Elaine relaxed there, although she moved to the shade after a little while. Her skin was fair enough that she would burn easily if she spent time in the sun.

Kae ended up having to move into the shade too, and she was a bit burned. But being outside was too nice to give up just yet.

"Starting to look a little crispy there, Kae," Elaine teased gently when her friend moved into the shade with her.

"At least I moved before I started looking like a lobster," Kae said with a grin. "Unlike someone I know."

"I moved into the shade before I started cooking," Elaine said, grinning a bit. "And you know Bruce is going to fuss now."

"It's a sunburn, he can't fuss to much," Kae said with a shrug. "Or if he tries I'll scowl at him. That works pretty well recently."

"I bet," Elaine said. She grinned a bit. "I don't think he wants to be on the receiving end of your baby-induced mood swings."

"He's taken great care to avoid that," Kae agreed with a grin. "Not that I blame him. He probably doesn't want to be levitated."

Elaine grinned.

"Nobody wants to set off the scary pregnant lady with the telekinetic powers," she teased.

Kae just snorted at her, settling into the bench in the shade.

The little outing to the park had Elaine set for days afterwards. She was definitely in a better mood all around, and was much more patient with her magic studies.

Bruce, on the other hand, was still hovering and trying not to fuss over Kae. He was failing pretty spectacularly, but he was trying, even as Kae's belly swelled a little more each week. Of course, he was also more than a bit antsy because of the Hulk, as well; they were going on three weeks as separate beings, now, and the wrongness of the situation was apparent.

Loki was extremely pleased with her, and he kept an eye on her and Kae both. Especially as they started working on figuring out what exactly Enchantress had done to Bruce and Hulk.

Kae managed not to get angry with Bruce's hovering, though she was also getting worried about him. And the Hulk. They were both wearing out the longer they were separate, even if Hulk had turned out to be quite intelligent when given a chance.

Bruce tried not to let on just how much it was wearing on him. He knew now he wasn't complete without the Hulk, but as far as he could tell, there was no way to be put back together short of magic, and they still didn't have an answer in that area, either. So he focused on Kae and the baby instead.

Kae sighed as she settled back onto the couch, trying to take some strain off her back. "We need to get you figured out soon," she said quietly, closing her eyes briefly.

"I know," Bruce said, sitting down next to her once she was comfortable. "You shouldn't worry so much, it's not good for the baby. How are you holding up?"

"Okay," Kae said, sighing again. "Tired, as expected. But not bad. Holding up better than you, I'm sure."

"I can handle it," Bruce said. Gently, he pulled her into his lap and put his arms around her, using his hands to rub her stomach in soothing circles.

Kae settled in there happily enough, sighing contentedly.

"I'm not squishing you or anything am I?" she asked, glancing back at him even as she relaxed and got comfortable.

"No, you're fine," Bruce replied, still rubbing her belly. His hands gradually moved to her sides and then back to her belly again, trying to help her relax more.

Kae relaxed there, letting him do what he wanted. Because that felt really nice.

"Are you really holding up okay?" she asked quietly.

"I'm holding up well enough," Bruce replied as he kept massaging her belly. "Really. I can handle it."

"I just want to be sure," Kae said quietly. "You fuss, I'm allowed to worry too."

"Worry isn't good for your or the baby," Bruce pointed out. He pulled her a bit closer. "This will get figured out soon, I'm sure."

"Good." Kae settled in against him. "How's Hulk doing?" Because she had been expertly steered away from the room every time she tried to go in for the past week or so.

"He's uneasy," Bruce admitted after a moment. "The separation is getting to him too. He knows it's not right, and he knows smashing won't fix it."