One of the things Tony found interesting about the whole Loki situation was that, up to that point, there hadn't been too many times in his life when the future had been laid out so clearly before him. Oh, doing what he'd had to do to save the planet had been pretty obvious. But that had been a kind of terrible-scary-nauseating type thing. What he had now with Loki was... good. Nice. Fantastic-triple-awesome-perfect, actually.

Loki loved him. Wanted to be with him. Was willing to work with him on figuring out how they could have a life together while still pursuing the careers they'd chosen. It kind of made Tony want to dance around while chortling giddily, not that he ever would. But—Loki loved him!

And, yeah, maybe the whole almost-but-not-quite-having-a-baby thing wasn't so great.

But, as he pulled Loki into the one not-destroyed comfy chair still left in the room, tucking his lanky limbs in beside him and helping himself to a greedy, unfettered kiss, he knew he'd already accepted it. He understood Loki's point of view, understood that it was probably for the best.

Still...

Tony nuzzled into Loki's neck, liking how his hair felt, thick and silky next to his cheek. He breathed him in, determined to memorize everything about him, noting with a smile how, when he wasn't mad or irritated or snarky, he could be so almost-soft, so easy to find a rhythm with, fitting him against himself like a humerus into a rotator cuff.

He slipped warm fingers under Loki's t-shirt and gently stroked low over his stomach, looking for the spot Frigga had shown him. He didn't feel anything unusual, just the smoothness of Loki's cool skin, but the memory of that electric sea had stayed with him. Within him. It was weird; he didn't know how long it would take Frigga to come back with the potion, but until she did, it was like they were a real little family, sitting there together, completing a circle. For a moment, it was as if he was a dad, even if he'd never get to meet the kiddo, never get to see it or hold it...

Loki lay his hand over Tony's. "Having second thoughts already?" he asked, not unkindly.

"No. Really, no. I just..." Tony caught himself before his voice cracked. "It's just weird, that's all. I mean, up until a few hours ago I'd never seriously thought for one minute about being a dad. Didn't want to be one, didn't think I ever would." He tapped the arc reactor. "Not fair to a kid, you know? Too many variables. But then, this happened—" He rubbed Loki's tummy. "And, now, I don't know... Something inside me kind of woke up... All this love... for something that barely even exists..." Tony was aware that a tear had slipped out of the corner of his eye and was sliding down his cheek. He angrily brushed it away. "Sorry. I'm sorry, I'm not trying to make you change your mind, honest. I'm just... telling you how it is for me."

"I understand." Loki was looking at him with a grave expression. "I must confess, I've had similar feelings. But, that's the wonder of having a mind capable of reasoning, of weighing risk against reward. I truly believe in my decision, Tony. But, it comes with sadness for me, too." Sadness, indeed. Feeling Tony's gentle fingers just there, knowing he'd made that psychic connection (thank you so much, Mother) just intensified Loki's own feeling of loss. And, he kept hearing Tony's words—the kid would have a good life, I promise—to the point that he almost believed them. "I, uh—"

Whatever Loki was about to say was cut short when Tony's phone vibrated in his pocket. Tony made a big sniff and cleared his throat as he checked the caller ID. "Uh-oh." He gave Loki an apologetic look. "Uh—I'm sorry babe, but I have seriously got to go make nice with Pepper. I did kind of leave her high and dry with the stockholders earlier. Plus, I need to check on a couple of things in the lab. Everything's under control here, right?"

"Yes, it's fine."

"Good. Tell you what—I'll get someone to come up and change the sheets and clean the room, and then I'll order us a pizza. You just relax, tell JARVIS if you need anything. I'll be back in about an hour and then we can talk some more, okay?"

"Okay," Loki agreed. He realized he desperately needed a little time alone. He wasn't used to having so many emotions playing havoc with his thought process, or to being around someone who was sharing those same emotions and making him doubt himself.

He wanted to, as Tony called it, "chill," and occupy himself with something that would give his mind a break, something stupid-but-amusing, the sort of entertainment Midgard seemed to produce in abundance. "I'll find something to watch on the television device in the living room. Or, may I peruse your bookcase? You have some rather intriguing titles there." Loki found Midgardian "science fiction" stories delightfully absurd.

"Sure, sweetie, help yourself. Anything you want. This is your home too, now." Tony gave him a quick kiss, his mind having moved on to thoughts of at last sharing his home with his beautiful alien space-god. It was going to be cool. Cuddling in bed with him. Waking up with him in his arms on a regular basis. Arguing over which show to watch, making room for his stuff. Listening for his footsteps. Ducking shape-altering magic-zaps when he pissed him off—yeah, okay, a little scary maybe, but good. He hugged him. "God, baby, I'm so fucking happy. What the hell have you done to me? I love you."

Loki raised an eyebrow—he still couldn't quite believe Tony was saying those words, but, oddly enough, they sounded right, and he just smiled. "Oh, Stark. I refuse to take responsibility for your foolishness, I'm having enough trouble accepting my own. But, I love you too."

Tony squeezed his hand. "Damn. You and me, finally. It's gonna be fantastic."

"Of course it is. I wouldn't accept anything less."

"All right. I'll see you in a little while. Try not to, you know..." Tony gestured at the demolished chair and Loki nodded.

"I'll do my best."

Tony roused himself from the chair, gave Loki one more kiss, and headed for the door.

Loki watched Tony leave and then he curled up, cat-like, in the warm spot that Tony's body had just been occupying. He smiled; he didn't hurt, nor did he want for anything. No one was relentlessly pursuing him, hoping to either kill or imprison him. He had a few people in his life that loved him, notably one Tony Stark, who actually foresaw a future with him.

Loki was content.

After a moment, a little fleet of robots lined up at the door, looking for all the world like mechanical animals awaiting permission to enter. JARVIS' voice came over the speaker system: "Master Loki, will you allow the cleaning crew to come in?"

"Yes, fine." He sat up and watched with interest as metal arms worked in tandem to yank soiled linen from the bed, while a vacu-bot went around efficiently sucking up poly-fiber stuffing from all the surfaces of the room. It was rather hypnotic.

Once fresh sheets had been tucked in and a clean bedspread laid on top of the bed, the dirty ones were whisked away and the vacuum-cleaner fellow zipped along behind.

Loki laughed. Tony truly was a genius. It was astonishing to see what Midgardian minds could come up with to overcome their unfortunate lack of magical abilities.

He lounged for a moment longer, but felt restless. He finally stood up and stretched, and immediately felt lazy. He was just considering getting a snack and then finding a nice spot for a nap, when he heard a thunderous flapping noise that seemed to be coming from outside and above the building.

Thor? he thought; no, it didn't sound like him, and anyway, he couldn't possibly have returned with the potion this quickly. No, this was something else, and he was fairly sure that whatever it was, it wasn't good. He stood stock-still, trying to decide what to do.

Loki had never run from a fight in his life, but he was at all kinds of disadvantages here. Unfamiliar territory, no weapons, using magic too risky—he made a quick decision and started toward the door. Maybe he could get out of the Tower before—

Too late. A projectile came crashing through the plate glass window, shattering it completely, and a huge helicopter with a familiar emblem came into view, hovering out beyond the ledge.

A kind of platform was fed out, creating a walkway from there to inside the room.

Loki froze as four men clad in odd-looking coveralls and helmets, all made of a clear gelatinous substance, came pouring in through the window. They were carrying some sort of weapons that Loki had never seen before and they quickly had Loki surrounded.

"Stay where you are, Loki," came a familiar voice through a bullhorn. Agent Coulson followed the agents inside, watching as they grabbed Loki, pulled his arms behind his back and clamped on cuffs made of the same gelatinous material as their suits. The manacles felt warm and vibrant on Loki's wrists and he stared curiously at Coulson. A sly grin came over his face.

"Ah, Agent Coulson. I take it you're feeling better than the last time I saw you?"

"Matter of fact, I am, thanks for asking. You did a pretty serious number on me, though."

"Merely defending myself. Even so, I obviously had no intention of snuffing out your life completely. I suppose it's a good thing the restorative spell took effect before they brought you to the embalming chamber, eh?"

"Yes, and don't think I don't appreciate it. Although, I have to say, coming back from the dead isn't all it's cracked up to be." Coulson looked Loki up and down and then gave him a mildly puzzled look. "What's that you're wearing?"

"Oh, uh—my own clothes were in a bit of disarray, so I took these from Stark."

"Mm. Speaking of which, where is he?" Coulson came closer. "What have you done with him? Is he even alive?"

"He's perfectly well."

One of the agents was studying an instrument he held in his hand. "He's in the basement laboratory, sir, according to this. Life signs are strong."

"That's good. So, what've you been up to, Loki—did you put some kind of mind-control spell on him while you holed up here in his house? And, why would you do that—what are you planning?"

Loki shrugged. "My activities are none of your agency's concern."

"Not true. We were assured you'd be serving a life sentence in an Asgardian prison, yet here you are."

"I was released. I'm in a recovery program as a condition of my probation. Ask Odin. Nothing nefarious, it's all above board, I assure you."

"Well, we weren't informed by the proper authorities of this development, and until we hear otherwise, you're under arrest." Coulson gave a small smile. "And, SHIELD operates outside of the U.S. justice system, so... I wouldn't hold my breath on any requests being sent for an update. Oh, and don't bother trying any of your magic on us—the material on these agents' suits and on your handcuffs works to counteract the energy you utilize for it. Kind of levels the playing field, if you know what I mean."

Loki gave Coulson a knowing smirk. "Ah. Levels it insofar as your team has significant weaponry, whereas I'm on my own without even a pen knife, is that it? Interesting turn of phrase."

"Yes, well." Coulson gestured toward the helicopter and addressed two of his agents. "Let's go. The rest of you, find Stark and bring him back to headquarters. I'm sure Director Fury will have a few questions for him."

Tony was in his lab, using his most sincere tone of voice as he spoke into his cell phone.

"Aw, Pepper, come on—I swear, I had no choice! I told you, a pipe sprang a leak, and, by the way? It was a good thing I left when I did, because the water was two inches deep by the time I got here. Huh? Oh, come on, DUMMY's no plumber! He couldn't—"

"Mr. Stark, there's been a breach upstairs. Agents from SHIELD have deployed into your bedroom," JARVIS' voice intoned.

Tony felt as if his muscles had been replaced with concrete. All he could manage was a strangled, "What?" before a crashing sound filled the room and Tony looked up to see the heavy door to his lab being kicked opened. "Holy shit. Pep, I'll have to call you back." Tony dropped his phone without bothering to punch the "end call" button and raised his hands defensively as the agents entered with weapons raised.

"Tony Stark? You need to accompany us to SHIELD headquarters, per orders from Nick Fury."

"Okay, hold on, guys. I have a feeling there's been a small misunderstanding—I know I paid those parking tickets, and if you'll just check your records, I think you'll see that I—"

"Please come with us, sir."

"Do I have a choice?"

The agents stared impassively at him from behind their face-shields. The weapons in their hands weren't yet aimed at Tony, but he was pretty sure that wouldn't last long if he didn't cooperate. He nodded.

"I'm guessing not. Could you at least tell me why you're here?"

"Suspected presence of an unauthorized alien life form, which has since been confirmed. The subject has been taken into custody. Director Fury would like to interview you concerning the matter."

Loki. They have Loki. A sharp rush of fear stabbed into Tony's chest. "Of course he would. So, you say you confirmed the alien life form? Was he, I mean, it, actively doing anything, you know—evil, when you made the confirmation?"

"No, sir."

"So, no alien guts to clean up before we leave?"

"No, sir. The subject did not resist."

Thank God for that. Tony nodded again, only somewhat relieved. "Well, that's good. It's so hard to keep a tidy home these days. All right—let's go." He didn't want Loki on his own in SHIELD's hands any longer than necessary. The agents led Tony to a waiting car outside his street-level front door.

"Tony? Tony!" Pepper had only half-heard the conversation once the phone fell to the floor, but got enough to know that something was up.

She called Bruce Banner.

The helicopter set down on a rooftop. The agents hustled Loki through a door into an empty room, then through another door that led to a hallway that led to an elevator.

Loki figured he had some time.

After all, he hadn't done anything wrong. He supposed accidentally blowing up an innocent toaster and a harmless overstuffed easy chair might be a senseless waste of several thousand Midgardian dollars, but it wasn't a matter of intergalactic security for him to do so.

He assumed his magic-gone-astray had alerted them to his presence, but he hadn't violated any of the terms of his parole. He could show them the scar on his torso if they wanted proof of that. It wasn't his fault that the Allfather hadn't bothered to inform Fury of his arrangements following Loki's rehabilitation.

It would just take some time to sort everything out, and Tony had assured him that he would attend to such things. He might sit in a jail cell for a few days... or weeks... but, sooner or later, things would work out, so he wasn't overly concerned.

Until the group was met in an underground facility by Nick Fury himself.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? If it isn't Thor's little bro, Loki! Thought we'd seen the last of you! Yet, here you are..." Fury's lip was curled into an expression of sheer malice. "How did that come to be?"

"Yes, well. I'm sorry you've been left in the dark regarding my status back in Asgard. As it happens, I've been released, with certain stipulations. I can assure you, I'm no longer a threat to your realm. And, I've done nothing wrong. So, I'm sure we can clear up this whole matter to everyone's satisfaction if only we could just sit down and—"

"First of all, you may be shocked to hear this, but I don't believe a damn word that comes out of your mouth. And, second, you may not have been threatening the planet at the time of your apprehension, but at the very least, we've got you on a breaking and entering charge. Unless you mean to say that Tony Stark was aware of your presence in his home?"

Loki gave his best sneer. He had to be careful—he didn't want to get Tony in hot water with this outfit, but at the same time, he didn't have a ready explanation for why he would be in Stark Tower. "I have nothing to say, and I don't believe I'm required to make a statement on the grounds that anything I say could be used to incriminate me."

"Listen, pal. Not one single point of law applies in this case—you're not exactly a citizen of Earth, much less of the United States. So, say what you want, it won't do you any good. You belong to me, now. And, I've definitely got plans for you, now that your magic's contained." Fury gestured at the cuffs on Loki's wrists. "With those things on, you're about as much of a threat as outer space tree moss. Let's not even get into how silly you look in those pajamas. Now, for starters, we're finally going to get a good look at your insides—don't worry, nothing painful, just a little bit of x-ray technology. For now. We'll work on getting you to talk later. Take him to the exam room."

Fury turned on his heel and left his men to wrangle Loki into a small room fitted with an x-ray machine. They forced him onto a gurney and secured his hands and feet with leather straps. A small young woman in a lab coat was standing by. When Loki was secured, the men left the room and she gave Loki an uncertain smile.

"Hi."

"Hello."

"I'm Jan. Uh... Just gonna take a few pictures. It's best if you hold still. Wriggling around'll just make it take longer."

Loki gazed at the machine. He didn't know a lot about Midgardian technology, but he'd watched so much public service TV by now that he had some familiarity with a lot of common medical equipment. "Excuse me—as you know, I'm not from around here," he said in a chatty tone. "Could you tell me how this thing works?"

Jan was busy checking the machine's settings. Her job was rather thankless and most of her subjects were in a pretty piss-poor mood by the time she got to them, so she welcomed a little harmless small-talk from a decidedly attractive extraterrestrial. "Electromagnetic waves bounce through your body and create images. It's like looking at your insides without... you know, actually getting in there."

"I see. And, I believe it produces something called radiation. Is it true that this radiation can have an ill effect on a fetus?" Loki asked casually.

Jan laughed. "Yes, absolutely. Not something you have to worry about though, right?"

"No, of course not. But, just for the sake of my education, what exactly might it do to a developing creature, I mean, infant?"

"Well, it could cause birth defects. Or, cancer."

"Ah. I see." Loki lay back, watching as Jan positioned the camera at the middle of his torso.

Right where the baby was.

No.

Something in the back of Loki's mind snapped. His baby... Tony's baby... He couldn't let them hurt it. He stared at the machine. A sensitive unit, delicate calibrations—wouldn't take much to make it inoperable. He flexed his hands. He could feel the interference from the cuffs. Coulson had been so smug, but maybe the damn things weren't as effective as he thought, maybe with Loki's magic being a bit haywire, it would be just right—without thinking any more about it, Loki concentrated a small spurt of energy toward the x-ray unit. He felt it go disappointingly flat, but then it seemed to rebound, re-route through his belly, and suddenly the entire machine began to shake and buzz.

"What the—" was all Jan had time to say before the unit exploded. Well, imploded, kind of like a mini-nuclear melt-down, creating a loud whoosh that drove energy into itself. Alarms went off, and the leather bindings on Loki's hands and feet disintegrated, along with the anti-magic cuffs. The little lab tech was thrown hard against a wall, and Loki stared at her limp body.

Oh, no... Oh, shit. Shit-shit-shit...

Loki launched himself off the gurney and ran to the girl's side. She wasn't breathing. He felt for her pulse, but found nothing. No-no-no-no...

This was so the opposite of what Odin had stipulated in the terms of his release from prison.

He was not to harm another being with his magic, not even for self-defense, not even by accident.

And here he'd apparently killed this girl. Which meant Odin would kill him.

Loki instinctively drew on something he'd seen on one of his public service TV shows, and positioned his hands in the middle of Jan's chest. He then pushed down in a powerful compression, and followed with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He repeated his efforts until the girl sputtered and coughed and opened her eyes. "Huh?" she gasped.

"Oh, good. You're not dead. Try to stay that way." With that, Loki slipped out of the exam room and cautiously began to make his way down the hall.