Her Name is Carrie White Book Two Chapter 3: The Aether's Debut, a Carrie + Avengers Crossover fanfic

Chapter 3

"Jane! JANE?!"

"Where'd she go?"

Having Thor around was nice. Jane felt like she had won the lottery when the prince revealed he would be staying on Earth for some time. That elation soured when he later admitted his extended visit was because he literally could not return to his home.

(Would he have even stopped by to say hello if the Tesseract wasn't missing?)

Jane did her best to be there for him and renewed her dedication to her research. It wasn't about finding Thor now; it was about getting the god home. What did her own feelings matter in an emergency like this? Besides, the longer she had the God of Thunder at her side, the more the reality of their. . . relationship? . . . started to creep its head.

She was a mortal female scientist of a species that was just stretching its wings in space travel. Thor was the Crown Prince of a dynasty older than Earth that held power over nine different realms and technology Earth was only starting to catch up on.

When he had first fell from Asgard and into her life, Jane could admit that it didn't take long to crush hard on the prince. While he was a flawed man – and who wasn't flawed? – he had a well-meaning heart, and a willingness to listen to others. The fact that he was very easy on the eyes didn't help her internal struggle to focus on her goals.

In the time they were separated she couldn't stop thinking about him and much of her research was spent trying to find him. Darcy teased her about falling for Thor hard but Jane, personally, couldn't see it the same way. Yes, she had a crush, and yes, she wasn't able to let him go. That wasn't exactly head over heels in love. Jane cared about Thor and just wanted to know he was okay, and while she was smitten with him, it was only one of the reasons she was trying to find him.

He had been willing to die for them. She needed to, at least, make sure he was safe.

Then they found each other again, got reacquainted. Jane learned more about Thor, his hopes and dreams, his doubts and fears. Despite the fact he would have returned to Asgard immediately if the Tesseract didn't go missing, Jane was warmed that he chose to spend a significant chunk of his time on Earth with her.

So she told him her own hopes and dreams, her doubts and fears. Jane couldn't deny that she was going quickly from smitten to falling in love.

Thor would have to return to Asgard one day though, and his lifespan was much longer than her own. There was also a big gap between them in social status too, and she couldn't overlook it. Even if they decided to go ahead with a relationship, Thor was an Asgardian prince – what if his parents already had someone in mind for him?

What about the opposite? If his parents approved would she need to live in Asgard full time with no visits?

Would she be expected to become queen?

It was so much fluttering in the back of her mind and Jane hadn't properly communicated a bit of it to Thor. She knew she should. The fear he would agree, and leave, kept her silent though. Jane would rather have him with her for as long as possible before saying goodbye.

Then. . . London happened, and here she was.

Jane groaned, her head aching. The throbbing was only getting worse with all the noise, and she held up a hand.

"No noise. Head is killing me."

"Lady Jane!" Thor's voice was urgent. He sounded. . . terrified. That was scary. Very scary.

Darcy helped her sit up and Jane looked around. She was back in the abandoned factory they had detected the unknown energy in. Nothing looked different but there was a buzzing underneath her skin that was borderline uncomfortable. Something. . . there was something there that hadn't been before.

"I feel off." She admitted, wrapping her arms around herself. Thor had been kneeling by her side and put a hand on her shoulder.

Everything went red. Jane was thrown back and she could hear Darcy's muffled screech as she was tossed back too. There was a crash and the sound of rubble falling around them in scattered chunks.

When the air cleared, the two women were on their backs wincing from the bruises of their harsh landing. Thor was treated more brutally and thrown through the ceiling. Jane winced as he crashed back down, not too far from them.

"There's gonna be police sirens after that." Darcy grumbled.

"That is the least of our worries." Thor groaned, pushing himself up. He shook the dust and bits of rubble from his hair. "Lady Darcy is correct though. This land's enforcers will be here soon. We should take our leave."

Thankfully, they hadn't set up too much equipment and grabbed everything shortly enough. Darcy and Thor took the front seat while Jane resigned herself to the back – while only Thor's touch had set off whatever was inside her, they didn't want to take any chances.

Darcy peered at Thor as he carefully typed out something on his Stark Industries issued phone. "What are you doing?"

"Calling for aid. Lord Stark may be able to help Lady Jane." Thor's frustration at losing the Tesseract was at an all-time high. Once he got Jane to Stark, he needed to get in contact with Lady Carrie.

'Brother, please don't make this harder than it has to be.'

Same Day

Carrie finished her embroidery on the hem and examined her work with a critical eye. It was a golden pattern of loops and swirls, inspired by the twists of a river created in the middle of the fabric. Inside the circle of patterns were snakes, embroidered with slightly darker thread, almost hidden. The cloak itself was a dark forest green.

'I still have a few adjustments to make, and I need to make sure the clasp will open up if someone tries to grab it.' Carrie thought, putting the latest project away for the day. She could work on it again tomorrow. Hopefully, it would be ready by the time –

The air shifted. Carrie recognized it and was slightly surprised to see Loki appear.

He was holding the Tesseract, out in the open.

Carrie's "hello" became stuck in her throat. Loki looked. . . troubled, and even a little bit angry.

"You need to take this." He said without ceremony. The Tesseract nudged against Carrie's mind, absolutely delighted with the development.

"Uh, okay." She managed to get out, accepting the artifact of mass power.

"Jane Foster has been become a vessel for the Aether." He said curtly. "It is a power much like the Cube. My brother will be making contact shortly. You must get him and his mortal lover to Asgard."

Carrie straightened. "I understand."

She didn't ask Loki if he was coming. While he missed his mother no matter how much he lied to himself about it, there was still too much between him and Odin right now. Not to mention his crimes on Earth still needed to be answered for – Loki was not going to risk capture, even if his damage control antics the past few months was probably earning him some leeway.

"Listen carefully Carrietta, this is how you will open the portal."

By the time Kurt, Jean, and Rachel came to the room, Loki was gone. They stared at Carrie, sitting cross legged on her bed with the Cube in her lap. Rachel frowned deeply – realizing that something was hitting the fan and her sister was going to be in the middle of it.

"We need to contact Thor." Carrie said seriously.

72 Hours After Incident

To say the God of Thunder was shocked would be an understatement. He had fully expected a game of hide and seek to grab the Cube only to be told his brother willingly handed it over to Carrie. Even knowing about the time loop, it was still something he struggled to wrap his head around – and ignore how it scared him.

Thor arrived at the Institute with his girlfriend Jane, her friend Darcy, and Tony close behind. They had flow over by a quinjet and Darcy was still asking the billionaire questions about it as Thor greeted Carrie and introduced Jane.

Carrie could feel something inside the older woman. Something ready to lash out if it perceived anything threating its host. There was a strong stab of familiarity at the new presence, much like the Cube and the Scepter's powering stone.

She was beginning to become suspicious. What did all these power sources have in common? There had to be something.

Darcy and Tony had finished their conversation and the latter walked up to her and messed with her hair. "Hey kiddo. How's everything?"

"Fine." Carrie smiled. "Everything is okay. How is Pepper and Happy?"

"Good. Good." Tony said cheerfully. "Where's the Tesseract?"

"The Cube is with Professor Xavier right now." Jean said. "I'll lead you all to his office."

xXxXx

"The Aether feels like the Scepter and the Cube." Carrie admitted in the privacy of the Professor's office. She held Jane's hand tightly, trying to do a more throughout reading with Jean close by to guide her past any stumbles. "I wasn't sure about it when there were only two, but now that there's three. . ."

"It is something to think about later." The Professor agreed. They were all seated around his desk, though Thor stayed standing, clearly too agitated to do the same. "Are you certain you can open the portal, Carrie?"

She nodded. "Its not like before, I'm a lot more rested and I have more training. Loki said the healers in Asgard would see to me about any side effects."

"Mother will ensure it." Thor confirmed. "Father, by all accounts, will be more invested in the Aether inside Lady Jane."

Something about that sentence rubbed Carrie the wrong way but she held her silence.

"I really don't like it." Tony grumbled.

"What other recourse do we have?" The Asgardian prince asked tiredly.

The teenager fidgeted in her chair. "I'll be fine. The fact is we can't let the Aether stay in Ms. Foster but I'm not sure if it would be safe for me to try removing it myself."

"Huh, who's going where?" Darcy asked. "There are still portals popping up everywhere. Someone needs to handle that."

"I'll do it." Tony reluctantly said. He really wanted to see Asgard, but the current crisis on Earth required his touch. There was also the fact that he was still listed as a S.H.I.E.L.D consultant and was gonna have to break the news that yes, they found the Tesseract. No, the U.S government was not getting it back.

At least Tony had the excuse that an actual god had demanded it. From what Thor mentioned of his pops, the Stark heir didn't think the old man was one to beat around the bush or mess around.

"So, that's Thor, Jane, Kurt, and Carrie heading to Asgard." Jean listed.

"Kurt? That Nightcrawler kid?" Tony raised an eyebrow.

"Loki said he could help me with the teleporting." Carrie shrugged. "We already practice a bit, and it is easier. He has a lot more experience in teleporting than I do. He's resting right now, helping me focus the Tesseract took a lot out of him."

"Fair enough."

"Once Kurt wakes up, you'll be off." The Professor said.

Hope you all enjoyed this!

Sincerely,

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