Christmas in Midgard

Stark Towers

Tony Stark was in a festive mood.

After receiving word that Antonia – who was now called Hel – was arriving in a few days with her parents, he had thrown himself completely into the Christmas spirit. No expense was spared to decorate the entire building, and Tony went Christmas shopping with Pepper every other day.

There were times when Pepper had to restrain the billionaire from buying cartloads of toys for Hel, telling him that the girl only wanted to see him. Still Tony insisted that he give Hel the gift he'd had made a few months ago, even before she left for Asgard.

Tony had planned to give it to Hel on her birthday, but since she ended up spending it in Asgard, Tony decided to give it to the child for Christmas.

Now Tony was going through everything on his list – assisted by Jarvis – while the other Avengers tried their best not to look too anxious. Several foes had arrived in Midgard for the past few months, which kept the team busy.

Tony sorely hoped that they wouldn't be needed on Christmas.

"They're late," Tony said impatiently, checking his Rolex. "Point Break said they'd be arriving soon."

"Patience is a virtue," Pepper reminded him gently, and Tony snorted.

Bruce straightened his cuffs, while Natasha ran her fingers up and down the stem of her martini glass.

Suddenly the numbers on the elevator display lit up. The Avengers turned their heads towards the display, as it flashed the numbers in quick succession.

45…46…47…

The numbers stopped at 50, which was the floor where the suite was located. Tony took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

The doors slid open to reveal Sigyn and Loki, both wearing Midgardian clothes. And there, in Loki's arms, was Hel.

"Tony!" Hel cried, wriggling out of her father's grasp and running towards Tony. Tony knelt and Hel flew into his arms. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, kid," Tony murmured, hugging Hel tight. "What have they been feeding you? Jesus, you've gotten heavier!"

"No I haven't!" Hel protested indignantly. Tony laughed and kissed Hel on the cheek. It was then when his eyes rested on the God of Mischief, who was holding hands with Sigyn.

"Loki," Tony said shortly. The other Avengers watched Loki warily, as if they were expecting the god to lash out at them.

For a few minutes the two men simply stared at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally Pepper and Sigyn sighed and prodded the two men forward.

"Tony Stark," Loki said, raising his hand.

Tony shook it firmly. "Laufeyson."

"Thank you for inviting me over for Christmas," Loki continued, while Hel made faces at Bruce.

"It was nothing. Anto- I mean Hel – was insistent."

"Yes, she can be rather persuasive," Loki agreed with a small smile. It was then when Hel returned to Loki's arms, idly playing with his hair. "Hel."

Hel blinked at looked at him, and then she remembered. "Oh, I almost forgot! Put me down, Father, please."

Loki's mouth twitched and he lowered his daughter on the floor, where she stood a few feet away from him. She raised her arms and concentrated, feeling the magic flow through her body and out her fingertips.

With a flick of her chubby wrists, she conjured the gift boxes that Loki had concealed prior to their departure from Midgard. Hel grinned widely and glanced up at her father, who winked.

"What's this?" Tony asked in surprise.

"I brought you all gifts!" Hel declared cheerfully. "I even got something for Nick Fury: a new eyepatch. It's almost like the one Grandfather wears."

Loki levitated the gift boxes to one of the tables while Sigyn and Hel followed the Avengers to the main party area. Hel took great pleasure in handing out the gifts and insisted that they all open the gifts in front of her.

Iwaldi, Hel's grandfather, had sent Clint had a new bow. It was made from polished ivory and strands of Sleipnir's mane ("Father had to convince him to pluck some off; Sleipnir's mane is really strong, so your string won't break," Hel explained). A new quiver of arrows that had fine white feathers came with the gift.

Freya gave Pepper a fine blue dress, which set off her golden locks beautifully. Odin, of course, was the one who sent Nick Fury a deep black eye patch that was considerably sturdier than the pirate-like eyepatch Fury was wearing.

Frigga gave Natasha a gold woven bracelet, and Thor and Sigyn were responsible for Steve and Bruce's gifts: a shield made from thromium and stretchable pants.

"I understand you destroy your clothes whenever you…transform," Sigyn said as Bruce held up the pants. "I'm certain this can stretch to whatever length, so you can wear it under your garments and you won't have to cover yourself up."

Hel giggled from behind Loki's back and peeked out at Bruce, who turned beet red.

"Thanks…This is very…I mean…" Bruce stuttered. "Thank you."

"No. Thank you," Sigyn corrected him, making Bruce blush even more.

Loki caught Hel's eye and they both grinned.

Finally Loki and Hel handed Tony their gift, which was a small blue orb. Tony held it up and then looked at the two. "What's this?"

"It's a portion of the Tesseract," Loki explained. "It can act as a small shield. It's not enough to do damage, but has sufficient energy to repel attacks. I believe you would find that useful in the future."

"And you trust me with this?" Tony eyed the god critically, who smirked.

"Perhaps you should have been asking me that question," Loki said evenly. "After all, I did try and use the Tesseract to take over your world."

"True," Tony agreed. "Well…thanks for this."

Loki nodded his head once. Some of the tension between the two men broke, and the party commenced. Most of the event was spent over the buffet table; Clint and Steve wanted to find out if Bruce could get drunk, while the women gathered in one corner and talked. Loki took the chance to patch things up with Tony, which the latter shook off.

"It's fine," Tony said with a wave of his hand. "Like I told your wife, just don't do it again."

Hel followed Tony and Loki over the suite, looking at the billionaire expectantly. She remembered that Tony had a gift for her, and she was determined to pester him silently until he gave it to her. Her efforts paid off when Tony stopped.

"You haven't forgotten, have you?" Tony asked, and Hel shook her head. Tony excused himself for a while and Hel hopped onto the couch, bouncing slightly.

Sigyn met her husband's perplexed expression and she smiled. Loki saw the mental image his wife had and he chuckled softly.

A few minutes later Tony returned, holding a box. He had barely set it on the table when Hel opened it, lifting a silver horned helmet, similar to her father's.

"It's just like Father's!" Hel exclaimed, clearly pleased.

"I thought you might want one of your own," Tony explained. He helped Hel fit the helmet over her head and she twisted around to look at her father.

"How do I look, Father?"

"Beautiful and fierce, just like your mother," Loki replied. To Tony, Loki said: "Thank you."

Tony smiled, which Loki returned.

Christmas in Midgard was a pleasant and enjoyable experience.

Loki, Sigyn, and Hel stayed long enough for them to visit the different landmarks in New York, usually accompanied by Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. Thor arrived a few days after his younger brother and sister-in-law, visiting Jane Foster in New Mexico before travelling to New York just in time for the New Year celebrations.

As the Avengers, Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, Dr. Erik Selvig, and Pepper Potts raised their glasses to herald in the New Year (Hel had fallen asleep on the couch), Loki and Sigyn slipped away for some time alone.

"I love you, Sigyn," Loki murmured, seconds before the fireworks flew into the sky.

"And I love you, Loki Laufeyson." Sigyn caressed the side of her husband's face and closed her eyes as Loki closed the gap between their lips.

The moment Loki's lips touched hers, the fireworks erupted in the sky, filling the night with light. And that was exactly what Loki considered Sigyn to be: a brilliant light illuminating the darkness that was once his life.

The End

Or is it?

Author's Note: Thank you to all those who have read, favorited, followed, and, of course, reviewed this fanfic. Special mention goes out to Enakhra, NinjaBunny, and Sam-and-Cari. You guys are awesomely amazing! ^_^b Currently planning a Loki/OC!Sigyn fanfic, so I hope to see you all there! Oh yes, and my primary face claim for Sigyn is Viva Bianca (also known as Ilythia in Starz "Spartacus"), because of her beautiful dresses and that baby bump in Season 2. :)