*

As dawn broke, faint rays of sunlight streamed through the closed curtains of the bedroom. After months of abandonment, most of the potted plants in the room had died and been thrown away, but a new plant occupied the corner, this one very much alive. A small white gardenia tree bloomed bravely in its corner pot. Loki had one brought to their suite to combat the depressing sight of the empty places where plants used to flourish at his wife's gentle hand. It felt slightly less lonely.

Maeve blearily opened her eyes and sighed, pulling the blankets that had fallen to the floor back over herself.

"Good morning, my Queen," Loki whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her hairline. Briefly, she wondered how long he had been awake. "Did you sleep well?"

Maeve nodded and moved closer so that they were facing each other on the same pillow. "Fine," she murmured sleepily.

"Just fine?"

"Yes. Your children don't seem to understand the concept of nighttime," she grumbled playfully. "Not to mention making me have to go to the bathroom every five minutes..."

"Ah. Already causing mischief, hm?" With a small grin, he put a hand on her stomach and directed his next comment there. "We are going to have problems if you insist on bothering a princess of Asgard so frequently."

Maeve giggled. "They're just like their father. You all love to bother me."

"Yes, but we also all love you." Loki tilted her chin up and the two kissed, just a simple kiss that lingered for a moment or two. When they parted, he laid back down next to her. A troubled look crossed his emerald eyes, clouded over with exhaustion. "You cannot begin to comprehend how much I missed you, my darling."

"I'd say the same thing about you," Maeve murmured. Glancing at the light from the crack between the curtains, she tried to sit up. "We should be up by now, look at the sun, we overslept-"

"Relax." Loki took her hand in both of his. It felt small, delicate, warm, compared to his. A nagging sense of guilt filled him as he remembered how he'd lost the family he was supposed to protect. Instead of focusing on this, he focused on her hand and drew strength from her. "Mother told us to take a few days off. Besides, you aren't exactly supposed to be doing anything strenuous."

"If not doing anything strenuous means sitting in bed for the next three months, then that will not be happening." At Loki's exasperated expression, she pleaded, "come on! You'd go mad cooped up in here for months, too! I know you!"

"I'm not saying you need to be cooped up in here," Loki replied, his eyebrows creased. "I just want you to be careful. I..."

He trailed off, leaving them both in silence for a moment. The silence worried Maeve. It wasn't like Loki to be speechless, or to lose his words. The night before, she didn't notice much in her fevered state, but now with a clear mind, she saw how terrible he looked. His facial features seemed sharper, most likely from lost weight. Purplish-gray bags hung under his bloodshot eyes, and his skin was much paler than usual.

"Loki," she whispered, her grip on his hand tightening. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

He rubbed his forehead with his spare hand. "I don't know, I wasn't timing my sleep."

"Lo."

"Maybe an hour," he replied after thinking. "Probably less. I don't sleep much anymore."

Maeve's heart nearly broke then and there. The months had worn on him as well. She realized that Frigga hadn't given them both time off just for her well-being. The Allmother wanted her to take care of Loki, too.

Reuniting with the rest of the family could wait. Talking through her experience could wait. Everything could wait. Right now, her Loki needed her.

"That's not good for you," she rebuked softly. Yawning, the princess crawled across the bed (which she was annoyed to find increasingly difficult) and began to rub comforting circles on his back. She saw him swallow back his relief at her touch. Loki had never been particularly open, never wanting to show weakness of any kind. "You know that."

Loki sighed and closed his eyes. "I know."

"You didn't let anyone take care of you while I was gone, did you?"

"I don't need anyone to take care of me, even you. I'm fine," he insisted, standing to cross the room. The prince opened the curtains, letting a bit more natural light in, and rubbed his forehead, almost like a headache had materialized out of nowhere.

Maeve smiled sadly up at him. "Oh my husband, you have no idea how so very wrong you are."

"I believe you are mistaken, my wife. I am-" he yawned widely. "-Never wrong."

"Of course you're not."

Maeve rolled her eyes. He was being difficult, and he was enjoying it, too. Stubborn handsome prince. He needed rest. The real trick would be taking care of Loki without him realizing it. Fooling the god of mischief was no small feat, but if anyone could manage it, she had a feeling that she could. After all, Frigga believed in her. That alone was a major confidence booster.

She stood up, immediately feeling the dizziness of a head rush. Instead of hiding her discomfort like she normally would to not concern those around her, Maeve reached for the bedpost and leaned on it to steady herself. Within seconds, Loki was at her side, an endearingly worried look in his eyes.

"Are you all right?" He questioned, his hands on her waist as he guided her back to sit on the edge of the bed.

Maeve nodded. "Yes, I just stood up too fast. I'm okay now."

"Good." Before he stood, Loki smiled faintly and kissed her cheek. He wandered over to his bookshelves, his fingers trailing down the spines with care, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.

Think. Think. With six brothers and no previous experience in love, Maeve wasn't the kind of woman who knew how to seduce, but that wasn't the plan. She wanted Loki back in bed so he could get some proper rest. Luckily, she knew his weakness: her.

Gathering the blankets around herself, she whispered, "Loki, I'm cold." It wasn't a lie, not exactly, so he didn't catch it. She was always chilly nowadays.

Fear filled Loki's eyes as he turned around. "Are you feeling all right? Do you need healers?"

"No!" Maeve said hurriedly. At the surprised look on her husband's face, she added, "just lay back down with me for a few minutes. I'm sure I'll feel better then. Please?"

"As my Queen wishes." He got back into bed and wrapped his arms around her. "I have to be honest. I'm not sure how much help I am in the warming department."

"Shut up. You're fine. Better than fine, actually." Because her back was pressed up against his chest, Loki couldn't see Maeve's triumphant smile. "Just stay with me for a while."

"I'll stay with you forever if you ask it of me."

"Stay with me forever, then."

"Always." He gave her a delicate kiss on the jawline, one that sent shivers up and down her entire body. "I want a girl."

Maeve covered Loki's hands with hers. "Hm?"

"I know it's against tradition to hope that one of the babies is a girl," he said slowly, "especially one that could be my firstborn, but I really couldn't care less. I want a daughter and I want to name her Eowen."

"Eowen?" She repeated, trying the name out for herself. "That's pretty."

"I couldn't sleep with you gone, so I did a lot of reading at night," he confessed, almost shy. His voice was low and husky with sleepiness, right next to her ear. "It was the only thing that slowed my mind down for a little while. And I was rereading Lord of the Rings, another classic Midgardian book series, and the character Eowen reminded me so much of you that it hurt, but I somehow felt a bit less alone."

"Really?" Maeve asked. A smile spread across her face, and although he couldn't see it, he could hear it.

"Yes. Bold and caring, intelligent and courageous. If we do have a daughter, I would like her to be like Eowen. Like you."

"I like that name," she murmured back. "A lot."

"I was hoping you would."

"You know, I was the first daughter in our family's bloodline for a thousand years," Maeve commented. "I think we definitely need another girl."

A knocking sound could be heard from the door. Maeve groaned and buried her head in Loki's shoulder, not interested in talking to anyone else just yet. He stroked her hair gently and remained silent.

"Why won't they just go away?" Maeve whined quietly. "We've been separated for months."

"Shhh, love. Perhaps they will."

More knocking.

While she wasn't an Empath, Maeve could practically feel the waves of irritation rolling off of Loki.

"Your Highnesses, I'm sorry to wake you, but the Allfather-"

Just as the door was opening, Loki seized a vase and threw it at the guard, who ducked seconds before it smashed against the wall. He scurried out immediately, saying something about coming back later.

"I never did like that vase," Loki muttered, giving Maeve a half-grin. When she didn't smile back, he added, "I'll clean it up later."

"You'd better. It's your fault that I can't bend over anymore."

"Group effort, my dear. Group effort." He yawned again. "Maybe we should be getting up."

"No, don't go. You promised to stay with me forever," she reminded, brushing his nose with hers. "I thought you were a man of your word when it comes to me."

"Fine, I'll stay. You're so insistent, darling," he teased.

Loki began to draw shapes on her bare arm with his finger, his touch soft and familiar. After months of falling asleep in the bitter cold surrounded by those who wanted her dead, Maeve thought she was in heaven. When the twins started kicking again, she guided his hands down to feel, excited to share the sensation that she alone had experienced up until now.

"We're going to be parents," she whispered giddily. "I can still barely believe it."

"Me either, flower, but I can hardly wait for that next chapter in our lives." A particularly hard kick made Maeve gasp and Loki chuckle. "They're excited today."

"They know their father's voice. They missed you, too."

"I love you. I love you all."

Her mind wandered to a few years ago, when she was still living in Vanaheim with her father and brothers. She thought about all of the afternoons she'd spent alone in the gardens or riding Ingrid through the countryside.

It wasn't a bad life, but she never would have imagined it turning out as wonderfully it did. Despite the trials and dangers, she'd never been happier.

"We should talk about more names. We are having twins, after all. One name isn't going to be enough," Maeve said with a quiet laugh.

Loki didn't respond, so she carefully wiggled out of his arms and turned over to find him sound asleep on the pillow. Already, he looked more peaceful.

"Your father is a good man, little ones," she whispered as she rubbed her stomach comfortingly, a smile spreading across her face. "And he always takes care of us. He loves us so much."

She brushed a few black locks out of his face and kissed him on the forehead. Then, she reached onto the nightstand for Lord of the Rings, snuggled close to her sleeping husband, and began to read.

I definitely missed writing Loki and Maeve fluff, as shown by this chapter.

What did you think? Any predictions for the story? What genders do you think the twins are?

Thank you so much for reading, as always. I appreciate you all endlessly :)