I couldn't resist...after watching The Dark World I had to write this! And yes, it is finished. I will upload chapter by chapter and hopefully get some reviews along the way. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Thor.

Chapter 1

"Richard, please."

"No."

Jane stared at the older professor, the head of her department at California Institute of Technology. He was balding, and the glasses he wore looked more like binoculars the man was so blind, but he was a brilliant scientist. She had loved working under him all these years. He was grading papers right now in his office, barely looking up at her, and being incredibly stubborn.

"Richard, this is anomaly that we have not seen since New Mexico. What if another alien race is threatening to invade? What if we had the possibility for answers but you wouldn't let me seek them out?"

"Jane, I said no. And this doesn't just come from me, this comes from the whole institute."

"Well, can't you talk to somebody? I mean, you're seeing what I'm seeing, right? And Erik Selvig agrees with me. He's already there to study it."

"You are not going to London to study a gravitational anomaly. If Dr. Selvig chooses to go, he may do as he wishes, and whatever his own funding allows."

"But Richard, we are scientists. This is what we do! This might be the link to another world…"

"No, you're hoping it's the link to one specific world," Richard said angrily, before taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "I am not stupid, Jane. You can't fool me."

"I'm not trying to fool you," Jane replied, slightly hurt.

"There are other worlds out there, we know that now, but look at what happened in New York City. Some of these beings are dangerous and want to harm us. Not all of us get to have the good experience that you had. We don't all get the love affair with a handsome alien."

"That's not what this is about…"

"Are you sure?"

"Why are you acting like this? I thought you were excited about my research."

"I was, until I got this." Richard wheeled around to a filing cabinet, pulling out a key and unlocking the bottom drawer. He pulled out a single sheet of paper, a letter from SHIELD, stating that all activities related to the New Mexico project were to be shut down. It was dated two days after the invasion of New York.

"They can't do this to us," Jane said.

"They can and they have. I've tried to keep you here, working on your research in a lab where maybe they won't find out. But they've decreased our funding. They'll know if you go to London with a CalTech paycheck why you are going, and they will shut this whole place down. I'm sorry, Jane."

Richard looked sad and much older than he had a few minutes ago. She realized this must be heartbreaking for him as well.

"So what am I supposed to do?" she asked, trying to hold back tears of frustration. "Just sit back and do nothing?"

"You are being offered a teaching position, astronomy I and II. I think it will be good for you…"

"I don't want to teach, Richard. I want to do my research."

"It's all I can do for you," Richard shook his head.

Jane laughed at the awfulness of it, turning to wipe away her tears. "Fine, I'll teach. But not until after I have a vacation in London."

Richard leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. "Ok, I will allow that. But you'd better go as a tourist, or at least acting like one. I want pictures of you with friends other than Darcy and Dr. Selvig doing touristy things. I want to hear how the fish and chips was and about Big Ben and the changing of the guard and the Crown Jewels. Got it? I'm not having our whole department shut down because your vacation was obviously solely for research."

"I don't really have many friends," Jane said slowly.

"Well then, you'd better find some."

The caller ID couldn't be right. Maggie hadn't heard from her old friend in nearly eight years. Why was she calling her now? She got up from her desk and walked to a quieter corner of the office before hitting the answer button.

"Hello?"

"Hi, uh, Maggie?"

"Yeah. Hi Jane. How are you?"

"I'm good. It's been a long time, huh?"

"Yeah." Maggie pressed a finger into her ear, trying to hear better.

"You've changed your phone number a few times," Jane said, avoiding the point of her call.

"Yeah, well, being a recovering alcoholic makes that a necessity sometimes," Maggie replied.

"Of course, of course. How have you been…with that?"

It was the same question people who used to know Maggie and hadn't seen her in awhile asked her, always wanting to know something else but not knowing how to not be rude while asking it. She smiled a bit before answering. "I'm good. I got a degree in journalism. I've been living in New York for about the last four years, and I've been working at the Post for the past two years. Clean and sober for every bit of it."

"That's good. Really good for you. I'm happy to hear that. It was always really nice of your mom to let me know how you were doing and give me your new number. I always meant to call, but I've been so busy…"

"It's ok. I understand," Maggie said quickly. Jane didn't need to explain herself, and Maggie hated excuses.

"So, obviously there's a point to this phone call, and I'm sure you'd like me to make it…" Jane laughed nervously. "I have an extra ticket to London and I was wondering if you would like to go."

"Uh, when do you leave?"

"A week from tomorrow."

"Wow, that's coming up really fast. I don't know if I can get off…"

"Come on, Maggie, this is a chance of a lifetime. And it will be fun…the two of us back together."

Maggie pressed her lips together, thinking hard. It was an incredibly strange offer, and she wasn't stupid enough to think there wasn't something else behind it. But maybe it would be good. Maybe it would give her the chance to restore a friendship she had splintered so badly all those years ago.

"What the hell. Sure, count me in."

"Ah, great! Send me your passport info and then I'll send you the flight information. I'll talk to you again really soon, ok?"

"Ok."

As they exchanged email addresses and hung up the phone, Maggie leaned against the blank, white wall. The large, overly lit room of the newspaper was buzzing as always. The sun was setting behind tall buildings, most still in a heavy stage of repair from the attack that took place here almost a year ago, but Maggie wasn't seeing any of it. Her eyes were glazed over, mulling over what she had just agreed to.