Chapter 35

*1 Month Later*

Tony was right, the press had a lot of fun with the daughter bit. The first magazine to run the story had painted Pepper in a really bad light, but Tony threatened to sue them for defamation and they pulled the story. He set up interviews with some of his more trusted reporters and managed to get the full story out there. It was a beautiful story about a troubled teen turned successful business woman reuniting with her daughter she was forced to give up.

Just as I thought there would be, people started to riot against the Avengers. That was until some alien from a few planets away invaded us with his army. Videos began to spread on the internet of Loki and I taking lead on the mission and stopping the threat. More and more people began to respect Loki but there was still those who hated him. It was understandable, I guess. People lost loved ones that day and Loki was the soul reason why. I could get why it was so hard for them to accept him as their hero. But I knew that in time everything would work out.

I rolled over in my bed and smiled at the sleeping Loki. Fury gave us the next month off since we were put through so much in such a short time. He said we deserved it. I knew the month off wouldn't last though, Loki and I love our work.

"I can feel you staring at me." Loki's sleepy raspy voice said, his eyes still closed.

"I can't help it." I replied as I scooted over and laid my head on his bare chest. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight as he laid his head on mine, falling back asleep. I inhaled his natural scent and closed my eyes too, drifting back into slumber.

"Loki!" Odin's voice called out. My eyes shot open and I slowly turned my head towards our door to see Odin, Thor, Tony, and Pepper standing there, all with the men had their arms crossed while Pepper had one arm crossed under her chest and her other elbow resting on it with her hand covering her mouth.

"Um." I awkwardly said as I slowly pulled our blanket up and over my nude chest. I rolled off of Loki and sat up, holding the blanket over me still and Loki groaned as he rubbed his eyes.

"What?" He asked, sitting up and slouching as he yawned. His black hair fell into his eyes and he glared over at the group staring at us.

"Father?" He asked, moving the hair from his face and tilting his head. I guess he didn't realize it was Odin at first.

"Why are you here? You never leave Asgard." Loki said as he grabbed a plain black t-shirt from the floor and pulled it on. He stood up and slipped his black sweats on too before walking over to the door, ushering the men away so I could get dressed. Pepper watched as I quickly jumped out of bed and threw on one of Loki's black shirts and a pair of yoga shorts and then walked out and into the kitchen with me.

"Why?" Loki asked as he crossed his arms. We joined the men and noticed the horrible look Tony was giving Loki, a look that could kill.

"What's going on?" I asked as I crossed my arms.

"I want the two of you to join me on Asgard." Odin announced as he looked away from Loki and over at me.

"Why? What's going on?" I asked as I looked from Odin to Thor and Tony and then Loki. Pepper put her arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to her and that told me something was really wrong.

"He won't tell me. But whatever it is, it was important enough to bring him here." Loki said as he looked over at me and nodded a little.

"Alright, I'll go get changed." I said but before I could turn around Odin grabbed my wrist and stopped me. He quickly called upon Heimdall and I closed my eyes as the bright light flashed around us. Odin wrapped his arm around Pepper and I and held us against him as we flew through space and to Asgard. When the white light disappeared he let us go and motioned all of us to follow him. Tony's harsh glare was still on Loki as we walked down the rainbow bridge and to the palace. I felt very underdressed compared to the others inside.

"Alex!" Frigga excitedly greeted me as we walked into the infirmary. She hugged me, squeezing a little, and then pulled away and hugged her son. He returned the hug and she smiled as she pulled away from us. She clearly knew something we didn't. Pepper grabbed my hand and pulled me back to her, holding me close and in a protective way.

"Can you please tell us what's going on?" Loki asked as he shook his head and looked over at his father.

"Lay on the bed, child." Odin ordered as he looked at me. I furrowed my brows in confusion and looked over at Tony, who nodded at me to do it. I slowly pulled from Pepper and climbed into the bed and a nurse walked in with a small device in her hands.

"Father." Loki warned as he crossed his arms and clenched his jaw. He clearly knew what was happening now and I was the only one in the dark.

"This will not hurt." The nurse assured me. I quickly looked over at Tony and he relaxed his harsh look as he moved closer to me. Pepper took my hand and gently squeezed it as she looked down and away from me. The nurse slowly lifted my shirt up, causing me to slap her hand and pull it back down out of instinct.

"Sorry." I awkwardly laughed as I moved my hand back to my side. She lifted my shirt again and placed the small circular device in the center of my stomach. The device lit up and a dark blue hologram of my insides appeared above me, sitting check height of the nurse.

"Um, what's going on?" I asked as I stared at my stomach. The nurse pinched her pointer and middle fingers together and then quickly pulled them apart, zooming in on a very tiny black dot.

"What is that??" I asked, sitting up a little to get a better look. The nurse gently pushed me back on my back and I looked over at Loki, who's arms were uncrossed and eyes wide. His mouth fell slightly open and he let out a small laugh, not removing his eyes from the holographic image.

"Tony??" My worried voice asked as I looked over at my self proclaimed dad. Tony's face looked just like Loki's, but with a bit more anger to it. He looked over at Loki and clenched his jaw as he stared at the God.

"I can't believe you." He harshly said. I was getting so tired of everyone ignoring me on this.

"What is going on?!" I shouted.

"You are with child, my dear." Frigga happily said as she took my right hand in hers. I stared up at her with wide eyes and furrowed brows as I tried to process what she just said. I quickly looked back over at the holographic image and examined the small dot in disbelief.

"How could you do something so reckless?!" Tony suddenly shouted out at Loki. I flinched a little and tensed up because it was the first time I've ever heard Tony shout like that. Pepper covered her mouth with her free hand as the tears began to fall down her face, but I could see they weren't tears of joy.

"I can assure you I did not do this on purpose." Loki said as he looked over at Tony and shook his head.

"You should have been more careful!" Tony harshly replied.

"Tony." Pepper begged, I knew she wanted him to calm down.

"W-Why? W-What's going to happen?" I asked as I looked over at Pepper. She gently squeezed my hand as she wiped the tears from her face and sniffed.

"Tell her, Loki! Tell her what you did to her!" Tony screamed out, his face turning red. Loki dropped his head and clenched his jaw as he crossed his arms. He licked his lips and looked back up at me, his bright green eyes filled with....sorrow.

"I did not mean to." His words soft and meaningful.

"Didn't mean to what? Loki??" I asked, panic setting in now. The nurse removed the device from my stomach and pulled my shirt down as she looked over at the men.

"All of you are to leave this room at once. You are stressing her out." She firmly said. Odin nodded in agreement and patted Tony's shoulder before turning and walking towards the door. Thor pulled at Loki's arm and Tony huffed but followed them out of the room, leaving Frigga, Pepper and I with the nurse. I looked over at Frigga and she softly smiled as she sat on the bed next to me and took my other hand in hers.

"What's going on??" I asked as I sat up and stared down at my stomach. Pepper put her arm over my shoulder and pulled me close to her as she held back more tears.

"While Loki is not born of Asgard with Asgardian blood, he is powerful. He is still a God." Frigga gently explained as she rubbed her fingers over my hand for comfort.

"When the child of a God is born, the mother does not always survive. The only time the mother of a God offspring survives childbirth...is if she herself holds the blood of a God in her. Or if she has immortality." Frigga said as she furrowed her brows. She looked over at me and sighed as she gently reached her free hand up and moved the stray hairs from my face.

"Neither of which you have..." Her words trailed as he moved her hand from my face and looked back to our hands.

"S-So...I'm going to die?" I asked as I slowly pulled my hand from hers and crossed my arms over my chest. Frigga inhaled and then licked her lips but didn't respond to my question. But that gave me my answer. I furrowed my brows as I focused my attention on the bed below me. I felt so lost, so scared, so helpless in all of this. Loki's words sat with me.

"I did not mean to." I believed him. I saw the look in his eyes. He truly didn't mean for this to happen. Pepper put her head against mine and I could feel her silently crying as she tried to comfort me. I closed my eyes tightly and leaned into her, attempting to comfort her as well.

*Loki's POV*

I followed my father and brother into the throne room and closed the door after Tony walked in. I still couldn't believe I had a child on the way. While that excited me, the thought of losing Alex due to that was heartbreaking.

"You asshole." Tony harshly said as he shook his head.

"How did you know?" I asked my father, ignoring Tony.

"I felt it, in the air. I felt the change of winds. I knew one of my sons had created an heir." My father explained as he sat in his throne.

"Admittedly, my first thought was Thor." He chuckled a little as he looked over at my brother. 

"But when I questioned he and Jane, I learned that Jane cannot bare children of her own." He continued as he looked back over at me.

"And that meant it was you and Alex. Upon my arrival to your home, I meant Tony again. I explained my reason for visiting and he and Pepper brought me down to your room." He finished as he leaned back in his throne. I looked over at Tony and nodded as he clenched his jaw and inhaled hard.

"Tony knows about the birthing process for an offspring of a God. He studied a bit of it a few years ago when he was visiting." Thor added.

"That explains the anger." I mumbled.

"You killed her!" Tony shouted out. I already felt incredibly guilty for this and I didn't need him to make it worse.

"I did not mean to!" I yelled back.

"She has to get an abortion." He sternly said as he looked over at Odin. My father let out a loud laugh as he shook his head at the human.

"That will never happen. She is carrying the child of a God." My father argued.

"If she gives birth to that child she will die!" Tony argued back.

"I will not terminate the life inside of her. It is a new GOD and he will live and one day rule Asgard as his father did before him!" Odin's voice boomed out over the empty room, echoing off of the stone walls. Thor and I both snapped out heads in Odin's direction and I opened my mouth a little, inhaling and thinking about what he just said. I never thought my father wanted me to rule Asgard...and hearing him say that brought me joy.

"Well, technically a Demigod." Thor shrugged.

"What?" Our father harshly asked him.

"Lady Alex is human, father. Loki is God. So, the child is technically half human, half God. Demigod." He explained, not picking up on father's harsh tone.

"And frost giant." My idiotic brother added, nodding. I put my hand over my face and ran it down as I exhaled hard.

"Exactly, Odin, Alex is human. She'll die if she gives birth to that baby." Tony suddenly said, his tone calmer and more concerned than angry.

"Could Loki not just out heal the damage the child causes?" Thor asked as he raised a brow at us.

"I could try." I nodded, feeling a little hopeful with this new idea.

"No." Our father harshly replied.

"Why not?" Tony asked him.

"The offspring will not just cause great pain, it will take Alex's lifeforce as it is birthed." He explained, his tone also turning softer the more we talked about this. I knew my father cared for Alex and I'm sure this was hard for him too.

"That's dumb. What kind of beings are born by stealing their mother's life??" Tony scoffed.

"Gods." Odin, Thor and I all replied at the same time.

"And the mothers do not die usually die." My father added as he stood up from his throne and walked down the few steps to the floor where we all stood.

"For they are Goddesses." He added.

"But Alex is human." Tony desperately said. I didn't want Alex to die either, but I knew that nothing would change my father's mind. He would never allow the child to be aborted.

"But she is strong." Thor argued.

"Not strong enough!" Tony shouted back at my brother.

"You saw her in the cave, Stark. Do not pretend she does not possess a hidden power in her." Thor scoffed as he crossed his arms and shook his head at the human. I was curious about what they were referring to. It must have happened when I was close to death.

"What are you talking about?" Father asked before I could.

"When Lady Alex thought Loki had died in her arms, she began to scream. Her pain, her need for Loki to live, her suffering....it awoke something in her." Thor explained as he looked over at our father.

"Her eyes flashed white and the rocks around her began to lift even though she was not trying to move them. They moved off of her pain." Thor continued as he looked down and nodded.

"She does indeed have a hidden power in her." He  finished as he looked over at our father.

"We don't know that for sure." Tony argued.

"Stop denying it, Stark." Thor argued back.

"It doesn't matter if she's stronger than we think! She will die! She isn't a Goddess and she doesn't have imor-" As Tony pleaded with my father the solution it suddenly hit me.

"Immortality." I finished his words as I looked over at the trio of men with hopeful eyes.

"Exactly." Tony nodded as he motioned to me.

"I could give it to her." I said, laughing a little.

"You what?" Tony asked as he narrowed his eyes and crunched his brows.

"No." My father harshly said.

"I could. There is a spell..." I said as my smile grew wider.

"A spell used in the dark arts. I could give Alex immortality and she would survive the birth." I nodded as I took a step back and smiled a little.

"That is dangerous, Loki." My father snapped at me as he took a step towards me.

"Less dangerous than having her just give birth. The spell will work." I sternly said.

"You do not know that. The spell has never been preformed on a human before." My father said as he shook his head and waved the idea off.

"We have no other options." Tony chimed in. I was surprised he was for this idea, but he loves Alex almost as much as I do. He wants to try whatever we can.

"Father, I can do it." I assured my father as I took another step back. Before he could argue with me I quickly turned and ran out of the throne room and to my own personal library located a few floors above us. I walked in and dug through the mess of books I had scattered everywhere until I finally found it. A medium sized black book with blood red insignias on the front of it.

The book of dark arts.

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