Disclaimer: We don't own any of the characters except for Eire and Astrid!

Hello! TheTudorRoseQueen and I have teamed up to bring you guys another original piece of fiction! We hope you guys enjoy it!

A young woman cradled a baby in her arms at the foot of the Bifrost. She shifted her weight to her left foot as gently as she could so as not to disturb the sleeping child in her arms. It had taken some time for her to get her daughter to fall asleep. It was if she knew that when she woke up, things would be different.

She glanced to the right at the gatekeeper who stood next to her, watching the Nine. The night was cool and quiet, which was unusual for a city that was typically filled with love and light. But she picked his particular night, knowing that the Asgardians were tired after days of celebrating Thor's recent battle victory.

"I know you do not wish to hear this," Heimdall began, his deep voice somber. "But he will not acknowledge Astrid. She is the last person on his mind."

She watched as her daughter's tiny chest rose and fell with her sleeping breaths. "I know."

"In his heart, the Maker of Mischief knows Astrid is his own. Though, he denies it himself, Fate has a destiny for Astrid. Do not fear, Eire." Heimdall turned to her, his eyes like liquid gold, softening with each passing moment. "I shall watch over her as you send her to Midgard. She will never know that she is of Asgard or of Jotunheim. Only when Fate brings it upon her, she will know."

Eire's lips quirked up into a tiny smile as she gazed upon the tall Asgardian. As cold as Heimdall appeared, she knew of his true caring nature, and he had never failed her before. "Thank you, Heimdall. You have given me hope."

She lowered her gaze again to tiny Asfrid. "Allfather," she whispered. "Bless her."

Midgard was unlike any realm Eire had ever seen. The houses were much different there than on Asgard. How unusual, she thought to herself, tilting her head up to stare at a flickering lamp. The sky was dark, and filled with white dots. There wasn't a speck of color in the sky.

Eire continued to walk down a dark, quiet street with Astrid still in her arms. She looked at the houses as she passed, curious to see how Midgardian life differed from Asgard. In some windows she saw families sitting around a glowing box.

She finally stopped in front of a small, one-story house with a small garden in front. She walked up the cobblestone pathway and up the steps of the porch, and then stopped in front of the door. The light was on, and that was enough.

Eire stared at the brass knocker for a few seconds, and then took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling as she struggled to find the words - her last words - to say to her daughter.

"I will always be with you, my darling Astrid. Do not forget me," she whispered, pressing her lips to her daughter's forehead. She squeezed as gently as she could, trying to hold onto the feeling of holding her child in her arms, tiny and warm, and fitted perfectly against her body. She sank to the ground and placed Astrid on the porch, and then tapped the knocker to the door three times.

She crossed the pathway and ducked behind some nearby hedges, waiting to see what would happen. After a few agonizing seconds, the door opened, revealing a middle-aged Midgardian women. She wore an apron decorated with cherries, and her brown hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail.

She looked around, and then down. From Eire's viewpoint, she could see the woman's eyes widen with shock, and she quickly looked around, searching for whoever had left the child, but Eire was too well-hidden.

The woman kneeled and gently took Astrid into her arms, her shocked expression giving way to tenderness, and Eire was relieved. She'd left Astrid in good motherly arms.

"Goodbye, my child," Eire whispered, as the woman disappeared into her house. "Goodbye, my love."

The loss of her daughter was still too fresh even as she felt the magic of the Bifrost transport her back to Asgard. She returned home, still blotting away tears with the heel of her palm.

Heimdall stood a few paces away, gripping his spear with tight fingers. "A horse was sent for you," he told her, his voice hard-edged. "It will take you where you need to go."

Eire walked past him, gathering the edges of her cream gown, and climbed onto the white mare without another word. The horse did know exactly where she needed to go; she journeyed across the rainbow bridge and through the city, until she reached the palace gardens of Asgard. With each passing moment, her grief was replaced with anger at what she had done.

He was waiting for her beneath the tree where their daughter had been conceived. In the darkness, she could make out his thin, gaunt figure.

"It is done," she spoke, her voice wavering. "She is where you will never see her again. Not now, not ever."

Loki raised his head, and fixed his gaze on her. His pale silver-green eyes stood out into the darkness, and it terrified her. "Can you be sure?" he asked her, his voice quiet.

"Yes."

The pain ripped through her heart, cutting her into pieces like a sharp knife, but she would not cry in front of him. She was stronger than that.

"She is not mine," Loki continued slowly, crossing his arms in the shadows. "You have no proof of it."

That comment irked her, and she stood up straighter. "You are the only one who I have ever slept with. Before you fooled me, that is," Eire snapped.

"Fooled you?" Loki stood upright, and emerged from the shadow of that cursed tree, his lips curling into a wholly masculine smile. "Well, I suppose I did." He reached her in three long strides.

"But you did enjoy it, however long it lasted." His soft, smooth voice sent shivers down her spine, and she felt her resolve temporarily weaken, just like when she first met him. That he was wearing his favorite green tunic - the one that clung to his lean frame in all the right places - didn't help. His dark hair was slicked back in such a way that she was tempted to run her fingers through it.

But damn that Loki, Eire thought, refusing to retreat when he came to her.

"I can see it written all over you face, Eire. You wish I could take you back," Loki added, tilting his head. His eyes were curious, and she felt exposed as he tried to read her, to understand her emotions.

When she lowered her eyes, he chuckled once. "But I will tell you this once more. I will not have you in my chambers again, so do not ask it of me. Your life may well depend on it, as will Astrid's."

"Do not make any threats against my daughter!" Eire hissed, coming to life once more. "Do you understand what I had to do this night? Abandon my child, and I will never see her again! If you do not want me in your chambers, then that is your decision, but do not bring my daughter - our daughter - into your foolish games!"

Loki smiled, and his white teeth flashed in the darkness. "Very well, Eire. Good night." He left her then, standing alone in the gardens, with nothing but the silence of the city and the sound of her pounding heart to comfort her.