My, you all are quite impatient. So I really wanted to get this one out now so I wasn't fretting about it on my one day off this week, and so I could spend that day off working on the (possibly) last chapter. I think their will be one more then an epilogue. So be warned, this is NOT my best work.
M Content, mild language featured in this chap and mild violence.
Time stands still
beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything
Take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath,
Every hour has come to this
Dinner had started off as a fun evening in, since Thor had restricted Jane to near house arrest, she had decided to have a adults night in. The craziness of the Blake household was always an amusing flurry of Jane yelling down the stairs, Thor yelling from the living room, to the baby crying and Steve's chivalrous tendencies getting in the way. "Enough Captain." Tony said wryly. "Unless you can breast feed, you won't be of any use. But I wouldn't put it past those pectorals to hold some mammary glands." Pepper elbowed Stark who shot her a look and stopped talking.
Barton and Thor were watching some game on TV and shouting loudly at the screen while Natasha and Banner were sitting at the table, Natasha's glock resting on the table.
"Romanoff, get your gun off my table." Jane said as she padded down the stairs. "Boy's! Dinner! Turn it off, or don't eat." She flew through like breeze and they all parted for her. The timer beeped just as she entered the kitchen and Steve and Pepper both flittered around and set the table. "Steve did you put the-"
"Yes. SIT!"
Pepper laughed as the mother hen continued to flit around until Thor walked in, "Jane," he sighed and rolled his eyes, pulling her to his side he kissed her cheek and she blushed, "it all looks wonderful."
"Hal is sleeping," she said, "he ate, he's been changed but you know how long that will last." Conversation grew organically, the eight having endless amounts to talk about, Barton and Natasha with gossip from SHIELD headquarters, Banner and Jane teasing Tony and Pepper about details of Stark, the Captain and Thor watching the discussion around them.
"So have you started looking at preschools?" Pepper asked Jane, and Thor was utterly perplexed at the phrase.
"Yes," Jane picked up her water glass and chuckled dryly "And I'm using all the clout I have, but they just stare at me blankly. There's this headmaster down on Park that I sat with for nearly an hour and spent the entire time picturing his bloody demise as he told me my son was too smart for their AP program. He's four months old!"
Pepper laughed and Natasha rolled her eyes, "I'll go with you. You'd chicken out of shooting them." Jane giggled and smiled at the redheaded assassin.
"I'll hold you to that."
Tony, feeling left out, put in his two cents. "Which one on Park?"
"Why?"
"I own three." He said, "Duh." Jane threw a pea at the egotistical billionaire and the discussion quickly morphed to education.
"You already have his name in at Culver?" Banner snickered causing Tony to roll his eyes.
"I will support him in whatever endeavor he chooses, but if he wants Culver, he's on his own." She set her cup down, "Although he may be fine, since it's an old boys club."
"No it's not."
"You realise I didn't sleep for three years defending my dual master's thesis', finished top of my class, only to be told 'I didn't have what it takes' for their PhD program?" She said bitterly.
Banner shrugged, "Some of us aren't lazy enough to graduate Cum Lade from MIT." He winked at Pepper, "Not that that means anything."
"Hey, I have a Physics degree, and a multibillion dollar company."
Pepper cleared her throat. "And I have 12%. Your point?" He leaned over and whispered something in her ear causing her to turn redder than her root. "Not fair."
While words were flying across the table, Steve glanced at Thor who was slowly becoming increasingly agitated, "Thor?" Steve mumbled and all eyes flashed to the God of Thunder and the baby's father. He shook his head coldly and said nothing. Jane felt concern fight with her anger in a caduceus of twining irritation. He was Hal's father, he should be saying at least something. The conversation returned to that of work and gossip as dishes were cleared and words were civil as Jane kept glancing up at Thor who remained silent.
"Ok," She finally said, her hands on hips glaring at him. "What gives?"
"He will grow up on Asgard." Thor said firmly. "Haldor will be a son of Asgard. Enough of this Earth nonsense.."
"Thor-" She said, glancing around the table, "He-.. We-.. You said we would be staying here."
"He is a Prince of Asgard, he will grow as one. And be taught as one."
They were toe to toe, and everyone in the room was looking for an escape. "He should live here. Where he was born."
"Does my family not matter? Do they not get a say in how their future king should be raised?"
"Because they had such a good track record with raising Princes." She snapped, "You were sent here because it had all gone to your head and then there's Loki.."
"He may have taken leave of his mind, but he is still my Brother Jane."
"He's crazier than bat shit Thor." She said, he slammed his hands on the table causing it to splinter and crack.
"I will NOT have you speak ill of my family." She rolled her eyes, letting that one pass. Ignoring his morose animosity concerning Loki.
"And what about Erik?" she countered, "He's my family."
"He is not your flesh and blood."
"You are SUCH a hypocrite Thor," she screamed, her voice breaking through two octaves, "Loki isn't your brother. Erik is all I have. Some of us were not as fortunate enough to have a perfect childhood."
"My childhood was not perfect." He snarled, "By any means."
"Natasha, give me your gun-" she held out her hand and glared at the woman, "NOW!"
"It won't work Princess." Stark chuckled, "it'll just piss him off." She glared at Stark and growled.
"Stay out of it, you're no better." Stark opened his mouth to say something, but shook his head and left behind Banner, who had decided that the room had become too tense for him. The room cleared as the married two stared down at each other till only the steadfast Captain remained.
Steve stared at his two friends. At some point, they had become his closest friends. Thor had learned about the Modern world beside him and Jane had been the comforting and warm friend he had needed to facilitate the scary journey. Jane reminded him a lot of Peggy, with her fiery spirit and drive to do what was right, not that he had told her as much.
He only wanted to see them happy, but to pick a side, at the time, would be suicide. "Guys, you're scaring the baby."
"Shut up Steve." They said in unison. He threw up his hands and retreated to the wall behind him, leaning against it. He was more durable than Jane should Thor lose his anger, and he made a far more understanding punching bag should Jane lose hers.
...
The rest of the night had been full of loudly placed pots and looks given through angrily narrowed eyes. But as they settled for the night, there was something far more dangerous than anger coursing her veins.
Lust.
With the rise of anger came the onslaught of other emotions. Desire burned her like a wild flame. She watched her husband's lean body as he moved through their room, the motions of readying for bed. They were both exhausted, but she couldn't quell the warm blood as it pounded a staccato beat in her head.
She ducked into the bathroom, trying to remember that she was angry at him. Her passion flared in her chest and the coals continued to simmer as the frigid water beat down on her. She let his words of anger wash through her mind. The flush of embarrassment, the concern for her son, the hurt that his harsh words had inflicted on her.
As she climbed out of the shower she was pleased that the ire that flooded her once again was strong as she stared at him, her eyes narrowed and her heart momentarily restrained. "Coming to bed?" he asked flatly. She heard the fatigue in his voice and she let the pity cross her face when it was turned away.
"Yes, I want to check on Hal first." She said, pulling out the first thing her hands grabbed.
"I just tucked him in." His voice was muffled as he climbed under the sheets, "He's fine."
"I want to check him myself." She wrapped the robe around her and took the clothes to the baby's room.
She walked in and peered over the edge of the crib, smiling at the perfect child. All anger and fatigue and passion washed away as her love of the small boy flooded her. She brushed his hair back, even at a few months he already had his father's unruly mop of white blond hair. He sighed and shifted in his crib, his thumb stuck in his mouth and the blanket clutched tightly in his chubby little fists. The blanket was the purest of creams with the Tree of Yggdrasil sewn into it, a find Niels had sent her from Norway as a present, and had arrived days before her dramatic labour.
It was the thick kind of blanket, the type that would surely last the ages. It was the kind of blanket a mother wraps tight around a boy who pretends to be too old to fear the shadows, the very same that she would pull out when that same boy is heartsick and needs to be reminded that there will always be one woman to love him forever, the kind she tucks into a box as she sends her son off to college, even though he's too old for such things, the idea of the safety blanket would comfort her as she watches him leave.
But her son will never know any of that. Her son is destined to be a great and golden prince, like his father. Haldor will be a son of Asgard. Enough of this Earth nonsense.. he had snapped. She had spent her life studying the stars, studying that which was beyond their sky. And in all her years of looking up she had only learned one thing that was the utter truth. She loved the ground beneath her feet.
His rebuttal was so curt and sure, that it had been heartbreaking just to hear him discard her planet so offhandedly, as if the four years they had known each other, the almost two years they had been married were just passing time. Were it anyone but Thor, she would have question in that very moment if he had even ever loved her, but it was Thor. He had such capability to love that his fondness spread across galaxies.
But she did find herself doubting his affection.
She had given him what she had sworn she wouldn't. That day staring at the large ring on her finger she had told him she wanted to wait for children. Little did she know his mother ring ; the Fertility Goddess of Asgard, would trump birth control pills hands down on the first shot.
He had a son, and heir, what more would he need? What more would he need from her other than another son, but another was unnecessary, only wanted. He could have as many bastard children to spread his genes, maybe already did...
She felt her anger swell once more and turned to change, pleased that Hal was sufficiently sleeping. It was too late when she realised she had grabbed a red lace nightie. It was something she had bought for their honeymoon and never got to wear, Thor having been called away halfway through. It was soft and had appeared quite comfortable, despite having been bought with the intention of a onetime use piece. It was short, but not indecently so, falling an inch below her bum. With the robe wrapped around her it looked like any other nightgown.
Underneath the robe the article fit her post-baby'/now-fit body better than it had her post-college one. Her breasts filled it out nicer, her flat stomach not a solid wall of muscle, but still firm after months of rigorous exercise, her arms more toned from toting around a baby that despised high chairs, play pens and anything that was plastic and not warm and loving. She smiled wickedly, it would serve him right for her to walk in wearing something intended to be ripped off. She knew he wouldn't dare touch her that night, he would fear for his limbs that night.
He would rue the day for upsetting Doctor Jane Erica Foster-Blake.
She paused before leaving the room, glancing at the mirror once more. Should she strut in like a woman who knows she's desired? Or should she slink in like a python hunting prey?
She decided neither for she was too tired for mind games, padding in softly. She sighed as she stood by her bedside table, removing the gold earrings; a gift from Pepper from Tiffany's for her birthday, her necklace; a gift from Steve when he had crossed paths with the tiny hammer amulet on the end of the long chain. The heavy brown stone of her ring glimmered in the moonlight being the only that remained as she slid into bed. She heard a huff behind her and she suppressed a giggle. Despite burying his head, and the lights being out, he would be able to sense her body, see the blood red fabric in the pale moonlight as it clung to her body, the colour the very same shade as his cape when his Asgardian armour formed around him.
He shifted and she felt a tentative hand on her back, the lack of material making him let out a nearly inaudible sigh. The fingertips traced to her shoulder and he shifted towards her, as he often did in sleep. She lay still, as if already fallen into a deep slumber.
"Jane?" he said softly, but she didn't reply. She kept her breathing deep and even, her nose buried in the silky smooth cotton of her pillow. "Jane, I'm-.. Damn you." He whispered, "Damn you."
Damn me? Well, right back at you mister. She thought, her toes curling despite her best efforts for remaining unaffected. "You make me the man I should be, you make me better man for merely knowing you, let alone having the privilege of being your husband." Privilege? He thought it was a privilege? "But you look at me with those eyes and you don't back down, you don't give up, and it makes me want to fight more, fight harder."
She heard him chuckle as he gave in and sat up, leaning against the headboard. "I have seen so much with these old eyes." His voice was weary. She hadn't forgotten that they hadn't slept a full night in weeks and here she was forcing herself awake to listen to his innermost private thoughts.
"I think it's because I love you far more than I should. I love you far more than humanly possibly, far more than an Asgardian can. We thirst for war, we fight battles and wear off the excess in darkened rooms and with faceless woman. But you make me want to abandon that." He sighed and she could imagine him scrubbing his face with his large hand, "you make me want to give up, give in. We could live out our days in happiness, in peace. Hal would go to school like any other child, he would grow up to be as bright as you, he would make us so proud, becoming a scientist like you, or a doctor like Banner, or taking up with – Odin help us- with Stark." He sighed and she heard the clunk as his head hit the wall. "You would never ask for that. You yelled at me for taking the choice away from him, but you never once asked me to stay."
He was silent and she had grown concerned that his thoughts had taken refuge in his head. "You give me so much." He said, her eyes once more flying open. "You have given me more than I ever dreamed of wanting. You gave me Hal, even though it nearly killed you, you have given me friends, for it would be certain they do not stay around for me." He chuckled, "you have built a life for us here, and most of all, you gave me your heart, though I have done nothing but break it for as long as I have known you." She felt his heavy hand on her head, her hair loose on the pillow behind her. "I don't deserve any of it, and yet you give it freely."
She heard him shudder and she nearly broke restraining to not comfort him, "So many times you should have just left. So many times I have expected you to tell me 'No More' with that haughty expression and take Hal out of my reach. To Virgina, to New Mexico, to Norway. Somewhere where he'd live a happy life and I'd return to Asgard a wretch, knowing I deserved nothing less. The mere thought of being without you makes me ill just saying it."
She wanted to reach out, to hold him, to swear she would never do that, "But you never do." He said, "you never leave. You are by far the strongest being I know. Your love makes me strong, I would battle any foe for you, I would kill anyone who threatened you or Hal. But your heart knows such love, that you would never ask that of me." She bit her lip, her restraint barely held in.
"I want to give you so much. I want to give you the universe. I want to show you every star to see that glee in your face." She could hear the grin in his voice, "I want to give you all the jewels in Asgard that would be rightfully yours, and laugh as you try to be courteous, secretly hating all the attention, I want to teach you our ancient language. And I want to do all these thing because I love you far too much." She shifted, finally giving in and looking at him.
His knees were drawn up and his head was resting on his arms, "Damn you for wearing that scrap of lace." He grumbled and she smiled.
She sat up and was in his lap before he even realised, "Wha-?"
"Sssh." She said, her finger on his lips, which she replaced with her own lips on his hot mouth. "You've done enough talking." Her mouth moved from his lips, up his cheek and down his strong jaw. Her hands made themselves busy as they ran down his chest, the muscles beneath her fingers quivering.
"I don't understand."
She paused and smiled, "I may be mad. I may not agree. But when I said those vows, I meant it." Her eyes met his and his confused face grew slack in understanding, "I swore to love you for the rest of my life. And while you make it mighty difficult, there is nothing you could that would stop me from loving you." His fingers dug into her hips through the fabric as she gyrated on him and he gave a guttural groan.
"Minx." His hands pulled at the fabric and pulled it over her head purposefully. He tugged her flush against him and pressed a soft kiss to her collarbone, and another to her sternum.
Her hands buried in his hair and pulled his head to the places she needed, his beard chafing her tender skin and he growled with satisfaction as she moaned, rolling her hips against the hardness beneath her.
He attempted to calm his breathing, but she was a fire in his veins that wouldn't abate, a thirst that could never be truly quenched. She angled her lower half and he slid into the warm welcoming heat with a deep rumble that vibrated against her.
They didn't move for a brief moment after joining, taking the time to stare at one another. He infuriated her with his archaic ideals and arrogant authority, but in the dead of night, all she would ever want was his arms wrapped around her.
She frustrated him to the ends of the Earth and beyond with her expectations, and her stubbornness but without a doubt, his favourite place to be in all the cosmos was in their marriage bed, buried deep inside her.
She shifted minutely and his previous notions rattled against the chains of his control, "Let go." She whispered in his ear, nipping the soft lobe gently, "just let go Thor." Her heels dug into the small of his back as they fell back to the bed, him rolling over top of her.
In recent months, making love had become a spontaneous and rare occurrence in the shower, or on the wide chair in their room while Hal napped in the nursery. Too often it became a chore with a newborn in the house. But the beast inside him hadn't abandoned hope, it had only settled to lay in wait. The knowledge that there was bigger prey out there was enough to soothe its appetite.
Her back arched as her nails dragged down his back, surely drawing blood, his own hand holding her leg to her chest, kissing the soft skin at her knee. "I love you." He groaned as she drew her other leg out, causing him to sink further into her all encompassing heat.
"Love you too." He restrained her hands at the wrists above their heads, burying her head in his neck, the stench of sweat and the sounds of slapping flesh egging him on. He drove into her at a furious pace, the civilized part of his mind concerned for her, for harming her, where the animalistic part didn't care, and then there was the something in between that could hear her moans and whimpers of pleasure that did nothing but fuel the ego.
He released her wrists in time for her to bury her hands in his hair, tugging it down to her roughly to mash her lips against her, letting him swallow her keening cry as she exploded around him. He felt her release clench around him, the tightness of the sporadic squeezing and surrounding her so complete undid him. He felt it start in his arms, his back, his lips that still moved with hers, and shoot down like the very lightening he wields so effortlessly. He grunted as his lips broke away from hers and he groaned audibly as he felt the hot rush leave him, the release causing him to collapse into her in a flurry of arms and legs and still connected bodies.
"Husband." She panted, her hand stroking his back while the other held his head to her shoulder.
"Wife." He murmured. They laid like that for a few moments, catching their breath. When he shifted and she moaned. "Again?" Her legs twisted around him and he nuzzled the supple skin at her neck, her hands moving from his back to his chest and up to cup his face.
"I love you." She whispered, his head popping up to smile at her, "No fight, no amount of anger could ever stop that. I will always be here," she tightened the grip of her legs around him, "Nothing could make me leave you. Nothing but death." He pressed his lips against hers to stop the words that would drive him further into the abyss.
...
She woke the next morning to the patter of the rain overhead. Glancing at her clock, she realised her alarm wouldn't go off for another ten minutes.
Stretching out like a cat she rested her chin on her hands and studied his face as he slept. His hair was shorter, shaggy, but still rakishly handsome, his long blond lashes rested against his cheeks and his full lips were parted waiting to be devoured.
He had made a valid point, that being a Prince of Asgard, Hal should know the people he ruled, but she didn't want her son to be that brash, hot headed, egotistical Prince she had first met. That man had made her want to back her car up and run him over again. There were parts of the personality that remained, she admitted to herself, his confident smile when he kissed her so ardently it made her toes tingle, the glimmering in his eye when he knew he was right, and the raw power that came within those very same eyes.
His power was a major turn on, not that she would ever admit to anyone. In a world where she had to work twice as hard as the men to be valued at all, at a position that she had fought for every step of the way and colleagues who thought she only got to where she was by who she was married to, her own power was limited to that in her head. Her mind was her greatest asset, her mind and her bravery.
He was intelligent, but he had always told her that her mind was a blessing. Comparable to the teachers he had growing up on Asgard, comparable to his own father who saw the far reaches of time and beyond. She had always been embarrassed by his awe of her mind.
She was reminiscing when she shifted and spied the picture of them from her birthday. Someone had told him that it was traditional to celebrate the anniversary of one's birth and the anniversary of the day you were wed. She blamed Steve since it was a fact that he felt very important. He had later told her that his brother in arms and him had never had a true birthday, both their parent's dying young and money had been tight during the depression.
At the time it had flabbergasted her, often trying not to remember that her wise old friend was indeed as old as he said he was. Though appearances had been deceiving.
The morning of her birthday had started with a call from Darcy who was driving into the city to celebrate with a spa day and a lunch on her weekend off. The girl had changed majors yet again and had announced she had picked up a few astrology courses, giving Jane a pointed look when she had mumbled that she'd be expecting help with her homework. They had parted, Darcy being unable to stay for the party that evening. She missed her friend and had hugged the younger girl, pestering her in an sisterly manner to call more often.
Coincidentally, her birthday had been shortly after her six month pregnancy mark, and she had been firm about a quiet night in with friends. But in a weak moment she let the ever persistent Pepper talk her allowing them to throw her a lavish affair at a swanky New York hot spot, courtesy of Stark Enterprises. She had fretted and worried that she would have nothing to wear, at six months pregnant, not even her reliable plaid shirts fit.
It had been another weak moment while Thor had been away that she had gone shopping for things for the baby's room and fate threw the stunning white strapless dress in her path. A dress that was as gorgeous as her wedding dress, and much more expensive. "You can afford it." Pepper had said, "Spend it."
SHIELD rewarded its staff heavily, and the hefty pay she received from them and Stark for her contracting work alone had been enough to support the both of them even after SHIELD covered all their expense and as well not considering the compensation Thor got, something SHEILD liked to call Hazard pay. The very robust cheques meant little to him, but the nest egg she had built for her son had become bulbous in its entirety.
The guilt over buying the dress had vanished the second Thor had seen her in it. He had arrived at the last minute with the Captain in tow. Both looking dapper yet tired. She had spared a glance at him, slightly confused by the blank stare. The Captain had come to her immediately and kissed her cheek chastely, "Isn't this better than a barbeque?" He had rumbled good naturedly.
"Only because I'd worry for my house being blown to bits." They had chuckled and glanced at Stark who was getting an earful from a posh black clad Pepper, her elegant dress made her look like a star while Tony looked like he had been in his Iron Man suit immediate prior to dinner.
She took another glance at her husband, who was still staring at her, "He ok?"
Steve chuckled, "Sweetheart, you forget your affect on him." He patted her shoulder and wandered off.
She stepped across the room and made her way to him. It had been nearly two weeks since she had see him, and more than three days since she had talked to him. "Husband." She said softly.
He took her hand in his own and kissed her knuckles. "Wife." He smiled and let their hands drop, but didn't let go. "Happy birthday Jane." She smiled up at him and rested her free hand on the black satiny smooth cotton. He looked as devilishly handsome as the day she married him.
"Glad you could make it." She said coolly, but the smile that tugged at her cheek betrayed the joy that was barely suppressed within.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world. Honest." He reached out a tentative hand and rested it on her swollen stomach, flinching as the babe beneath her skin moved. "He alright?" he said quietly.
"She's fine." She laughed. He had been positive that their child would be a boy, right from the start. She didn't know if it was some Asgardian blessing or curse, if they would be doomed to forever have boys."Are you alright?"
He nodded but didn't take his eyes off her stomach, proudly displayed before her."No, you're not." He bent low and kissed her cheek. His mouth seemed to linger against her as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He shifted and pulled away quickly and glanced down to see the hurt in her eyes, "What is it?"
"You are a vision tonight, my love." He said, "A true Queen." He prevented her from replying when pulled her into the thick of their friends, a tense smile on his face.
It had only been later that night that she had found he had been repressing his desire to throw her on the table like a regular caveman and take her with all the desire a man could have for the love of his life. She remembered the crimson stain as it burned her cheeks when she sat on his lap to open presents and she felt his rock-hard length beneath her. She had bowed her head for a moment as his hands had clenched her hips, his lips pressing firmly against her neck in effort to calm the beast.
She felt the burn once again, and she sighed contentedly, glancing back at the picture on the wall.
The picture was a good one. Thor was pressing a gentle kiss to her temple, a smile on his face, she was looking down, her one hand disappearing behind his back, the other resting on top of his hand that were both cupping her belly.
She glanced back at her clock and realised that she had three minutes till it went off. Smiling wickedly, she crawled up his chest and pressed her lips against his. It only took a few moments for his lips to sluggishly respond and he groaned as his hands wrapped around her slender waist. She used the three spare minutes to kiss him thoroughly until the alarm screamed its demand for her to face the day. "Husband." She said softly, nuzzling his cheek.
"Wife." She shifted to move and he held her close. "Wait. Don't go."
"You know Hal's going to start crying any minute."
"That gives me two more minutes" he said, his lips trailing a path down her collar bone. But he was overly presumptuous and they heard the whimper from the monitor seconds later. "Damn,"
"Your son has impeccable timing." She snickered as she pulled the red nightgown back on. Wrapping the thick cream fleece robe back around she slipped off into the nursery.
He had kicked the blanket away and his vibrant blue eyes were stormy as he furiously looked around for the one who was ignoring him. "Hal." She sang, "Baby boy, why are you crying? Your safe and sound." She cooed picking him up and cuddling him to her breast. She rocked him back and forth, swaying on the spot while his whimpering calmed. Darting around the room she gathered all the necessary pieces of clothes and started to change him, singing the only lullaby she knew. "Mamma tar meg henne fang, danser med meg att og fram. Danse så, med de små, danse så, så skal barnet sove." Hal gurgled as his mother sang, the haunting song was soothing as she dressed him.
It had been the song Erik had sung while she had cried in his arms throughout her childhood. She remembered being five years old and hearing her father and Erik yell at each other, she hadn't known what they were yelling about, just that they were. She remembered holding her teddy bear close and creeping out the door. She remembered her father, his dark hair and dark eyes scowling at Erik. They had yelled until they realised Jane was standing there. Her father had opened his arms to her, but instead she had run to Erik. The older man had scooped her up and carried her off to bed, tucked her back in and sang to her. "All better Hal?" she whispered, kissing his cheeks. She cuddled with him in the big chair smiling at her son, "No matter what you become, I will always love you." She whispered, kissing his forehead.
After she finished feeding him and another change, she carried him down to the kitchen where she was surprised to see Thor already sitting at the counter with a steaming mug of coffee and the paper in front of him. He looked up and reached out as she passed Hal off to his father. "I need to go change, Pepper will be here soon." She kissed his cheek and slid back up the stairs, leaving father and son at the breakfast table.
She returned minutes later, her hair tied back and her shirt in her hand, "Thor, have you seen my shoes?" she asked as she walked in and stopped in her tracks. He was leaning against the back of the chair, Hal was cuddled up into his father's shoulder, the picture of ease. "And you want to go back to Asgard." She mumbled softly, beaming.
"I'm sorry?" He asked, looking at her, his face belaying that he had been deep in thought.
"My shoes?"
"Behind the door." He said, and she paused, and walked to them. She wrapped her arms around Thor's shoulders and kissed them both. "What was that for?" Thor asked, confused.
"For being wonderful." She said, and skipped out. He watched her leave, admiring her body as she left. Concerned for her ire once more. She didn't know that he had done everything in his power to ensure no one would touch her, calling in every favour that was owed to him on earth. Including that which the Black Widow owed him.
He had saved one of Earth's greatest assassins from The Hulk while the team had been at odds, and in turn he had requested she accompany Pepper and Jane on their morning runs. He had been prepared to beg when she shrugged and agreed. The bell rang and he stumbled to the door, little Hal still clinging to him. "Ladies." He nodded his head in a chivalrous bow and opened the door wide for the two to enter. "She just went upstairs to find her shoes." Pepper nodded and darted up to help, leaving the assassin and the Hero alone in the empty entryway.
"It's been quiet." He said, shifting Hal slightly as the boy took stock of the new person, grateful to still be in the arms of his father.
"Didn't see anything my way, but they've proven themselves smart." He nodded, not completely understanding. "Don't worry about her. I got agents swarming the park. We will never be out of eyesight."
"Clint?"
"He's on the ground, we'll be taking a course that's a minute from everywhere." She scowled, "Relax champ, trust me to do my job."
"You kill people." He frowned, "You are not in the business of protecting them."
"If she finds out..."
"I am a dead man. Keep your mouth shut." He grumbled as he heard the two woman clomping down the stairs.
"Nat? I didn't know you were coming."
She gave them a winning smile and shrugged. "Haven't been out in awhile. Thought I'd tag along. That ok?"
"Sure." Jane looked at Pepper. "Ready?" the three left and Thor had half a mind to follow, but he knew that the agent's she would forgive, they would give her a wide innocent look and say that the orders came from above, and she would sigh and roll her eyes. If she caught him impeding on her moment of freedom, it would be cataclysmic.
He sighed and looked down at his son who was looking back at him, "Sometimes I only pretend to understand her." He grumbled, the baby looked at him with the blank expression and smiled. He lumbered back to their room and sat back on the bed. It still held linger warmth from the hour prior when they had been sleeping peacefully. His mind flashed over the night prior. She had been furious that he had laid down the law that they would return to Asgard.
And yet he did not want her to become Asgardian.
His heart was so divided that it did not know what it wanted. He wanted a lifetime of mornings with her and an eternity of nights. He wanted her to live to see their son become King, to be the benevolent ruler she would teach him to be. He wanted to live in the peace of the city, helping the humans with their problems and returning to her warm bed. He wanted it all, and none of it.
He felt like he was playing a game with a fixed deck, his hand was being forced. Too soon he would have to give up his fight and take her to Asgard, the transformation from mortal to immortal eminent. And the terror was ripping him apart.
His father was a tired old man, and he was an Heir grown and ready for the Throne. He would need to return soon to take what was rightfully his, and his family with him. The little voice in his head told him he could leave Hal and Jane on Earth, but he threw the idea out quicker than it had came. Wherever he was, he would need her calming presence with him, and his son to set an example for, and he was sure she wouldn't let him leave again, nor would he want to.
But what else could he do. Could he go to Indun himself and beg for her immortality? The old witch would laugh and spit in his face, no, he would have to guarantee she was proven worthy before partaking. He felt she already was, her valiant attempts to save Midgard over and over, as well as her self-sacrificing was beyond even that which he was capable of.
She had readily given up her life, her work, to wed him, to bed him and to make him a family. Although she hadn't wanted to, she had taken to motherhood like ducks and water. It had seemed she was made to be Hal's mother just as much as she had been made to be his wife.
Thor looked down at the boy dozing on his chest, he was laying against the headboard and Hal had laid his own sweet head down on his Father's chest and decided to have a nap of his own.
Had someone told him, three years prior, that he would be happy as a Father, as a Husband. Not fighting in battles daily, not cavorting in the darken corners of taverns with his friends and warm desirable bodies, that he would be utterly content to lay in almost discomfort because his son was happy, he would have feared for that person's sanity. And yet here he was.
The phone rang as his eyes were closing and he heard the answering machine click on, "You've reached the Blake's, we're currently out, leave your number and a message and we'll get back to you shortly." He smiled at the sound of her melodic voice and squinted when he heard the voice on the other end.
"Thor, get down here." The voice was feminine and terrified. "Now."
...
The black car that had appeared at the door had barely paused when he was jumping in, "Tell me!" He barked at the young man driving. Mjölnir humming at his feet.
"I don't know sir. Agent Barton just told me to come get you and the baby." The man said no more as he flipped on the siren's and they raced through the city. Thor felt his heart hammer as he looked down at his son, swaddled against him. She has to be ok.
They arrived minutes later, his blood hot and pounding in his hear, the terror rampant in him. He was out of the vehicle and his eyes searching for her. He heard the gun fight and the sight of Iron Man and the Captain already in the thick of battle. Pepper Potts appeared and scooped Hal from his hands, "She went that way. They chased her, but she's a runner now. And smart. You'll have to be fast to catch her."
Thor's face grew into a snarl "I fly. I don't need to be fast." And with that he took off to the high observatory where he landed and looked for her. "Jane." He whispered, "where are you..?"
Her heart was racing and she felt lightheaded, hiding behind a tree smiling. She had grown up alone, and pouted a lot when the adults had ignored her, and so she had hid. Often for hours and often they had cried and screamed for her, terrified.
She was glad they were men and not some other creatures, men were weak, especially with almost all of SHIELD in the park. She had spied ten agents seconds into her run and had scowled, "Overprotective fool.." She still thought him overprotective, but she no longer thought him unreasonable. She jumped and looked overhead to see a crack of lightening and a rumble of Thunder.
The men with guns didn't know what that meant, they didn't know to be terrified, to beg for forgiveness. He was here, he just needed to know where she was. Her eyes tracked their movements for a few seconds and she saw a path through. With a deep breath she darted stealthily out and was feet away when she yelled, "THOR!"
His ears picked up the sound and he caught a flash of pink and black and narrowed his gaze, smiling at the sight of her ducking and diving through the brush, several men close on her tail. He was at her side in an instant, Mjölnir humming its satisfaction for once again wielding death and destruction.
When only one man remained, Thor stood over him, a snarl on his face, and blood once more on his hands. "That's my wife."
"She's the Mother." The man held up his hands, Jane peered around and saw the man dig out his tooth. She reached out for him, but was too late when she saw the man begin to seize and foam at the mouth. He fell back, dead, moments later.
"Jane." Fear and pain were flush on his face as he pulled her tight. His hands running over her, looking for wounds or injuries. He saw the few cuts on her face, most likely caused by the branches as she took to the wilderness, but she didn't flinch or wince in pain.
"I'm fine, they didn't shoot at me. Not once." She said. "I'm fine."
She buried her hands in his hair and held him close. "I was-" he started, and his body shook with terror.
"They were looking for me, chasing me, but never shooting." She looked at him, "They called me the Mother. That means they know about-"
"Hal!" they both said in unison. Thor growled and pulled her close just before taking off. He went back to where he had given Hal to Pepper. He trusted the woman as much as he trusted the Captain, but it seemed that neither were to be found.
"Tony!" She screamed, running to the still form of Iron Man. Kneeling next to him, she ripped off the face plate and the rest of the helmet lifted, "TONY!" she yelled and his eyes opened, dazed.
"They took her, Princess." He said morosely.
"Where did they take Pepper?"
He shook his head and a single tear fell on his cheek, "I tried to help her get away, I followed the car, but they were already inside."
"Where." She said, "Focus. Where were they heading."
"7th." He said, "They were heading down 7th." She glanced at Thor who was already taking off. Sitting with Tony, she cradled his head in her lap as she wept for her son. It had all be a diversion, a means of stealing her baby. She didn't know why, but if Thor found them, 'Why' wouldn't be an issue.
"Why are you smiling Princess."
"I was imagining Thor finding them." Tony grew frightened of the malicious look on her face, "I was imaging what he'll do to them." He shivered in his suit, despite the fact that it was pressure controlled and climate controlled, he felt cold.
Nope, not cold, scared.
He had seen Thor in action, had fought him. His suit had bore the punishment of Thor's irritation. That's all Tony had been at the time. Standing in between Thor and Loki, Tony had only been a fly on the wall.
These bastards had the Norse God of Thunder's son. There was nowhere on Earth they could hide. "May they rot in hell." Tony said softly.
It took all her strength to stay and let Thor do his caveman thing, her trust in him absolute to protect his family. She glanced down across the knoll at Stark Tower gleaming in the sun and smiled serenely, it had been the very place where her wedding had been, where it had all gone so incredibly wrong. She visited Erik often, taking Hal with her. It had caused a fight between her and Thor, but in the end he had relented. She had addressed the man as their son's earthly Grandfather, he had every right to meet the boy.
A rumble came from overhead and she watched as a chopper flew over, Fury hanging out with a canon on his shoulder and the Captain in his blue spangled attire. "Hal couldn't have asked for a better family." She said and glanced down at Tony and smiled.
...
He had always told her their son was special. She had smiled and kissed his cheek and said he was a good father. But there son was special. Despite having never set foot there, he was a son of Asgard, he was a future King. He was different in every way. Sight, sound, taste, touch, smell.
Thor tracked his son like hunter would a valuable stag, and finally stopped at the open plaza where the men looked like they were trapped, waiting for someone else and yet the face of the Father of the child they kidnapped was terrifying.
This wasn't any old Earth Father. This was Thor. "Hand. Over. My. Son." He said through gritted teeth. They held up their guns, but were struck by lightning. Falling to their knees, it took them several moments to get back up, and in that time he looked at the woman hold his son protectively.
Hal was sitting on Pepper's lap, staring at his father from behind the beast's who stole him. "The great All father stole a baby once, it only serves you right for us to steal the celebrated Son of Thor." Thor's eyes met hers and she saw the desolation in his eyes. Pepper held onto his son tightly, the baby quite content in the arms of his adoptive aunt.
"If you hand him over now, I will show mercy. If you fight me, you will know nothing but pain." They laughed until the chopper flew overhead and Captain America in all his glory jumped down.
"Guys, you really don't want to mess with this one." Rogers smirked, "He's not the type to joke around." Their arrogant faces turned angry when they realised that, while still out numbing the Heroes, they didn't stand a chance.
Neither of the two men glanced at Pepper, who jumped when a hand covered her mouth, "Don't scream Pep," Natasha whispered, "Just hold on to the baby," Pepper was assisted to her feet quietly while the men distracted the kidnappers. The chopper hovered overhead and the two women scattered, causing Thor to breathe a sigh of relief when he watched his son disappear behind the One-Eyed assassin, who was holding a canon aimed and ready.
"And you just let your quarry walk away," Rogers chuckled darkly, "What kind of half witted, incompetent kidnappers are you?" Thor reached for the sky and called the lightening to him. The men quivered and fell to their knees as the two Hero's saw the real enemy approach.
"Odinson.." a voice whispered, "You have wronged us for the last time."
"Lafn." Thor spat, "I had expected a foe far... More intelligent."
"Your father stole our Prince. Exiled him to Eternity of Hell."
"You want Loki?" Thor sneered.
They shook their heads, "We want what is owed to us. Eye for an Eye. Child for a Child." Thor felt a quiver of fear circle his bloodstream as he glanced to the helicopter hovering overhead. He saw Pepper behind Fury, the canon at the ready. No one would get passed the man who held the wisdom of Odin, and the same field of vision.
"My Father could not see." Thor said, "He still does not understand the role in which he was placed, and Loki has suffered for it, but I will not stand for you to continue the vicious circle."
"You speak like one of them. Has your time in exile make you grown soft." The tall creature cackled, "You've become fat and complacent, Odinson."
"My hammer hasn't." Thor said, and swung. He and the Captain had nodded in agreement as they flew into action, decimating both man and creature. The great leader of the kidnappers quickly found himself pinned under a heavy boot.
"You will never threaten my son again." He said, and the Jotun rolled away, disappearing into the shadows.
The Captain was winded from his flight over, his own fear had been heady as blood pounded in his head. "Come on Thor," He nodded to the chopper overhead, "They'll be back at the ship by now." Thor glanced to the helicopter where Pepper was cradling his weepy son. He nodded and stumbled to the craft.
He sat across from Pepper who handed him Hal as soon as he sat down. He looked down at his son and sighed. The quiet of the rotors allowing him far more room to think that he'd prefer. His mind was buzzing with worry and anxiety. If they had found him, if the stars knew of his family, there was only one place they would be safe. There was only one place in the cosmos that his enemies dared not enter.
Asgard.
...
"My baby!" she hollered as she saw them entering the bridge. If it were any other time, any other scenario she would have giggled at the sight of almighty Thor in all his glory and regalia, the sparkling gleam of the armour, the cape flapping behind him, with a crying baby in his arms. She raced over and scooped the child up. As soon as Hal saw his Mother he quieted his crying, and buried his head in her shoulder.
"We must go to Asgard." He said dejectedly. "I will not have my family live like ants because of me." Jane was pacing, holding the baby close her heart wrenching. She was getting what she wanted, so why did it hurt so much.
"Thor-" she whispered, but voices louder than her rose above the melee.
"How will you commute?" Barton said, "or will you not return."
Thor glanced at Jane who was paying the barest attention, "I have a return spring on my machine. It can call anyone back it has sent onwards. But the remote must be taken with them for it to find the position."
"Will you build another once you're-.. There?" Steve said softly, upset that he was losing his two best friends.
Jane looked to Thor and shrugged, "If they want one." She said plainly, "it would seem that without their Bifrost they're pretty lost."
"We once ruled the Nine Realms," Thor said, "We were charged with protecting those who could not protect themselves, and soon we became Gods, worshiped by your people."
"You mean Asgard isn't all high and mighty?" Tony said, rubbing his open palm against Pepper's hip, his other arm holding her close to his chest.
"Aye. We were never charged with ruling, but we assumed the role humans placed in our hands." Thor said, looking at his Son. "From Father to Son since the beginning of time."
"So losing Hal would have been a big deal." Natasha said.
"He's my Son, Nat." Jane snapped, "I don't care if he's going to be the next president of Glee club. Losing him would be a VERY big deal to me." The assassin held up her hands in defeat and Jane turned her back on the group of tired hero's.
"Jane." Thor stood to comfort her, but she ducked away, fleeing once again to the observation deck.
He glanced back to Banner who shook his head, "Let her be. It's been a big day." Thor felt his soul divided, the separation more painful than ever before. She had left. She hadn't allowed him to comfort her. She hadn't looked at him when she fled. She hadn't walked into his arms and let him hold her and Hal in his muscled embrace, she hadn't whispered 'husband' in his ear.
She had just left.
He let his feet guide him out of the room and found himself in the large containment room, the room where the end had started. The great capsule had been rebuilt and was once again suspended above the hole. Loki had made more than enough attempts on his life that week, and yet Thor couldn't deny that he still loved his brother. He was insane, like Erik, not dangerous. Or so he had thought, until the brutal battle for earth.
There had been so many things wrong with those days, but showing up on Jane's doorstep hadn't been one of them. She had admitted her love for him, she had been angry, been hurt, and yet, she had surpassed his ever dream when she had nearly forced him into her room and had her way with him. And then he had been forced to leave. And he had thought it the hardest thing in all of existence. He had been forced to leave their honeymoon because the men Barton had recruited while bewitched had risen up and rallied against SHIELD, and Thor had been called up to stop them from murdering hundreds. He had been forced to stand idle while she fought for her life after given birth to their son. It had taken everything she had and then some.
He spun around, racing up the stairs, his anger reaching a pinnacle point. He reached the observation deck once more and saw her bouncing their son on her hip, staring out at the fading light of the city. "I wondered how long it would take you."
"I do not deserve this punishment." He growled, "You never leave and yet you are always leaving. You force my hand as if it had been your grand scheme all along." He was a caged animal, and his sense of injustice roared at the bars that held him in. "You deem yourself fit of mind to make decisions about matters you DO NOT understand."
"How can I understand if I'm never allowed to understand" she whispered, her back still turned.
"LOOK AT ME." He thundered and yet she stayed still. Hal whimpered on her hip as a storm brewed overhead. The clap of thunder amused the boy and the lightening were lips of the heavens tracing across the child's mind, igniting memories and ideas that kept him distracted.
Jane did not turn.
He pounded his fists against the steel of the wall causing Hal to cry in fear. "Your Son is scared," her voice was monotone, "happy."
"You think I'm HAPPY?" he snarled.
"I don't know what to think anymore." She finally turned and he felt the blood drain from his face when he saw the tear stained cheeks, "I don't know anything. I'm not allowed to. I'm only his mother, your wife." She kissed the boy's head, "I mean nothing."
"Jane, I didn't mean-"
"You have become a mortal man in almost every way but one." She rested her chin on Hal's head and rocked him back and forth. "You watch baseball and hockey with Steve, go out drinking with Tony. Play poker with all the boys. You tuck your son in every night and you make love to me with a passion that I never knew possible. And yet you are still Asgardian and I am still of Earth." She sighed, "this is all I'll ever be, all I can be."
"Jane, I wasn't-"
"You don't want to risk my life again, you fear that which you don't know. Which makes you so human. Like telling Erik that you have no idea what you're supposed to do. But you are Asgardian, you're proud and wise and you flee to your city of gold if the going gets too rough." She wiped a tear away and sighed, "Deny it, I dare you."
"Jane." He said softly, reaching for her, "What are you saying."
"You claim we have to go to Asgard, you say that you will not have your family living like ants." He stared at her blankly and she hitched Hal up on her hip, "But it's not your family, it's our family. When we married, we swore that we were in this together, yet you seem to be the decider for every decision."
"So it is not my decision that angers you, but my making the decision."
She sighed and hung her head, "You recall how angry you were when your father banished you? I feel I've been banished from this family, the only thing important is your son."
"Never." He said vehemently, "Jane, you are my world." He braved stepping towards her and reached out a tentative hand, cupping her cheek, "You are the mother to my child, you are wise and far more keen than I." He kissed the top of Hal's head and stared at her, "and one thing you are not is irrational."
Tears fell down her face and she leaned against him, "it's been an emotional day." She said, the armour cooling her fevered skin, "I'm sorry for being a brat." She said.
Hal was smiling once again, happy to have both his parent's so close. "If anyone is entitled to an emotional outburst it would be you." She chuckled at the quip. He'd had many since returning, mostly in frustration about the various 'unspoken rules' of earth.
"I wouldn't want to take your title of drama queen." She giggled and looked up. "I guess all I heard was you laying out my life for me.. I had the same feeling that I did when my dad told me I had to be a physicist."
"He informed you of your career?" He gave her a curiously look, "I did not know-"
She nodded and sighed, "He wasn't impressed that I took up Astrophysics. He felt it too fanciful, it wasn't hard truths. Erik really fought for me, but my Father swore he wouldn't help me unless I 'grew a mind' and 'became reasonable'" She smiled rebelliously, "I have issues with direct orders."
"I see why you and Tony Stark are so agreeable." He grumbled and she couldn't help but laugh at the envious note in his voice.
"Tony's an ass, but a good hearted one." She gave him a sly look, "But it's your ass that I love." He shook his head and kissed her cheek. "So who was it? Trying to steal Hal?" she said quietly.
"It would seem everyone." He sighed, "But it was the Jotun's who were behind the attempt." He scowled, "The shame of my Father's dark deeds have been passed on without the crown."
She looked up at his dark fury and cupped his cheek, "it's over, Thor. We're safe. You protected your family," he grumbled but she pulled his cheek to her, "No, listen to me mister." Her voice held an air of determination that had always got his attention, "We. Are. Safe. He's going to be grumpy for a few days and I desperately need a shower, but no permanent damage was done. So stop your bellyaching and smarten up."
"I was supposed to be comforting you." He mumbled and she rolled her eyes.
"We're partners, and for the rest of our lives we'll be comforting each other." He nodded and she laced a hand in his. "Let's go home."
"I don't think that's wise."
She raised a brow, "The Avengers just kick ass in central park. You are going to be all over the news for days. I'm no agent or security specialist, but it may bode best if you lay low for a few days." She tugged his arm and they walked to the stairs, "Maybe if we're lucky, Steve will give us a ride home." He nodded, but the fear inside didn't abate, instead, it grew and growled. A beast angry at the world and tired. The adrenaline had begun to wear off and all he could think of was crawling into bed with Jane and sleeping.
In fact, at that moment, a few hours spent sleeping with Jane in his arms didn't sound so bad.
Ok. I am going to apologize for that right now. I wasn't happy with it, but like the great Tina Fey said, "sometimes you write goldmines, and sometimes you write shit nuggets, and sometimes the shit nuggets make it out there.." So I added extra fluff to appease the FF gods for the small amount of crap.
As always more Reviews means quicker updates. And as a bribe, if you scroll down...
...
...
..
.
oOo
Since you've all been demanding the return to Asgard since chapter 2, I will PROVE to you that it IS coming.. Patience!
Sneak preview for the next Ch- Asgard
...
Asgard was every bit as beautiful as he remembered. Despite the nearly two years it had been since he had seen it. "Heimdall." He said to the great Gatekeeper.
"My Prince," He bowed, "Your Father awaits you in the Throne Room." Thor turned to help her into the litter that was waiting to take them into the city when he spied her smiling at the large golden man.
"Thank you." She said to Heimdall. "For watching over us. I always said I would if I ever met you... I would thank you that is.." She giggled and to his surprise, Heimdall smiled. "Since you probably heard me, I figured I should keep my word."
"A woman of honor." Heimdall bowed. "Welcome to Asgard, My Princess." The name had been a pet name given to her by Stark, but here, married to their Prince, that was exactly what he was. She glanced down and smiled at her son squirming in her arms. Looking down at the crystal beneath her feet his words from long ago spun in her mind 'More like a rainbow bridge'..