The Soldier's Goddess

Bzzzzzzzz. Kari looked at her cell phone, sat on the table next to her. It was a text from Steve.

Can you come down to the lab please babe? xx

"Everything alright?" Nat asked. Kari nodded.
"Yeah, should be. Steve just wants me to meet him in lab. Bruce has probably found something." She made her way down to the lab, where she had been going every couple of weeks, so Bruce could keep an eye on the baby. This was, after all, not your normal situation. What with Kari's Asgardian-Jotun genes, and Steve's super soldier serum, who knows what effect it could have on their baby. She was eight and a half months pregnant now, and they had found out on Valentine's day that they were expecting a son. The late April sun was shining through the windows as she walked the vast corridors of Stark Tower.
"Heya sweetheart," she said, kissing Steve lightly on the forehead, and sat down next to him. Bruce just smiled and looked away. "How's Darcy?" she asked him. "I've not seen her for a while."
"She's ok yeah, working on something in Barcelona with Jane at the moment," he replied, the corners of his mouth trying, and failing, to hide that smile he reserved only for his girlfriend. "But back to you. Your last lot of blood work all came back absolutely fine, again. I'm really happy with the way things are progressing. However, there is still the matter of how he has reacted to - well, everything really. Hopefully, Steve's serum won't have affected him too much. As for you Kari, there is the chance he will take after you, and have slow aging, but we will see. For now though, everything is fine, your little boy is good and is ready to come out anytime now."
"Oh that's brilliant, thank you Bruce." Steve stood up and pulled Kari in for a hug, the both of them smiling.
"So have you decided on a name yet?" Bruce asked.
"Yep, but we aren't telling anyone till he arrives" grinned Kari.
That moment happened to arrive sooner than they thought.

A week later, Kari and Steve, like most of the other residents of Stark Tower, were fast asleep. It was about 2 o'clock in the morning when Kari woke up, pains shooting across her abdomen, the bed soaked through.
"Uh, Steve," she hissed, trying to wake her husband up. "Steven. Wake. Up." She shook him, but he just mumbled to himself and rolled over.
"Argh, why am I all wet?" he jumped up with a shock.
"Because my waters have broken, or I've peed the bed. Pick one," she said dryly.
"You've gone into labour? Oh, oh that's ok as long as it's nothing important." He pulled the covers over him and curled back into bed. Kari just gawped at him.
"You bloody idiot, get up," she snapped, yanking the covers off him. He fell out of bed.
"Fine," he snapped, "I'll go and get Bruce." Kari watched as he stomped off to the door, opened it, and slammed it shut behind him. She sat there with her arms crossed, a little smile across her face.
"3, 2, 1," she murmured to herself. As she got to one, Steve walked back in.
"Um, that was the bathroom. Did you say you were in labour."
"Yes sweetheart, our child is coming now, so go and get some BLOODY HELP." His eyes widened in realisation as the enormity of the situation hit him.
"Um, yeah I think I'll go get Bruce."
"And Natasha, while you're at it," she called after him.

"That's it, you're nearly there, just one more push," Bruce was saying.
"I can't do it anymore," Kari screamed.
"Yes you can, you're doing so well." Kari glared at her husband.
"How about you do this next time, DEAR."
"Um, Steve, do you want to come down this end," Bruce said. "You'd be able to catch him when he is born."
"Come on sweetheart, you can do this," Nat said quietly to Kari. "Just one more big push and you'll be a mommy." Moments later, her baby boy slid out into the world. Bruce and Steve looked confused. "Um, guys, what's the matter, is he ok?"
"Um, er, yeah. Yeah he's ok, it's just that he's, um, sort of blue," replied Bruce.
"Is he not breathing?" Nat asked.
"He's breathing fine, he's just very blue, and has patterns on his forehead."
"Right well if he is fine, clean him up, dress him and wait until Kari has cleaned up and is feeling ok. You can ask her then."
An hour later, Kari was curled up in her bed, cuddling her newborn son, who was still very blue. He had the distinctive markings of a Jotun baby. Kari had apologised to Steve, she hadn't expected her Jotun genes to come through.
"Will he stay like that?" Steve had asked. Kari shook her head.
"No, he will become pink as the day goes on, don't worry. I promise by tomorrow, you won't even realise he is from another world."
"It wouldn't even matter if he stays this way, he is my son and I love him."

Later that afternoon, after Kari had slept and had something to eat, Steve let everyone come and meet their new son. He had lost his Jotun colouring, and was now a healthy human pink.
"Guys," Steve smiled, "we'd like you to meet our son - Hugo Steven Rogers."
"Oh Kari, he's so beautiful," gushed Pepper, while Nat held her arms out to hold him. Steve was being congratulated by the guys and Kari was so happy, just sat there watching her family, all together in one room.
"I love you, Kari." Steve slid on to the bed next to her and she curled up into his shoulder, watching as Hugo was being cuddled and admired and cooed over by his new extended, slightly eclectic family.
"I love you too," she said, kissing him.

Notes