When Jane and Thor arrived for their six month visit, Jane dropped off the carpentry books Bruce asked for - one on cabinet making and another on tables and chairs. Jane said, "You aren't reading the science books I gave you."

Although it was a statement of fact and not a question, Bruce said, "I don't have the interest." Bruce looked at the book covers before putting them on his bookshelf. "Now I won't have reinvent the wheel."

Thor said, "My mother wishes to speak to you." Thor's mother, Frigga, had rebuilt the rainbow bridge, weaving it out of stardust. She was the most powerful sorceress on Asgard and she granted less audiences than her husband, the King. She was the one who collected Loki from the Isle of Silence so Bruce could have the opportunity to speak to him then she was the one to return Loki the next day.

Bruce kissed Sif's cheek. "You watch the farm and take any orders for furniture while I'm gone. I can't keep the Queen waiting."

While Bruce was still bent down, Sif threw her arms around him for a proper hug. "Hurry home."

After their walk to the palace, Frigga met them in a palace garden. "Please, sit," she said.

Bruce sat on the ground near her feet.

"Bruce, you have powerful magic," said Frigga. "Then you know this. Back on Misgard, you were drawn to Loki's sword. You went from being two people, Dr. Banner and the Hulk, to one person by force of will. Then you stopped translating Norse into your native tongue because you wanted to hear the rhyme and meter of Norse poetry."

Bruce didn't become who was now by force of will; it was an accident caused by the rainbow bridge. However, he knew better than to contradict the Queen of Asgard. He thought back to Odin's words. "Will I change back to Dr. Banner if I return to Misgard?"

"Only if you want to," said Frigga.

"I don't," Bruce said simply.

"Then you won't. Magic is traditionally the providence of women. However, I can't take your magic away from you anymore than I can make your brown eyes blue. Since you no longer collect gamma radiation, your body needs the physical labor that you get from farming and carpentry." explained Frigga. Needs. Did she mean without physical outlets his behavior would become more Hulk-like? "Thus, you cannot dedicate your time solely to learning magic. Still you must be properly taught."

"I am at your service." Bruce didn't know how much of his behavior - internal and exterior - was from Dr. Banner's or the Hulk's personalities since he couldn't step outside the equation. That being said, he knew the timid scientist would be sicked by the joy he received from killing prey with his bare hands, which contrasted with his detailed blueprints that included mathematical equations most people couldn't do with a calculator (let alone by hand).

"I can send a sorceress to your house to teach you by candlelight," said Frigga. "The young lady I send shall have to live in your house. Prepare for her arrival."

"I'll build her her own house, if it is all the same to you. I'm a very private person." Bruce didn't want a stranger in his house and Sif wouldn't approve of another woman staying with them. However, he needed to abide by the Queen's wishes.

"As you wish," said Frigga. "Farewell, Bruce. My son, take him to the Great Hall and see he is refreshed."

"Yes, Mother," said Thor.

With a wave of a hand, Thor and Bruce were dismissed. Still at Frigga's feet, Bruce bent his head to kiss Frigga's hand. Before they had done eating, Thor had convinced a group of men to help Bruce build a sorceress's cottage on his property. With the main house, the smokehouse, the workshop already on his property; another house would make a fourth building. Also she would need a stable for her horse.

While Bruce was writing the plans, Sif asked, "What did Frigga want?"

"She is sending a sorceress to teach me magic," explained Bruce, not looking up from his writing. "We need to get her house done as quickly as possible because these men have their own families to return to. Since the sorceress will need a horse, you can share a stable."

Sif hugged him. "Thank you."

The cottage and stable were completed in two days time with Sif moving her horse into the stable as soon as it was completed. When Jane arrived by horse without Thor, Jane asked, "May I stay at the guest house?"

"I'll stay in the guest house," said Sif. "You and Bruce will be talking quantum gravity, wormholes, and quasars. And I'm going to be making food. Bruce can make his own food."

"Tony still supports string theory to spite Hank's latest research." Jane watered and feed her horse in the new stable. "Hank's Pym particles connect the big to the small. He can't make that man see that gravitons are zero-dimension particles like photons, quarks and electrons. No branes or superstrings needed."

"Not to mention, 11 or more dimensions?" Bruce didn't enter the stable although the ceiling was high enough. He liked string theory as a construct, but either dimensions existed like the normal four - three dimensional space and time - or they didn't, saying they were too curled up to affect realty was like having your cake and eating it, too. "Either they are real dimensions or they don't exist. You can't have it both ways."

"You should see Hank and Tony fight." Jane gave her horse a pat before locking the mare in the stall with Sif's horse. "They should sell tickets, but they would need captions for the scientifically illiterate."

"I'm glad to see Tony has a new science bro."

Jane walked over to Bruce. "Science rival. Hank is into Entomology and Tony is a total germ phobe that needs everything placed in front of him. You hand him something and he goes into a panic. Tony thinks the only good bug is a dead bug and that goes over real well with Hank."

Bruce smiled as he started walking back to the main house.

After taking one last glance at the new stable, Jane walked beside him. "Thor tells me that my mother-in-law thinks you have magic."

"I don't believe in magic," Bruce marked out all this land because he didn't want his neighbors too close. Now he was glad for the space. "Everything can be explained by science."

"This said by someone that was cursed for over a decade," Jane said, "who had their curse broken by eating magic apples. Excuse me while I die of laughter."

Sif hugged Bruce. "I'll be in the guest house, if you need me." Then she left the two scientists alone to enter the main house.

After letting Jane inside, Bruce walked toward the kitchen. "I'll make pizza." He put salt, water, flour and a bit of active yeast in a bowl then mixed it until it was firm enough to knead. Then he put the ball of dough on the table. "I had a medical condition. I was not cursed."

"Medical condition, cursed?" said Jane. "You're mincing words."

"If I could have stopped being the Hulk by force of will, don't you think I would have done it long before coming here?"

"The Hulk followed orders when you battled Loki. He even went out of his way to save Tony, leaping off a building and cradling Tony in his arms to reduce the impact of the fall. Each time out you had let the Hulk out, he became smarter and smarter. You said when he first appeared he didn't talk. Then single words then two-word sentences. He was slowly becoming you."

Bruce talked while kneading the dough. "Tony said I would be happier if I let the other guy play. He didn't say Dr. Banner would cease to exist."

"Dr. Banner exists. He was going to lecture me on multiple dimensions, but I stopped him."

"You see Dr. Banner when you look at me?"

"How can you even ask that?" Jane stared up at Bruce bent over a table designed for Sif's height.

Bruce just grunted.

"You're a brilliant man." Jane sat in a chair. "Do you think many people on Midgard without books or other reference materials could figure out how to build a house? A house with a living room, kitchen and bedroom. Most people would be happy with a cottage."

"Big deal." Bruce banged the dough good then turned it.

"You wanted pizza, so you asked Thor to get you tomato seeds. And we're having pizza on another planet."

"Then why haven't I read those books you gave me?"

"Because you're too busy living your life. Do you want me to knead the dough for awhile?"

Bruce continued to knead. "The Hulk needs to smash."

"Don't let mother-in-law dearest get to you." Jane walked over to Bruce and put a hand on his back. "She doesn't think I'm good enough for her son. She wanted to give me some crazy test before the wedding, but Odin stopped her then she treated my bridesmaids like they were servants."

"And Natasha didn't kill her."

"Natasha? Darcy threatened to taze the old biddy. Natasha had to hold Darcy down."

Bruce smiled. "You're making this up."

"I'm not kidding. Natasha took her tazer away and didn't give it back until after the fitting. Darcy was pouting the whole time."

Bruce put a bowl over the dough ball. "We need to let it rest for at least an hour. Then we'll roll it out and add my tomato sauce and some reindeer cheese. We can also sprinkle on cured dragon meat. It's the closest thing I have to pepperoni. Don't make a face."

Jane was still making a yuck face. "Dragon?"

"I had to build a smokehouse to cure the damn stuff. And that was only one dragon."

xxxx

Author's Note: My brother is a theoretical physicist. He believes all dimensions are a mathematical construct. When I asked him to explain what he meant, it only confused me more. I feel Bruce would agree with string theory in concept because it explains the universe better than any other current theory.