A/N: New chapter! I hope you like... and I'll give you tissues in advance... *hides*

In the end, none of it mattered. The disapproval, the looks, the words. None of it had a point.

Eva woke in the middle of the night to bloody sheets and an aching belly. Her heart went cold and her voice was desperate as she screamed for help. Family members stumbled into her room – but the only one who would be able to help was already kneeling between her thighs, his eyes intent on assessing her.

"Oh, Eva –" Elise hurried over in her dressing gown to sit beside her, taking her daughter's hand, for once not objecting to Loki's presence, only wanting to comfort the trembling woman on the bed. Daniel shooed the rest of the family out – including an anxious Aidan – and shut the door, turning back to the chilling scene.

"The baby?" he asked, gazing at Loki's back. The god raised his head to look at Eva, and her heart splintered.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "It's a miscarriage."

Tears sprung to his lover's eyes, hand to her mouth, and Elise kissed Eva's temple, murmuring softly in her mother tongue. Loki felt a pang, and it hurt him more than he liked. It had been his unborn child as well as Eva's, and to see the remnants of an almost-life staining sheets… He was no stranger to seeing blood, but this unnerved him more than any mutilated corpse or dying warrior that he had seen in his long lifetime.

"I'll run a bath," Daniel said quietly, and he vacated the room, leaving his beloved daughter alone with mother and god.

It was a while before Eva would be moved from the bed, but Elise gently persuaded her to go and sit in the bath. It broke the mother's heart to see her daughter so shocked, seeming empty, and Loki glanced at her.

"Go to your husband, Elise. I will see to Eva."

Elise opened her mouth to quibble, but upon hearing the multitudes of family downstairs, and Daniel's exasperated tones, she simply kissed Eva's forehead and left the room, giving Loki a warning look – which he found vaguely insulting. But perhaps it was reasonable, given his nature.

It was easy enough for Loki to lift Eva into the bath, and he sat on the edge, as he had done before – only this time there were no teasing grins or protestations of modesty. Neither of them cared about that now.

"I should not care," she whispered, gazing down at the water. "I should not care."

"Of course you should," he disagreed gently. "It was a child."

"But it was yours."

"And it was yours. Half of you. It was not undeserving of care, Eva."

She was silent, her fingers toying with the flannel – but when she raised her head, tears glistened in her eyes, and her voice was soft.

"Please leave."

"Eva – "

"I said leave."

His eyes flashed briefly; he had never taken well to being ordered about, but he simply rose off the edge of the bath and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

The sound of Eva crying made his fingers clench.

His clothes shifted from blood-stained to clean, and he rolled his shirtsleeves down before descending the staircase. Involving himself in Eva's family affairs was something he was in no way keen to do, but he knew that Daniel would want to know the state of his daughter.

Absolute silence fell when he appeared in the living room, a room still festooned with reminders of the mortals' celebration. Loki ignored the wide stares and uneasy swallows to focus on the man standing by the window, looking more than a little hassled.

"I believe she wishes to be alone," he announced quietly. Daniel inclined his head.

"Alright. Now get out."

Loki raised a brow; Daniel simply stared back at him.

"You are not welcome here, Loki. You may have fathered my grandchild but that does not mean you are a part of this family. You are not. Now leave. "

Loki did not move – and then there were screams as he vanished and reappeared right in front of Daniel, pressing him so close against the window that the glass threatened to crack. His eyes were cold, and the grip around the mortal's throat was inhumanly strong.

"You may not command me, Daniel Manning," he murmured, watching the human's eyes dilate and feeling the weak, mortal throat convulse as Daniel tried to inhale. "I am your king, and you would do well to remember that. I may not harm your daughter, but I make no such promises for you or your wife – or any of this rabble. I do not care if I am not welcome. I have no desire to be part of your kin. But Eva is my queen, and she has just lost my heir. I do believe she should be higher on your list of concerns than attempting to remove me from the premises."

Loki released him, and Daniel started coughing, sucking in air and simultaneously rubbing his now-red throat. Loki merely disregarded him and glanced at Elise, before turning his attention to the young boy sitting in the corner, fear shaping his youthful features.

"Aidan."

"I don't want to talk to you," the boy said simply, getting up and leaving the lounge; Loki had to admit that the sheer boldness of that move impressed even him. The corner of the god's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, and he moved from the window. He disappeared from view, only to settle – invisible – outside the bathroom. He remained perfectly quiet, listening to his lover.

Eva sat in the bath; the water carried a red tinge, but her body was clean. Her face was devoid of tearstains, and she simply stared ahead of her. She no longer had any idea of her future. While pregnant, she at least knew of possibilities. But now her womb was empty, her heart torn… and she was not certain of anything.

Sighing, she groaned and rubbed her face with her hands before pulling the plug and stepping out of the bath. She couldn't hide in here forever, much as she might desire to. Making herself presentable seemed to take an age, but at last she studied herself in the full-length mirror. Long, curling blonde hair twisted and tied to the side, a soft blue shirt, and slim dark jeans. Good enough.

It was with a heavy heart that the Queen of Midgard descended the staircase and steeled herself to enter the living room. As her footsteps sounded upon carpet, whatever talking sounded immediately ceased, and Elise was the first of the throng to speak.

"I boiled the kettle, mein Liebling. Would you – "

"Please." Eva's voice, predictably, fell close to a whisper, and everyone in the room winced. Slowly, Daniel approached, and he gently pressed a kiss to his daughter's forehead.

"I'm so sorry, Eva."

Everybody else echoed such a sentiment, but her father's was the only one she truly heard. One by one they all returned to their beds, leaving Eva alone with her mother and father. Eva gripped the mug of hot tea that Elise handed to her, barely caring that it was too hot to hold. The slight pain helped her focus.

"Loki… where is he?" she asked hollowly. Daniel glanced at Elise before he spoke, somewhat curtly.

"He left, I presume. He startled a fair few of our family by vanishing into thin air."

"He does that," Eva murmured. "But he hasn't left. Have you, Loki?"

A faint skein of amusement formed amidst the god's solemn demeanour as he stood in the doorway, and he removed the veil.

"You called?"

"I thought I told you to leave," Daniel said curtly, but Loki ignored him to walk over to Eva. His wife did not look at him, only focused on the mug in her hands – though her hands were trembling. Gently, he reached for her hands – and after removing the mug, he encased them in his own, cooling the reddened skin. She seemed so small. There was a fragility to her that he had never seen before. Of course, he thought humanity a fragile race on principle – but seeing Eva like this, so vulnerable… It surprised him.

"Tell me what you need."

"I need… I need… I don't know," she whispered. "I don't know what I need." She felt empty; she did not dare put her hand against her stomach, for she knew that she would cry once more if she did.

"I can take you to Charlottenburg if that is what you would prefer," Loki murmured, disregarding the parents' expressions. "If, however, you wish to remain, I will not quarrel. The choice is yours."

"Oh, you're giving me a choice now?"

It was intended to be sarcasm, but it only sounded surprised, and Loki – much to his annoyance – felt his heart tug. He nodded once, voice still soft.

"Yes."

Finally, Eva looked at him, but there was such pain in her eyes that he wished she hadn't.

"I just want to sleep," she said quietly. "It's late."

The next few minutes were a blur, but she somehow found herself curled up in a clean bed, with Loki sitting beside her, his eyes almost tender.

Almost. 'Tender' was not a word that could be associated with him.

"Did you know I would lose the baby?" she asked softly, blinking as her tired eyes met his. He sighed.

"It was highly possible. I had doubts about the biology of a human and jotun; I did not think we could even procreate. But it seems I was wrong. Partly. I still do not know if your body can carry a child of mine to term."

"Let's not find out," she mumbled. His fingers found hers, though they made no move towards a reassuring squeeze.

"You are my wife, Eva. My Queen. Another attempt must be made."

"And if it kills me?"

"Then it kills you."

Her eyes shut, and she laughed brokenly.

"You're a heartless bastard, Loki. Why haven't you fallen to pieces? It was yours too."

"Because I've fallen too many times," he replied, abruptly sober. "And I will never do that again."

In the midst of her grief, it gave Eva pause for thought, and she looked at him. Truly looked at him. What she saw was a man struggling to contain emotion, because it had always landed him in trouble. Struggling to maintain an aloof façade, because nobody had cared. Nobody had listened.

She almost pitied him. Almost. Whatever sympathy she might have openly shared had been forced back by the reminder that this man had conquered Earth, forced her to be at his beck and call… and made her his reluctant queen.

Somehow she knew that those things would always come into play whenever she felt something for him. As if scolding her heart for daring to lust after him – amongst other feelings. Feelings that ran deeper, feelings that her heart longed for and revelled in and abhorred all in the same moment.

"Did you even want a child?" she asked. "Not an heir. A child. Did you?"

He was quiet, and Eva thought she had her answer, until –

"Yes. I did."

Soft, sincere. Something she had never thought Loki could be, and seemingly proved wrong. It threw her, and she raised herself up on one elbow.

"I thought you… I thought you only cared about securing your throne."

He laughed quietly. "I can do that easily, without the birth of a child."

Eva's brow lifted. "Goodness, can it be? Does the big bad Loki have a heart?"

"I would not go that far, Eva."

"Oh, of course not."

She closed her eyes and settled back on the bed, pain flitting across her features.

"I don't think I've ever felt so empty," she whispered. Loki's hand moved to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and he leant down to press a kiss to her temple.

"I know," he murmured. "Rest now."

"Are you going?"

"I must."

"Oh." Silence, and then –

"I'm sorry."

It took him aback, but his response was steady.

"I know that, too."

His fingers lingered upon her cheek, before he rose from the bed, and turned away.

Eva did not see the single tear that fell as he vanished.

Nor did she feel his anger, despair and frustration.

After all, he was used to keeping his emotions inside.

Tonight had been no different.

A/N: Possibly the most heartbreaking chapter I will ever write.

Lightning xoxo