A/N: Things need to be said.

First, I need to give credit where credit is due, a lot of the inspiration came from the amazing retelling of "The Building of Asgard's Wall" found in Kevin Crossley-Holland's interpretation, The Norse Myths. Easily one of my favorites.

Secondly, I freakin' adored the movie. One of the best things Marvel has done since Ironman. Chris looked great as Thor, and Tom's Loki was amazing. Kenneth Branagh is an amazing director who really knows how to get into the spirit of acting. Yay for Shakespeare.

Thirdly, this is mpreg and it's pretty much canon in actual Norse mythology. I am aware Thor doesn't have to follow actual Norse mythology (and oftentimes it doesn't), but I kinda don't care. So, if you don't like mpreg at all, I advise not reading. There's also hints of slash, maybe, if you squint hard enough. I'm honestly more of a fan of bromance.

Finally, I listened to a song that fueled a lot of my writing, and inspired the title. The song is "The Space Between" by Dave Matthews Band. I recommend listening to it.

So for those who read, enjoy. :) Reviews are nice, but not necessary to my survival. I just enjoy hearing what you liked about my story.

I own nothing and make no profit from this monstrosity.

The Space Between

Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero. –Marc Brown

By the time Thor received word from his mother, Frigga, of the blight that had befallen Asgard, he was immersed in a vicious and bloody war with the trolls. The letter she had sent on the wings of a falcon was lost among his war plans and maps, soon forgotten and certainly left unanswered. For months he was completely unaware of the siege the Vanirs had laid upon his home, his glorious city, and of the bloodshed and the deaths of many he once called friend and brother. A little over a year passed before word finally reached his ears, but by then the damage was done and it was far too late to lend his hammer to Odin's service.

When Thor finally heard tell of the destruction of the great wall surrounding Asgard, he knew he would have to make haste for the Bifrost. He would be needed to help rebuild the wall, no doubt, and Thor had long since grown weary of the burden of war. Though the battle was a necessary one, he had tired of the dying screams heard on the battlefield, of the warm blood gushing over his hands every time he slayed an enemy, and especially of the sound of bones cracking and breaking beneath the powerful strokes of Mjolnir. The battle he led against the trolls ended with the fall of their king, many months after it began, and many months after Asgard was attacked. Finally, Thor was free to return to his home.

Though the journey using the Bifrost lasted mere minutes, Thor felt perhaps he had been absent many years, for when he finally set food upon the gates of the Rainbow Bridge once more, he beheld a sight most splendid…and impossible: the great wall of Asgard, mostly rebuilt. The towering spires reached well into the sky and the smooth surfaced walls looked as if they might withstand all the ferocities of Ragnarok itself. The main gates, at which Thor now stood, gleamed golden and sturdy in the fading sunlight, shod with spikes and bolts that boasted to keep any foe at bay. Thor stood there staring in disbelief until a heavy hand clamped down on his shoulder. Surprised, he spun around with his arm raised, ready to strike his attacker, but yielded at the familiar and welcome sight of Heimdall.

"It is good to see you again, Thor Odinson," the gatekeeper said, his expression a careful mask of neutrality. Gratefulness shone in his amber eyes, and Thor knew he was welcome home.

"It is good to be home again," he agreed, "though I did not expect to be greeted with such a great and mighty wall. I had heard the Vanirs razed it to the ground months ago. I was unaware the Asgardians were capable of rebuilding such a wall to replace that which was lost."

"We are not," Heimdall said slowly, in that careful, solid way of his, never saying enough to quench Thor's curiosity.

"I suppose I'll have to ask Mother then," he sighed, shouldering Mjolnir and striding through the gates, which were immediately raised on his approach. Though his return would have normally been heralded by scores of Asgardians, trumpets, and celebration, Thor had not sent word ahead of his arrival, and thus enjoyed a much warranted peaceful walk to Odin's Keep. Halfway up the steps, though, his quiet reverie was broken by the sound of a joyful cry, and then Sif was there, with his greatest friends, The Warriors Three, hugging him and slapping him on the back, ruffling his hair and all but carrying him off to dine with them.

"Put me down!" Thor laughed, struggling against Volstagg's strong grip. "Please, I have to pay a visit to Mother and Father!"

"Ahhh, no doubt they already know of your arrival!" Fandral exclaimed, a broad smile creasing his handsome face. "Odin knows and sees all! If he wants to see you he will send for you!"

"But I have need to speak to Mother about the wall that surrounds Asgard," Thor insisted, finally going limp in Volstagg's grip. "I received word of a war and heard the great wall was completely destroyed, and yet I arrive at the bridge only to find myself faced with the largest, thickest wall this side of Midgard! Come now, if you won't let me see my parents, at least tell me what happened!"

A silence swept over the Warriors Three and the lovely Sif, and as one they turned their shining faces to the ground, as if ashamed. Thor slipped down from Volstagg's hug and looked upon his friends with great unease resting on his heart. Something was wrong, something was very terribly wrong. Thor grabbed hold of Hogun, the Grim, and gave his shoulder shake.

"Tell me what has happened," he demanded softly. "Please, I would rather hear it from my friends than anyone else."

"Perhaps…it would be best if you spoke to the All-Father about it," Sif said, casting a glance at Thor's questioning face. He looked around at his friends, and all of them refused to meet his eyes.

"Fine then," he said, bowing his head in farewell. "I shall seek you out later, friends. Try to save some boar for me, Volstagg, if you can control your appetite long enough."

Bidding them goodbye, Thor continued up the stairs until he reached the throne room where Odin could usually be found. However, the room was empty, save for a few servants, all of which immediately bowed upon Thor's entrance. He waved them all aside, just in time to see his mother hurry through the entrance opposite the grand hall. Tears shone on her cheeks and she lifted her skirts to run.

"My son!" she cried out joyfully, embracing him with the fierceness only a mother could possess. Thor wrapped his arms around her shoulders and buried his face in her neck, feeling at peace in the arms of his mother. Her hands seemed to lift the troubles from his shoulders and steal the very doubts from his mind as she stroked his face with a loving hand.

"It does my heart good to see you alive," she said, pulling back to look him in the eyes. "I had nightmares every night that you would fall in battle. I wish you would send word from time to time, you are as bad as your father in that respect."

"Would that I had time, mother," Thor said, kissing the backs of her hands. "Where is Father? I thought he would be on his throne, but…"

"He is out hunting," she sighed. "You know how he gets after Odin Sleep. He shall return within a few days."

"I see…then perhaps I can ask you the question that's been burning on my mind ever since I returned."

"And what is that, my dear?"

"The wall, Mother. Where did it come from? Who built it? Everyone I've met so far, Heimdall and the Warriors Three, even Sif are reluctant to say anything. Surely it cannot be as bad as all that!"

His mother closed her eyes and heaved a sigh laden with regret.

"I know the others would have rather kept it from you," she said, "but I will not lie to your face about such a…delicate matter. As you ask, so shall you receive the knowledge you seek: whilst you were off defending the Nine Realms, a mason appeared here and offered to rebuild our wall. He requested eighteen months of time, the sun and the moon, and Freyja as payment."

Thor snorted. As if Freyja would willingly allow herself to be traded around, like cattle. Briefly he wondered if this mason left Asgard with all his limbs intact. He supposed that, since the sun and moon still shone every morning and night that the bargain had not been honored, but his mother was clearly not done with her story. She turned from him and gripped her arms tightly, hugging herself. Thor reached out to touch her, but she shied away from him.

"The All-Father would not hear of it, of course," she said, "and so we decided that a new bargain had to be forged. He…he brought Loki to Asgard, Thor."

Thor was speechless for a moment.

But only a moment.

"What?" he asked, incredulous. "Loki? Here?"

"Calm yourself, my son," Frigga said, turning back around with sorrow. "He helped us. Freyja remains within the Asgardian Realm and the sun and the moon in their place in the heavens. As you have no doubt noticed, the wall has also been restored. Without Loki's cleverness, it neither would have built so expertly, nor so quickly."

"Forgive me, Mother," Thor said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I mean no disrespect, it is just…how could you welcome him back, after all he did? Destroying the Bifrost—which was no small thing to reconstruct—and nearly destroying all of Jötunheim, threatening my life, and the mortals who reside in Midgard…. I just thought that, given the circumstances…"

"I never said he was welcomed back," his mother said sadly. "Odin forced him to return. Loki had no desire of being here, among us. If you could have seen his face… He despises us!"

In the moment where she covered her face with her hands, Thor knew he had wronged. Though he had strived to save his brother in those last minutes before Loki cast himself into the Jötunheim, he found it difficult to forgive the man he had become. His mother, he now saw, not only forgave Loki, but openly mourned his decision to exile himself. She had always been a kind, loving woman. It had to break her heart to be separated from her youngest son like this. Thor set his hand on Frigga's shoulders and squeezed, trying to comfort her.

"Mother," he said, "I am sorry. Please, is there anything I can do for you? I hate seeing you upset."

"There is something…" his mother said, looking up at him, fresh tears staining her cheeks. "There is something you could do for your mother, but I am not sure you will agree…"

"I would do anything to keep a smile on your face," Thor said, brushing a tear from her cheek. His sweet action brought a smile to Frigga's face.

"Would you even agree to find your brother?" she asked, imploring him with large brown eyes. "Would you do your mother this favor and find Loki, talk to him, ask him to come back to Asgard to speak with Odin?"

Thor tensed up and clenched his jaw, finding the word 'no' on the tip of his tongue before he could stop himself. The look in Frigga's eyes was the only thing that kept the negative at bay, and he quickly swallowed before he could say anything disastrous. He could not do the thing she asked of him…and yet he could not refuse his mother. One little request shouldn't be so terrible, should it? Surely he could at least find Loki, and he supposed speaking to him wasn't so much an ordeal. Besides, there was no guarantee Loki would agree to even come back to Asgard—for his sake, Thor hoped he would flat out refuse.

"Very well," he acquiesced, "I will find Loki."

Frigga hugged her son with a small sob, clinging to him out of relief and gratitude. Thor knew what she was thinking: her youngest son, her darling boy, returned to his place among the Asgardians, his transgressions forgiven, if not forgotten, and their family whole once more. He hadn't the heart to tell her that her dream was only that, a dream. He hugged her back, his heart breaking already at the thought of the look that would cross her face when he returned, alone, with the news that Loki chose to remain in exile.

"When was the last you saw Loki?" Thor asked. He would go immediately, before too many others knew of his presence.

"Nigh a year ago, after the wall was finished," his mother said. "He left to stop the mason from completing his task within the allotted time and no one has heard from him since. He has returned to the Jötunheim, I am sure of it. Begin your search there, and I have heart that you will not have to hunt for very long."

Hunt, Thor thought to himself, is a very apt description for what I am about to do.

And no doubt Loki would act the part of the cornered animal, licking his wounds in some drafty, freezing cold cave. Thor rolled his eyes when his mother wasn't looking, positive that this quest was only going to end in tragedy. Where Loki was concerned, most legends usually did.

I hope everyone enjoyed this rather short chapter. More will be coming soon, I promise. :)