A frantic knocking at the door kept Thor from answering. A slightly wild eyed guard poked his head through "the Allfather calls for you urgently" he stammered.

Odin stood beside Hymdall at the shattered edge of the rainbow bridge when Thor and Frigga approached. "Your brother has been found."

Frigga put a hand to her heart and looked for a moment like she might faint, so Thor put an arm around her. "He is on the Earth, and he has the Teseract!"

"What? How?" Thor asked.

"I know not, and he moves in and out of Hymdall's sight seemingly at will!" Odin raged. "You must go after him! Retrieve the tesaract... it will cost us dearly to get you there, but one man. One man I might be able to send..."

"Wait, what about Wren?" Thor asked.

"What about her? You don't really suggest that I send her to retrieve him, do you?"

"No father, but you are needed here, you must oversee the repair of the bifrost... Wren can take me to Earth. She told me... she can go back at any time."

Odin looked at his son for a long time, his mouth set in a grim line. "I did not realise she was aware..." he said eventually. "She shouldn't be near him. Not after..."

"She will never forgive you if you keep this from her." Thor said firmly. "You know she wont, and she has a better chance by far than I of convincing him to come home."

"I am not so confident of that," Odin growled, but he nodded anyway. "Alright, fetch her and bring her here."

Thor flew back to te training ground and landed in a spray of dirt. "Wren!"

"What is it? What's wrong?" She stopped and sheathed her swords across her back.

"I need you to come with me, now."

He had been half afraid she would demand explanations. That she would refuse to go with him, but she merely looked at him for a moment and then held her arms out. Thor picked her up easily and held her against his side while they flew back to the others.

"Thor tells me that you believe you can return to Earth at will." Odin said without preamble.

Wren glared daggers at her brother but nodded.

"Do you believe you can take others with you?" He asked.

Wren blinked stupidly at him for a moment and glanced around at the others. "I don't know... one perhaps, but no more, and I imagine it would hurt them."

"Would it damage them in any way?" Odin asked.

"No, I don't think so... for me, the act is going home, my flesh and the flesh of the Earth want to be together... dragging another might be more uncomfortable... what's going on?"

Thor looked at the others and when no one answered he stepped in. "Hymdall has seen Loki, on Earth."

"What?" Wren demanded and turned to the gatekeeper who dwarfed her.

"It is true, though my vision is incomplete. How he blocks my sight I do not know..."

"But he's alive? He's safe?" She demanded.

"Not exactly... the humans have captured him. He has been... causing them some distress." Hymdall said.

"Can you take me with you, can we get there?" Thor asked her.

Wren looked at him speculatively. "It would be easier if you were smaller..." she said dubiously.

"But I am not. Can you do it?"

"... yes. I believe so."

"Then we should go. Hymdall, where is he?" Thor asked.

Hymdall reached out and put a hand on Wren's shoulder and images flashed through her mind. She gasped and doubled over, as though she were going to be ill. "Ahhh. Alright... alright I understand... this isn't going to be smooth, Thor. They're flying..."

"It doesn't matter. As long as it doesn't kill us."

"Alright, come here."She held her arms out and Thor stepped up in front of her. She regarded him for a moment and then stepped up onto his feet. "Put your arms around me." She instructed, and he did as he was told. "You might want to hold your breath... this isn't going to be pleasant."

"What will it feel like?" Thor asked as he looked down at her.

"I have no idea. I've never done it before." Without waiting, she closed her eyes and her face screwed up with effort. The water under them seemed to bow away from where they stood, as though gravity had become heavier in that spot. Thor felt a great weight increasing on him from all sides until it seemed that he imploded into pain!

Lights and bizarre images flashed about him and he felt that he might be crushed to death. All the time he was still aware of the little woman standing on his shoes... After an impossible to determine period of time, the weight disappeared and Thor struggled to breathe again.

"FLY!" He heard her scream and shook his head trying to clear it. There was a roaring sound in his ears and he could feel his cloak flapping madly around him. "Fly, you great oaf!" Wren screamed and he realised that they were falling through thick clouds.

Frantically, Thor clutched at his Hammer and they stopped losing altitude. Unable to fly comfortably, Thor shifted Wren around until she clung on to his shoulders and almost sat upon his back. "Where?" He yelled over the storm. Wren didn't bother trying to yell an answer back, instead she leaned forward over his shoulder and pointed. Having no alternative but to trust to her confidence, Thor hurtled blindly through the clouds in the direction she indicated until he all but smashed into the top of the black jet.

Inside, Loki sat strapped into a safety harness, a thin sheen of sweat on his brow.

"Don't like thunder storms?" Steve asked.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows." He said with false lightness.

The rear of the jet was forced open and Thor, with Wren sting clung onto his shoulders, walked in as thought it were perfectly natural. Without a word, he grabbed Loki and tore him free of the harness. Wren slipped from his back as he turned and jumped back out of the plane.

"Hey! That's ours!" Tony yelled after Thor, but stopped cold when Wren held up both hands.

"We mean no harm to you..." She said gently, and a strange, comfortable lassitude came over them as they looked at her. "Everything will be alright..."

"Careful ma'am," Steve darted forward and took a hold of her elbow. "Wouldn't want to fall."

She laughed softly and patted his arm. "You're very sweet... but I'm perfectly alright. I promise." Without taking her eyes off him, she took three quick steps backwards and allowed herself to fall from the back of the plane.

"NO!" Steve jerked forward to catch her, but she was gone.

"Who the hell was that?" Tony demanded.

"Big guy was Thor, another Asgardian, I have no idea who the girl was." Natasha called from the pilot's seat.

"That guy's a friendly?" Steve demanded.

"It doesn't matter, whether he frees Loki or kills him, we've still lost the teseract!"

Wren fell quite calmly through the clouds. Slowly, she rolled over so that she was facing the ground and spread her arms. "Thor. I need a lift." She called out into the unending clouds. A few moments later she could see him matching her trajectory from below and she angled herself down so that she settled smoothly onto his back.

Loki was clutched tightly in his grip and they hurtled down towards a craggy peak and landed hard. Wren was pitched from his back and thrown forward, but she landed lightly on her feet where the two men tumbled end over end.

"You two seem to have developed a... close working relationship." Loki quipped when he pulled himself to his feet.

Thor glowered at him. "Watch your tongue."

"And so protective... Tell me, did you wait? Did you mope around, both of you, and wear blackest mourning? Or did he scoop you up in his big strong arms straight away and carry you off?" Loki pushed, his eyes alight with manic zeal.

Thor took a step towards him but Wren was already there, she slapped him sharply across the face. "You don't honestly believe that! Why are you hurting me?" Loki simply stared down at her, his hair wild in the wind and his coat flapping about.

"Where is the teseract?" Thor demanded. Loki glance at him and shrugged airily. "Do I look to be in a gaming mood? Where is it?"

"Well it's not here." Loki said lightly.

"Loki please, we need it to get back." Wren said.

"The Allfather must have put himself back into the Odinsleep all the energy it too to send you both here. You should thank me, brother." Loki sneered. "That is if you're even still interested in your human woman..."

Wren hit him again and he came up with a split lip. "You're more spirited than I remember..."

"What is WRONG with you?" She demanded. "You have to stop. This is completely out of control! Come HOME Loki!"

"Home...? It's not my home, and it's not your home either." He pointed out.

"No... it's not my home, but I waited. After you fell I... I waited for you to come back. You always came back before. And as bad as things were and as much as they... I didn't dare leave! Without the bifrost I couldn't get back, and if you made your way home you'd never find me..." She shook her head and looked away. "But you didn't come back... instead you came here. You came HERE and you hurt the children!"