A/N: I want to apologize for this being so late had a lot going on in my life (moving and job hunting) anyway here is chapter 12. Enjoy

Chapter 12

Loki and Darcy looked at each other and then back at the Asgardian Queen in shock. "What?!" they both questioned at the same time.

"But…." Darcy began only to cut herself off confusion coloring her face.

"You are worried about what will become of Midgard are you not?" Frigga asked the Midgardian Queen.

"Well, yes. I guess I am. I mean if my son is to take over the ruling of Asgard who then will take over the rule of Midgard?"

Frigga smiled as she looked at her daughter-in-law and then at her son. "I never said you would only have one son, Darcy."

Darcy looked at the queen and then back to her husband before once again looking at the queen. She wanted to say something but she couldn't seem to form any coherent words. Her husband was just as speechless as she.

"Mother, but...I thought that Frost Giants could only have one child?!" Loki said to Frigga, clearly still in shock.

"What you said is true but you have enough Aseir in you that you will be able to have more than one child, besides the pool does not lie, my son."

Loki could only nod and wondered how Darcy would handle bearing more than one Frost Giant child. It was true that she was no longer mortal and therefore stronger than a mere mortal but he still feared for her life and his fear was plainly written on his face.

"Loki, do not worry she will be fine. She is a very strong woman, she will be fine, I assure you."

Darcy listened to the exchange between her husband and the queen and wondered herself if she could possibly be pregnant at that very moment. She found herself suddenly desiring to give her husband children. She was surprised by the turn around in her thinking from six months ago. She had learned so much in the past six months and wondered if she could have saved herself so much heartache by just allowing Loki to claim her when she first got wind of his quest to claim her as his queen. She had been so reluctant in becoming queen that she had failed to see the good Loki had done in his rule of Midgard. She wanted to weep at the pain she had caused him. She had figured out not long after their encounter in the library, about two weeks after their wedding, that she was the cause of his pain. She had also gone to Thor, because she had figured he would know what was going on better than she and asked if there was anything to be done in alieving that pain. What he had told her had shocked her. She had had no idea that she was torturing her husband by not allowing him to claim her as was his right as her husband. When she had asked Thor how he knew this, he had told her that Frigga had told him about Loki and the Frost Giants need to claim their mate and what happened when that couldn't happen. When she had asked why he had wanted to know about that particular subject Thor had gone red with embarrassment. He finally said that it was because Frigga had said that like him Loki's mate was also mortal and he had asked what would happen to Loki if his mate refused him. Darcy had nodded and left to think about what she had learned.

She came back to the present and asked to be excused then left and returned to Loki's chamber.

Loki watched his wife walk out of the throne room and then turned to his adoptive parents. "Darcy would like to return to Midgard soon."

"Yes, we know. You need to return as well. You have a realm to rule and they need you," Odin said as way of dismissing his son.

Loki, hearing the dismissal in the king's voice, turned and left the room following his wife to his chamber to give her the news of their immediate departure.

XXX

Midgard…

The Avengers stood in the lab that currently housed the device that had released the inhabitants of earth from Loki's staff. They were all grateful that he had released them and they all were truthful when they had told Darcy that they would still serve the king in any capacity that he saw fit. None of them could deny that he was a good king and had been good for the inhabitants of earth. He might have gone about taking over the wrong way but he cared about them and saw to their needs.

XXX

Asgard…

Darcy stood at the balcony in Loki's chamber thinking about everything that had happened to her in the past few years, so she didn't hear or notice when her husband entered the room and came up behind her.

"What are you thinking about, my love?" he asked softly pulling her back up against him as he held her.

"A lot of things actually," she replied.

"Like what if I may ask?"

"Mainly about what I put you through these past six months, I know that it was not easy for you to be around me and I didn't exactly make it easy for you, especially since I knew the reason behind your pain."

Her last statement surprised him and yet he couldn't find it in him to be angry with her though he was curious to know how she had known what had caused his pain when he had been around her and why he didn't feel that particular pain any longer.

"And how exactly did you know what was causing the pain in the first place when I myself had no clue what it was."

"I went to Thor and asked him if there was anything I could do to help alieve your pain and that's how I found out."

"So, what exactly was causing it?" he asked after acknowledging her previous words.

"Your other sides need to claim it mate," she said softly then let out a soft sob of anguish.

Startled by the sob he turned her towards him and held her, knowing that she was grieving the pain she had put him through knowingly. "My love, please do not cry."

"I can't help it….I hurt you on purpose when it was within my power to alieve your suffering," she wailed into his chest.

"Darcy, it is alright. I knew you were not ready and I loved you too much to force you into accepting me."

She looked up at him then and tried to smile but couldn't quite make herself do so. "Oh, Loki, if only I had just put aside my pride and accepted my fate two years ago but I just couldn't. I hated the fact that you took over my world and then chased me down like an animal. I came to you reluctantly only because I was an idiot and decided to hide in the one place that had no escape. Otherwise, I would not be here right now."

"Yes, but I would have found you eventually, my dear. You couldn't have stayed hidden for much longer than you did."

"You might be right about that but still I should have just swallowed my pride and looked to the good of the people instead of just looking after myself."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Fear, I guess. What else was I supposed to feel? You took over and then demanded that I be brought to you and I had no idea as to why you wanted me as I couldn't remember ever meeting you or you me."

Loki listened as she spoke rubbing her back in soothing circles as she did so. He then remembered what he had wanted to tell her when he came into the room. "My love, when would you like to return to Midgard?"

"You mean Odin is going to let us leave?"

"Yes," he told her softly.

"Then as soon as possible, we do have a world to rule," she told him mischievously.

He threw his head back and let out a loud, rumbling laugh. It reverberated through her and made her chuckle too.

"Well then my love why don't we tell Mother and Odin that we are returning."

She dried her tears before taking his proffered arm as they left the room together.