A/N: Written for the Characters one shot challenge at The Beta Branch. I've only seen the trailers for Thor 2 at time of writing, so it might not be completely accurate.

Stars Above

The Lady Sif considered herself neither easily vexed nor intimidated, but this Jane Foster had brought her perilously close to both states since her sudden arrival on Asgard. It was so very like Thor, she thought, to impulsively bring a mortal he had grown fond of back to Asgard without any thought of the consequences. The All-Father's wrath had been terrible, and the court was all in uproar over it. Sif took pleasure in watching the disruption to the courtiers' world; many of them had once looked askance upon her for her desire to break tradition and become a warrior.

Her mouth drew into a frown while she stepped towards…Jane's chambers. She had no formal title, and this bothered Sif. Not from any sense of her own importance relative to the mortal woman, but because she did know how to address Jane properly. There were rules for this sort of thing, and while Sif loathed courtly intrigue (it was useless drama for useless people), she wanted to ensure her behavior was courteous. Thor would hear if it was not, and Sif did not wish to seem jealous in the prince's eyes.

Reluctant as she was to admit it to herself, Sif had felt a stab of jealousy while she watched Thor usher his new companion around the palace. This jealousy was not some petty thing borne out of a base desire for Thor; no, rather it was of the closeness he had with Jane. The prince had been so distant with his friends following Loki's twin betrayals, and Sif missed that easy, familiar camaraderie. On the rare occasion he did speak, he always spoke very warmly of this Jane Foster. He had spoken so highly of her for so long that Sif was no longer quite sure what to expect, despite having met Jane once on Earth. It had been faintly disappointing when she finally appeared: small, a bit mousy, and mortal.

She had to admit admiration for Jane's courage, though. Sif had seen many far more mighty, far more princely beings wither before the All-Father's rage, which Jane had faced down with little more than righteous indignation. Sif (and the All-Mother, Sif suspected) could begin to see what Thor saw in her.

Yet truly, she was dreading this encounter. Sif had never been one for feminine pastimes and she had reminded Thor of as much when he first asked her to call upon Jane. But she had been born a goddess and forged a warrior, Thor had reminded her with merrily twinkling eyes. Surely she was not intimidated by the prospect of entertaining one mortal for a few hours. After this playful affront to her honor Sif could not refuse him, which Thor well knew. She crossed her arms over her breastplate. She would have to contrive a way to pay him back on the practice grounds. Sif blew a stray strand of dark hair out of her face with poorly-concealed irritation. The guard posted outside Jane's chamber door snorted, and she gave him a look that would have made a jotun shiver.

It had, on more than one occasion, though she had not known his parentage at the time.

She's only a mortal, Sif told herself firmly, suddenly annoyed by her own hesitation. She reached out and knocked twice on the carved door. There was no response. Sif knocked again, louder this time. "Lady Jane?" she called, opting for a formal greeting. She knocked a third time. "Lady Jane?"

Yet there was no response from within. The guard looked mildly worried. Sif ignored him and pushed on the wood; the door was unbolted. She stepped inside, her hand cautiously on the dagger she wore with her more formal palace armor. "Lady Jane?" she called loudly.

"It's doctor!" Jane's voice corrected from deep within her chambers.

Sif rolled her eyes and released the grip on her dagger. She strode inside, looking for the mortal woman, but she did not seem to be inside. Sif made for the balcony. She found Jane sprawled on her back on the balcony, her formal Asgardian robes rippling around her on the stone floor.

Her heart gave an uncomfortable jolt. She did not relish the idea of telling Thor something had happened to Jane on her watch. "La- Doctor Jane!" Sif exclaimed, fumbling the Midgardian title in her surprise. "Are you well?"

Jane jerked upright. Sheaves of parchment littered the floor around her, and she had pulled a dark Midgardian jacket over her robes to combat the night's chill. Sif was suddenly glad the Queen could not see her now; she had taken pleasure in dressing her son's guest and there were few things that made her smile since Loki's imprisonment. Jane had seemed enthusiastic about her new clothes, at least when she stopped asking questions for long enough for anyone to get an opinion ("Wow, you dress like this every day? I haven't worn a dress in years!"). That hadn't stopped her rumpling them on the floor.

"Oh, sorry, it's you," Jane said with a smile, once she recognized Sif. "I'm fine. No problems here."

With that, she lay back down on the floor. Sif took another step closer and saw a broad sheet of parchment covered most of her stomach. A flash of silver beneath the parchment revealed Jane's formal silver breastplate, which she appeared to be using as a hard surface to write upon. The parchment itself was a mess of dots and fumbled scratches made by someone clearly unfamiliar with the use of a quill. Sif hoped she hadn't spilled ink on her robe.

"What are you doing?" she asked, trying to keep incredulity out of her voice.

"Cataloging," Jane replied, but the word meant nothing to Sif. She made another set of marks on her parchment and sat up again. "The stars, I mean. I'm classifying all the stars I can see from here."

Sif raised an eyebrow, but she could not help glancing upward at the night sky. "Stars?"

"I mean, it's not a very good catalog," Jane was saying, frowning at her own work. "Just color and magnitudes. Estimating magnitude by eye isn't very accurate, but at it's a start. It would be even better if I could get out of the palace to see some variety, observe over a longer period…"

She trailed off and scribbled something on the parchment, leaving a bemused Sif in her verbal wake. "Why?" Sif asked, puzzled and a little bit suspicious. She was a warrior, not a scholar, and the conversation had developed a decidedly scholarly flavor. "Why…catalog the stars?"

Jane cocked her head to one side. "Your stars. Your stars here are different than, um, my stars at home on Earth. Midgard. I'm trying to determine where the Sun is in relation to Asgard based on the stars."

Jane absently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and reached for another parchment. Sif immediately recognized the outline of Yggdrasil and the Nine Realms. "Now, if I interpret the arms of the world tree as arms of the galactic spiral," Jane started, rotating the parchment so the tree was on its side. She scowled. "It still doesn't make any sense."

Sif decided to grasp at a straw she could at least recognize. "We are taught that Asgard is above Midgard," Sif said more confidently than she felt. She gestured to a point in space above Jane's parchment. She was determined to make a good impression, scholar or no.

Jane's eyes narrowed, and for a moment, Sif was worried she had offended her in some way. "That might be it," Jane said slowly. Her eyes had gone distant with thought. "The Sun is in a spiral arm and going by the world tree, I thought Asgard was near the galactic center. But the galaxy is technically a three-dimensional structure. Asgard could literally be above Midgard, just not directly." She sketched a curved line on her parchment and smiled. "I've been picturing the geometry wrong. The Einstein-Rosen tunnels could be acting like great circle routes rather than straight lines. Thanks!"

Sif wasn't entirely certain how she had been of assistance, but she was suddenly…pleased that Jane was satisfied. "You are welcome, Doctor Jane," she replied, inclining her head slightly. Curiosity was stirring in her mind, and to her own surprise, Sif asked: "This tunnel, we call it the rainbow bridge?"

"Yeah," Jane said enthusiastically. "Rainbow bridge is more poetic, I guess. I've been arguing their existence for years, but nobody believed me. I kept getting rejected and rejected, even after Thor came. Even with all that data and SHIELD's help, nobody would believe me until one opened over New York." She grinned widely. "Suddenly everyone did, or wanted to work with me, or offered me a position at their observatories. I mean, I knew I was right, but it was pretty satisfying for everyone else to know too."

"I fought for many years to train to become a warrior," Sif told her. She adjusted the position of the dagger on her belt and took a seat in a carved chair not far from where Jane was seated on the floor. "And many more to earn recognition as one. When I was finally given this respect…it felt very good."

"Thor says you're the best," Jane said enthusiastically. Sif's first instinct was to dismiss the compliment as court flattery, but there was something so…artless about Jane's words that made Sif believe she was sincere. "You were amazing back on Earth!"

"I am," Sif replied. She could feel a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. To her surprise, Jane grinned. "There are those who would not agree, but they do not wear armor. I pay them no mind."

"Are there many women warriors in Asgard?" Jane asked curiously. "So far you're the only one I've seen. But I've only been here a day."

It was Sif's turn to cock her head slightly to one side. Jane's interest in her life was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Perhaps she had been too quick to judge this mortal. "We are still but few," she answered honestly. "But I am encouraged. Of late it has become more…acceptable for a woman to enter training."

"I see," Jane said with a knowing grin, and a hint of pride. "I know that feeling! There aren't many women in my field either, but it's getting better."

"Scholars of stars?" Sif asked, and she was rewarded with a nod. She still did not quite understand exactly what or why Jane did what she did, but she'd never understood Loki's fascination with books either, and that had not prevented their friendship.

"Yep, and in my case, rainbow bridges," Jane replied , with a laugh that slightly eased the pain in Sif's heart for her lost friend. "I gotta admit, though, warrior school sounds a lot more fun than writing a dissertation!"

"Would you wish to accompany me to the practice grounds in the morning?" Sif asked on impulse. It would be great fun to surprise Thor, although she no longer had as much desire to pay him back for this visit to Jane. "Thor will be there, I expect."

Her instinct had been correct; Jane's eyes lit up. "Can I wear armor? Do I get a sword?"

Sif smiled at her enthusiasm. Jane was not a warrior, not in the sense that Sif was, but Sif should have known she would not be content to sit on the sides and watch. She did not have the extensive physical training that the warrior candidates would, but she could probably handle some of the lighter training equipment. She would certainly try. Sif nodded. "I shall arrange something. It would be my honor and my pleasure to instruct you in a few techniques."

Jane jumped to her feet, parchment and quills flying everywhere. "Darcy's going to be so jealous! Who needs a tazer now?"

Still smiling, Sif inclined her head and turned to leave. "Training starts early. I shall meet you here at dawn, Doctor Jane."

"Oh, you can call me Jane," the scientist said brightly. She bent down and began gathering her parchments in a flurry of blue robes. "Thanks again!"

Sif's smile widened. Yes, she admitted to herself, she could see why Thor loved this mortal so. "You are welcome, Jane. Do not forget; dawn tomorrow."

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