Contrary to popular opinion Jane Foster wasn't completely unaware of people, she just didn't care enough about them to try not to offend them, not unless there was something in it for her. Being a female scientist in a male dominated field meant dealing with a lot of misogynists who had a tendency to dismiss her and guiding herself through those circles she had learnt that the best way to deal with them was to be as brusque, uncaring and generally offensive as possible. Her treatment of Darcy often left people aghast but she knew Darcy could take it and would give it back in spades. Their relationship was even more complicated than the one she had with Thor all stemming from one particular incident at a McDonald's after Donald and she had broken up, an incident that they both denied ever happening.

There were the other female scientists of course who were, to be completely honest, terrifying. But she was not one of them, for all that Jane tried hard to do so she just could not intimidate anyone. It was one of the things she envied of Alice, her sister's ability to cow people twice her size was commendable.

If only she didn't have the court mandated anger management to thank for that.

Still, the fact remained she wasn't unaware. So she had noticed that Thor was uncharacteristically worried, she had noticed that while Odin was dismissing her he was also very wary and she had most definitely noticed that Alice was hiding something from her. Jane hadn't missed what Heimdall had said about Alice having more than just pepper spray in her pocket and if it weren't for the brief worried glance Alice flicked at her she would have dismissed it entirely. But that had happened and so it became obvious that Alice was hiding something. Then there was the way she kept on looking everywhere, her sister had been the curious type but she was looking for exits and entries in particular and angled herself to face at least one such opening. It spoke of a paranoia the likes of which was uncharacteristic to Alice.

The mood had gone significantly down since they had found there was no way to remove the Aether from her. Both Thor and Alice had put on fake smiles and assured her they'd find a way to make it right but it was obviously weighing down on them as they watched her like a ticking bomb, Thor a bit more quiet than usual, almost whispering and Alice joking incessantly, clearly nervous.

Jane had remained hopeful though and for more reason than one.

Firstly, even if she died, she had travelled via an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, at least her bucket list that consisted of just this one item was complete. Secondly she was there with two of her favourite people in the world although it might have perhaps been a bit better if Erik, Darcy and her Mom were there as well. Thirdly she was on a world that was more technologically advanced than anything she'd seen so far and the research opportunities were stunning, even if she died she would be leaving behind a legacy unlike any before, no humans had been on Asgard before. And then there was the fourth, most important thing of them all.

She knew that Odin had lied. She knew that Malekith was alive.

Odin had said a lot about the Aether being a weapon, about it being fluid, about it turning matter to Dark Matter. What he had not told, or perhaps he didn't even know (she couldn't even try to pretend not to get a sick sense of satisfaction over that) was that the Aether was alive, it was sentient and it was talking to her.

'Lies," It had whispered when Odin said all Dark Elves were dead, "Malekith lives, he has been awakened and he comes for us, pet." It said in sibilant tones and the blue tinge to her vision grew before diminishing again, terrifying but soothing her nonetheless.

She'd come out of this alive. She didn't why she was so certain about it but she was. It was like the time before Thor had landed on her research, when she'd first seen the 'slight Aurora' and known in her bones that there was something more than just shifts in air particles there. Like when her Dad had shown her the stars and she'd known one day she'd be among them, she'd see them for herself and not just through pictures in her books either. She knew she would live through this.

She just hoped there'd still be a world left to live in as well. Her gut was suspiciously silent on this, and with the convergence occurring and Malekith being awakened she was afraid for it.

For now though, there was a Bifrost to observe.

"Thor, can we go to the observatory? I was wondering if I could ask Heimdall about the Bifrost's mechanism."

"Now? It's rather late isn't it?" The sun had set a long time ago and even though Jane was feeling tired, as if she had a fever, she still felt the buzz of travelling by the Bifrost. "You should eat and take some rest, it has been twice today that I have seen you lose all strength and fall to the ground. Are you certain you feel well enough for the walk?"

He asked. He didn't demand and she knew he had it in him to just outright tell her no and she would have to listen. Here he was a beloved Prince and she was just a mortal scientist. His father was king and he didn't even like her, by all rights Thor should have just told her no but he didn't. It was a change for her, all the men in her life seemed to tell her what she needed to do, tell her how to behave, how she was fixating on the all wrong thing in her research. And Jane was certain that Thor, for all that he was supposed to be the jock, still knew more about the world than she did.

That night when they'd stayed up back in Puente Antiguo and he'd told her about the World Tree, the Nine Realms and the Bifrost, he may have used different terms but what he had described was interplanetary travel, wormholes, his hammer forged in the heart of a dying star, literally using the heat of the star as a furnace and the reactions to change the molecular structure of the metal, there was so much that he knew, that he could tell her. And he did tell her but even then he didn't belittle her comparative lack of knowledge, he never patronised her. When he talked to her about space it was so personal like the universe was a living being and they were all simple cogs in its machinations and she was in love with that.

"I'm fine, I just really want to know."

"Then we shall leave immediately." He said with a smile and looked down at her.

He was leaning in for a kiss when Jane realised she suddenly understood Darcy's Romantic theory of Time Relativity. As short as she was and as tall as he was, the space between them was not so huge that it should take such a long time for his mouth to come down upon hers, surely they should be frenching by now?

They didn't. A throat being cleared interrupted them and they pulled away to look at Alice who stood off at the side.

"You forgot all about me didn't you?"

"Yes."

"No." Thor and Jane said simultaneously and Alice took a deep breath looking suspiciously like a dragon.

"Lady Alice, would you also like to join us at the Bifrost observatory?"

"I don't really want to leave you two alone but I figure Jane's going to be more distracted by the science and the Einstein-Rosen bridge than you so I'm fine with it." Jane was pretty sure that was going to happen too. But the Observatory was a long way away and they'd have time to 'talk' till they reached it. "I'd rather hang out here and figure some things out if you don't mind. Maybe get to know Asgard a bit more."

"Of course, though it might be better if you were dressed differently. People might not take too fondly to a Midgardian in our midst."

"But then Jane-"

"Will be safe, no one would dare harm her while she is with me."

"Riiight."

"I'll be fine don't worry about me." But perhaps Jane should worry about her. "But will you be alright, I mean it's a big city in a...different world?"

"I'll be fine, it's not the first time I've been alone in a new city."

"Yes but...you do end up offending people a lot."

"I only offend them because I want to. And by now I know how to push people's buttons just right so they can't really blame me for being offended."

Jane turned to Thor. "Maybe we should stay here."

"Nah don't worry about me. Really, I'm just curious."

"Promise you won't offend anyone."

"I will try my best to be polite and not offend anyone."

"I won't get anything more than that will I?"

"No. Besides you've pissed off way more people than I have. Anyway I'm just going to stick to the palace, check out the architecture."

Alice was being weird again. Since when was she interested more in architecture than people? And why did Jane get the feeling she was filing away everything she saw methodically? Alice was looking at Asgard the way she'd looked at her Algebra homework. She was studying it and Jane didn't know why.

"I shall have someone help you get dressed." Thor looked around caught a woman's eye and she came scurrying forward, almost tripping over themselves. She was gorgeous, her gown cut down to there and Thor's eye didn't drift once. It made Jane feel a bit better.

At least she knew he wasn't a boob man. That was good because she didn't really much going on in that area. Or any area, really. She hoped he was a legs kind of guy, Jane had decent legs.

He said a few words to the woman about helping Alice and with a nod she left, leading her sister away with her and they were alone, finally.

"So, shall we?" His elbow was held out for her to take and Jane allowed herself one moment of swooning before girding herself again.

Einstein-Rosen bridge. Bifrost. All seeing Aesir who could give her answers to questions pertaining to a lifetime's worth of research.

Oh she loved this Realm.

Alice paced the length of the hallway. She ducked behind a pillar when a convoy of soldiers passed by and reached for the little gun strapped to her thigh for comfort breathing only once they'd passed by, fingers tracing the trigger gently.

She was alone in front of the Queen's chamber in the palace, a restricted part of it in fact and she was considered lesser for being human and not Aesir. It did not bode well for her. She peered around the round pillar waiting for the guards to go out of view and when she couldn't see them any more sagged in relief.

"Were you ever going to come in?"

Alice jolted, jumping two feet into the air and had the gun out in trice as the voice sounded. She kept her back pressed against the pillar, trying to calm her heart. The woman who had surprised her raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"People usually don't manage to sneak up on me." Alice said, her gun still pointed at the person.

"People don't usually escape the notice of the Einherjar either."

"I think we've both established we're exceptional then."

"Indeed. Were you looking for me Lady Alice?"

"If you're Frigga, Queen of Asgard also known as the Allmother, then yes. If not then no. But in both cases, why do you know my name?"

"My husband told me about the presence of Midgardians. Since Thor isn't shadowing you, I assume you are not Jane Foster."

"Your husband?"

"The Allfather."

"So you are Frigga." She lowered her gun then.

"Yes. Would you rather we talk in my chambers?"

"If you wouldn't mind." Alice followed the Queen into the room, the heavy doors opening with a snap of Frigga's fingers. She looked around the golden room with its opulent silks carefully, noting the open window as the only escape. Plenty of hidey holes, little places tucked away in shadows. "The Allfather isn't here is he?"

"You are not fond of my husband, I gather."

Alice shrugged. "I don't like anyone who judges the value of a life by its quantity rather than its quality." She eyed the Queen and wondered if she should complete that thought.

"You may be free with your words Alice Foster." Frigga permitted with a knowing smile. She would have to add mind reader to the list of skills Frigga had along with creepy stealth and magic.

"It's just that in most cases the people who usually do that, they don't really lead the most fulfilling of lives. I'm not fond of your husband but I do pity him. What a sad, sad person he must be."

Frigga paused. "That was...a little more freedom with words than I expected. Well Lady Alice, I doubt you asked for an audience with me just to discuss my husband."

"No I didn't." Alice leaned forward, her fingers laced together under her chin. "Thor said you were the one to tell them the stories of the Dark Elves."

"Yes."

"Well I was wondering if you knew anything about getting the Aether out of my sister."

"I am afraid the books do not tell of any such thing and I was not yet born when the battle with the Dark Elves occurred."

"And all the dark elves were killed? There weren't any kept as, oh I don't know, prisoners of war or anything? Maybe raised with Odin as his brother if that's a family tradition?"

"You mock my husband's decision to take Loki as his own?"

"No I'm wondering if there's any prize of war that still exist and might help me save my sister's life. I don't really care what your husband does as long as it doesn't affect me in any way."

"Pragmatic. I am afraid no such prize exists." Frigga said and Alice's face fell. She'd been hoping for something, anything that might even lead her to clue. "But I would not be so certain that there are no Dark Elves left."

"Wait, what? Why?"

"The libraries in Vanaheim where I studied make no mention of Malekith's death only of his disappearance. They also say Malekith tied his soul to the Aether. It was more than a weapon, it was his triumph over light. It responds to him like none other."

"So it's the One Ring to his Sauron, okay I get it."

"I don't know what you mean but it stands to believe that if the Aether still exists, then he must as well in some form or another. And his body was certainly never found in the many carcasses, otherwise it would not have been swept away and lumped in with the rest."

"So Malekith might be alive. And the Convergence is happening. And the Aether's been found and apparently it is tied to him. Stand to reason then that wherever Malekith is, he is aware of it?"

"I would certainly speculate it to be so."

"Well if he is, then he won't be very happy to know that it's on Asgard will he?"

"No, he will come for it." Frigga frowned. "And destroy anything that stands between him and the Aether."

"So we play the waiting game, alright."

"Should we prepare for battle?" Frigga teased but Alice simply frowned.

"I had to go through twenty three open passages to get here, from every single one I saw people training for fights and sparring, pretty sure you're already prepared for battle."

"Perhaps once Lady Jane is feeling well enough you might try the libraries in Vanaheim, they were more prone to recording details than the scribes of Asgard."

"Hopefully. Thank you for telling me all this." Alice turned to leave but stopped and turned abruptly. She opened and closed her mouth several times before shaking her head and plowing on. It was a silly, stupid thought really and didn't make any sense but she had to ask. "I don't suppose Loki would happen to know anything about this?"

"I cannot be sure. When he fell into the Void he made new...acquaintances. What he learnt from them is a mystery to me."

"These would be the same acquaintances who gave him the sceptre would they?"

"Yes, much the same. I believe it resides on Midgard now. Whatever happened to it?"

"There're people studying it but no one else has managed to use it to control any minds yet." Alice said flippantly, biting her thumb nail lost in her thoughts.

"And you know of this?"

"Well yeah I-"

Alice realised then how much of her own knowledge she had ended up revealing. Why would a private citizen know that Loki had a sceptre that he'd used to control people's minds, let alone that people were studying its powers?

"I'll be leaving then." She said and made a quick escape.

Alice had a lot to think about. Clearly the people here wouldn't be much helps, they didn't know much about the Aether. Odin was the only one who'd even recognised it but he was reluctant to help Jane that much was obvious.

She needed information and there was a potential source of it in the prisons.

Alice wondered if the risk of breaking him out of prison would be worth it.