longer, then so be it." Eva turned around to eye him in that piercing way she had, though she could not hide her shock at his words. He's letting me leave. To see them. "You have never held sway over me; do not forget that."

Chuckling, his hand slipped down to feel her thigh, pulling her to him.

"Oh, I beg to differ."

Predictably, her eyebrow rose, and she batted his hand away. "Of course you would. Now, if you don't mind, I have things to set in order."

And she walked away.

The car drove up to the house, a large, warm-looking brick establishment, and Eva quietly thanked Erich, the man assigned to be her bodyguard. The gentle German giant smiled and nodded; despite his aversion to her husband, he had a soft spot for the young lady in his charge, especially since she was carrying a baby.

"Would you like me to help you carry those bags in, meine dame?"

Eva threw Erich a grateful smile, and the man picked up the multitude of bags, chuckling to himself.

"You must have a large family, meine dame," he commented, and Eva laughed.

"That I do, Erich, that I do."

She glanced towards the door, and inhaled slowly. Erich watched with a soft expression; he knew why she hesitated. The poor woman had been through so much. Though the bodyguard did not openly oppose Loki, he felt protective of Eva. Erich was well aware that she had been victimised by circumstance, and he felt a great deal of sympathy for the mother-to-be.

"They will not hurt you, meine dame," Erich reassured her. "They are your family. They love you."

"I know," Eva whispered. "I know."

With that, she slowly walked up to the door – and knocked thrice.

A small stampede echoed on the other side of the door, shouts of curiosity sounded.

When the door opened, silence greeted her. Shakily, Eva smiled.

"Hi, Dad. Merry Christmas."

"Who is it?" someone shouted – Aidan. With tears in his eyes, Daniel Manning pulled his daughter into a hug.

"I missed you so much," he whispered. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart. Come on. Everybody is in the living room."

The context of that statement hit her like a bullet, and she raised her head to give her father a nervous glance.

"Everybody?"

"Everybody," he confirmed, and a bubble of excitement built up within her as she made her way to the lounge, standing in the doorway.

"Merry Christmas, everybody."

Her entire extended family turned to her voice in shock.

Quite what happened in the next few seconds Eva would never be able to accurately describe, but there were shouts of joy, tears, and a fair few hugs. Everyone wanted to talk and to hear her talk, wanted her to sit down beside them, embrace them, laugh with them. All of which she was wholly willing to do. Aidan had never been happier. It was going splendidly – until her parents broke out the champagne.

"No thanks, Dad," Eva said quietly as he offered her a glass – no doubt as a cover-up. Curious brows lifted at this, and her grandmother spoke.

"Not even at Christmas, darling? Why ever not?"

"I don't really feel like drinking, Gran," Eva responded, trying to keep her voice light.

"But it's Christmas!" a tipsy uncle cried. "Go on, Evie – one glass won't hurt!"

"No, I really shouldn't – " she began, throwing her father a helpless look. He quickly intervened, his tone good-humoured.

"Leave the poor girl alone. If she doesn't want to drink, she doesn't have to. Weren't you trying to quit, Eva?"

"Yes," she agrees, visibly relieved. "I'm trying a no-alcohol policy. It's working well so far."

Somewhat mollified, the uncle did not press further, and Eva, when attention was elsewhere, mouthed a 'thank you' to Daniel, whose expression simply softened, and he turned away to pour wine in his own glass.

When the two of them were alone in the kitchen, Daniel standing in the back doorway smoking a cigarette, it was only then that the subject of recent events arose – her family had been too nervous to bring the subject up, which Eva was intensely grateful for. The last thing she needed was for a confrontation over Loki.

"So, I hear my daughter is now royalty. Fancy that."

"I didn't want it. You know that – "

"I'm not asking you to justify it, Eva. I know why you did it. You don't ever need to justify bravery to me."

Eva glanced down, and Daniel's hand took hold of hers.

"Hey. All I care about is that you are safe. That your baby is safe. I don't care who the father is. That child is going to be loved regardless. It's my first grandchild after all – though I have to admit I was hoping to be a bit older before I could say that." His eyes twinkled, and she relaxed slightly, giving a slight smile.

"I'm sorry. I'm just on edge here – I know that they're going to bring him up soon. I'm surprised they haven't already. Maybe they're too afraid to."

"You're not obliged to answer anything you don't want to, remember that," her father reassured her.

"That won't stop them pushing, though, will it?" she pointed out wryly. He sucked air through his teeth, looking sheepish.

"No, probably not."

Elise protested then that she was cooking and they weren't helping, so with guilty grins the two of them set to helping serve the food in dishes, sending Aidan into the living room to announce that lunch was ready. A small commotion was heard as the family got up and began to move into the dining room, chairs scuffing the carpet as they moved back and people sat.

Eva helped her parents carry serving dishes in, piled with potatoes and vegetables. There were loud noises of approval as the food came in, and she cracked a smile as she set plates down, then taking her place next to her mother, Aidan grinning at her from the other side of the table.

Conversation was warm and light-hearted, with crackers being pulled and ridiculous jokes being told. That was until halfway through the meal – when discussion turned to the topic Eva dreaded most.

"So, Eva," an aunt began, pouring herself a glass of wine, "how on earth did you end up here? The word was that Loki, our supposed 'king', had you at his beck and call."

The room fell to silence, and all eyes swivelled to rest upon the young woman currently wishing the ground would swallow her whole.

This was just like the lunch of all those months ago – except Loki was not there to draw her away.

"I was with him for the past few months, yes," she admitted quietly, gazing at her aunt, her voice surprisingly steady. "At his behest. If I had been able to leave, I would have. But he is not one to cross. For some reason, he allowed me to come here for Christmas. I don't know why."

"Did he hurt you?" her grandmother asked. Eva inclined her head, expression sober.

"Yes."

"And now you are his queen."

"Yes."

Eva did not miss the exchanges of looks between family members, and she sighed, placing both hands over her face and inhaling and exhaling slowly.

"Yes, is the answer to your next question. I know what you're thinking. The answer is yes."

Eyes widened at that, and Eva inwardly groaned. This is not what I need.

"Look, can we not?" she continued, lowering her hands. "All I want is a reunion with you lot, and an enjoyable Christmas. I haven't seen you all in months. I missed you. Can we please focus on family, and not what I've been doing for months?"

"But you were taken by him!"

"You were in New York! You were in France!"

"He took you everywhere!"

"Are you really his queen?"

"Why did you let him – "

"Enough!" Daniel suddenly roared, startling everyone into silence. He glared at every single one of them. "Eva has been through hell and high water these past few months and she does not need your pestering now! Yes, she's been with Loki. Yes, she is his queen. But now she is here, to enjoy her time with us – so you would all do well to close the lid on this subject and simply put it behind you!"

They all had the grace to look ashamed, and Eva was able to blink the tears back from her eyes.

"I don't want any stress," she said shakily. "I just want peace."

Sympathy painted their faces then – but her grandmother spoke again.

"Eva… there's a reason why you aren't drinking, isn't there?"

Her granddaughter's cheeks paled, and there were audible gasps.

"You're not…?" her aunt whispered. Eva raised her head to face them all, and she nodded.

"I am. I'm pregnant with his child. And I'm keeping it."

"But it's his – "

"No. Don't judge me. Don't you dare," Eva cried, standing from her seat, glaring at all of them. "It's my child. And I want to keep it. So don't you dare try to persuade me otherwise!"

She ran from the room, tears stinging her eyes.

A/N: I hope this satisfies you all :)

Lightning xoxo