Disclaimer: well, everybody knows what a disclaimer is…

Take care of my child

Jane Foster was walking back home when she heard this familiar voice just behind her. She didn't even flinch. Sometimes Thor was away from Earth for months, yet he always came back to her. She knew their relationship was complicated and she knew all she could do was accepting it. Well, tonight she felt happy because she had taken an important decision. She turned around, ready to tell him the good news.

And then she froze.

This was Thor, but he just looked different. He seemed to be slightly taller and bigger, which was probably a trick of the light, but that was not the main difference. There was a weird sadness in his eyes, an expression she had never seen before. For one brief moment, she wondered if he was not a Skrull impostor.

Then he bowed slightly and tried to smile. There was something really wrong. Thor was definitely a loud, larger than life person so why didn't he say anything?

"Thor, what's the matter?" she asked.

"My father, the almighty Odin, is dead, Lady Jane Foster."

Jane stared at him for one moment, and then she hugged him. Thor returned the hug without a word while thinking mere mortals were amazing beings. Asgardians had told him anything he could imagine about his father's life, honor and legacy, and Lady Foster did manage to make him feel better with a simple hug.

"Thor, I'm sorry", she said.

"Your consideration is a balm to my heart, Jane Foster."

"Is there something I can do?"

"Aye, be my Queen."

Jane stepped back and tried to have a better look at Thor's eyes. He did look taller, which meant he had probably inherited from his father's powers or whatever when he died. And he didn't seem to be joking. Jane suddenly felt really weird. What did he mean, exactly?

"Your Queen?"

"Aye. My father never truly understood how much you mean for me but these days are bygone. I can grant you the powers of a true Asgardian and we shall rule Asgard together."

"What?!"

Thor explained the whole thing again. Jane tried to think about. This was impossible. Ok, there was something special between Thor and her but… no, this was impossible.

"I'm honored", she said slowly. "That's a great proposal from you but…"

He stepped closer and looked at her face. There was sadness and curiosity in his eyes and Jane felt really weird. This was tempting but…

"I have something to tell you too", she said. "I have a new project. I want to go back to the college and study medicine."

Thor frowned. One of the things he admired the most with Jane was her wonderful altruism, the way she could do anything to heal anyone. He had to admire the way she intended to become a doctor now but on the other hand, she couldn't be both Doctor Foster and the Queen of Asgard.

"So you don't want to marry me?" he asked.

"I do, but…"

There was nothing else she could say. The choice was so difficult. She could run away from her everyday worries to marry the god she loved, and she could just stay here with her friends and eventually get her dream job. How to choose?

"Leave me one day to think about", she said.

He nodded and flied away from her.

Jane spent the whole following day thinking about. Living in Asgard forever seemed so tempting. Thor loved her, after all. He had told her about the rainbow bridge, the magnificent palaces and wonders she could hardly imagine. She would gain superpowers and would never fall sick again. Oh, and everyone would call her "The Queen".

This looked like a fairy tale ending but, on the other hand, she would hardly see her family and friends again. She would watch them age and outlive them all. Worst of all, she would never become a doctor. She would never nurse people back to health again, which was the thing she enjoyed the most. She couldn't imagine giving up healing and helping people. Ever.

This was not easy but there was only one acceptable choice.

"Are you sure?" he asked her again.

"Definitely. I'm no queen and I'll never be. Sorry Thor but my life is here."

"And what about me?"

"Marry Sif. She's the right person for you."

Jane hated to have to admit it but this was probably true. For some time, Thor had been unable to choose between his two girlfriends and this had led to a lot of… well, she didn't even have words to describe those situations. Now this was over and Thor was going to leave her and marry brave, loyal warrior Lady Sif. Jane didn't mind… as long as she never saw Sif again. This was for the best.

She was crying now. Why? Maybe because saying goodbye to your former boyfriend is never easy, or maybe she would miss the good moments, or maybe a tiny part of her didn't want him to go away. He took her face into his hands and looked at her, an expression of pain and understanding in his eyes.

"I'll never forget you", he said.

Then he kissed her. The next thing Jane realized, she was kissing him back. One last kiss. Another last kiss. Then another one. Then he carried her to the bed and she stopped thinking. It wouldn't matter if they had another moment of intimacy. Their last moment of intimacy…

Thor didn't come back and Jane did try to forget him. She dated a doctor for some time but they broke up very quickly. Then she realized that she was pregnant. This was getting scary. So Thor was soon going to have an illegitimate child… what could she do?

Well, she could raise him alone. Maybe she should tell Thor but… no. For one thing, she didn't know how to contact him. Then it would become very complicated. The Asgardians might want to share the custody of the child but would he or she be accepted on Asgard? How would the baby be treated by his or her half-siblings, Sif's kids? Would he/she ever feel at home among gods?

No. This didn't feel right. She had to protect her child, like any mother would do. She was going to raise and love her baby alone.

Well, anyway, she was not alone. Natasha was pregnant, too, and the two women spent more and more time together. For some time, Jane considered naming her child Jimmy, and then she gave up when Tasha told her Steve wanted to name their own son James. There were other names she liked: Don, Keith… And if it was a girl…

Well, one of her favorite TV shows was Buffy the vampire slayer. She had a soft spot for Tara Maclay because this character grows from a shy, insecure girl to a powerful witch. She wanted a name that meant growth and learning for her child. So she decided she would name her child Tara if it was a girl.

Everyone seemed so happy it was unbelievable. She had started studying medicine and she loved every part of it. Most Avengers were getting married and thinking kids. Stark and Pym were working together to create a robot that would make the world a better place. When Jane's baby was born, she believed her heart was going to break with happiness. The baby was so cute with her blond hair and blue eyes. Her Tara…

Then one night, she was awakened by a phone call. It was Tony, who was begging her to come as soon as possible. He and Henry were both hurt: their robot, Ultron had attacked them for no reason. She spent the whole night treating them while they were trying to understand what had happened with Ultron.

It only went worse and worse from this point. The Avengers went back together to work against Ultron. T'Challa went back from Africa with his wife and his son, and even the pregnant Janet tried to help as much as she could. One night, when she was treating a badly beaten Spider-Man, Jane caught herself wishing she had accepted Thor's offer. Now she would be able to destroy Ultron.

Poor little Tara… in what kind of world was she going to grow up? But, well, the child might develop superpowers one day. All the superheroes children could save the world one day. This was also Tony's opinion: he decided to build a special place for all of them. A place where the kids would grow up safely, just in case.

Jane didn't think Ultron would want to kill her in particular. She was just a human being with no powers, after all. But one day, when she was carrying her little girl back home, she suddenly felt a shooting pain in her belly. Next second, everyone in the street was shouting and running away. Jane fell and realized she was covered in blood. No. not now. She couldn't die now…

"Don't move, mortal."

Jane looked up and saw Lady Sif's face. This was both logical and surprising. Logical because battlefields are the place you are most likely to see Valkyries. Surprising because Jane knew Sif was obviously not fond of her. There was some kind of grudging respect between them but how could you be fond of someone who had once a serious relationship with the love of your life?

"Is my child ok?" Jane whispered.

Sif nodded and lifted the crying Tara. Jane realized that Sif looked hurt. Why? Did she know who the father was?

"Thou need a… white chariot, mortal", Sif said slowly.

"An ambulance?" Jane translated. "No. Don't try to fool me: this is a mortal wound and I know it but my little girl... my Tara… please…"

Jane stopped breathing. Lady Sif closed her eyes and looked around, looking for flowers or anything you can give to a dead person. There were only pieces of thrash and the crying toddler. Sif wiped a tear, cradled the little girl and went back to Asgard through a portal.

This was… unfair. Sif had never really befriended her long-time rival but she had never wished her dead either, after all. Now her baby girl was going to grow up without a mother. The worst thing was, Sif couldn't help envying Jane Foster. This mere mortal had a child, after all. A baby. For months, Sif and Thor had been trying to conceive a child without success. Why couldn't she have a baby too?

And this baby… she had Thor's hair and some of his facial features. This might just be a coincidence but what if this child was also Thor's child? What was she going to do with that baby, the living proof that her beloved Thor had been unfaithful? How could she ever love her?

Oh, she didn't like it at all.

She met Thor in the garden a few moments later. Thor was worried, of course. He was just getting the hang of ruling Asgard and he still didn't feel really good at it. Sif told him everything and asked him the question she was dying to ask:

"Do thou think she might be your child?"

Thor didn't dare looking into Sif's eyes. This little girl had inherited Jane Foster's eyes but she also looked a lot like him. Suddenly, Thor realized how much he had hurt both the women he loved. And this was only going to get worse…

He didn't say anything and it spoke more than any language to Sif. This child had to be Thor's. She felt so hurt that she couldn't look into his eyes.

"It seems that the throne of Asgard has an heir", she said slowly.

"Is this what you want, my love?" Thor asked.

"Aye. Thou told me more than once that mortals are forces to be reckoned with. A half-mortal heir shall bring new blood to our dynasty."

"A half-mortal heir should have experience with the Midgardian way", Thor said suddenly.

This was all he could think about. He was dying to raise the child himself and to raise her on Asgard but on the other hand, he didn't want to make Sif suffer more now. He had already caused enough suffering. Maybe he was also wanted to punish himself by abandoning the child. But… no, he just had to give her to the Avengers. Some of them already had kids: they would be great parents to her.

"What's her name?" Thor suddenly asked.

Sif didn't remember it. It was one of those weird Midgardian names, Teri or Tara. She suggested Torunn, "Thor's love". Both Asgardian waited for a few months, time for dwarven blacksmiths to forge her a magical sword, as the heir of Asgard has to own at least one special weapon. Thor grew quite fond of little Torunn and couldn't help thinking he was going to miss her.

Then he dropped her in front of Tony Stark.

Tony actually went quite angry at him. He told him the Avengers mansion was not a day nursery and that everyone needed his help to get rid of Ultron. Thor tried to explain him everything as well as he could, and then he ran back to Asgard and had a better look at what was happening on Earth. Steve was holding baby Torunn and putting her into the same nursery as baby James and baby Azari… Thor felt a twinge pain in the heart but at the same time, he felt relieved because the little girl had now foster parents.

For some time, Tony wondered who Torunn really was. She had changed quite a bit within a few weeks and he wasn't sure if Tara Foster and Torunn Thorsdottir were the same person or not. All that he knew was, Jane was dead, Tara had disappeared and he had to take care of a baby that looked like a miniature female Thor. More and more people were dying or disappearing, anyway. Superheroes were now making weird alliances with super villains to get rid of Ultron. One day, Magneto was killed and everyone mourned him. Tony had never believed it could be possible.

Then there was the horrible day, when the last people he loved were killed in front of him. The last thing Steve told him was: "Tony, take the kids and run away!" All that Tony could do was running away. A nightmare. It had to be a nightmare…

For years, he raised the children alone in Iron Manor. He tried to do his best to make them know who they really were. There was a memorial for the fallen Avengers and the stories he used to tell them, of course. The strangest thing was, Torunn never asked him who her mother was. She knew she was the daughter of the king of the gods and that was enough for her. She had probably read one of those legend books and assumed her biological mother could only be Lady Sif. And maybe it was indeed the case, after all.

Tony also built a memory room in the mansion. He pinned names and photos on the walls, all the people who had helped the Avengers at one moment or another. There was his beloved secretary Pepper. There was his loyal friend Rhodey. There was Bucky Barnes, the man James was named after. There was the friendly neighbor Spider-Man. There was the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and so many other people. And of course, there was Doctor Jane Foster. Tony kept hoping Torunn would look at her photo one day and ask why she had the same eyes as this woman. He kept hoping. He didn't know why.

Maybe telling Torunn that her mother was a mere mortal would make this arrogant kid a little more humble, after all. Maybe she wasn't the daughter of a mere mortal. Maybe Thor would come back one day and do something appropriate, for once. Maybe being the adoptive dad of three orphaned kids and a girl who had been dumped like an old sock really sucked, after all.

Time passed and Tony kept hoping…

The end!