Hello readers! I'm happy you stay with me and thank you for following my works, for the favorites and bookmarks, but I would also love some constructive criticism. Couple of words won't hurt anybody, right? 333

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"You can't just leave, Thor!" Ginny whined.

"Are you really sure about this?" Nat asked, piercing him with her pale gaze.

"Why so suddenly?" Fandrall joined the choir.

Tony was unusually quiet, brooding and rubbing his chin. Hogun and Steve were silent too, all the questions having been asked already.

"You have to tell us what happened; maybe you don't have to do something so radical!" Sif tried too.

"My friends," Thor sighed, "I thought this out very carefully. I'm sorry, I can't tell you the details, it is a family matter, but, believe me, I have to leave."

"But the French Foreign Legion?!" Clint glumly asked.

"The best place to put my mind at rest and only worry about survival. Besides, I like to train and to fight!" He turned towards Stark. "Tony, please, you promised to help me..."

"You what?!" Sif glared at her brother clearly enraged.

"I promised to help; I have connections..." Tony started

"You stupid, good for nothing jackass! If anything happens to him, it will be your fault!" she yelled.

"Don't blame him, the idea was entirely mine. He offered to help after I told him what plans I had. I would have left anyway, relying only on myself." Thor said softly.

"When do you plan to leave?" Hogun asked dispassionately.

"He's not leaving anywhere! He's Borson's only son and heir, his father won't consent to this madness!" Ginny said.

"Miss Virginia, my friends, I beg for your discretion. My father must not know of this venture of mine! I may even be rejected and come back. Please, I need you to trust me and help me! Don't make this harder than it already is! It saddens me to leave you, but I must!"

His seriousness and the dejected look in those sky blue eyes rendered them all hopelessly silent. Nat moved closer to him on the couch and hugged him without a word. Tony poured another round.

-o-

The few days left before Thor's departure were a blurry commotion, girls fighting boys over what he should take with him until Steve and Tony pointed out that they were the only ones with an accomplished military period and thus the only ones qualified to give advice. So the girls had to content themselves with buying comfortable cotton socks, plain handkerchiefs and towels and putting together a small collection of photos.

Thor had to have an accomplice in the house, so he chose Volstagg. The poor man loved him too much to betray his trust, but his wife, Hilde, caught him in the kitchen one day and pointed out that his father would certainly fire her husband for not stopping him and maybe her too, since he could suspect that she also knew about Thor's plans and then: '... what would become of their poor seven babies, huh?' Thor called Tony immediately and didn't even have to ask. His friend offered to hire anyone Borson would fire because of his son's folly. Hilde kissed Thor's forehead, blessing his heart and gave him a small silver icon of St. Michael to keep him safe.

They covered the departure by raucously planning a picnic, packing four cars and even taking a gramophone and discs along. Later they would tell Borson and the police that Thor didn't even join them, calling at the last moment that he was sick. His car was found and retrieved in the nearest seaport and Borson found out that his son may have embarked for France. He immediately hired a private detective to follow and find Thor, but, by the time the man found a lead in Paris, the fugitive was nowhere to be found any more. Only 16 weeks later Borson received a post card reading 'I'm fine, greetings from Morocco, Thor.' and Tony received a long letter, for all their friends, heavily censored, but still, the news and the photo made them happy...

Since the contract with the Legion was probably not on Thor's real name and age, Borson had no way of attacking it or even get hold of evidence that a son of his joined in. In his ire he had a mild stroke that put him to bed a couple of month and he never totally recovered, losing the sight of one eye and sitting mostly in a wheelchair, but his mind suffered no consequence, so he went back to exercise his influence over the town.

-o-

The next five years passed easy for some, tougher for others, letters and photos crossing the seas both ways.

Thor was 'lucky' enough to be enlisted very quickly due to the massive casualties in the Legion's rows because of the Rif War. He also fought, was wounded several times, was noted and awarded military honours during the last year of the same war. He was disappointed, though, and the war left a bitter taste behind because he sometimes doubted he fought on the right side. His Senior Corporal used to placate the likes of him saying: 'You didn't enlist for a just cause; you came here for the benefit of your sorry hides!' And truth it was, no matter the reasons each of them joined the Legion.

The next four years were almost free of conflicts, except for the usual brawls with unruly nomad groups. He chose not to renew his contract and was honourably discharged with the rank of sergeant.

In the meantime Howard Stark died in a car crash and, after the required mourning period, Tony started seriously courting Virginia 'Pepper' Potts and thwarting Odin Borson at any given occasion.

Sophie stilled somewhat, taking Hogun as her main lover and incessantly nagging her older brother.

Natalie and Clint were swinging between continents and even met Thor twice in Casablanca.

Francis Fandrall the Third went heartbroken because of Sif – or maybe Pepper? – and was trying out all the city's night attractions. Steve had to follow because he wasn't going to let his friend be mugged or beat more than not. He was the perfect man for the job since he had an absurd tolerance to alcohol. Tony, Clint and Hogun secretly helped. Natalie found out eventually and started to blackmail them whenever she wanted something. Sif suspected bits and pieces, but couldn't wrench much out of Hogun. Ginny knew a lot, but played clueless. The guys had to believe they had a little freedom, no?