The second the words had come out of your mouth, Thor was on his feet to congratulate you. He rushed over and pulled you into a crazy-warm hug and spun you around excitedly. You couldn't help giggling at your silly brother-in-law. "Congratulations, little sister!" he bid you and spun you in another circle before he finally set you on your feet. In a rare display of sentiment, Loki let Thor hug him and clap him on the back. Their hug was brief, but it was still growth on Loki's part to allow it from his brother. Sif came over next and hugged you too. She and Thor had gotten married a year ago and lived in the tower with you when Thor was on Midgard.

Soon the entire team had surrounded you and were congraulting you.

"You're really without your powers for nine months?" Cap asked, sounding concerned. The team was used to you and Loki being in Asgard for a month or two at a time. Even while you were in Asgard, you could be called back for emergency healings. Loki always left one of the ravens with the team so you could be contacted quickly. Cap, and the rest of the team you realized, didn't quite know how to deal with the fact that they weren't going to have you as healer for the next nine months. They were so used to relying on you and your healing skills.

You looked to Loki, he still knew more about magic than you did, though you were also a Master Magician of Asgard. He'd been studying for a thousand years longer than you had. And this was admittedly not something you had looked into. You and Loki hadn't exactly been trying for a child. Of course you were beyond delighted that you were pregnant, but you hadn't really been actively trying. Besides, it was notoriously difficult for Asgardians to get pregnant. You thought you would have to try for a century for it to happen. It should have taken at least a century. It was a miracle that it hadn't.

Loki inclined his head and spoke to you instead of addressing the team as a whole. "In a few weeks, you should get some low level magic back, enough to speak with me telepathically and the clothes changing spell. Absolute basics. Anything stronger would be deadly to the baby," he explained. You nodded and would gladly forgo having your magic for the duration to not have the baby in danger.

Ok, maybe not gladly, but you at least understood why.

It was going to be hard, though. You'd had your powers as long as you could remember, and besides losing them once a month, you were never without them. It would be hard to go nine months without that power at your disposal.

Loki pulled you into his arms and kissed the top of your head. "It'll be alright, witchling. The team will survive without you until our child is born. Barton shall just have to be more careful to avoid getting shot," he teased.

"Hey!" Clint protested, glaring indignanty at Loki, who chuckled.

You wrapped your arms around Loki and relaxed in his caring embrace. His chest moved under your head as he chuckled. "You should go pack, witchling. We need to return to Asgard now,"

"Why? You guys aren't scheduled to go back yet," Stark protested. It wasn't really that he cared if Loki was around. The two were cordial at best, but he, like the rest of the team adored you.

"I am not trusting my lady's, or child's safety to Midgardian doctors," Loki sneered the last, telling everyone in the room quite clearly what he thought of the skills of Midgardian doctors.

Wanda looked at him with big, nearly heartbroken, eyes. "You're going home for nine months?" she asked. She and Loki had adopted each other as siblings since she'd joined the team. He'd helped her improve her control over her powers and expand on what abilities she had. She'd grown in leaps and bounds over the years you'd known her and she absolutely adored Loki.

Loki nodded. "I'm sorry, little sister, but we must. It's much better for my wife and my child to be on Asgard during the pregnancy," Loki would never risk your safety and you had a feeling he'd risk his child's safety even less. You could at least defend yourself. Your child could not. "You're welcome to come visit anytime," he reminded her. You'd gotten Loki and Thor to get Odin to loosen the rules about mortals in his realm. He allowed Wanda to visit whenever she wished. Most of the team was, but especially Wanda and Bucky. Bucky and Loki had become strangely good friends. No one quite understood how that happened, but it was good for both of them. You'd healed Bucky's mind entirely from the shit Hydra had done to it. It had taken awhile, but the results had been definitely worth it.

"Can't you travel back and forth?" Wanda asked, not quite appeased.

Loki shook his head and held his arm away from his body so she could hug him too. Loki had gotten used to hugs, from certain people anyway, in the years that you'd known him. She rushed into his arms and he wrapped his arm around her, a reassuring and strong presence. Vision watched on, but he wasn't threatened by Loki. Neither Loki nor Wanda had feelings for the other besides in a purely sibling capacity. "It won't be for forever, little sister," he promised her, pressing a reassuring kiss to the top of her head. "Just until the child is born. Traveling by bifrost is usually perfectly safe, but there is so much magical energy that powers it, that it is very dangerous for the unborn child. It's along the same lines as to why Sig is without her powers. It would be too much for the baby," he explained. He was always gentle and careful in his explanation of magical concepts to Wanda. He adored her just as much as she adored him. "I will shield her for this trip so it'll be safe, but any further along in the pregnancy would be a risk to them both,"

Wanda nodded. "Alright, Loki," she finally said and stepped out of his arms. "Be careful and keep in touch," she demanded with a spark in her eyes.

He chuckled. "We will," he promised. "And you are always welcome to visit." He reminded her again. You kissed Loki's cheek and headed upstairs to pack while he said goodbye to his friends. You didn't have much to pack, your Asgardian wardrobe was in your suite on Asgard, but there were things you liked to have with you, especially your phone that was spelled to work across the realms. That took quite a lot of work and a lot of trans-realm tech work with Stark. He'd been just as excited as you were when you got it to work. You also had a tiny arc reactor to charge it and a couple other small pieces of tech. A few pieces of Midgardian clothes so you'd have something comfortable to wear in private, a teddy bear dressed in your husband's armor, and a few books you couldn't live nine months without.

Mostly books.

You couldn't access your dimenional pocket for a few weeks, so you had to bring books with you to entertain you. You doubted you'd have much to do in Asgard either. Usually while you were there, you sat on the throne with Loki, or more often took over the healing wing for his mother. Without your powers you didn't think you'd be taking over the healing wing anytime soon.

You couldn't stand being bored out of your skull for the next nine months.

You started to carry your bag downstairs, but it disappeared in a shimmer of green light from your grip. You sighed at your overprotective husband. "Thanks, love," you commented and headed downstairs.

You, Loki, Thor, and Sif all said your goodbyes to the team and after another round of congratulations, headed out to the bifrost circle next to the tower. Loki placed a green skin-tight shield around you to protect your child from the bifrost's magic and held you close to his side. He nodded to Thor, who lifted Mjolnir and called to Heimdall for a lift home.

The rainbow bridge opened around you and you found yourself flying back to Asgard.

Back to your second home.