Jane, Meet Luke

Summary - Set some time after Thor gets his powers back. Loki, incognito, takes the time to speak to Jane one morning when she stops for coffee.

Jane Foster was sat alone at a dark wooden table in a cafe with an empty cappuccino cup to her right and an open note book open before her eyes. She'd been sitting in the spot for at least two hours now and the mid morning dinner rush had come and gone, leaving her as one of the few remaining customers. The fact that she was working on her theories and equations alone didn't bother her as much as it probably should, she'd been spending more and more of her time alone as the days passed.

Now that Thor had his powers back, he was spending increasing amounts of time in Asgard and, as a result, she was spending more time alone on Earth. He had more than once insisted that she join him but after the last time, Jane was reluctant, very reluctant. Odin, the king of Asgard, had made it quite clear that though he found her pleasant enough, he didn't want his son pledging himself to a mortal. Queen Frigga had dismissed her husbands 'stupidity' as she had called it, and had openly expressed that she found Jane to be a wonderful woman. She had said that the heart cannot help who it falls in love with.

"You look unhappy," a man suddenly commented.

Jane blinked up from her work to see a rather handsome, tanned man with short black curly hair and bright green eyes. He was dressed like all of the other people who worked in the cafe in black trousers, a white, long sleeved shirt and a black apron around his waist. In his hand he held a damp cloth of checkered fabric with which he'd just used to wipe a table behind her and in his other hand, he held an expertly stacked pile of empty saucers and cups.

"Do I?" she questioned after a moment after setting aside her pen.

"Just a little," he gave her a sheepish smile.

"...Maybe I am...a little..." Jane sighed.

"Ah," the man gave a slow nod, "Then I know just the thing," he said as he tucked the cloth into the pocket of his apron, freeing his left hand. He then concealed it behind his back and then brought forth a prefect red rose which he held out for her to take.

"For me?" Jane raised a confused eyebrow.

"Of course," the man shrugged, as she took the rose.

"...Why?"

"Because my job description happens to entail giving roses to deserving people," he answered, sarcastically and she couldn't help but smile.

"You know, they say sarcasm is the lowest form of wit."

"I find it quite amusing, actually," he replied happily.

"...Well, thank you," she said, "It was a...a nice surprise. Where did you learn to do tricks like that?" she asked, gesturing to the rose.

"How do you know that I don't walk around all day with roses in my pocket?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure someone would notice," Jane laughed.

"Hmmm," he breathed, "Do you require more coffee?" he glanced down at her empty cup.

"Please," she nodded and he added her cup to his pile and left.

A minute later, he returned and placed a fresh cappuccino in front of her and the chocolate powder on the froth had somehow been made to form an elaborate symbol with spirals and straight lines running through them, it was perfectly symmetrical and almost star like in its shape. *1

"I thought it might help," the man explained, "It's an ancient symbol that invokes good fortune and happiness."

"Yeah...in old Norse mythology, how did you know that?" Jane looked up at him, stunned.

"My education was...thorough," he answered simply, "How did you?"

"I...have a friend...he's really into this kind of thing and he tells me all about it," she said.

"He sounds like an interesting friend."

"He's...away, right now."

"Ah, and this is why you are unhappy," he nodded.

"Did anyone ever tell you, you're really nosy," Jane furrowed her brow.

"Frequently, but I don't tend to listen."

"Won't you get in trouble for pestering the customers?"

"Not likely," he said, chuckling without explanation, "And I'm often told that in good company, people are less likely to be unhappy,"

"You don't sound like you really believe that," she replied.

"I'm not sure that I do," he admitted.

"And what makes you think that you count as 'good company'?"

"Because I'm the only one talking to you, right now I'm not up against any competition."

Jane let out a quiet exhale of humour before she took a sip of her new coffee, "Alright," she said after a moment. "Alright...maybe I could use some one to talk to," she said.

"No friends?"

"A few," she shrugged, "But they're...away..."

"It seems that many people of your acquaintance are 'away'? What do you do to drive them from you?"

"Thought you were supposed to be my 'good company'," Jane sighed. "And anyway...I was supposed to go with them...I just thought it best not to. I didn't see why I should ruin their fun."

"You don't seem like the type for self pity," he remarked.

"And how would you know?" she snapped, "You don't even know my name...and I don't know yours either."

"...Luke, my name is Luke," he said, sitting down in the chair opposite her.

"Jane," she replied.

He gave a brief nod and then turned his stunning green eyes towards her, "Maybe you should have gone with your friends...Jane," Luke said.

"I...can't...it's complicated."

"Most things usually are," he smiled, "I've never really had friends to speak of but from what I've seen they always seem to cause more problems than they solve."

"That's a very sad thing to say," she said slowly.

"Is it?" he asked, seeming to be genuinely surprised.

"Yes. Everyone needs friends," Jane told him, "We might not always get along but we need each other. It's not their fault that I'm unhappy right now, it's..."

"It's...what?"

"It's..." she sighed. She didn't know why she was talking so much with the man but it was nice to have some who seemed to want to talk to her. "It's...my friend...the one who tells me about old Norse mythology...his father doesn't exactly...like me," Jane said.

"Mmmm," Luke breathed, "I see."

"I don't know why I'm letting it get to me, I mean, I've only known Th...my friend for about four months now and I'm a grown woman, not a child, but..."

"You're...fond of him, your friend?"

"You could say that," she furrowed her brow.

"And his father makes you feel...inadequate?"

"...Maybe..." she muttered. "I feel like he's judged me just because I'm...different. I guess it's because I'm a...a foreigner...and he doesn't like it."

"So, now you're in hiding from him?"

"...Yeah..." Jane drew out the word, "Makes me sound like a coward, huh?"

"No," he shook his head, "It makes you sound logical. Why waste time in the company of someone who disapproves of you? If they see you as less than they are simply because of who you are, why should you want to see them?"

"...Shouldn't you be telling me to be brave and make him see how wrong he is?" Jane frowned, "Every one else has."

"Probably because they don't understand."

"You sound like you understand pretty well," she said.

"Maybe I do," he shot back.

"So...who made you feel...inadequate," Jane asked, using his word from earlier.

"...Everyone," Luke answered.

"And what did you do?"

"I left."

"You ever go back?"

"No."

"What about your family? Did you leave them, or..."

"I have no family," Luke snapped.

"None?" she asked, sadly, "None at all? No family, no friends...don't you get lonely?"

"Don't be stupid, of course I don't," he said in a cold, almost cruel tone, a shocking transformation from his good natured sarcasm and dry wit.

"...I don't believe you," Jane said.

Luke sighed and turned away for a moment and Jane was suddenly stuck by a feeling of pity for the man in front of her. For all his confident, well spoken words, he was alone and no one deserved to be alone.

"This...friend of yours, you've known him how long, four months? Isn't that a rather short period of time?" he asked, slowly turning his attention back to her.

"I guess so," she admitted. "But haven't you ever felt like you've known someone your whole life even though you haven't actually known each other for very long at all? We just...we get on really well, so well, and I..."

"You care a great deal about him," Luke inferred.

"Yeah, I do."

"This is why his father's opinion matters to you," he nodded in understanding, "You don't like the man yourself, but you..."

"I never said that," she stopped him, "From what I've...heard, he's a brave and smart man...I'd like to get to know him..."

"For what it's worth," he began, "I think you'd be better off forgetting about it all. What is it that people say...'life is too short'..."

"That'd be the easy way out," Jane said.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, I guess, but I've always been too stubborn for my own good."

"...Then why are you here and not there?"

"...I..."

"Being stubborn is all well and good, but what about being clever? What do you think about your friend? Are you simply wasting your time?"

"I really don't think you should be..."

"It's a simple enough question," Luke shrugged.

"...No, it isn't," Jane shook her head and sighed. "We're different...very different and I...I can understand why his father is worried. But surely it's our choice, not his..."

"Parents often feel the need to be...protective," he said the final word in an almost imperceptible sneer of hate.

"I know...I know that, I do..."

"Then what do you plan to do about it?" Luke asked her. "You could always leave. You have the choice to walk away. No one can force you to endure indignity and disapproval. You make your own choice."

"But if I leave...its what he wants...isn't he making the decision for me?" she furrowed her brow.

"Not necessarily."

"I don't think I could..." Jane admitted. "I lo...I care about..."

"Your friend," Luke said for her when it was clear that she wasn't going to say his name.

"Yes...and I...I can't just run away."

"Do as you will," he replied strangely and stood up suddenly, "I should go."

"Right...thank you...for talking to me," she smiled and he gave a small nod before he turned and left her alone again.

A while later, Jane packed away her things and walked across to the counter, giving a smile to the young blonde woman who was standing there.

"Excuse me," she called, "Where's Luke?"

"Luke?" the young woman repeated with a frown.

"Yeah, I'm going now and I just wanted to..."

"I don't know a Luke."

"But he works here...I was just talking to..."

"I can check, but honestly, I know everyone who works here and there's no one called Luke...What did he look like?"

"Tanned, curly black hair, green eyes..." Jane answered.

"...There's no one like that, I'm sorry...wait here..." she said and went into the kitchen through an adjoining door to her right and for a moment, Jane heard her talking to another woman. "No, there's no Luke who works here," she said when she returned, "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened, but..."

"I...okay, never mind, thank you," Jane nodded, confused and left, not wanting to stay and make herself appear more of a fool.

*1 I just made the symbol thing up. I've no idea if there really is a symbol for it, I just thought it was a cool idea.

A.N. My idea for this was that Loki is not only curious about the woman that Thor loves, but also that he's testing her. He's testing her intelligence, her patience and her love for Thor. It shows that he's chameleon like and he can blend anywhere, even in a cafe on Earth if it suits him.

I don't think, at this point, that Loki has much respect for humanity since we're so weak and powerless compared to him, but maybe that'll change.