Author's Note:

So, this was the prompt:

Long prompt is long!
Okay, so we've all seen (and probably read) a TON of pregnant!Loki fics, and the troubles he and his partner go through to have the child (which doesn't always have a happy ending) and end the story shortly after... Don't get me wrong but am I the only one like 'wtf, it ends right after the birth?:(' .

I want to see a story where Loki, still living on Midgard and being an evil villan, is also a kickass-single-parent. He goes to PTA meetings, chaperons for the school feild trips, let's all of [insert child's name] friends over and eat all the junkfood they want, kicking ass at a Toys-R-Us for the last Captain America shield and mask, that kind of stuff. The child isn't that old either , around 4-7 range. So when the kid is at daycare/school is the time Loki goes out and is all evil. But after getting whipped by [insert hero/heroes here] Loki goes home to his baby.

[Bonuses]!

+1 the kid is an inter-racial boy/ and or/ looks absolutely nothing like Loki
+10 Loki's life lessons/advice aren't the best (ei:: Loki on stealing 'sometimes you just have to take what you want and screw everyone else/ getting called in because child was in a fight at school and Loki's all 'did you win?')
+100 If Loki only associates himself with Doom for his money to spoil his son
+1000 The Avengers start to notice a pattern in Loki's evil doing (he only attacks at 7:00-3:30)
+My Firstborn!: Loki's son absolutely adores Captain America/ wants to be just like him, so for his [insert # here] birthday Loki asks Steve to come to his birthday party

And this, dear Gods, is the even longer reply. This story is the first part of what will be a much longer 'verse in which Loki struggles with redemption, the Avengers (some more than others) with forgiveness, and the universe with fate itself. The first part starts out in media res, but backstory will be coming.

ETA: On norsekink, the title of the fill was "the water's dark in deep, inside this ancient heart." That's now the title of the entire verse, of which this story is only the beginning. Sorry for any confusion! (9/22/12)

Standard disclaimer: Marvel/Disney/Joss owns all these lovely characters, with the exception of Kara and any other OCs. I will take care of them as if they were my own – and considering Joss, that may be a kindness.

Loki's fingers cinched around the red-haired woman's wrist. She jerked her hand away, fire flashing in her eyes, but his hand felt fast. Slender bones shifted beneath his tightening grip, but she did not yield. He ignored the eyes upon him: Stark's glowing metallic stare, the Hulk's barely lucid expression, his broth- Thor's stupid visage.

And the Man Out of Time, with his commitment to flag and country and some sort of apple dessert, blessedly ignorant of the showdown he had caused between Loki and the scarlet-haired wench.

"Since you seem incapable of understanding me, you nocky girl, you have something that belongs to me," he said, and if the threat of a shattered wrist wasn't enough to persuade her he trusted the soft malice in his voice was sufficient. "Drop it now and I will, perhaps, be merciful." He twisted his arm, smirked at the hiss of pain he finally elicited. "Perhaps."

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" The Midgardian woman shrieked in the noisome accent that was endemic to parts of the city, and flung the small box at him. "It's just a damn lunchbox!"

Loki released her wrist, raising his arm in case she decided to strike him. Or spray him with pepper or mace. He remembered last Christmas only all too well.

"Take the damn thing," she snarled, not even wiping the scowl from her face as she looked down at her dull lump of a son. "This one's just as good," she said to the child as she pushed the box with his broth- Thor's likeness on it into his hands.

"But Mom, Thor's stupid!"

Well, at least her idiot offspring had some sense.

"I don't care," the woman said, dragging the boy off, the grip on her son's hand nearly as tight as Loki's had been on her own. "God, next time you're going back to school shopping with your dad."

Loki smirked and looked down to his hard-won prize: the last Captain America lunchbox in Manhattan, it seemed. He felt a gentle tug at his jacket and looked into the round, delighted brown eyes peering out from an equally round and dark face, all but beaming up at him.

Loki frowned at the small child, but she was insistent, as all humans were, it seemed. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, but she simply pulled harder.

That frown tugged, bewilderingly, at both sides of his lips; it was almost impossible to stay angry under the spell of her happiness. Loki reached down and hefted her onto his hip, grunting a bit at her weight. He handed her the box and she wrapped her arms around it before planting a sweet if sloppy kiss on his nose.

"Are you sure it has to be a Captain America lunchbox?" Loki had to at least try and sway her, no matter how hard the battle was been won. "Iron Man is slightly less irksome. And here are some with sparkly horses."

"Cap'n America is better. Thank you, Daddy!" Kara curled against his shoulder, and Loki allowed himself a smile as his fingers tangled in his daughter's soft brown ringlets.