Loki pulled away from Morgan's mind, leaving just as gently as he'd entered. He needed to speak with his mother privately again and Morgan was exhausted from the crammed magic lessons she'd just received. He noticed the dazed expression on her face and let her rest. She needed it desperately after learning that much magic that quickly, especially from so far away. He was surprised she was still awake, even as dazed as she was. He would take her to bed as soon as he'd finished speaking with his mother. In the meantime, he could smile fondly at how adorable she was.

/Asgardian?/ Loki demanded of his mother, not believing it was true. His blind little Midgardian couldn't have Asgardian magic. Couldn't be Asgardian. Her father was Tony Stark after all. How in Hel had Tony Stark found an Asgardian to have relations with? It just didn't seem possible.

/To have power that strong, one of her parents must be Asgardian/ Frigga replied gently.

/I know her father. He is most definitely Midgardian. That must mean her mother is Asgardian. Somehow/ Loki still sounded doubtful. He was doubtful. He couldn't imagine an Asgardian sleeping with Tony Stark of all people. He couldn't stand the guy and didn't think for a moment that any Asgardian would be able to either.

/She must be/ Frigga agreed. /Your midgardian has the power level to qualify as a master magician if she's trained. Her mother has to be Asgardian for her power to be that strong / she reminded him. Loki was one of the master magicians. One of the few including his mother who were strong enough to have earned that rank.

/Do you know of anyone from Asgard with levels of power like hers besides the two of us?/ Loki asked, hoping his mother could narrow down who the extremely interesting little Midgardian's mother could possibly be. That might answer some questions.

Though Loki loved nothing more than a mystery and his little Midgardian was being quite mysterious indeed.

/A few of the noble ladies, have the power, but none are missing or have moved to Midgard that I know of. So unless it's someone untrained.../ Frigga replied unhelpfully.

That was irksome, but perhaps Morgan could tell him more when she was coherent again. If it hadn't been so urgent that she learn control, he would never have suggested she learn so much so fast. Neither would Frigga, especially not so far away.

/I will look into it. Thank you for your help, mother/ Loki said, knowing they would get no answers until Morgan was in a shape to help them.

/Of course, darling. Call on me if you need any more assistance/ she bid her son warmly.

/I will/ with that, he cut the connection and stood slowly so as to not startle the little Midgardian awake. She was mostly asleep and Loki was glad he had chosen the comfortable chairs for this lesson.

He gently, carefully, lifted the slight girl into his arms, noting how thin and frail she was. She had gotten better over the last couple of weeks, since she'd left the hospital. She still had a lot of recovering to do. And all the magic lessons wouldn't help. He would have to make sure she ate well. She needed the strength and energy. "Time to get to bed, little one," he told Morgan warmly, his voice soft and gentle.

His mostly asleep little Midgardian stirred, making a soft noise, but with a couple of gentle reassuring soft words from Loki, she settled quickly back into her doze. Working with his mother was hard work, no matter how easy it seemed and he wasn't surprised she was this tired. Not on her second day of knowing she had magic. She'd get more stamina in time, with practice. He was proud that she'd managed as well as she had.

He wasn't surprised with how tired she was. He was surprised when she whispered one word in her doze: "Loki," he was more surprised when that one word came out as a loving caress. His expression softened further to a warm smile as he carried her back to his room. He tucked her carefully into his bed, tucking the blankets around her. He swept a loose lock of hair behind her ear and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Dad will kill you if he catches you doing that," she murmured. Loki knew she was nowhere near awake or coherent. Her eyes hadn't opened even. She'd only stirred enough for that once comment.

He chuckled warmly. "Then it is quite the good thing that he is not here," he told her. "Rest, little one. You need it after all that work you went through," he tried to sound stern, but his tone came out lovingly exasperated. She smiled warmly and settled into a proper sleep and Loki took his usual spot on the couch to let her rest.

He growled when her phone woke her a half hour later singing some awful song about her father's alter-ego. She groaned and reached over to the nightstand for her ear, sitting up as she lifted the phone to her ear. "Hey dad," she answered it automatically. Loki found himself curious as to how she knew her father was calling. He was also curious as to what Stark wanted.

And irrationally upset that the call had woken her when she so desperately needed rest.

He remained silent while she was on the phone. He wouldn't interrupt. He would make sure she went back to sleep afterwards.

"No, dad. I understand. No, really, the mission is important," she was saying. Loki smiled fondly as he watched her twirl a lock of her hair around her fingers as she spoke, holding her phone with her other hand. "I can go by myself, I'm not a kid," she sighed in exasperation. "Yes, I know not alone-alone. But Happy is a guard. He can guard from outside. Yes, I'm sure I'll be fine. I'll let you know how it goes. Be careful. Love you too," she said and sighed heavily as she hung up the phone and set it back on the nightstand.

Loki waited a moment, but she didn't seem inclined to share. "What was that about?" he asked her gently, not wanting to startle her, but curious all the same.

She sighed again, looking unhappy. "I have to go back to the doctor, Midgardian healer," she clarified, though Loki knew the word. He appreciated her effort to make sure he understood, though. "tomorrow so they can see how I'm doing. Dad promised to take me, but they won't be back..." she trailed off there. That was enough of an explanation for what was bothering her, and why her father had called worriedly. Stark didn't want her to face this trial alone.

Especially since she'd have to leave the safety of the tower to do it.

Loki only hesitated a moment before he asked: "Would you like me to come with you?" he offered her gently. He wasn't sure if he'd be welcome on her visit to the doctor.

"Happy will drive me," she hedged, but he caught the nuance of her tone. It wasn't that she didn't want him there. It wasn't the same for her to bring Happy as a driver/guard and they both knew it. She didn't want to force him out among the people. Perhaps he'd been a little too insistent with her that he was a recluse.

"I am better protection than some meager Midgardian," he scoffed, giving her a very good reason to ask him to come along.

"True," she agreed easily. There was no doubt that the god would be better protection. "but you don't like people, or the outside," she reminded him. She wouldn't force him to come along if he hated the outside so much.

She could hear the ruffle of fabric as he shrugged, though of course she couldn't see the action to know what he'd done. "To keep you safe, I can live through my distaste for this realm," he told her, trying to make it sound like his distaste for the outside was about the realm itself and not about the Midgardians staring at his Jotun form or how uncomfortable he was in this skin with this godsforsaken curse on him.

"If you're sure you don't mind... I'd rather have a friend there," she replied softly and he could see her vulnerability of her condition. She was afraid. Afraid to be that far from home, to go to such an unfamiliar place alone. She wanted someone she trusted there.

She trusted Loki.

He wouldn't break that trust.

No one ever trusted him and he savored the experience that this wonderful little darling of a Midgardian did.

"I will happily accompany you, little one. You only had to ask," he told her gently. Though he saw that she would've gone alone if it meant not inconveniencing him.

She yawned and decided to change the subject. "Before you ask, I knew it was dad because my phone was singing the Ironman song by Black Sabbath. Each of the team plays a different song when they call," she explained.

Loki chuckled and was glad that mystery was solved. "Of course. That makes sense," he told her warmly. It was an ingenious solution.

She gave him a bright smile, glad she'd made him laugh. "The hardest part was picking songs for everyone. Though dad and your brother were easy," she added. They really had been.

"What song did you pick for my brother?" he asked curiously.

"Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin," she replied automatically.

Loki didn't know what that meant, but she seemed to know that he wouldn't and asked Jarvis to play the song. She knew he wouldn't know it, but he would recognize the references to 'hammer of the gods' and 'Valhalla I'm coming'. Loki chuckled when the song finished. "That does fit my brother," he told her warmly. He saw her fidget and smirked, having a feeling he knew why she was fidgeting. "And what song did you choose for me?" he asked her knowingly.

Her fidgeting increased as her cheeks turned red. "For the Dancing and the Dreaming..." she mumbled so softly that he would've missed it had he been human. She hoped he wouldn't recognize the song name. That he somehow wouldn't know it.

Of course he did.

His eyes lit up in delight. "You know that song?" he asked, surprised she somehow knew it.

She nodded shyly. "Thor said you particularly like the books about Hiccup and Toothless the dragon. There's a couple of movies about them and the song is in one of them," she explained.

Loki couldn't help his grin. "Amazing. We have to watch them sometime!" he told her with childlike enthusiasm.

She nodded and grinned that he was so excited, especially for something Midgardian. It was adorable. She moved to swing her legs out of the bed. "We can go watch them if you want," she offered, wanting to take him to do whatever had excited him so much.

Loki stiffened. She wasn't in any shape to be dragging him all over the tower. "Are you sure you feel up to it?" he asked her gently, trying to urge her to stay in bed before he had to make her stay in bed. She was exhausted. "You need more rest, little one. You dealt with a lot of magic training in such a short period of time," they could both hear the concern in his voice.

She considered that for a moment and hesitated, but Loki could see exhaustion wearing out. "Tonight instead?" she offered, promising to watch the movie he wanted. She wouldn't forget and tried to make sure he knew that she wouldn't forget something he was so excited about.

"It's a date," he told her, jokingly, but he saw the color return to her cheeks and smirked. It seemed the little Midgardian was interested. He would keep that in mind. "For now, you should get some more sleep, darling," he told her warmly.

She nodded and curled back up in Loki's plush comfortable bed and was back asleep in moments. She really was more worn out than she was letting on. It was a trait she shared with her father.

*

Loki read until she woke again and gave her a warm smile as she stirred. "Feel better, little one?" he asked her and she could hear the warm smile in his voice.

She nodded and smiled at him in return. "Much better," she agreed and she seemed much more awake and coherent so he actually believed that she had recovered.

"That is good news indeed,"

She grinned at him. "So do you want to watch those movies?" she asked, telling him clearly that she hadn't forgotten about what he'd wanted to do that evening. She also figured he was bored sitting reading, though he was perfectly content with the Midgardian books she'd recommended to him over the last couple of weeks. He enjoyed discussing the books with her. "Or is it dinner time? I've lost track..." she admitted that last part softly. She had a hard time keeping track of what time of day it was without constantly asking Jarvis for the time.

"We should definitely eat and I will definitely keep our date to watch those moves," he paused. "But first, darling, there are some things we must discuss," he told her gently and moved from the couch so he was sitting on the bed with her, near her, but not in her space, especially not while they were both sitting in his bed.

"What things to discuss?" she asked warily. Those were never good words to start a conversation with.

"We need to discuss has to do with what my mother and I discovered from you this morning," Loki told her gently. He didn't want to frighten her, but they did need to talk.

"What did you discover?" she asked, confused and wary and wishing, not for the first time, that she could see his face, read his emotions. He, however was extremely grateful that she couldn't see his Jotun form. He didn't want to scare her off. Not when he had a new friend, a real friend, and, if he were being quite honest with himself, hopefully more than a friend.

"Your magic is Asgardian, little one," he told her gently, if bluntly. He didn't want his meaning misunderstood. "That means one of your parents must hail from Asgard," he explained.

She looked completely confused. "But you know my dad. They did a DNA test when I was 14; when mom told him that he was my dad. It wasn't that he wouldn't help a bright young mind get into college, but he still wanted to know for sure," she hadn't been offended that Tony had insisted on the DNA test and had submitted to it willingly. "He's definitely my dad. And mom was an airline pilot..." she told him. It didn't make any sense.

Loki considered that. "Maybe that's what you were led to believe," he placated her. "However, the fact of the matter is that the only way for you to possess Asgardian magic is if one of your parents is Asgardian. It means your mother must be from Asgard," he explained to her. "Mother verified that your magic is Asgardian. There are no doubts that she is correct in that assessment," he added before she could try to say that Frigga was wrong.

She nodded. "Though it's a moot point. Mom died years ago, so it's not like you can ask her and find out. All I have are pictures..."

Loki sighed. Of course that was the problem. Hoping against hope he asked. "Do you have any of the pictures with you?"

There was a chance...

She reached for her phone and hesitated. She sighed, wishing for her sight back for that one instant so she could see the picture that Loki wanted to see. "Jarvis, can you pull up the picture of mom? You know the one," she told the AI as if it were a person. Tony spoke to the stupid computer the same way. Loki still didn't understand it.

The phone whirred for a moment. When it stopped, Morgan turned her face down to the phone, looking sad for a moment at not seeing the picture, though she knew it well. Loki waited patiently, knowing this was difficult for her. He cursed the fates again that this little darling of a Midgardian was without sight. She finally turned the phone, holding it out in Loki's direction. It was the one picture she had of her with both of her parents. She was fourteen in the picture, her bright red hair down loose at her shoulders, wearing a green dress. Loki could see that her eyes had been bright green before the accident and she'd been adorable as a teen. Before the chemicals had scarred her eyes. Not that she wasn't still adorable... She was standing between Tony wearing a suit and a tall woman who was clearly Asgardian. The woman had the look of an Asgardian lady, especially with her golden brown hair.

More telling was the distinctive tattoo on her left arm.

And the fact that Loki knew her well.

Beyond well.

He smiled fondly at the picture. "I never thought she was still alive," he said softly in disbelief.

"You knew her?" Morgan demanded incredulously.

"Lady Brunhilde, Aunt Hilda to myself and Thor," Loki told her warmly, fondly remembering the woman he had known as an aunt, the woman he'd known his entire life. "She was mother's best friend, one of the best healers in the realm, a talented pilot, and one of the last surviving Valkyrie. She was an amazing woman. She disappeared centuries ago and we thought we had lost her," he said softly. He knew that would be rough information for her. Especially since she had lost her mother.

She looked shocked and it took her a minute to even process what he said. "She really was Asgardian? You knew her? A Valkyrie??" she asked when she'd finally come to some sort of processing of that information. It was a lot to take in.

"Yes, darling. Asgardian and a Valkyrie. She escaped the slaughter of the Valkyrie since she was assigned to the palace at the time. Assigned to defend my mother. Thor and I both grew up knowing her... I'm surprised he didn't tell you..." Loki's voice was disapproving. Thor should have told her if he'd known she was half-Asgardian. She should have been warned.

"He never saw the picture. He didn't ask and I don't go showing it off," she admitted. Thor hadn't asked to see it, assuming the memory difficult. He would do anything to avoid hurting his friends. Morgan pondered something else for a moment before she blanched, then looked shocked and excited as her eyes widened. "Wait? those stories were about you and Thor?!?!?" she demanded.

"What stories?" Loki asked her, confused.

She paused in her shock and considered what he was asking and how to explain. "Mom use to tell stories about her "nephews", her best friend's sons. They got into such unbelievable mischief that I thought she made them all up. Like the time they angered a bilgesnipe in the forest and it chased them all the way home," she explained.

Loki laughed. "I remember that," he told her fondly.

"I thought she just made them up... she changed your names, so I didn't make the connection... I loved stories when I was a kid and devoured as many as I could. I thought they were just stories,"

"I wouldn't be surprised if she changed our names on purpose to keep you safe," Loki told her gently. It was something a Valkyrie would have done. Especially for a daughter who was supposed to think she was entirely Midgardian.

"Keep me safe? From what?" Morgan asked incredulously, as if disbelieving that there could be that much danger on Midgard of all places.

"That I do not know, but there must have been some reason she fled Asgard,"

Morgan nodded, but that point was moot. Neither of them would know why her mother had fled. She pondered something else, then gave him a much too mischievous smirk.

Loki's eyebrows shot up. He knew that look. It never led to good things. "What's that look for?" he asked her worriedly.

"The stories were real," she reminded him too innocently.

Now his eyes narrowed, getting what she was saying. "What are you planning?" he asked her warily, wondering what all she knew.

"Besides bringing up embarrassing stories about Thor that I now know are real and have no reason to know? As long as I remember to change "Thomas" back to "Thor"..." she corrected, pondering as she spoke.

Loki sighed in exasperation. "Yes. Besides that," he said dryly.

"Nothing yet. But i have a lot of ammunition," she replied with a smirk. Loki groaned, which just made the annoying chit laugh. "At least Thor was the instigator for most of the embarrassing things," she smiled innocently. "Though Liam did manage to meet a bunch of government officials without his clothing..." she added far too innocently.

Loki raised an eyebrow, horrified and shocked. "How the Hel did you know that?" he demanded incredulously, blushing purple.

She laughed. "It was one of the many, many stories mom told me about her "nephews" Liam and Thomas. They were such troublemakers," she teased. She was enjoying this! She was enjoying embarrassing him.

Annoying little chit.

He grumbled in annoyance and embarrassment. She laughed again. "Finefine, I'll behave, Liam," she teased him warmly.

Liam.

She'd given him a nickname.

He should be annoyed that she'd given him a nickname. He was every time someone else tried it.

And yet.

It was a nickname.

A normal, friendly nickname.

A display of friendship.

A gift.

He wanted to kiss her for that gift.

Hel, he wanted to kiss her just... because he cared for her and wanted this friendship to be so much more.

But not yet.

He was a monster and she couldn't possibly care for him like that.

He had to be sure before he tried.

Could he ever be sure?

Could she ever care for such a beast?