"I'm what?" Eliza asked again.

"Do you see that?" She pointed at the green swirling smoke in the center of her projected abdomen, "That is an aura protecting your baby. The father has magic I presume?"

"Yes…"

Eir nodded knowingly, but didn't ask anything else, instead, she turned and started rifling through the numerous jars that lined the walls. "This one you should take now, it will help with the nausea." She shook a bottle with a light pink liquid, "This one," Now she shook a bottle of dark blue potion at Eliza, "Will help with the strain of the magic in your body; it will be daunting on your systems since you don't have magic yourself."

Eliza took both bottles from the healer, unstoppered the bottle with the potion to help with the nausea and took a quick swallow; and sighed in relief as her urge to vomit subsided as soon as it hit her stomach.

"I assume this wasn't planned?" Eir asked.

Eliza shook her head.

"Well, if you need anything, you come back here anytime. We can figure it out together." The healer smiled warmly and rubbed her back comfortingly.

After thanking Eir, Eliza started back to her families chambers, her mind racing with what she would have to do next. If she was being honest with herself, she was afraid to tell Loki. Not that she was worried about his reaction, but she knew he would do the right thing by marrying her; she wanted that to happen because he wanted her, not because of an obligation.

"Hey, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Loki walked briskly up to her, and threw a long arm around her shoulders, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah."

"You are so lucky you were able to get out of that dinner, not that I am not happy you felt so bad," He added hastily, "Another dinner like that, and I am close to never wanting to get married."

"Oh?" Eliza felt her stomach drop.

"You don't want to get married like this do you? We should get married because we want too, not just to shut them up."

"Right…"

Loki who was usually so attuned to Eliza's emotions seemed completely oblivious to her distress, as he kept ranting and raving about his parents, and making rude gestures whenever he mentioned Odin. He gave her a quick kiss on the check as she darted into her family's chambers. Thankfully her parents weren't back from dinner yet, the quiet darkness was welcoming. She felt a nagging low in her belly, even though she knew it was too early to feel anything other than sick. Walking quickly into her room she closed to the door behind her and slid down the cool wood until she was sitting on the cold hard floor, holding her belly.

How could everything have gotten so messed up in an hour?

Eliza avoided Loki for the next few days, faking illness even though the potions Eir gave her made her feel better physically. He had come by to see her a few times but was greeted by her closed and locked bedroom door and an excuse of not wanting to get him sick always made him disappointed.

After a week of her exile, Eliza was startled to hear Loki pounding on her door, demanding to be let in.

"Eliza you have to let me in!" He yelled.

"I'm sick."

"I know you aren't sick!"

"Oh, getting lessons from Eir are we?" Eliza snapped back, a bit more sharply than she had intended.

Loki sighed deeply, "I know you are mad at me," His voice softer now, "About what I said last week…about not wanting to get married."

Eliza chewed her bottom lip as Loki continued to blather through the thick wooden door she stood up and went to open the door.

"Since you aren't going away," She muttered as the door swung open.

"Do you want me to go away?"

"Yes." And then seeing the hurt look on his face, she softened, "No…I don't know…"

"What is going on Eliza?"

"You said you didn't want to get married…"

"I said I didn't want to get married out of obligation. I didn't want to get married just to shut our families up. But that doesn't mean I don't want to marry you."

"You want it to be on our own terms."

"Yes."

A baby is a lifelong obligation…

"I'm pregnant," She said so quietly that Loki couldn't hear her.

"Come again?"

"I'm pregnant." Louder this time, but rather shakily. Loki stared at her so wide-eyed that she thought his eyes pay pop out of his head, "I was going to tell you that night…after I saw Eir…but you kept going on about getting married out obligation; this is the ultimate obligation." She laughed incredulously, gesturing to her stomach.

"I never would have said that if I had known."

"I know…but it's true. If I wasn't pregnant I would agree with you…but that night it…it made me think that I shouldn't tell you because then you would feel trapped."

"How could I feel trapped with you?"

Eliza met his eyes and saw he was looking at her in an away she had never seen before. "What do you want to do?"

Loki considered her question for a few moments, "I think we should wait to tell everyone."

"And how long do you think we can hold out? I am going to get huge and pregnancy usually leads to a baby. Or so I've heard."

"I say we hold out as long as we can," Loki repeated smiling, "And figure everything out as we go."

"Okay." She agreed.

"Can I?" He motioned like he wanted to touch her stomach.

"Sure, but I don't see what the point is, I'm not far enough for you to feel anything."

Loki stepped closer to Eliza, and pressed a long fingered hand against her stomach, "It's going to have magic." It wasn't a question.

"Eir said it had an aura around it…" She felt infinitely calmer with Loki's hand on her, "She showed me with the soul-forge."

"My mother always said she could tell I was going to be a magic wielder, and I never knew how she could tell, but…" He moved his hand in circles on her abdomen.

"What?"

"I don't know how to explain it…like I can sense something…"

"Could it just be that you know there's a baby in there." She laughed.

"It's like a pull…from my magic to the baby's." His voice was hushed but full of amazement, he smiled widely at her.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too." The smile was still on his face as he pulled her in for a kiss, one that was long overdue.