Two weeks later

Pepper gave the scene in Tony's living room a critical once-over. She sighed, resigned; she'd quickly learned it was tough coming up with decorations for a manly baby shower (also known as "one that Tony was willing to put up with.") Thankfully, Jane was in town and she graciously took over decor duties, transforming Tony's ultra-modern steel-and-glass penthouse into something close to a medieval castle at harvest time.

Well, Pepper thought, it was a far cry from the super-cute '50's retro theme she'd initially envisioned, but it did look good, and was festive as hell. With incense burning, candles glowing, with shimmery jewel-toned fabric festooning the walls, and about a million flowers placed on every flat surface in sight, it definitely said "Celebration!"

Pepper just hoped it was over the top enough to impress a cranky pregnant god.

There were heavily draped tables along one side of the room set up with snacks and punch, and another awaiting gifts. Jane had been directing an eye-rolling Tony and delighted Thor in rearranging the furniture, and Thor proudly announced, "There, my love!" once everything was in place. He straightened, hands on his hips, and basked in Jane's thanks, proud because he'd done well over 90% of the work while Tony just stood around muttering under his breath. Thor then turned to Pepper. "Lady Pepper, this was a marvelous idea. Loki will be so pleased. He's never had a fete dedicated solely to him before."

Jane looked up from unfolding a hand-stitched velvet banner proclaiming "Welcome Baby!" and Pepper from filling a tray with delicate triangle-shaped sandwiches. At least she could get away with traditional baby shower-type food.

"Really? Never? What about birthday parties?" Jane asked.

"We celebrate the same day of birth, so the festivities were always in both our honors; of course, being older, my name was always first. And larger." He frowned thoughtfully. "That always seemed to rankle with Loki, for some reason."

"You two have the same birthday? That's freaky," Tony commented. "I can't believe you're both the same star sign."

Thor looked puzzled for a moment, but then answered, "Yes, I thought it odd myself, but once I learned that Loki was adopted, Father explained that, because they didn't know the actual date of Loki's birth, they simply assigned him mine."

Jane and Pepper shot disapproving glances at each other. "That's rude," Pepper said. "Guy ought to get a birthday to himself, if there's a choice."

Thor nodded solemnly. "Oh, I agree. But, it's a bit late to concern ourselves with it now."

"No wonder Loki has issues," Bruce said. He'd walked in just in time to hear the exchange, carrying a large gift-wrapped box in one arm, with an equally large gift bag hanging from his other. Pepper had him put them on the gift table. "Is there a way to ask his birth mom what his real birthday is?"

"Ah! An excellent idea! I will pose that to my mother when I go to fetch her from Asgard," Thor said.

"Speaking of which, don't you think you'd better get a move on? It's getting close to go-time," Pepper said, glancing at a clock.

"Yeah, and I should light a fire under the guest of honor," Tony agreed. "He probably fell asleep again."

"I did no such thing." Loki strode in as imperiously as a six-months pregnant person could manage and looked around. He was sporting a slight sneer, but it faded, and he smiled indulgently at the Midgardian idea of preparing for a party. "Well, this is... quite nice."

"Thanks," Pepper said, choosing to ignore Loki's patronizing tone. "Tell your brother to hurry up and zip off to Asgard before the lime sherbet completely melts in the ginger ale."

"I'm going, I'm going," Thor laughed. "I'm sure Mother is growing impatient as well."

Loki's grin turned genuine. "She really is coming, then?"

"Of course, little brother," Thor said, clapping a meaty hand on Loki's shoulder. "She's most excited to see you, especially under such happy circumstances."

"As am I," Loki said softly. The further along in his pregnancy he got, the more he wished for Frigga's calming voice and sage advice.

Tony came up and gave him a squeeze while gesturing at Thor.

"Yeah, Point Break, it'll be cool to sit around and have a stress-free inter-dimensional chat with your mom for a change."

"Indeed. Well, I'm off, then." Thor left to head up to the roof, and in a few moments, they heard a sharp clap of thunder and the room lit up from a flash of lightening just outside the huge picture window.

Pepper and Jane hurried to finish setting up the snack foods.

Not long after Thor's departure, Steve Rogers and Natasha arrived, each carrying gifts. Tony welcomed them and ushered them into the party. Loki smiled broadly as they approached.

"Captain, Ms. Romanoff. How nice to see you. I wasn't sure anyone would come."

"Of course we came, idiot." Natasha grinned with a twinkle. "Children are our hope for the future, even yours and Tony's. Why wouldn't we celebrate?"

Loki chuckled. "Oh, yes. I'm sure a half-Frost Giant walking among pathetic humans will command much hope and celebration. In fact—"

"What Loki meant to say was, welcome, and thank you for coming," Pepper said, giving Loki a stern look before turning to the guests and gesturing at the presents. "Guys, let me take those. What do you think of the decorations, Nat? Jane did them—she has a real flair, doesn't she? Let's go say hi to her." She pointedly headed for the gift table where Jane was standing, and Natasha dutifully went along, leaving Loki to greet Steve.

Steve looked Loki square in the eye and shook his hand firmly. "It's good to see you doing so well, Loki. I'm happy to be able to share this happy occasion with my friends." He tipped his head forward, an eyebrow raised meaningfully. "All of them."

Loki stared uncertainly for a moment, and then gave a deferential nod. "I appreciate that, Captain. I... don't think I ever apologized for that unpleasant business in Germany." He dropped his eyes. "You're a decent man and a powerful warrior. I'm very glad to count you among my friends."

Steve smiled. "Let's not talk about stuff like that today. Like Miss Romanoff said, we've got something to celebrate, and I hear that Pepper made fancy sandwiches—let's go have a look at that snack table."

Loki started to accompany Steve, but JARVIS' disembodied voice announced,"Mr. Stark, more guests have arrived."

"Who?"

"Nick Fury and Agent Phil Coulson."

Tony's brow shot up in surprise. "Seriously? Okay. Send 'em up, I'll meet them at the elevator," Tony said. He went to stand squarely in front of the doors, braced for whatever the SHIELD representatives might be planning to pull, but as the doors slid open, he saw both men were carrying gifts. He folded his arms over his chest, and gestured at the packages. "Hold up there, guys. This a trick?"

"It's no trick," Coulson said mildly. "Pepper invited us. It'd be rude to come without a present."

"Yeah, Stark. Give me a break, I brought you a Diaper Genie." Fury proffered a large gift bag to Tony, who took it with only a mildly suspicious frown. He poked around among the tissue paper and then gave Fury a grin.

"You're a practical man, Director. Come on in."

Tony saw the look on Loki's face as he watched the men walk inside the room, and he hastened to stand beside him. "So, Loki—you remember Director Fury and Agent Coulson?"

"The names do strike a chord. Welcome, gentlemen," Loki said gingerly.

"Here, Agent, let me take that." Tony relieved Coulson of his gift-wrapped box. "Help yourselves to refreshments, and try not to arrest my boyfriend, okay?"

"Ha-ha. No worries, Stark. Loki, you're looking well. How are you feeling?" Fury asked rather kindly. In following up on the role Loki had played when he did battle on Trondheim, Fury had learned just how big a favor he'd in fact done the Earth, and he felt positively benevolent towards the God of Mischief.

Loki visibly relaxed. "A bit off-square most of the time," Loki said, running a hand over his belly. "My center of balance has shifted. Other than that, my complaints are quite mundane." He then turned to Coulson. "And, how are you faring, Agent Coulson?" He spoke in a respectful tone.

A slow smile came over Coulson. "Wow, you sound genuinely concerned."

Loki nodded. "I am. I'm afraid I wasn't very gracious the last time we spoke. And, I never offered you a proper apology for—"

"I'm doing really well. And, I don't dwell on the bad things, I just try to learn from them. So... let's forget it." He glanced at Loki's stomach. "What I'd really like to do is find out more about your condition. I find it quite fascinating."

Loki glanced down at himself. "I suppose it is. Well, it turns out I was born on Jotunheim, of Frost Giants, a species that features both male and female reproductive organs. However, I was unaware of this when Tony and I first began rutting, and—"

"How about we save the biology lesson for later, okay, sweetie?" Tony asked, hastily grabbing Loki's arm and steering him toward the snack table. "We'll have Phil over for dinner and do a Power Point—charts, diagrams, everything. Right now, I need to make sure you eat something, how about a watercress sandwich? Wait, what the hell is watercress—hey, Pepper! What's this green shit you put on all these innocent little sandwiches? Is it edible?"

Pepper rolled her eyes and came to inspect the food. "For God's sake, Tony, yes. It's kind of like arugula, and it's very nutritious, very good for a pregnant person. It's also classy, so of course you wouldn't know anything about it. I—"

A deep rumble rippled through the whole of Stark Tower, making the glass ladle chitter against the punch bowl. The furniture shivered and the walls vibrated for a few seconds, and everyone looked around for the source of the disturbance.

"What the hell—?" Fury snapped.

"It's all right," Loki said, but he looked a bit concerned. "I'm sure it's just my brother, returning from Asgard. He normally doesn't make quite so much racket, though..."

Everything quieted for a moment, and then Thor came striding through the door, beaming. He paused to take note of each new arrival and then his voice boomed out heartily. "Hello, my Midgardian friends! Allow me to introduce Loki's and my friends and family from the grand realm of Asgard!"

Tony glanced at Loki and saw his startled expression; he looked as if he'd just swallowed his gum. Tony slid an arm around Loki's waist and whispered, "Uh... I take it your mom didn't show up alone."

"Apparently not." Loki shoved his hair back and steeled himself. Frigga came in just behind Thor, and he announced her to the group. "For those of you who have not yet met her, I present you the Allmother, Frigga, Queen of Asgard!"

Frigga scanned the little crowd until she saw Loki, and a huge smile came over her. "Son! I've missed you so." She held out her arms, and Loki quickly went to her and they tightly embraced. Before Loki released his hold on his mother, he heard Thor continue with the introductions.

"Now, we have the Warriors Three—Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg! And, our beautiful Lady Warrior, Sif!"

Loki jerked back, blinking in shock. He looked at his mother. "They... they came?" he asked.

Frigga nodded. "Thor told me they were invited, and that they wanted to come. Is that not right?"

"N-no, it's fine. I just never thought... I never thought they'd accept."

"Loki, they were your friends, and they will be again. Go say hello."

Loki closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He'd only included them in his invitation to prove to Thor that he had no one left in his old realm that cared for him besides his mother. How like them to agree to come, but only at Thor's behest. He supposed he was about to be humiliated, just as he'd expected the mortals to do. Well, it was nothing he wasn't used to.

He carried himself regally and went to stand before the four. "Hello, all. How wonderful to see you again."

All four stopped and stared wide-eyed at Loki's stomach. Finally, Sif said in amazement, "Loki! You're huge! May I?" She looked at Loki, holding her hands over his tummy.

"Uh—well, yes, if you like."

Sif laid her hands on Loki's belly, and as if on command, the fetus kicked into a palm. Sif gasped. "Oh, my! That is astonishing. So powerful! Congratulations, Loki. I... I'm happy for you.

"As am I," Fandral said. He came up and wrapped his arms around Loki. Loki awkwardly patted him on the back. It had been ages since they'd committed certain delightful indiscretions together, but he didn't particularly want to have to explain the nature of their past relationship to Tony if he could help it.

Volstagg stepped forward and gave Loki a full-body bear hug. "It's good to see you, lad. I'm proud you've turned yourself around."

"Yes, well. It's good to see you, too." Loki recovered from the embrace and turned to Hogun, who was regarding him with a piercing stare. They held each other's gaze for a moment, and whatever Hogun was looking for, he must have found in Loki's eyes. He gave a respectful bow. Loki returned it, and Hogun stepped back without a word.

"And now, the Lady Sigyn, of Asgard."

Loki was still marveling at the kind greetings from his one-time friends when the announcement of the latest guest shocked him like an electrode in the brain. He whirled to look, his mouth hanging open. Sigyn. He'd long ago learned to force the memory of her out of his mind, and now, here she was, standing before him in person. Sensing his emotional turmoil, Frigga came to his side, and Loki swept around to face her. "What's she doing here?" he hissed.

"I invited her."

"Why?"

Frigga put a gentle hand on Loki's shoulder. "Oh, Loki. Ever since she heard you were expecting, she's been moping around as if a bilgesnipe had taken up residence in her bed chamber. It occurred to me that perhaps you'd both left words unspoken; if this is so, you now have an opportunity to close those old doors and put things right. Do you not agree?"

Loki gave his mother a withering glare, but before he could respond, Sigyn glided toward him. Loki choked back his irritation and smiled.

"Sigyn—you are as lovely as the vision I hold in memory." He lifted her hand and pressed it to his lips.

"Loki. You look just the same. Except, your hair is much longer, and your belly, much rounder." A sad grin came over the lovely blonde woman, and Loki gave a rueful hmph.

"Yes, well, that can happen as a result of parental lies and deception." He shot a sneer at Frigga.

"Loki," Frigga said disapprovingly. "This is a festive occasion. Let's enjoy it."

The evidence of Loki's dark mood gradually faded, and he nodded. "Of course." He stared at the floor for a moment as he controlled his breathing, and then he looked up with a forced smile. "Ladies, there are some Midgardian treats at table, and I'm starving—please, feel free to join me." He turned and strode toward the snacks, only now two Asgardian servants were busy piling the tables high with proper food—roast boar and gravy, huge turkey legs, colorful vegetables, basket after basket of bread and rolls, and mead. Lots and lots of mead.

The Earth-folk were gaping at the spread, and as soon as the last dish was served, they hesitantly approached the table. Thor and the warriors were already filling up platters, laughing and talking amongst themselves.

Tony was doing his best to maintain at least the appearance of being in charge of his own home, but he noticed the expressions on his Midgardian guests, and decided he'd better step it up a notch. He chose Volstagg as his target and went up to him and offered his hand. "Hey, there! I'm Tony Stark, how are you?"

Volstagg had a great mouthful of meat and he smiled broadly around it. "I am in excellent spirits! How'd you do?" He threw back at least a half a tankard of mead before continuing. "I am exceedingly happy to meet the man that finally tamed our little trickster." Volstaag narrowed an eye and leaned in conspiratorially. "How'd you do it, eh?"

"Uh—hey, listen, have you ever tried 'watercress?' I didn't believe such a thing existed, but, here, give it a shot, it's not bad." He handed a teeny triangular morsel to the huge man, who stared at it, shrugged, and popped it in his mouth. He chewed for one nano second before swallowing, and nodded. "Most interesting! What is this doughy material that encases the greens?"

"I think it's called enriched white bread. Nice, isn't it? Doesn't interfere with the taste of the algae at all. Oh, and who's this?" Tony asked, hastily turning to Sif.

Slowly, one-by-one, Tony made acquaintance with the entire Asgardian contingent, slyly bringing Pepper, Jane, and Bruce into the group, and before anyone knew it, the entire bizarre crowd was getting along beautifully, feasting, chatting, and laughing.

Eventually, Tony felt comfortable leaving them to themselves, and he turned to look for Loki. He didn't know a whole lot about Loki's life before he attacked Manhattan, but he got the feeling it hadn't been particularly happy, and from the tales Thor told, these very people had been responsible for a certain amount of Loki's insecurities and bad memories. So, he wanted to take him aside for a long hug and to remind him how much he, Tony, loved him.

But, Loki was nowhere to be found.