Heaven Sent (Loki/Asgard Fanfiction - Aislinn's Story)

Chapter Fifty-Two

The room was quiet and despite the fact they'd been burning for hours, the candles showed no sign of melting. Aislinn lay quiet in Steve's arms, trailing her fingertips through the dark hair feathered across his chest.

"Feel better?" she murmured, fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Absolutely." He kissed the top of her head. "You sound tired, honey."

"That would be because I am tired."

"Motherhood wearing you out already?"

She lifted her head to smile at him. "I think it's Daddy who wore me out this time."

He grinned. "I like how that sounds, honey."

"Me, too." She swept a kiss across his chest, then lowered back against him. They lay quietly, tangled up in each other, and as she trailed her fingers across his chest once more, she whispered, "Boy or girl?"

"What?"

"The baby. Do you want a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know." His fingers moved along her shoulder, up into her hair, where he let them glide through it. "If I was being one hundred per cent honest, I think I'd have to say a boy. I love the idea of a son. Someone I can teach how to throw a ball or swing a bat, whose Pop Warner team I could help coach."

"You know," she lifted her head again, "you can do all of that with a girl, too."

"I know. But girls are scary. They have all kinds of hidden places and diaper changes would make me feel weird."

"Steve."

He winked. "A little girl would be perfect, too, Ash. And if she was interested in sports, I'd be more than willing to teach or coach anything she wanted me to teach or coach." His eyes softened as he added, "And if she looks anything like her mother, I'll invest in a really good shotgun as well."

"Thankfully, that would be something we wouldn't have to worry about for a long, long time."

He traced the tip of his forefinger along her cheek. "I thought you didn't want to be a pregnant bride?"

"Well," she hedged, her fingers sliding through the hair in the middle of his chest, "I didn't. But, since the decision was taken out of my hands... well... I don't mind it so much this way. I think it was just setting out to do it intentionally that scared me."

"Scared you? I didn't think you were afraid of anything, Asgardian."

"I'm afraid of plenty." She sank back against him, her hand going still against that thatch of silky dark hair. "And now I've got a whole new bunch of things to worry about and be scared of, now that we've got a baby coming." She peered up at him. "Like Jenna. She's still out on bail. And I don't trust her."

"You have nothing to worry about, baby," he told her, his voice low and steady. "I won't let her anywhere near you. Either one of you."

"You can't watch over me twenty-four hours a day, Steve. And I'm not worried for me."

"Don't worry about me, Ash. I know how to handle Jenna."

"Steve, what if she decides that if she can't have you, no one can?"

"She won't."

"You never thought she was violent, either." Aislinn gave him a long look. "And then she shot me."

"True. But I don't want you worrying about me just the same. You've got enough to worry about, cooking junior there."

"Cooking junior?"