Unexpected Guests

Natasha sipped another precise amount of tea and lifted her feet off the pile of papers Jane was reaching for. How considerate.

'Tony was really kind to send you but really, I'm fine on my own.' Jane flicked through another stack of work not finding what she was looking for and avoiding Natasha's eye.

The Black Widows presence wasn't putting her at ease, the red flame of hair followed her every move.

'Hmm,' Natasha didn't dignify a response to the claim; It had become increasingly obvious that Natasha wasn't leaving.

The SHIELD agent had shown up three days a go; Jane had no idea where she'd slept or whether she'd brought anything with her but her presence has been constant. Sighing she shoved the research into a drawer and grabbed her keys from a hook.
In an instant Natasha was by her side, lips pursed in that relaxed manner that hid whatever emotion the Russian was feeling. Jane tried to slow her breathing and not show how put out she was at not being able to move about freely. The way she worked wasn't originally about isolation, but she had become used to it and craved it more so now.

A loud knock broke through the quiet lab and both heads whipped to the door. Who would come all the way to the desert without calling? Could Thor be back?
Jane pushed past Natasha and walked quickly to the door. She tried to pause and brace herself for the meeting she'd been waiting for.

Natasha drew her gun and drew it behind her back; Jane grimaced, there was no way to prepare for something like this.

Pulling the door back she was confronted by a firm expanse of blue stomach that radiated a chill even in the hot desert sun. A grip on her shoulder had her thrown back and Natasha was at attention in seconds, gun trained on the chest of whatever confronted them. Chunks of armour clung here and there, over enormous dark muscled arms that had been lined with scars. Whether the scars had been part of some cultural ceremony or in battle was unclear, Jane's mind ran with the possibilities like rushing water.

The alien body tensed and bent as a beguiling head came down under the doorframe. Natasha loaded the barrel of the gun and took two very deliberate steps backward, pushing Jane as she moved. The scarification on the alien spread from the glow of red eyes to the flat strong frown of a frost giant. Jane's mouth fell open and she was sure even Natasha was feeling unsettled at this moment, though her firm stance never shook as the frost giant stepped through and regained his initial stature.

'Jane Foster,' the giants voice rumbled as her name tumbled out of his mouth.

Jane nodded as the frost giant moved into the room and Natasha consistently moved to block a direct view. Reaching back Natasha clicked a device tucked to her belt and pressed Jane further away from the frost giant.

'I am Vafth of Jottunheim,' his voice was like gravel on the smooth surface of the lab. The windows should have shaken or the ground moved but the desert was unaffected by the strange presence.

'Jottunheim!' Jane realised why he looked familiar, the books Erik had showed her with rich illustrations of frost giants, a gargantuan alien species of very questionable morals. She placed a hand on Natasha's arm realising how much danger they were in. The redhead's eyes flicked to the side questioning the movement silently.

'I see my reputation precedes me,' the giants' frown widened in a sickly humour that took pleasure in her fear. Brushing piles of research aside like errant dust he sat on the lab table and settled in a frozen position of concentration. She really wouldn't find the right piece of data now. The structure creaked but didn't give way. Really well made, Jane thought.

'We will not have to wait long I suspect,' he fell silent though his red eyes never closed.

Natasha edged toward the door that now lay out of the path of the intruder and could be reached with quick steps. A flash of light from the window drew all eyes and a roar of noise announced someone's approach. The door swung outward as Natasha reached for it with a loud bang. The Frost Giant didn't blink as the Iron Man suit stood staring back; neither seemed sure what the other was. Iron Man whirred as he unlocked worryingly lethal compartments from his forearm.

Jane's eyes widened and she was about to step in the way, they couldn't just go into this guns blazing. The Frost Giant sensed the intention and stood back to his full height taking two great steps toward Iron Man and flinging them both out of the door into the hot evening sun. Threatening body language was the same universe over it would seem.

Natasha and Jane ran to the door still too shocked to plan their next move. Natasha recovered first grabbing Jane and running for the car, brought for such instances as this. Tony could take care of himself or at worst escape. Throwing Jane into the passenger side she almost had the drivers side open when a wind picked up slamming it on its hinges. Whipping around she scanned the area to locate the problem.

Iron Man and Vafth were still throwing punches but began to miss direct impact repeatedly. Both took heed of the increasing wind as they began to miss their opponent entirely. Lightning landed exceedingly close to Vafth and his eyes rose expectantly at the churning sky, he brushed chunks of sand that plastered to his shoulders to the ground. Jane unclipped her seatbelt, so sure of whom was coming this time that her fingers shook as she tried to open the car door. If her heart didn't slow down she might have a heart attack and miss everything that was about to happen.

Another clap of lightning and great rushes of desert sand were thrown as a large body collided with the ground. A second crash came as Loki landed on the roof of the car, sardonic grin in place. The red of Thor's cape mingled with the orange sand and the green of Loki's draped over the bonnet of the car as he stepped down purposefully humorous.

'Vafth, you do too much,' Thor swung Mjolnir threateningly and the ringing of strength built as he walked toward the giant. The sky had covered over to darkness like night and thunder crumpled the edges of lightning filled clouds. The sound was terrifying and Jane almost faltered, but Thor would not hurt her. Lightning landed right next to her foot as she stepped forward pulling Thor's attention. His brow furrowed and then he turned on Loki.

'Do not play with me brother, not at a time such as this,' the light haired Aesir swung Mjolnir back into his waiting palm and Loki just smirked. Jane huffed and headed into the eye of the storm, to Thor.

'You came back,' she wanted to reach for his hand but Mjolnir glowed ferociously by his side.
Thor's face broke into a sad grin as he turned to her. 'My Jane,' he said, 'you fair well until this moment. Heimdell warned me of your visitor.' His strong sure voice had been missing from her life for too long.

'Heimdell warned you of nothing,' Loki said sidling up beside his brother. 'If I hadn't been following curiosity where it would take me, you would never have known the frost giants had come here.' Loki's eyes raked over the small physique of Jane Foster and her tired clothes that spoke of days of work and no sleep. What an intriguing choice for his brother to have made.

He had not intended to help the mortal, but the chance for revenge on the frost giants outweighed his dislike of Midgard.

Vafth towered over Thor and his breathing echoed loudly in Jane's ears, she wished she had not taken her wary eyes off the Frost Giant but now he stood too close for her to move.
'The last time you visited our world, many died.' The giants' words whispered in Jane's ear though they were for Thor.
'This change of location may tip the tables in our favour,' Vafth growled. He had learnt of the Aesir's connection to the Midgard world and determined to use it against him.

Thor's fury tightened about Mjolnir but he reigned in the pride that had originally landed him on Earth and waited for Vafth's move.

'Such delicate things like these,' enormous frosted fingers ran through Jane's hair sending chills down her back, 'you would leave them lying around unprotected? How foolish.' Jane's hand shot out and accidentally tangled with Loki's as she clung tightly to the closest being. The dark Aesir prince twitched at the unusual placing of trust and assumed she must have lost her mind. Fear did strange things to unsuspecting mortals.

Thor noted with outrage the touch and decided to unleash his anger upon Vafth, he was not after all completely changed. A collision of hammer and head sent the enormous form of blue flying across the desert and thumping into the labs outer wall, cracking plaster as he fell. 'Jane get away from here,' Thor said running to deliver his second blow not looking back.

Loki's smile grew but Jane pulled her hand from his and ran after Thor. The absence was strange and his hand clenched after something he hadn't known was missing.

'Wait!' she cried dodging lightning fire as though she could actually outrun a bolt of electrostatic discharge if it chose her. The Midgardian was either dense or immensely courageous to do such a witless thing. Iron Man slammed into her path grabbing her around the waist and pulling her with him they shot across the sky and landed beside Natasha.

'Are you mad?' Tony's voice broke through as his helmet came up. 'You want to what, try and break up a fight between giant alien races with your bare hands?'

Black Widows eyes remained trained on the bowling over of Asgardian and then Jottun in turn. Loki had become involved; bored with the fair fight he was tripping Vafth and vanishing before he could be blamed.

Vafth stood and delivered another scathing blow before he could be taken down. The red of Thor's cape whipped the air as the blue frost giant thumped sounds like thunder into his armour.
'Come brother, lets finish this,' Loki whispered imploringly appearing by his brothers' side. What was another dead frost giant in their hands? So many had died and this one was particularly self-starting as to be an actual challenge.

'Don't!' Jane's voice really carried this time and Thor and Vafth broke apart to observe her. Both panted for breaths long held, blood spattered across armour and down tensed muscles. Loki worked his jaw but listened well for what the Midgardian could possibly contribute to this war of many ages.

'I think we should talk about this,' Jane held out her hands in an effort to placate all sides and began to approach again, a sceptical Tony and Natasha close in tow.

'You know not what you speak of Jane,' Thor looked away from the woman he loved. How beautiful she looked framed by lightning and swirling sand, so brave in his eyes that he could not behold her.

'Maybe not, but you could all explain it to me. While we eat,' Jane's mother had always said to cook for people she was furious with. It melted harsh feelings faster than anything else and she just wanted to subdue the situation, stop the fighting before someone died.

'I could do with something to eat,' Tony said brightening. He hadn't eaten the entire flight over; he would have to talk to Jarvis about a way to fit the suit with food. It was easier to fight on a full stomach anyway.

'We eat,' Vafth boomed heading for the house leaving a stunned Thor wiping blood from his mouth. Maybe the Jottun wouldn't be so bent on violence if they would be willing to talk.

Everyone followed inside finding places to sit as Jane emptied the contents of the fridge onto the counter and tried to work out what to cook for six very different people. Natasha perched purposely beside the food, brooking no argument of her continuing shadow. Tony's appetite was probably as immense as Thor's; everyone else in this room however remained a culinary mystery for this harassed astrophysicist.

This chapter made me hungry, anyone else? Want more, you'll have to review...