Bruce stood at the door of the den, running through possible scenarios. He felt sure Loki was no longer a threat. He also thought the two of them had passed some sort of milestone at Tony's dinner party, allowing them to be civil—even friendly—with each other. But, that was a far cry from being on such good terms that Loki would allow him to give him a medical exam, even a non-invasive one.

He had to establish trust. And, maybe if he went slowly and behaved in a respectful manner, he could do so. So, he tapped on the doorframe before poking his head in and saying, "Uh, Loki?" in an unassuming voice. He stayed put and waited to be acknowledged, braced for whatever rebuff Loki might choose to hurl at him.

But, all he got was a soft, Asgardian-accented, "Hello, Dr. Banner."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "Hi there. Mind if I come in?"

Loki sighed. He was doing his best to be honest without being confrontational, but it was difficult. He thought a moment before answering. "I'd rather you didn't. But, Tony seems to think it's important I have these tests, so I won't resist."

Bruce came in and placed his medical bag on the coffee table. Loki looked up, and Bruce met his eyes with a kindly smile. "'Resist?' Wow. Sounds like you're expecting something a lot more dramatic than a pre-natal checkup. May I sit down?"

Loki gestured toward a nearby chair. "Please do. It's just that... I don't know whatto expect."

"I understand. But, I promise, it's all pretty easy, and I'll be sure to explain as we go along. For starters, I need to collect a urine sample." Bruce took a plastic cup with a screw-on lid out of his case and offered it to Loki.

Loki frowned. "Is this what Tony was referring to when he said I'd have to pee in a cup?"

"Um, yeah."

Loki's frown deepened. "And what, precisely, will you glean from this?"

"A lot, actually. I'll screen for excess sugar, which could be a sign of gestational diabetes. Also, for bacteria and an elevated enzyme level that could indicate an infection of some sort. And, I'll check to make sure your nutrition has been adequate so far."

A blank expression had come over Loki, and he shrugged. "All right." He took the cup and headed to the bathroom. In the meantime, Bruce got ready to draw blood.

When Loki returned, Bruce had him place the cup in a plastic bag. He then took it, sealed it and put it in his medical kit. He cleaned his hands with an antiseptic wipe and then pulled on latex gloves. "Thank you. Now, I need to get some blood from your arm." He held up a hypodermic and let Loki take a look at it. "I'm not going to lie—it'll probably sting when I stick you, and it may burn a little while I draw the blood. But, it'll only be for a few seconds, okay?"

Loki just maintained his blank expression, and that worried Bruce. All he needed was for Loki to freak out at the needle stick and end up unleashing the Hulk. He spoke as soothingly as he could. "Some people don't even feel it, while others are very sensitive. But, I'll be super careful, and again, it only lasts for a couple of moments. Uh—do you have any questions?"

"What does the blood tell you?"

"Well, let's see—we'll find out what your blood type is, which could be important if something, you know, went wrong at the birth. Also, it'll tell if your iron level is low, which might mean you have anemia—and that's important, because that could be what's behind your fatigue. We'll also screen for various diseases—"

"Which I'm not susceptible to."

"Yeah, but there are some genetic conditions that could affect the baby's health, and since the, um, other parent is human, well, it'd be good to rule those out."

A long pause left Bruce wondering if Loki was finally going to raise an objection, but eventually he nodded and said, "Very well, go ahead," with a resigned note in his voice. He almost sounded beaten down, but as Bruce prepared the needle, Loki seemed to perk up, intently following Bruce's movements.

As promised, Bruce explained to Loki the purpose of each step, starting with applying a tourniquet and having him straighten his arm and pump his fist. Bruce gave him a pillow and gripped his arm above the elbow for support. He found a vein easily, swiped the area with antiseptic, and waited until it dried before saying, "Now, just relax, don't tense up," before sticking him.

The only discernible hint that it caused Loki any pain was when he closed his eyes and took a breath, but then he quickly went back to closely observing Bruce's actions. He watched as Bruce removed the needle filled with thick, dark red liquid and capped it before putting it in a sterile receptacle in his bag. Bruce again swiped Loki's arm with antiseptic, placed a cotton ball on the puncture, and asked Loki to hold it there while he got a piece of tape to secure it with.

Once he was finished, he smiled at Loki. "That's it, that's all there is to it. Not so bad, huh?"

"No." Loki gave him a wicked grin. "I've had worse."

"Uh... yeah." For a moment, Bruce definitely saw "normal" Loki in a flash of those green eyes, but the blank expression came back almost immediately. Bruce cleared his throat. "Mind if I check your ankles?"

Loki's eyes narrowed. "My ankles? What in the Norns do they have to do with anything?"

"Just checking for swelling, it's a usual part of the exam. It'll only take a minute."

Loki rolled his eyes, but gestured accommodatingly toward his feet. "Fine."

Bruce knelt and took one slender ankle in hand, then the other, squeezing in a practiced way. "Good. Let me see your hands."

Loki offered them and Bruce did a similar assessment. "Great, you're doing really well."

"Are we done?" Loki asked.

"Well, there's one more thing I'd like to do, and it won't hurt at all. But, you might think it's kind of... intimate."

"You don't intend to poke around in my private places, do you? Because, that's complicated."

"No, no. I'd just like to get an idea of the baby's size and position. I'll need to put my hands on your stomach and do a little probing. Is that okay?"

Another long-suffering sigh from Loki. "I suppose."

"Okay. How about you lie back and relax? And, uh—pull up your shirt, please." Loki stretched out on the couch, and Bruce pulled the chair closer. He fished a stethoscope out of his bag and warmed it in his hand for a moment. Then, he pressed it to Loki's stomach and listened carefully. He moved it to other points and did the same, frowning. Now, Loki was looking at him with some concern.

"What? Is something wrong?"

Bruce looked at him in surprise. "Oh, no, not at all. It's just, I'm not the best at finding the fetal heartbeat, it always takes me a while. But it's there, good and strong." He smiled reassuringly. "No worries. Okay if I continue?" Loki nodded.

He then stood over him, pressing fingers in key spots on Loki's belly, measuring and probing, and then he jotted down some notes. After that, he sat back and gave Loki a pleased nod. "All right, we're done, and good news—everything appears perfectly normal."

Loki pulled down his shirt and sat up. "According to human standards, you mean?"

"Well, yeah."

"I'm sure Tony will be pleased."

Bruce put away his exam equipment before giving Loki a piercing look. "Aren't you?"

"Of course. It's just that, given my true heritage, I don't know that your tests are very meaningful."

"Right. But, at least you can be sure we did everything we could to insure the baby's well-being. And yours."

Now, Loki was staring interestedly at him. "Why do you care?" It wasn't a mean-spirited question; in fact, Loki just sounded bewildered.

There were a few bits of trash scattered on the coffee table, and Bruce gathered them up in a wad as he considered the question. At last, he shrugged. "Well... There's an innocent baby's life and health at stake. I'd do what I could for anyone in a similar situation. And, Tony's my friend. You're important to him, so, in that way, you're important to me. And..." Bruce looked up and grinned. "To be honest, as a scientist? This whole thing is fascinating to me. I can't wait to get to the lab. Do you know how disappointed I'm going to be if your blood work comes back just... normal?"

Loki gave a little smile. "I feel certain it won't."

"Well, we'll see."

Bruce made a show of checking his medical bag and zipping it up with great ceremony, buying himself a little time. They'd cleared one hurdle; now, on to the next, and this one was going to be much, much trickier.

"Okay, then. Well, I guess I'll be on my way. But, Loki—there's one thing I did want to mention." "Oh? What is it?"

"Physically, you do appear to be just fine. But—and of course, I don't know you very well—but, you do seem... kind of subdued."

"Subdued."

Bruce took a deep breath. "Yeah. Tony's super concerned. You're sleeping so much, and you... You're not acting like yourself. Tony's really worried about whatever it is that you're going through. In fact... He's afraid you're going to leave him—you know, after the baby comes. And, he blames himself."

"Oh, dear." Loki tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling. "Tony's a fool," he said softly. He returned his gaze to Bruce. "A dear, sweet, brilliant fool. I would never leave him by choice, surely he knows that."

"Mm, well, I imagine it's kind of hard for him to believe that when you're not talking to him." Bruce spoke in a casual, off-hand manner.

A sly grin came over Loki. "Ah. I see. He asked you to talk to me."

"Kind of," Bruce answered sheepishly. "I know you don't trust me, and I tried to tell him that, but he's getting desperate." He spread his hands apart in a helpless gesture. "I'm sorry."

Now, a worried expression crossed Loki's face. "Desperate? What do you mean?"

Bruce met his eyes, staring into them as if trying to forge a spiritual connection between them on the spot. "You're breaking his heart."

"What?" Loki regarded him for a long moment. "How?"

"He thinks you've lost faith in him. He only wants to protect you, to care for you. And, you seem to have turned away from him." Bruce let that sink in and then added, "You're killing him, man. He doesn't know what to do to fix things."

"But, I've done nothing wrong! I've only been nice to him, why would he think—"

"He knows you too well, Loki. He knows this isn't you. He wants you back, the way you were. That's who he loves, that's who he needs." Bruce shrugged. "He just doesn't understand what's going on with you, and you're not communicating with him. I'm sure you can see how that would worry him."

The cool facade Loki had been showing appeared to crack. He shook his head emphatically. "But, there's nothing I can say to Tony that he'd believe!"

A spark went through Bruce. This was good, it sounded like Loki might be giving him an in, and he had to be careful not to scare him off. He continued in his casual tone. "Wow—that sounds ominous."

"You have no idea."

"So, tell me." Bruce felt as if he were on a tightrope. If he was too intense, Loki might turn inward again. If he was too detached, the god might lose the impetus to open up to him. Bruce leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together. "You know, there's not much I wouldn't believe. Once you've turned into a big green rage monster, the line between reality and the fantastic becomes pretty well blurred."

Loki ran a hand through his hair, clearly giving Bruce's words his undivided attention. He nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm. I suppose that's true. I forget how different you are from other mortals."

"Yeah. So—"

"I'm being punished."

The words hung in the air, and when Bruce lifted his gaze from the floor to Loki's eyes, he got a glimpse of something wild and anguished in them, something that could be fear, that could be madness... Bruce wasn't sure, but it sent a chill through him just the same. "Punished? You mean, right now?"

"Not exactly. Always. I'm... always being punished." Loki bit his lip, averting his eyes to somewhere in the room.

"Well, Loki, that doesn't sound right. I mean, you committed some crimes, and you were punished for them, but now... That's over."

Disturbingly, Loki laughed. "This isn't about that. Not really." He turned and leaned in toward Bruce, like a child about to tell a secret. "You see, Doctor, I'm evil. Just... evil. I shouldn't even be here."

"Here... on Earth?"

Loki shook his head, keeping his eyes locked on Bruce's. "Anywhere. I belong nowhere. I'm just wrong, have been from the moment of my birth." A knowing sneer crossed his lips. "Dear Odin Allfather fucked things up—the creature who sired me had it right. When Laufey left me to die as an infant, he was doing the realms a favor. Unfortunately, he was too much of a coward to slay me with his own hand. And, stupid Odin swooped in to save me for his own selfish purposes, not knowing what the hell he was doing. And, thus it's been ever since." He looked away. "I'm to suffer until I die, and probably forever after that. Punishment for my nature, for having the temerity to defy the fate the Norns intended."

Bruce spoke gently. "Loki, I don't understand. Tony loves you, you're going to have a baby together. Is that punishment?"

"No." A bitter flame flared in his eyes. "You have to have something you want in order for it to hurt when it's taken from you. Don't you see? I was allowed this little bit of heaven, this glimpse of love and care and acceptance, so I could be made to suffer all the more greatly when it's gone."

Bruce was busy processing Loki's manner, the intensity of his speech pattern, the way he was trembling. Whatever brought about this tale, Loki clearly believed every word he was saying. "Okay. But, why... Why have you kept yourself so apart from Tony? How does that help?"

"The evil inside me is just waiting to break out. I learned that after the healing ritual, when I barely contained the urge to reclaim the power of the Tesseract for myself. Because, wouldn't that be the best? To have me destroy what I love the most, myself?" He gave a grim laugh and a hard edge came to his voice. "The Norns would delight in that more than anything. But, I won't give it to them. I'll stay away from Tony as much as possible, and I'll do whatever he wants when I can't, so as not to cause trouble. Because who knows what might set disaster into motion?" Now, tears were glinting in Loki's eyes. "I'm just trying to make it through the pregnancy, Doctor. Then, I'll leave, yes. But only to protect Tony and the child. Because, maybe, if I sacrifice myself, they'll be left alone. Maybe... the world will be left alone." At that, he brightened a little, a tiny hopeful smile slipping in, and Bruce remembered seeing war victims with that look in their eyes.

Bruce pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Okay. I understand now, that all makes perfect sense." Keep him talking. Connect, if you can. Bruce dared to put a hand on Loki's shoulder and when he wasn't rebuffed, he gave it a gentle squeeze. "I can see that you're doing the right thing, but it must be really hard, handling all this alone. I think you should tell Tony. He needs to know, doesn't he?" Was that okay? Did I just screw up? Bruce held his breath, waiting for Loki's reaction.

But, Loki just nodded absently, studying the floor and tapping fingers against his lips. "Yes, yes, he does. But, I can't do it. I can't stand to see the disappointment in his eyes. He was so sure I was... rehabilitated. Ha. If he only knew the depths of my monstrosity..." He looked up suddenly. "You tell him, Dr. Banner. It'll be better coming from you, I'm sure of it." A look of relief came over him. "You can explain it and make him understand, make him see that there's nothing he—or anyone—can do. He won't blame himself, then. Yes. That's good, you tell him. You... you tell him."

"I will. I'll go right now." Bruce patted his arm. "Maybe you should go lie down for a while. Give Tony a chance to absorb everything."

"All right." Loki took a deep breath, seemingly feeling better for having unburdened himself. He stood up, stretching backward with his hands on the small of his back. "I know this will be difficult. I'll be in our bedroom, should Tony wish to see me afterwards."

"Great."

Loki turned to leave, but then turned back. "Oh, and, Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Please tell him I love him. Make sure he understands that, will you?"

"Of course."

"Thank you." Loki gave him a grateful smile and slipped out the door.