Chapter One - Beneath The Surface

The city of Asgard shone in the darkness. It was a beacon of hope, a symbol of glory and civilisation yet Thor, steeped in his own troubled thoughts, saw only the path he wished to take, nothing more. Time was mocking him, sailing past while he made no progress on the mission that consumed him. The tesseract glowed but no one could harness its power. The portal that would deliver him back to Earth remained closed. On and on he worked, his increasing desperation giving rise to frustration and furious bouts of temper. He had promised Jane that he would return and when he had done so it had been to bring an end to a war, he had not even seen a glimpse of her. Was Jane still waiting for him? How much longer before she gave up? There was a way, he had seen the portal held open by the tesseract's energy. There had to be way. Someone knew the secret, someone who occupied Thor's thoughts as much, if not more, than Jane.

Bringing Loki back to Asgard had been the only option, Thor had known that and he knew it still but he could not help wishing that there had been another way. Loki had put up no resistance. Of course, bound and weapon less there was not a lot he could do but Thor was a little unnerved by the peaceful way Loki submitted to his fate. The only betrayal of his true feelings came as Thor took him by the arm to bring him before Odin. Loki had shuddered at Thor's touch and for a moment their eyes had locked. Even now, Thor was unable to forget what he had seen as his brother looked back at him. Odin, on the other hand, could not bring himself to look upon Loki the disgraced for longer than it took to banish him to the furthest prison in the kingdom. Thor had stood beside a kneeling Loki, a pain pressing under his ribs, as the council poured venom and scorn upon one who had once dreamed of ruling them. He had wanted to appeal to his father's mercy then but Odin's rage was such that Thor had let the desire to challenge him ebb away. Odin had stood to deliver his final judgement and he had seemed to tower over Loki who remained absolutely still, his eyes fixed on the ground at Odin's feet.

"You will be imprisoned alone. Contact with you shall be forbidden. The evil in you will surrender to darkness and silence. There will be no one for you to rule, no one to play against, no one to listen to your scheming. And when you think you cannot endure it any longer you will remember that this is your punishment for the path you chose. There will be no forgiveness, no redemption, no light to ease your soul. You, who were once my son, will be forgotten. Take him."

Loki was not given a chance to speak and was led away in heavy silence. He was sure to have still been in earshot when Odin clapped Thor on the back, a forced smile lighting his severe features.

"And you, my son," he boomed loud enough for all to hear, "God of Thunder, hero of Earth, how are we to reward your selflessness and bravery?"

If only Thor had voiced then what had been in his heart. Perhaps then Loki could have been saved.

It was a perfectly clear night and the view above her was breathtakingly beautiful. Standing the middle of the desert, the engine of her jeep cut and no other human activity for miles, Jane almost felt part of the heavens as they danced slowly across the sky. She rolled her neck, easing out the stiffness that was so quick to develop in her muscles these days, and prepared to pick out the star which she would imagine to be Asgard. She knew she could not really see it, that it was too far away for even the most advanced telescopes to pick up, but she liked to pretend. She picked a star at random and focused on it, willing her love to travel to it and beyond, willing him to feel it.

"I'm still here." She spoke out loud, her completely aloneness erasing any trace of self-consciousness. "I'm still waiting for you, Thor."

She blinked, feeling her insignificance in the face of the heavens.

"Please don't forget about me. I miss you so much."

She stared up at her chosen star until it blurred with the others. She did not cry every time but when she did the tears poured from her like desert rain.

It took a while before she felt composed enough to begin the drive home and even then she found herself brushing stray tears from her cheeks at regular intervals. She knew it was getting ridiculous. Colleagues and friends were worried about her. Darcy and Erik, who knew the whole story, remained supportive but Jane could tell that even they were beginning to question whether holding onto such an impossible dream was wise. After all, Thor had come back, hadn't he? He had fought a war alongside other heroes and they had been victorious. Jane had remained glued to the coverage alongside the rest of the world. Her first thought, even while buildings were exploding and an alien race threatened to take control of humanity, was to get to him. She still believed that if there had been a way to reach him she would have done it, no matter how high the risk, but there had been no way, all transport had been shut down and anyone moving anywhere was heading in the opposite direction to the source of the nightmare. When it was over, and the rest of the world was reeling in shock or beginning to celebrate, Jane had waited, certain beyond doubt that he would come to her. He would explain how he had managed to return to Earth and how he had known they were in trouble but first, he would remind her of the sweetness she had missed so sharply. Darcy had kept her updated with all the wild rumours and unfounded speculation that flooded through the media but Jane had listened to nothing but the wild beating of her heart. She had remained positive, her nerves primed with hope, right up until Erik's phone call.

"Jane," he had said without preamble, "I have such a story to tell you but first, you must know that Thor has returned to Asgard. You might have thought it possible that..."

But Jane had dropped the phone, the rest of his words lost to the air. As Darcy scrambled to pick it up, Jane tried to walk away but her knees went from under her, all the breath gone from her lungs.

Erik had flown up to see them the next day. He had explained everything while Darcy hovered in the background, her worry emanating from her in waves.

"He had to go, Jane," Erik had said, his hand gently cradling hers, "He had to return Loki to Asgard."

Jane had nodded numbly. Loki had tried to subjugate the Earth, of course he could not stay put while Thor reunited with her. He had to go, she understood. There were many things that had to take priority over love, a great many things.

"He will come back," said Erik, "Of that I am certain. His only wish is to protect you."

"Protect me," Jane had repeated weakly, "Yes, I know."

Thor had fought his brother to protect her so why was it that she felt so stripped and exposed and hurt? If the choice was always going to be between loving and protecting her, was she destined to be alone forever?

"It is impossible!" cried Sif angrily.

"It is not," said Thor without taking his eyes from the glowing tesseract, "I have seen it."

"Then we are missing something crucial," said Sif, grabbing Thor's arm to get him to focus on her.

"You are giving up too easily," said Thor dismissively. Sif glared at him.

"You are obsessed with finding a new bridge," she said, her words hard, "And the obsession is changing you."

"We need a bridge," Thor shot back, "We must be able to pass between the realms."

"We?" said Sif pointedly, "Or just you?"

Thor forced his rising temper back down inside him and turned back to the tesseract.

"If you need to take a break, I will understand."

Behind him, Sif sighed.

"Thor, I am worried about you. What is it that motivates this quest? Is it truly your desire to unite the Realms? Or is there something else?"

Thor did not answer.

"You are surely not still pining for the human woman? I thought such a thing would have burnt itself out by now."

Thor stiffened.

"Oh Thor, I had no idea."

Sif's sudden sympathy was worse somehow than her irritation.

"We need not discuss it," he snapped.

Without another word Sif resumed her position at his side, picking up the tools she had been using to adjust the tesseract's position and leaning in to study it closely, its blue aura painting her face. They worked for some time in silence, both of them knowing they were getting nowhere. Finally, Thor broke. Throwing his tools down he gave a loud shout of frustration and stormed from the room. It was useless, Sif was right, they had to be missing something. Feeling crushed by disappointment, Thor headed to the balcony, his throbbing head craving cool, fresh air. He had just leaned against the low wall when he heard footsteps behind him. Sif had followed him. She joined him, settling herself against the wall a little way from him. Together they looked out at the kingdom before them.

"Is this really not enough for you?"

Sif's voice floated across to him, notes of sadness in an unfinished melody.

"It is not war, I seek," Thor replied, "I am wiser now."

"That was not my question," said Sif, "But I can tell you do not wish to answer me. Very well. I will leave you alone."

She turned to leave, her long dark hair rippling behind her, but Thor called her back.

"I have been thinking," he said cautiously, "We need help with the tesseract, that much is clear."

"Yes," said Sif, "But who can we ask?"

Thor met her eyes deliberately.

"There is one," he said.

Sif's face paled.

"No," she whispered, "We are forbidden to speak of him and for good reason."

"And yet he could help us, could he not?"

Sif shifted uncomfortably, checking that no one else was listening.

"Thor, you know better than anyone that Loki cannot be trusted."

"Do you not think his imprisonment may have changed him?" Thor countered, "He has been alone for a very long time."

"I am not sure that will have improved things," said Sif, concern clouding her face, "Rather the opposite. Besides, your father would never agree."

"We shall see."

Sif's eyes widened.

"You mean to ask him?"

Thor nodded.

"Thor, you cannot be serious. You risk angering him for nothing."

"Nothing?" repeated Thor, his temper rising again, "I mean to unite the Realms and offer my brother a chance at redemption, do you truly call that nothing?"

Sif motioned for him to quieten himself.

"You heard your father at the sentencing," she whispered keenly, "He believes Loki to be beyond redemption."

"And you?" Thor asked, "What do you believe?"

Sif met his blazing look with a sad one of her own.

"I have known you both for so long. I remember a time when you were equals. There are things I wish I could undo, pains that I wish Loki had never had to feel but he chose his path just as you chose yours and I will never forgive him for turning against you. I wish I could believe there was hope for him, Thor, but I do not."

Thor watched her raise her chin, bracing herself for the retaliatory attack. He raised his hands to indicate that he had no desire to fight.

"I did not think you would agree with me," he said softly, "I only hoped."

He turned back to look out at the city. Voices were rising from somewhere in the palace, strands joining in an intricate song.

"I cannot hate him, Sif," said Thor, at last, when he sensed her draw close once more, "I feel his imprisonment like a burden on my own soul. I blame myself."

"It is not your fault!" said Sif, pressing her hand on his arm and giving him a little shake, "He chose to fall."

"Why?" Thor asked, challenging her, "Why do you think he chose to fall? We broke him, Sif. My father, my mother, me. We broke his heart. He chose the abyss over the hell we had created for him."

Sif's hand tightened on his arm as she swallowed.

"Do you ever wonder what...?" she stopped, looking uncertain and scared.

"What he experienced? What he endured? I cannot stop wondering. I lie awake at night, wishing I could stop him, wishing I could save him and seeing him fall again and again."

Sif hung her head.

"It is not your fault," she said again, "You must accept that."

Thor said nothing. Refusing to accept responsibility was part of his past, he was wiser now.