Jane's hands twisted nervously as she and Thor stood in the vacant stretch of New Mexico desert. The car sat a few paces behind them, Steve behind the driving wheel; Thor hadn't let Jane drive.
His fingers closed gently around hers and peeled them to her sides. He eased her anxious eyes with his smile.
"It will be fine." he reassured, leaning down to kiss her cheek.
Jane sighed, fluttering her eyes blissfully shut. "I know." she breathed as his lips pulled away. "I don't know why I'm so nervous really. I mean, if Erik didn't kill you the first time round, he certainly won't now... right?"
Her eyes flickered up nervously and Thor merely chuckled, pulling her more firmly to his side. "Twice the pressure?"
His grin settled in place as Jane smiled and her fingers travelled to her stomach. Her body had blossomed in the last few weeks. Now even her baggiest shirt rose up over her bump and she'd abandoned her once fitted clothes... and opted Thor's instead. The black shirt that hung over her frame now belonged to the god, her flexible leggings in place of her jeans. Thor didn't mind. He found it a stirring combination of hot and amusing all at the same time that she was wearing his clothes.
Then the clouds above darkened and knotted, and the thoughts were driven from his mind. He felt Jane tense beside him as a light gleamed from the Heavens.
It had taken a long time to bring this plan to life, but it was better late than never, Thor thought. Now that they had the house, the space, the time to relax... or not, in Jane's case. Thor's crystal blue orbs rolled up to the skies calmly, watching as the Bifrost glistened through from one world and into another.
Jane jumped as the beams of light stretched too fast to see and crashed into the ground not far away, throwing up dust to be caught by the wind.
Thor vaguely remembered the Captain in the car and turned to show him a calm, reassuring palm. The superhuman hadn't seen the Bifrost before. Even with all the incredible things they'd all seen, Thor was sure it must be quite an alarming suprise to see the rainbow bridge open if you weren't used to it as he and Jane were. He guessed Steve's mind was eased, no urgent slamming of car doors reaching the god's ears as he turned to the tunnel of light again.
He felt Jane bury her face in his shirt (the one on his body, not hers), hiding her face from the dust. His arm tightened around her. The lights in the tunnel darted, shielded slightly by the swirling dirt, and the god smiled heartily.
It couldn't have been more than seconds before the light suddenly shot back to the skies, but to Jane it felt like years. Her eyes crept from the fabric of Thor's shirt as the lashings of dust subsided.
"Brother!"
She found herself alone as Thor strode forward, meeting the small cluster of people ahead in a matter of lengthy strides. His forearm clasped with Loki's, a beam on both of their faces. Her shoulder felt strangely light, the space above it uncomfortably empty as she stood back, missing Thor's weighty support. Jane stumbled forward numbly, seeking it back again. Her guests must be lurking somewhere behind her boyfriend's hulking form.
"It is good to see you again, Thor." Loki smiled at his brother as their arms parted, and Jane drew close, nestling against Thor's body. "And you, Jane." He added fondly, pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek. His birght green eyes hovered happily on her. "Heimdall tells me I am to be an uncle again."
"He was not wrong." Thor chuckled heartily, slinging his arm proudly around Jane's shoulders.
She felt like purring as she melted into her boyfriend again. She settled for a dreamy smile instead, eyes fluttering in bliss. Even that was embarrassingly obvious!
Loki made no mention of it. "Mother and Father send their apologies." He went on, eyes travelling evenly between Thor's face and Jane's. "Regrettably, business in Asgard had delayed them but they promised they would come as soon as they are able." His smile washed back warmly, settling his gaze predominantly on Jane. "They send their love."
That's nice, Jane thought, still feeling somewhat... well, dazed. Thor did amazing things to her and he didn't even know it. She opened her mouth to say something back along the lines of appreciation but-
"Holy sh-"
"Darcy!"
Jane snapped out of her standing coma; her eyes peeked curiously around Loki, as round as Bambi's, and settled on the two people that had made up her family for the last two years. The smile instinctively pricked at her lips.
Erik still had his warning glare in Darcy's gaping direction as Jane slipped from under Thor's arm and made to throw herself at him in a bear hug. She stopped herself fast - her feet skidded along the ground, spurring up plumes of dust. A bashful smile caught her lips as Erik turned his bemused gaze to her and she shrugged; last time, he'd stuggling with the whole launching hug thing. And she was probably bigger and heavier than she had been last time. It wouldn't end well, she worked out in her mind.
Erik's eyes rolled south. "How long have you left it this time to tell me?!" his eyes popped, mouth falling open.
Jane laughed and pulled him in for a gentler embrace than she'd originally planned. "I'm just twelve weeks!" she chuckled over his shoulder, feeling his hands hover over her back uncertainly. Maybe the extra bump between them threw him off. "It's earlier than last time, believe it or not."
She pulled back to drink in his astonished expression again. His eyes scoured over her, mouth hanging open long before he finally found the words. "You weren't like this last time." he finally gasped. Jane smirked, noting how he tactfully phrased it, leaving out confidence crushing words like 'big' or 'round'. His brow suddenly furrowed. "Were you?"
She went to reassure him, but Darcy couldn't keep her mouth shut any longer: "You sure you're not carrying Hulk's baby instead of Thor's?"
Jane flickered her gaze to her friend's blunt, perfectly serious expression with a chuckle. God, she'd missed Darcy's sense of humour. Her crude comments... everyone was too soft around her now. She needed a bit of Darcy.
Thor stepped up and his arm found it's traditional place around Jane's shoulders, his other clapping Erik's shoulder fondly. Erik's body just swayed numbly. The god's beam was dazzling on his face as he nodded politely to Darcy and glanced down at Jane; she wore the same happy gleam in her eyes as he was sure were in his.
"You weren't that fat last time." Darcy suddenly insisted, gaze running up and down Jane's bloated body, lingering over the bump in the middle.
Jane's eyes rolled away from Thor's. "I'm not fat, I'm pregnant." She spelled out word for word, knowing her friend wouldn't listen to anything less. Darcy's shrugging shoulders told her she didn't anyway. "You're just as bad as Tony."
Darcy's eyebrow arched sassily, with an infuriating smile. "If being as bad as him will make me someday as rich as him then I'll take that as a compliment."
Okay, Jane thought, starting to regret her earlier assumption. Maybe there was such a thing as too much Darcy.
Still, it kind of cheered her up. It meant Darcy didn't know - that none of them knew! - mystified by her unusually large stomach. She made a mental note to thank Heimdall when she eventually saw him. She was sure the gatekeeper knew their secret but she was glad he hadn't spilled the beans to anyone else, limitting the information to vaguely 'pregnant' rather than divesting the true nature - or more, number - of what lay in her womb. Telling about the twins was something she'd been looking forward to herself.
Her hand wound up to her pregnant stomach instictively. It was becoming a reflex. One almost as strong as glancing up at the god beside her. She found his crystal blue orbs instantly: they were pinched in the corners with glee.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Loki wondering back into the frame behind Erik, so as not to miss out on the subtle looks and smirks Jane and Thor were exchanging between them. Good, she thought. It was like everything was falling into place, coordinating to their unspoken plan.
Thor's arm tightened around her waist excitedly, and Jane moved her hand to rest on his chest. His childish grin told her he couldn't keep it in much longer.
Alright, she thought, smile widening. Time to drop the bomb.
Her eyes drifted back to the group, twinkling.
"We have something to tell you." Thor's deep voice rumbled. Jane felt his chest roll as he said it.
Then she thought she'd tease her boyfriend for all he was worth. "But," she said, eyes flickering to Thor, enjoying the frustrated, impatient look on his face. He so wanted to tell them. "We'll tell you back at the house."
She felt his body physically slump in exasperation. The grin on her face spread wide. He was so proud of this whole situation it must be killing him to have kept the secret to themselves for... what? - ten minutes? She heard the quiet groan leave his lips. Yup - definitely killing him.
Erik and Darcy's eyes popped. "House?!" they both blurted.
Stifling the laugh was useless, so Jane let it roll from her freely, hand moving over Thor's heart proudly. He covered it with his, fingers tight. He really wanted to tell them.
"We got a house." she nodded. "A big one. Nothing but the best for the Prince of Asgard, right Thor?"
Her hand patted lightly over his shirt and he chuckled. Albeit, a little stiffly. "And for other future rulers." he murmured in her ear, before going on louder to their companions. "We have resided there for three weeks now." He couldn't resist glancing his eyes down to Jane again, the warm, loving glow his orbs held something he wanted to share with no one but her. "It is becoming quite the home."
Her eyes glittered back up at his mischeviously. "It helps when you have an army of Avengers to speed up the delivery services." she smirked before turning back to the party. "You've all got rooms and ensuite's, and Pepper can order in anything you want on Stark's credit card."
That cheered up Darcy.
"Alright!" Her hands shot up in the air as she stepped forward towards the car. "Champagne and caviar for my bedtime snack please!"
XXX
The journey home was... interesting.
Taking back six people wasn't an ordeal Jane had planned for the car, but it was do-able nevertheless. She sat on Thor's lap in the front, Loki, Darcy and Erik lined up in the back seats. The New Mexico roads were rough and jumpy, but Thor still miraculously managed to keep perfect rhythm of his stroking thumb over her stomach.
"Loki," Thor turned back to his brother, speaking over his shoulder. "Will you be returning to Asgard?"
The younger god smirked, glancing at the human beside him with gleaming eyes. "I think I'll stay." he finally said. "I have yet to take the time to fully experience Midgard at its finest."
"New Mexico's not its finest." Darcy quipped, eyes blinking at him coyly.
"It really isn't." Jane breathed for good measure through her swooning head. Steve's jarred driving must have tapped into her lingering dizziness somehow, she thought. The bastard.
Thor chuckled along with his brother, more at her stunned form than anything she'd actually said. She could feel his chest rumble behind her, but a sharp bump in the road caused her jabbing elbow to miss it's mark.
She caught Loki lean down to Darcy's ear in the rear view mirror as she straightened up, and her jaw dropped. "I believe it is the host and the company that gives a place it's value of experience, is it not?" she heard Loki purr, before he sat up again, a smug look on his face. "And I would greatly like to see the house you and my brother share." he aimed with a too happy smile at Jane.
She was glad she'd put the two in seperate rooms now. She wondered if it would stay that way...
"Whoa!" Darcy suddenly exclaimed, drawing Jane's attention back over her shoulder in a heartbeat.
Her heart sank with dread as she caught Darcy's orbs on her - or more specifically, her waistline. Oh God - now Jane felt it. The rough car ride must have ridden her shirt up! Darcy's glistening eyes lifted to hers and Jane tensed, waiting for a confidence crushing figure remark to leave Darcy's lips. It was worse than she could have imagined: "You have stretch marks!"
Her heart stopped in just the same way as she'd anticipated. Jane froze for a minute, feeling the blood drain from her face.
Then she was squirming in Thor's arms, clawing at the shirt at her side and craning her neck down to see. Her jaw dropped when she saw the thin bue and purple lines creeping just above the waistband of her leggings. A small squeak of horror left her. "Oh God, no!" she finally gasped. "These things scar!"
Thor's fingers peeled through hers and drew her hand away, her shirt falling to hide the marks once more. He pressed her knuckles to his lips. "They are of the flesh, Jane." he murmured against her skin. "They will do you no harm."
"But they're ugly!" Darcy protested from the back seat in Jane's stead, before she could even open her mouth.
Thor's eyes flickered back fleetingly, before finding Jane's glistening brown orbs over her shoulder again. He felt like he was looking into her soul. "They are a part of you and are therefore beautiful." He kissed her hand again. "If they are a mark of the children you have bore for me and for Asgard you should wear them with pride."
Jane's eyes rolled and she snatched her hand away. "Oh please! What a load of bullsh-"
A particularly vicious bump along the road cut her off, throwing her forward from the force. Thor's hand around her waist kept her from knocking against anything.
Steve's eyes at the steering wheel gleamed under the god's glare.
"Sorry!"
Thor was much happier once he had some of Pepper's steak in him back at the house, Jane making note of the tactic for future reference. So was she actually; she had enough meat to rival Thor's hefty helpings! She ignored the stares and got on with it. She was pregnant. She had an excuse.
"I don't think the book said you have to devour entire cows to develop a healthy baby, Jane."
She felt Thor's fingers close around hers tightly as she shot Darcy her most venomous stare. The book... she still hated that book. Her irritation dropped to her gut though, when she saw the cursed thing sat right there on the table!
Her jaw dropped.
Darcy smirked. "Call it a housewarming gift." Her fingers drummed along the books cover once, before she eased it forward along the table.
Jane watched it with wary eyes. Then she lost it: her cuttlery fell to the plate with a loud clatter as she snatched the book from the table cloth and leapt from her chair. Frowns and confused looked followed her. All except one.
Thor couldn't fight the eager smile on his face as he abandoned his food and followed her out the dining room door to the sitting room; truth be told, he'd been looking forward to this for months! He offered a helpful box of matches he snatched from the mantle piece as she knelt in from of the fireplace, throwing the book behind the grate with as much force as she could muster.
A quiet shuffling from behind told Thor their three guests had tentatively joined them at last, just as Jane turned on the gas. She sat back on her heels and took the matches from Thor.
"Jane..." Erik finally broke the silence to ask. "What are you doing?"
"Fulfilling a promise." She grunted as she lit a match. "It's that goddamned Daddy guide thing Thor had back in Asgard. When we first got here, we made a promise that we'd burn it if we ever saw it again. So we are. It's in the rules."
Thor's grin lit up with the flames as Jane poked the match through the grate and the book and the gas caught light. All eyes were drawn as the fire took hold, the corners of the pages curling and smouldering in their blazing destruction.
Erik snapped out of his trance first, reccuring where Jane had left off in her not so flattering eulogy.
His brow furrowed. "What rules?"
Jane sighed heavily. She turned her back reluctantly on her glorious fire and aimed a pointing finger at the back wall of the sitting room. She was surprised nobody had even noticed the list by now. It wasn't exactly hidden. Quite the opposite! - it was proudly on display on the back wall of the sitting room. It was even framed.
Eyes rolled over the paper pinned to the wall. Right at the bottom, just below the sex rule - that Thor hadn't let her tear off before he'd pinned it up, much to her dire embarrassment - was scrawled in thick black marker: THE BOOK MUST BURN!
An amused grin settled on Loki's face and Jane turned back to the fire, satisfied. It didn't take long. Jane was pretty sure stuff didn't normally burn that fast (even with the help of the gas) but judging by the beams on Thor and Loki's faces, she wouldn't put it past the pair to have some enchantment or something working to help it to it's fiery grave. She didn't care. Destroyed was destroyed however short a time it took.
"Is that what you were going to tell us, Jane?" Darcy asked, looking totally weirded out by the list. Her eyes lingered over the DO's section. "That you've adopted some weird new kinky lifestyle since you're with child?"
Jane turned and sat back on her heels, a smirk working its way onto her lips. She glanced up at Thor. He wore the same mischevious look as she did.
Darcy's hair whipped around her as she turned sharply, hands demandingly on her hips. Jane's eyes twinkled as the two women locked eyes, running hand over her bloated middle. Her spare hand reached up to squeeze Thor's. You do the honours, the gesture said.
She could practically feel his happy grin through his tight fingers. "With children." he clarrified, in that deep, rumbling voice Jane loved so much.
Then the jaws started to drop.
"Twins?" Erik gasped, looking stunned.
Loki recovered the best: a smile spread wide on his face as he stepped forward, crossing the room and clapping a hand on Thor's shoulder. "Congratulations, brother!"
"How do you know?!" Darcy half shrieked. "I mean, I know you're as big as a house but ... like..."
Jane laughed as Darcy's palm thudded into her forehead. "I had a scan and there were two of them in there." Her eyes trailed up her arm and Thor's beside her until she met his glistening crystal blue orbs. She let herself get lost in their beautiful depths. "We found out at the same time they told us I was pregnant."
Darcy's eyes rolled and she huffed an exasperated sigh. "You're rubbish at telling you're pregnant, you know that?"
A uninterested shrug was her answer.
"So that's why you bought a house." Erik worked out, already rolling his eyes around the room as if he were seeing it afresh now he knew its true purpose.
Yup, Jane answered in her head, still smiling happily up at the glorious father of her two unborn children.
It was like Thor's orbs held her captive by her eyes as well as by her hand. She simply could not tear herself away from him. And why would she want to? She didn't think anything could spoil this moment: in her house, with her boyfriend, and with her family, even the two unborn members inside her womb. What could be more perfect? Nothing could possibly ruin it.
Well, except maybe-
"Damn." Darcy breathed, running a hand through her hair. "You're gonna be massive!"
NOTE
Keep voting for names! :D
