The Robbed That Smiles

Chapter 11:

The mischief goddess tensed, drawing a dagger and pressing it against the other's neck before Laufey could react. Not that the male Jotunn made any attempt to defend himself, instead just placing his frigid, frost giant hand over Lokki's abdomen. The goddess bristled and dug the dagger tighter against her biological father's neck.

"Get the fuck…." She trailed off when a peculiar sensation passed through her. The cold from the other's hand over her abdomen spread into her, but instead of distressing the unborn life in her, it soothed it. The protective frost enveloping it in her womb strengthening. The goddess glanced down at Laufey's hand, masking the action from the other with her illusion magic.

"There." Laufey stared down at his daughter, allowing his innate Jotunn frost to strengthen hers. The edge of the dagger bit into his neck, evidence of Lokki's distrust. He didn't react in the slightest.

"...what is this?" Asked Lokki, peering up at Laufey with suspicion. Her sea-hued eyes roamed over the male Jotunn, searching for any clue to the other's deceit. For any hint of the trickery she was sure was behind her sire's action. It was too helpful not to be a trick. She grabbed his wrist tightly when Laufey simply cocked an eyebrow. "What game are you playing?"

"Game? Hn. You would think that. The goddess of mischief and deceit." Laufey chuckled, only half scoffingly. He shook his head, removing his hand once he felt Lokki's protective frost was strong enough. "You've been playing your games against Asgard far too long, child. Even after winning, you still think everyone's an enemy."

Lokki scowled, her piercing glare burning vehemently at Laufey, a wildness reflected in the sea-hued irises. "You are my enemy. You gave Tha...that bastard the leverage he needed and you just stood there as he used it against me."

The frost giant frowned. "...I admit I failed to consider just how far he would go. I assumed he would just verbally threaten you and your child. Not..." Laufey's frown deepened and he glanced at Lokki's abdomen. "He has weaker paternal instincts than I considered."

"Hah!" Lokki gave a scathing, abrupt laugh. "That's hilarious! You? You're calling his paternal instincts weak?!" The goddess broke out in laughter, the sound a cross between genuinely amused and bitter. Laufey's bristling in response didn't help, and simply renewed her bout once she noticed. "You abandoned me mere moments after I was born. And you..."

x

Lokki's sea-colored eyes shot open and she stared wide-eyed and unseeing at her surroundings; the walls and ceiling of the bedroom were a blur to her, despite staring straight at them upon waking up. A wild fear shone in her eyes as she focused on where she was. On a bed in a room both foreign and familiar with its barebones furnishings that were at the same time of exorbitant quality and expense. It took her a few moments to recognize the place - her room at Stark's tower - and a few more to remember it wasn't actually her room. Or her universe

"Bloody…." She muttered before paling and fearfully reaching for her abdomen, her brain fog clearing enough to remember blacking out. And everything that had happened prior - the attack on the Sanctum and her furious retaliation, the Avengers arguing. Stark's distrust of her and her pregnancy. "...Huh?"

The mischief goddess quirked an eyebrow and gazed down at her stomach, having noticed another's hand was already resting on it. A cold, azure hand. Lokki tilted her head, staring at it and her male counterpart, in full Jotunn form, resting beside her, his hand on her abdomen while he focused his own frost magic to boost hers. With each passing second her pregnancy frost-shield strengthened, becoming colder and more stable.

"If this is making you uncomfortable…" Loki muttered and met Lokki's gaze, his countenance revealing his unease was more than the goddess'. His blood red eyes peering into his doppelganger's green ones seemed to be wordlessly asking if he could stop, hoping each second that his effort was enough. Whether his discomfort was the result of being in Jotunn form or lying next to Lokki with his hand over her abdomen was unclear. What was clear was the effort he was putting into strengthening his doppelganger's protective-frost.

Lokki just stared at him. Any qualm or unease at her male counterpart's uninvited action overshadowed by her relief that the worst hadn't happened. The moment she realized she'd collapsed and blacked out, she had feared….

Drawing in a breath, she shook her head in reply to the god's implied question, but she still maneuvered out of his reach. She sat on the edge as Loki shrugged and left the bed, transforming back to his Asgardian form. There was little need to glance at him to notice the relief spreading through him, though there was still a bit of unease reflected in his eyes.

Peeking back at the goddess, he seemed about to speak, to ask something, when the giantess interrupted.

"How…" Lokki asked, not looking at the other but rather just listening to him move around. He was close to the door when she spoke up. "How did you know to do that? To use your frost to strengthen mine?"

The mischief god didn't respond and instead mulled over what to say. There were many things he could say, lies he could spin, explanations he could fabricate. All which would take little effort on his part, and had the receiver not been his female doppelganger, he'd have tried.

"You…" Lokki glowered at her male doppelganger, her thoughts returning to the dream that had woken her up. Less a dream and more a recollection, a snippet of something that had occurred in her universe and brought forth by external magic. Magic she still felt hints of. "You've peeked into my memory."

Loki opened his mouth to deny the accusation, but then just shrugged. There was little point in lying to the other, despite the challenge it offered.

Especially not after she'd already made the connection between her dream and his action. He turned to face Lokki, his body language daring her to rage against him. "So?" The god piped, his tone reminiscent of that time years back when he taunted Thor on the bifrost, before the thunder god destroyed it. "You'd have to have expected I would try at some point. After all, wouldn't you?"

The female Jotunn frowned, but said nothing.

"Of course." Loki answered his own question, taking his doppelganger's silence as agreement. Leaning against the wall to the right of the door, his arms folded in front of him, he studied her. Watched as the goddess just frowned and fiddled with the magic-suppression bracers around her forearms. The quiet filled the space between them, lasting a handful of moments. "...Anyway, Lady Reyda wanted to see you once you awoke. She's already tore into Stark. Thor has as well, I suspect."

"Oh?" Lokki peered askance at the mischief god, her expression unreadable, before heading towards the far end of the room. Directly opposite from the door, she stood with her back to her male counterpart and feigned interest in a shelf and end table. Both furnishings hardly adorned with anything that would catch the eye, let alone spark the interest of a god. "I'll wait here for Lady Reyda then. You can go."

"Go?" The mischief god flashed a bemused look at Lokki, his grin widening but with less joviality. It was the expression of someone unaccustomed and unthrilled at being dismissed, with more surprise than anger. "You c…" He started to retort but stopped, instead rethinking his reply. Each second spent staring at his female double's back irritated him, until he spat. "I saved your pregnancy. Do you know how close you were to losing…" Loki scowled, recalling catching his doppelganger and how she felt in his arms. Listless. Languid. Yet for the first few moments he assumed she'd been faking it. That it was a trick on par with his and Thor's 'get help' tactic.

Then he'd noticed her fever. It wasn't high compared to an Asgardian, but for a Jotunn...for him and his doppelganger, it was unusual. Dangerous. And it was one of a few things that was impractical, if not impossible, to fake using illusion magic. Even more so for Lokki who had her magic suppressed by the seidr-cuffs.

"They thought you were faking. The Avengers. Even Thor." Loki continued, glaring at his doppelganger's back. "And Reyda had no clue how to help. Her 'Jotunn expertise' apparently is not much more than any other Asgardian healer." He spat, his tone bitter and venom-laced. "So, I peeked into your memory. It was all I could think of doing. I assumed you'd know what to do."

Lokki swallowed, laying her hands over her abdomen. Her back still turned towards her doppelganger, she closed her eyes, her focus on what Loki had gleaned. How much of her memory had the other seen? Had he seen any others? Had he… The goddess crossed her arms further over her abdomen, protecting it more fully. "I appreciate your help. And while I could wax-poetic about the audacity and unfairness of you taking advantage of my hindered state to peek at my memory," She held up her cuffed arm at the word 'hindered,' showing off the magic bind. "I'm not kicking you out, out of petulance. I merely wish to change out of these garments, which with my magic impeded must be done in the mundane fashion." She glanced back at Loki. "Or is Tony right and you enjoy leering…"

"Don't even." Spat Loki, shaking his head and grimacing at the goddess. His frown widened when Lokki started undressing, the ghost of a smirk tugging at her lips. Before she got more than two clasps undone on her tunic, Loki waved his hand and replaced his doppelganger's outfit with a pristine one. Green, silver trim tunic with sleeves that reached only just past the elbows, and dark trousers with twill socks and leather shoes. "There. You're dressed. Let's go."

"You…" The mischief goddess turned towards the god, her mouth twitching and pulling into a grimace. It deepened when she tried to undress anyway out of spite and noticed that the outfit her doppelganger had dressed her in was impervious to her attempts. Her sea-green eyes narrowed with realization and her mouth spread out into a thin line, unamused. "You've dressed me in an illusion."

"So?"

Lokki sighed and headed towards the door leading into the hall. "This better be a full-illusion and not some personalized shit that only I can see."

"Eh." Loki shrugged, a Cheshire grin spreading over his face. The goddess' words reminded him of a trick he'd pulled on Thor and many of the other Avengers over the years, to varying degrees. Thor himself had fallen victim to it numerous times, and not just in the past three years. Loki's grin deepened at the scowl Lokki gave, pulling him from his reverie, and he rolled his eyes. "Like it'd matter. Or do you prefer only being 'au natural' when corralled?"

Scowling, Lokki approached and passed by the mischief god, heading into the hall. As she did so, she spoke. "Not at all. Let me just find hubby first, he missed out before so he should get the first peek."

"Huh? 'Hubby?'" Loki asked, following his doppelganger into the hall. His countenance both confused and intrigued when he recognized the Midgardian colloquialism for 'husband.' "You're betrothed, Selfie? Is he…." His voice tapered off as he glanced at the other's stomach.

"Though, technically, this is a different universe, so he's not really hubby." Lokki continued without giving any indication that she heard her doppelganger's question. (She had.) Or noticed him glancing at her abdomen. Instead she continued talking, as though to herself. "Who knows? Perhaps...just need him to stop calling me 'sister,' and…"

A sudden sputtering to her left pulled Lokki's attention, and a smirk spread over the lower half of her face. It spread to her eyes upon seeing Loki with a horrified, stricken expression, standing still. "You...you mean...you and Thor...your Thor...you..."

"Well, I'm certainly not referring to you." Lokki wryly retorted to the sputtering mischief god.

"I…." Loki closed his mouth to stop sputtering and grimaced, his gut roiling. Although he had mentally hypothesised the possibility last week, and had mulled it over numerous times since, he hadn't expected it to be true. Or for his doppelganger to reveal it so brazenly. Brow furrowing, he sucked in a breath, and recalled what Lokki had blurted during last evening's confrontation. "That's...you're just joking, right? I mean...Odin adopted you, so you and...it couldn't happen…."

"The Allfather also unadopted me..."

Loki rolled his eyes. "You were kicked out. So? You still would've grown up in Asgard and…"

"...Just prior to my 30th name-day." Finished Lokki, a frown on her face at the interruption.

Loki's retort died on his lips, and he gaped at the goddess. Many different emotions filtered through his brain, small glimmers of which reflected in his eyes.

"What?" Came Thor's thunderous voice down the hall, having caught the tail end of Loki and Lokki's conversation as he turned the corner. "You were kicked out when?!" The thunder god barrelled down the corridor, not stopping until he was three feet away from his brother and the female version of his brother. His eyes grew wide, matching his brother's; the mischief god still speechless in surprise. "I...tell me you're joking. 30?! You were kicked out of Asgard at 30?"

"...hm." Barton just stared at the commotion, standing back a bit. Natasha was beside him, having followed him and Thor after the three of them decided Lokki and Loki were taking too long. "...I'm missing something. Isn't 30 a bit old to be…"

"Hmm. Yeah." Natasha grimaced and shrugged, not understanding the intensity of Thor's reaction. Certainly 30 years was a normal-ish age to leave home, and not worth the overblown reaction the thunder god was giving.

Finally finding his voice and overhearing what the two Midgardians were muttering, Loki glanced over at them. Sending over an illusionary clone of himself, he explained in a condescending and sighing tone. "When your lifespan is a mere 100, then 30 is 'old.' But for a lifespan of 5000, 30 is equivalent to…" He paused and gestured a bit for effect, drawing out his response. "Say, 8 or 9? I assume that's young even for beings with as short lifespans as yours."

Natasha glowered at Loki, not appreciating the condescension, but still nodded stiffly in understanding. Beside her, Barton's eyes widened on the mischief god's illusionary clone, before shifting to stare down at Lokki. Unlike Natasha, Loki's patronizing tone didn't disturb him as much as what the god said. That 30 years was equivalent to 8 or 9 for the frost giantess. Being a father and his children still being young, he couldn't fathom kicking them out. Nothing could make him.

"...I don't believe it." Thor muttered, shaking his head and gaping at Lokki. "Father would never…" He rubbed his temples while Loki and Lokki just looked at him.

"...Huh. As I recall he threatened to do so to me various times while growing up. Most memorably after he caught me in the midst of doing my snake-disguise stabbing trick one too many times." Loki drawled and crossed his arms, reminiscing about his childhood and the times he tried Odin's patience. "Not to mention he did cast you out, brother, a handful of years back."

"That wasn't ever meant to be permanent. And he never went through with banishing you, brother." Countered Thor, wanting to sidestep away from his banishment and everything that led to. "Mother would always convince him not to. Thus, certainly, Mother in Sister's universe…" He gazed back towards Lokki, hoping to disprove the goddess' claim. His throat grew tight and his words shriveled up at the look in her eyes. Deadened and doleful. Its effect became more meaningful when Lokki schooled it the next second, hiding her reaction behind a practised stoicism.

"Shouldn't we be focusing on something important instead of wondering about my sordid history?" The frost giantess droned, keeping her tone even and her countenance plain. "Aren't a few of your Avenger buddies still MIA? Or did you find them while I was indisposed?"

"What? No. I…." Thor fumbled over his reply, wanting to ask about Lokki's reaction at the mention of Frigga, but instinctively holding back. It may have lasted briefly, but the emotion on the mischief goddess' face reminded him of his brother's in the cells on Asgard after their mother had been killed.

"Should I take those as answers to each of my inquiries or just general confusion?" The mischief goddess asked dryly, her focus on the thunder god. Beside her Loki studied her wordlessly. Like Thor he'd recognized the lamentful tinge his doppelganger flashed before hiding it; Unlike his brother, he didn't bother asking. He knew himself too well to bother.

"Confusion is his constant state, Selfie." Loki drawled, intent on directing the conversation away from what he perceived as a sore-spot for the frost giantess. A decision based less on kindness and more on not wanting to be on the receiving end of any spiteful action Lokki may take if pressed. "Anyway, have there been any new developments, brother? Certainly something must have happened considering the three of you have come to fetch Selfie and I."

"Uh…."

"Well…."

"I don't give a DAMN what you have to say!" Stark hollered, his belligerent voice reverberating through the corridor. The sound was ferocious and loud enough to travel through the shut door of his workshop. (Really a scaled down version of his lab that he used to brainstorm ideas when he couldn't spend time in his main lab.) "It was a valid assumption! Period! She's Lokki…."

There was a brief respite as the Avenger paused to listen to whoever he was arguing with. None of those in the hall could hear what was said, whatever it was kicked the inventor's belligerence down a notch. His next words were loud but less angry.

"Don't. Don't bring that up. That…." Stark trailed off, his anger offset by an uncustomary contriteness. It was still there, just tempered. He said something else to whom he was speaking, but his voice had lowered too much to make out his words.

"Ah. I take it none of you felt like dealing with that." Muttered Loki, neither wanting or needing a response from the three Avengers to confirm the truth. Their discomfort and silence was enough. "When did she get here? Or did she just phone?"

"She phoned…"

"Who's he talking with, yelling like that?" Lokki asked, her darkened and bewildered expression locked down the hall at the workshop door. All thought of her upset moments ago, forgot. "Certainly not Reyda…."

"His wife." Barton replied first, scooting closer to the mischief goddess and modulating his tone; his sharp eyes peeking at the workshop door. "She found out how he treated you yesterday and…."

"Pepper is alive?" Lokki turned to Barton surprised, her face lightening up from genuine delight. "I know he said he was in a committed relationship, but I thought he was just bantering…." The goddess muttered, smiling before her expression turned thoughtful. "I guess I should keep any flirtatious banter to a minimum." It was then that she noticed the looks the others were giving her: voraciously curious glances that were also wary.

Natasha was the first to voice the question. "...Pepper's not alive in your universe?"

"Everyone is…" Lokki bit down sharply on her lip, her face briefly taking on the same distraught expression she'd had when divulging about the Infinity Stones to Banner and Loki. The look vanished quickly. "Anyway, she died before all that, not long after giving birth to their daughter." The goddess divulged, her eyes lighting up as she thought of something. The smile she wore beaming. "Where's the little tyke anyway? With her mother? Of course she is." She answered herself, oblivious in her exuberance to the sudden quiet that had descended in the hall and the glances shared by the Avengers. "Do you think I'd be allowed to take little Morgan out for ice cream in the park? Surely there'd be no harm…."

A sharp inhale drew Lokki's attention, and she finally noticed Stark standing within hearing distance. The expression on his face made the goddess' throat and chest tighten, recognizing the distress. "...Morgan is alive in your universe?"

"Uh…" Lokki blanched, fumbling over her answer as Stark stared at her, his eyes filled with a blend of anguish and wistfulness. It was an expression she recognized from her own mirror centuries back when she lost her first. And then again. And again. After each of her miscarriages.

It was the look of a parent who's lost a child.

"Well?" Prodded Stark, his focus on the goddess. "Morgan's alive? She's…."

"She was…." Lokki blurted quietly, her answer coming out unadorned and without forethought. "But then Thanos used the stones and…."

Stark drew in a sharp breath and stepped backwards, unsteady on his feet. Despite that he preemptively snapped at the other Avengers that he needed no help, his glare challenging them to compliance. "So she's not alive?" He clenched his fist and backed up some more, close enough that when he swung his fist, it struck the wall beside one of the room doors. It struck loudly. And with a violence that overshadowed the burning sensation running up his arm from his palm. "Get out."

"What? But…."

"Stark, Selfie obviously didn't know…."

"Get out." Stark repeated, glaring at the goddess. His next words, though, were addressed to those around her. "I will not have this...creature...in my building. Have her stay at one of Strange's Sanctums or, hell, have her put in the Antarctic prison SHIELD readied for Reindeer Games here. Just get her out of my building. Now!" He slammed his fist against the wall on his last word, the impact splitting open the stretch of skin from the base of his pinky to the fleshy part of his palm. It bled profusely and throbbed, though he barely felt it.

"Come on, Selfie." Loki muttered and grabbed his doppelganger's upper arm, his face kept stoic though inside a torrent of emotions raged. He kept them bottled while he led Lokki away, down the hall to settle himself before focusing on teleporting. As he did so, he noticed his brother approaching the inventor.