Chapter Seven

He'd slept in worse places.

Watching her sleep, he'd had to resist the urge to break something. Jane in danger was not something that sat well with him. It was a simple thing, but the most difficult because there was nothing he could do other than watch over her. The Mare would never show himself with a God present. Not with such a threat.

Thor stared up at the ceiling, his jaw tight. The only course of probable action would be to let her dream, to sleep alone and let the Mare present itself that way, but Thor couldn't bring himself to do that. Never like that, putting her in danger on purpose. So the only thing he could do was guard her while she slept in the light and if she slept in the dark, he would remain by her side.

Perhaps he was still weak after all.

Looking at Jane, he realized that she was one of his weaknesses. The matter could not be helped—she just was.

Maybe he would put Tony Stark's gym to use. There were plenty of objects in there that would ease his anger. He knew Tony Stark would not fully understand the extent of the Mare and what it represented. After all, something so puny would easily be defeated, right?

That was not so, especially if you slept while it sucked you dry. Death. Perhaps with Starks sarcastic humor, a Mare upon himself would not be so forth-coming. The metal man annoyed him to no end for the most part.

So he stayed there on the floor, strangely enough fully awake. He stayed there as his mind went over the past few days, the weeks prior. His Father, Sif, Jane. He turned his head, staring at her sleeping form and smiled at the soft snore that came from her lips.

No one fully understood his obsession with Jane. He missed her when he was not with her. Physically and emotionally he was attracted to her. She held her own and still did against a mighty God.

Love?

His smile slipped at the thought. He still did not know. He did not want to think that he felt such an emotion for a Mortal. Emotional love for family was something else. But love was weak. It made even the strongest of Gods fall to their knees.

Lust, perhaps.

The windows around him flickered and he leaned up on his elbows, his body tensing as if readying for battle until sunlight filtered into the room. His attention shifted back to Jane but she barely registered the difference, sleeping soundly. He sat up and stretched his stiff muscles. Again, the floor was not the best choice of a sleeping partner he could have chose, but neither was it the worst.

Leaving Jane sleeping peacefully, he swiftly changed into a pair of snug 'jeans' and a black matching t-shirt. He would never grow accustomed to this 'denim'. He'd strode the halls of Stark Tower enough to know where Stark's power room was. The Gym, as Stark referred. It was early, he assumed as he hadn't heard from Stark, his red haired lady friend or Darcy. He did not mind the solitude the silence provided him because he found himself in none too friendly a mood this morning.

The danger that posed a threat to Jane did that to him.

His eyes lit when they landed on a punching bag across the room. He had witnessed many a times Stark take out his frustrations on it. He didn't have another God around who could take his punches, so the punching bag would have to suffice.

Thor took one punch and sent the bag flying off the chain and across the room, breaking through glass and slamming into the wall behind where the middle of the bag split, spilling its contents. The whiz of machinery had him spinning around, but too late, before he felt an artificial layering of what appeared to be snow spraying him from the side.

He muted the shocked snarl that rose and swept his arm out without thinking, taking the miniature sized robot holding the fire extinguisher and slinging it across the room and into some heavy weight lifting machine.

"What is it with people from other worlds destroying my things?"

Thor sighed and turned his head when he heard Tony Stark's voice coming from the door way. It was no surprise; his violence had been loud, even if now regrettable. "I am sorry. I believe I have made a mess of your Gym."

"Yea, I can see that."

Thor lifted his hand and closed it into a fist. "And I am sorry about your...robot friend. He came upon me with that snow weapon."

Tony laughed and rolled his eyes. "He had it coming. He's hosed me down too many times to count. Don't worry about it." He strolled in, carefully side stepping the shards of glass on the floor. "Someone musta had a bad night. I tell you what, waking up to the sound of glass and only God knows what else breaking is not something I do on a daily basis, just so you know. I was about to suit up when Jarvis was careful to inform me it was you doing the damage." He paused with a thoughtful look on his face. "Not sure if that's a good thing, either, though."

"I am sorry." Thor said again. It wasn't hard to ignore Tony Stark's sarcastic remarks when his mind was in chaos over a certain female. He had mixed emotions and a fear of losing a mortal. He'd never felt so at odds with himself.

"Whoa, what happened here?" Darcy's voice cut through the tension like a knife, that sense of amusement and ease of access of everyday life clear in her voice. "If you guys are gonna tear up the place, give a girl heads up. All that testosterone is too hot a chance to pass up."

Really, she missed out on everything. Jane got all the action. Jane hit the God of Thunder with a car and BAM, instant lovers, minus the dirty part.

Tony lifted his hands in what she was assuming was self defense. "Oh, no. I had nothing to do with this. Let's just make that clear. Pepper would have my ass if she saw this and knew I did it. So it's all on Thunder Boy here."

Thor ignored the pet name; for the last time. The next time it would be on the Iron Man. He was far too irritated lately to deal with it on a common basis.

"I checked in on Jane and boy, is she passed out. About time. She fell asleep with the lights on again so I had Jarvis do that vanishing thing with the windows—"

"What?" Thor's voice whipped out, his head snapping around in Darcy's direction.

"Yea, she always told me to turn out the lights if she ever forgot to. She definitely forgot to—"

He took off towards the connecting door but stopped when the building shook, as a familiar power source vibrated through the air. He didn't see it, but he felt it. "Impossible." Thor hissed out through clenched teeth as the connecting door flew off its hinges.

A bright, white light flooded the room beyond, sliding past the doorway. He stood frozen, disbelief clear on his features as he watched the Bi-Frost slowly vanish, but leaving behind the destruction of the room. Broken glass, torched furniture and smoke, encryption on the floor.

"What the HELL?!" Tony's voice roared from behind him, but Thor barely heard the man.

Thor could see the smoking figures of the Mare's that had been surrounding Jane's body. But they were no more. But what was there and perhaps more dangerous, was his Father. Standing there, over-looking Jane as she lay on the couch, her eyes slowly opening. She had no sooner opened them than the Odin-Father waved his hand over her head and Jane sank back into unconsciousness.

"Jarvis, suit up. I'm tired of all you other-worldly God's coming and destroying my things—"

"No." Thor waved his hand in Tony Starks direction. "Stop." He said, halting the Iron Man from making a grave mistake.

His Father on Midgard? For what reason? Why?

The Odin Father waved his hand over Jane's head again and then whispered something Thor didn't quiet understand.

"Father...what are you doing?" Thor said, his voice low. He did not understand why his Father was here. On Midgard. It did not make sense. And he knew his Father did not approve of his fascination of Jane. So why?

Odin lifted his head then, his facial expression fierce, but wise. "Where do your loyalties lie?"

"What is he doing to Jane? Who is he?" Darcy was in the right state of mind for once, keeping behind him but beside Tony Stark.

"Father..." He didn't fear that his Father would cause Jane harm; but he didn't trust him. Why? Odin had protected the Mortals before he'd even been born.

"Ugh, if this is some kind of family reunion, couldn't you guys have taken it elsewhere instead of leveling my living room? I really enjoyed the view over-looking the ocean..."

Thor really wished Tony Stark would be quiet for once. The way Odin looked at Stark, Thor knew his Father found the man of little amusement.

"Where do your loyalties lie, son of Odin?"

Thor tensed, careful of his answer. "You know where my loyalties lie."

"Then perhaps she will be worthy." Odin lifted his head. "Know this, the Bi-Frost cannot be manipulated by human hands. There is no such magic available to them here."

"I have all the technology we need." Tony threw in and Thor would have groaned if not for the force with which Odin hissed out a single word.

"Silence."

So was his Father saying that the Bi-Frost could not be built on Midgard?

"Perhaps...if she is worthy of Asgard...if she is worthy of you, she will remember." With those words, the Bi-Frost came down again, lighting up the room like a fire cracker. Just as quickly, Odin was gone. Smoke filled the room in its aftermath, singed furniture and even more shattered glass.

"Daddy issues?" Came Tony Starks snide remark.