Chapter Twenty-One
Shivers wracked Jane's body when she dropped her cell phone on the kitchen table and said, "Ambulances from Nautton can't get through. Power lines were brought down by the ice and are blocking the only road into Puente Antiguo."
She glanced over to watch Thor stretch a large of sheet of plastic across the archway leading into the lab to somehow insulate them against the frigid temperatures. With the windows busted out, nothing stood between them and the elements. A wince reminded her how badly her body hurt when Thor accidentally left cracks in the wall using Mjolnir to tap in a nail and hold the sheet in place.
"Who was that flounder-faced bitch?" croaked Darcy, who was finally conscious and stretched out on one of the folding chaise lounges from their roof patio. The mound of blankets covering her shifted when she eased into a seated position.
"She is called Amora, the Enchantress," Thor responded. "It is said she studied magic under the great Karnilla, queen of the Norns, but no one knows for certain what her origins are."
"Apparently she came here to kill me because being friends with me will deprive you of a bright and glorious future. Do you have any idea what she means?"
"When dealing with the Enchantress, determining her true motives is mostly impossible. Her anger with you could as easily be stemmed from pure jealousy, as my desire to return here and see you has been no secret."
"Is she an ex?"
"An ex…" His brow furrowed slightly. "I do not understand."
"Did you date…" No, he probably wouldn't understand that terminology either, so she tried again. Her expression squirreled up when she tried to think of a colloquial way of stating her question. "Did the two of your court at some point in the past?"
"No, but whispered rumors claim she has designs upon the throne of Asgard. Removing you from my life may be her way of advancing herself closer to the throne."
"Funny that, because I'm presently mad at you and don't want to have anything to do with your throne or any other body attached body part," she quipped, tone souring.
"Such is as I anticipated when I failed to uphold my promise to return for you."
"I'll totally take whatever body part Jane passes on," Darcy said from inside her cocoon.
Jane chuckled once, but that just jerked her body and elicited another grimace of pain. A hand was pressed to her ribs. "Not that. I'm not an unreasonable person. You didn't return immediately so I assumed there was some good reason preventing you from doing so."
"Then tell me what actons of mine have wrought your anger and how I might offer recompense to rebuild your affection?"
She melted like cheap margarine when his expression immediately softened and turned earnest, and all she could do was extend her hand in his direction. Said hand was enfolded in the warmth of his own big palm when he hurried over and slipped into the chair next to hers.
"Maybe it sounds selfish of me, but you made zero effort to get a message to me when you saw Erik in New York. I just assumed you had moved on with your life since we last saw one another." And because the mature response was way too mature, she darted her eyes away and babbled, "I mean, we didn't know each other long, and I'm sure you have a bevy of gorgeous women fawning over you back on Asgard, and one can't expect you to put your life on hold for almost a year just because some Earthling acted way too brashly and kissed you, and…"
"Jane," he purred, his voice whiskey-roughened. "There may be a bevy of gorgeous women fawning over me on Asgard, but none hold candle to you."
A soft cooing sound was muffled inside the cocoon of blankets surrounding Darcy.
Heat and color rushed into Jane's head so quickly she was momentarily faint. If she were cheap margarine, she would have evaporated in that moment. "See, you're not allowed to say things like that to me!" she cried. "Because you say things like that, and I completely lose my train of thought and turn into an extra from High School Musical instead of being a confident and driven scientist!"
"Translation: Keep saying things like that to me, Thor, because they make me all gooey and womanly inside, and I'm not used to those kinds of emotions."
"You're confusing him, Darcy."
Thor smirked and leaned back. "No, I think I follow quite well. Complimenting you makes you uncomfortable in a good fashion, as you aren't used to being unable to control your emotions. I will endeavor to desensitize you by complimenting you often."
Outwardly, her brows flattened. Inwardly, she was consumed by a torrent of the Warm Fuzzies that made her feel like tap dancing on the table.
"Sending word with Erik of course crossed my mind. So many things need to be said between us, but with travel between Asgard and Midgard so uncertain, more promises could have been broken. I didn't want to ignite something in you that would go unrequited if my return to Midgard proved impossible."
"Don't try to protect me like that. Don't ever attempt to shield me emotionally based on what you think is best for me. I don't believe in things like love at first sight or soul mates, but I'm not a coward, and I never gave up trying to find you."
"Will you just shut up and kiss her already?" Darcy interjected. The cocoon moved, and she eased the covers down from her head. "That girl has done everything but doodle little hearts all over her journal pining for you."
"I have not!" cried Jane. And more color rushed into her cheeks. God, she hoped to some day be able to act like an adult woman instead of a gushy teenager around the man.
Thor smirked a little while glancing back and forth between the women. "Have you pined for me, Jane?"
A blush was followed by awkwardness. She couldn't even look him directly in the eyes nor wipe the giddiness from her face. Because clearly Thor existed to turn her world upside down. "Let's be practical, Thor. We've spent a couple of days together in total."
"You know, I'm starting to feel like Sebastian on The Little Mermaid," Darcy interjected into the silence. When she spoke again, it was in a song-song voice with a bad Sebastian impression. "Ew-whoa-oh Go on and kiss the girl."
Thor couldn't have caught the pop culture reference, but he still laughed.
And then there were imaginary stars and fireworks and explody things in Jane's present when the Asgardian prince leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. She touched her fingertips to his cheek, heart pounding and body suddenly keenly aware of how nice his lips were. When he pulled back, she felt like Jack Nichalson's Joker, a smile permanently carved onto her face. Words completely escaped her.
"You're cold," he murmured. He rolled to his feet and unfurled a blanket from the pile she'd brought in for Clint, carefully draping it around her shoulders to bundle her up against the frigid temperatures.
Comfortable silence settled over the trio, time in which she made at eyes at him, her gaze roaming over his handsome face as though trying to imprint him so deeply into her memory she would be able to remember every crease and angle of his visage should he disappear again.
"So how did you get back?" she asked a few minutes later.
"As it happened when Loki schemed to rule Midgard, my father mustered enough energy to open a portal between Asgard and Midgard. He was reluctant to do so, as there are skirmishes with Svartalfheim consuming his attention. Opening a portal severely depletes his energy, and he could not risk being that weakened unless the danger against you was mortal."
Further conversation was forestalled when a whistling sound outside the building attracted everyone's attention. Jane stiffened. Of course she was immediately concerned. Dread rooted through her belly, and despite Thor's protests, she forced herself back to her feet, keenly aware of the fact Clint had been taken because he'd been defending her.
An impact outside in the parking lot preceded the sound of broken glass crunching underfoot, which allowed them to chart the intruder's progress as he or she made their way into the wrecked lab. Movement then paused. With the electricity out, they couldn't even make out the intruder's silhouette against the plastic sheet separating them, so there was no way to tell if their guest was friend or foe. Going with "foe" was probably a safe bet.
The air practically crackled when Thor called Mjolnir to hand and indicated for Jane to remain with Darcy. There was nothing subtle about the way he strode toward the plastic separating the living space form the lab. His body was solid and movements confident.
Moments later, a familiar voice sounded in the darkness. "Anyone here?" asked Tony Stark. Even the isolated locals of Puente Antiguo had internet access, and Stark was certainly plastered all over the internet.
Tension fled from the atmosphere so quickly Jane almost sat down where she stood. If Tony was here, the rest of the Avengers weren't far behind, and they would be able to help her find and retrieve Clint. Naturally, she now felt terrible for having greeted the agent in the parking lot with a gun.
Thor swept the sheet of plastic aside and boomed, "My friend! Seeing you again is most pleasing, Metal Man!"
Stark appeared in the archway and flipped the faceplate of his armor up. "Big guy! You know, I've been trying to get ahold of you, but Asgard doesn't seem to have any kind of satellite communications. You guys totally need to look into satellite technology."
A small smile tugged at Jane's lips when the two men attempted to embrace. Yes, attempted was the appropriate way to describe the awkwardness that ensued. Between Thor's armor and the Iron Man suit, hugging just wasn't an easy feat, so Thor ended up slapping Tony on the back with a solid thwack.
"Gird your loins," said Stark upon dropping his voice. "Tasha's inbound with the rest of the Avengers team, and she's pissed. ETA thirty minutes. We've got thirty minutes to Tasha-proof the place, because when she gets here and doesn't see Barton, she's going to explode."
Tasha was grim-faced. She jerked slightly when their quinjet touched ground in a vacant lot a block from Doctor Foster's lab and immediately released her chair harnesses. Their pilot had been reluctant to land given the amount of snow piling up everywhere. There had to be close to eight inches already, and still more was falling from the heavily laden skies. She constructed a mental picture of crossing New Mexico off her imaginary list of places to build a summer home.
Streaks of lighter gray were just brightening the horizon when she jogged down the ramp after Captain America and ran across the distance separating them from Foster's property where the situation looked grim. Ducking inside, she quickly caught sight of Thor and Iron Man, who were putting themselves to work moving busted equipment out of the way.
"Where is he?" Tasha demanded. "How badly is he hurt?"
Thor was the first to respond when he said, "Agent Barton has been abducted by an enemy of Asgard called The Enchantress."
The news settled like a ton of coal. She turned her back on her comrades, fingers tightening into a fist while she made a Herculean attempt to wrangle her emotions back into some semblance of order. This! This was precisely why she'd been so against a sexual relationship with Clint Barton. Barton plus danger equaled a driving need to find him and return him to safety. Barton plus orgasm based pair bonding plus danger equaled Tasha wanting to break the world to get him back.
"Be calm, Tash," Stark said.
"Do not call me 'Tash,'" she hissed. "Barton is the only one allowed to call me that."
"Whoa. Okay. This is me stepping back off your dick."
"Agent Romanoff does not have…" Thor stopped in mid sentence, and Tasha turned in time to see Stark making a cutting motion across his neck.
"How do we find and liberate him?" she demanded of Thor.
"The Enchantress is a worthy opponent capable of manipulating magic. Her skills very nearly rival Loki's, so finding her and freeing our comrade will be difficult."
"While we're on the subject? How is the old Lokster?"
"His mind is much calmer than when he was here on Midgard, but he continues to struggle with coming to terms with himself. Our father grapples with determining the appropriate punishment."
"Loki hasn't even been tried yet?" Steve asked.
"Teaching Loki the wrongness of his actions is not so simple as stuffing him into a cage and confining him for a given amount of time. We have cages that would contain him, but his bitterness and anger would only grow with confinement."
"Tell me he's not up there running around free as a bird, sipping on a mocha latte, and gardening," said Stark.
Gardening seemed like such an absurd thing to say about Loki even Natasha turned to stare at Stark. The mental image of Loki running around in a flower print apron with gardening gloves didn't really do a damn thing to make her feel better given the present circumstances.
"He is my brother," Thor emphasized. "His mind is disturbed given the life-altering news he received, and I am partly culpable for his current inability to think rationally."
"No, at some point, a man has to be responsible for his own actions. Regardless of whether or not you contributed to his…"
"Barton is missing," Tasha interrupted in as even a tone as she could manage. The tremble in her voice should have indicated to them just how close she was to completely losing it. "No offense, Thor, but I don't give a rat's ass about your brother or his punishment until such a time as Barton has been found alive."
Silence.
The woman who emerged from a back room was small even by Tasha's stature, who was of average height and solidly built. Jane Foster. Doctor Foster was tiny and barely reached Thor's chin. She crossed some imaginary line in the sand to stand next to Natasha, at which point, she said, "I'm with Agent Romanoff. We should concentrate on finding Clint."
"You are not helping us do anything," Tasha commented. Her chest tightened. "You are going to a hospital to have your arm set and then straight into protective custody. Anything less, and our attention will be divided between protecting you and finding Clint."
And if she was honest with herself, Tasha was this close to blacking the good doctor's eye for no better logic than because Clint had been abducted defending Doctor Foster. In her own twisted mind, that meant Foster was indirectly responsible for Clint's disappearance, so getting Foster out of her sight until such a time as she'd managed to cool down a little was a grand idea and would prevent an inter-planetary incident. Thor would certainly take offense to his girlfriend being leaped upon and pounded into the dirt.
A/N: I find Thor and Jane ridiculously cute together. I really enjoyed how she was portrayed in the movie; a confident scientist uncertain about how to behave when presented with male attention. Heck, I'd turn giddy and mushy too from his attention. Anyhow, I hope I'm portraying that strange duality properly.
Next Chapter: Another attempt on Jane's life produces unexpected results. Natasha expresses her fears to Captain America.