Chapter 27

Thor watched his world fall - literally.

His body had shut down when he saw Maria, poised at the edge of the building with Loki's arm trapping her in place. His heart had stopped in his chest - what was Loki doing? He dared not move in case he missed something vital, every coherent thought in his head turning to dust.

Then he'd watched Maria struggle and fight, using the very techniques he'd taught her on the hill that one day, and his heart had glimmered with pride.

It plumetted to his stomach less than a second later.

Suddenly, Loki was alone on the edge of the building. An unmistakable form tumbled from the tower.

NO!

Thor wasn't sure if the roar was aloud or not, throwing his hammer forward with as much force as he could muster. He barely even noticed the Chitauri blade that tore deep through his shoulder. He flew towards the falling mass with the speed of light, but it still didn't feel fast enough to him. His teeth gritted, the knuckles on his hand bone white around Mjolnir. His heart soared a million times faster than his body, frustrating him more.

Gods, how was she falling so fast? He altered his course downwards, gravity pulling her down faster than he would have thought possible. She was tiny! She was light! Thor cursed the forces of physics that refused to let the attributes slow her fall.

He pushed himself faster but he felt like every inch he flew, Maria fell a meter. It was frustrating and terrifying and exhillarating all at the same time. But he didn't care; speed was all he cared about. He needed to get there somehow.

Fleeting thoughts that he might be too late crashed through his mind. What if he was? What if Maria plumetted to her doom and if he'd have flown just a touch earlier, just a tad faster, he could have saved her? Visions of blood, of broken, shattered limbs drove through his mind, but he refused to let them clot his vision. That was only for Maria, alive ... and falling.

She didn't even know he was coming. There was no way she could: she was tumbling too much, falling too fast to make out anything coherent. Would she even think he was coming?

Thor's teeth gritted harder as he got painfully close. So did the ground. Just a few more seconds, he thought, able to make out every limb flailing in her fall, every whip of her hair in the wind. He stretched out his other arm, fingers reaching for her.

Then she dropped even more and his heart fell with her - he wouldn't make it.

Every inch of his body trembled with the effort of moving faster, but there was only so far his will could take him. The laws of physics were too strong. He wasn't sure if his tearing eyes were from the wind or otherwise but he binked at them furiously. He couldn't stop. No matter the chances, he couldn't stop, couldn't just let her die...

He swear he heard his heart crack loudly in his chest as it fully sunk in: it was impossible. He couldn't reach her, couldn't save her...

A flash of red and a sickening crack issues ahead of him, and suddenly, Thor's hand was reaching out for nothing. What?, his mind vaguely thought, before the worst crossed his mind.

That was all it took to destroy him.

Then his strength failed.

Everything crashed down at once. His emotions dug into his heart like spears and his will snapped, his pain stealing the strength from his body.

This is it, he thought as his arm started to tremble and it became agony just to hold on. So he let go. His fingers unclenched around Mjolnir. He didn't know, or care, what would become of his hammer. Whether it would stop with him, or fall, or fly on... he didn't care. The pure numbing dread of Maria gone... it just paralysed him.

He wasn't far from the ground, but it was the momentum that worried him the most. He was moving fast; even if the hammer wasn't pulling him forward anymore, it had left them with an incredible speed. That would hurt, he thought.

He wished it would kill him.

Alas, that was impossible: a roar of pain tore through his gritted teeth as his back ground into the hard street beneath him. His armour shielded him from most of the harm, but the impact sent shock waves through his already spent body, his shoulders slamming first into the ground and taking the bulk of the force.

He would take it all, he thought. If it would take him to Maria. His body dug groves into the road as he skidded to a halt, the pressure on his shoulders relieved to be replaced with a fierce burn.

For a moment Thor just stared. Eyes stared wide at the skies about, clouds still swirling from his far off attempt at the tower. He didn't know what to do. Curse the moment of being alive? He did that, along with all the pain crippling his back and shoulders, wishing it were potent enough to end his life. Or at least knock him out. Unconsciousness would be a welcome friend right now, delaying the time he might have to face the unthinkable.

She'd gone. She'd just gone. He'd blinked and she was gone, that crack still echoing in his ears. Had she been closer to the ground than he'd thought? He didn't want to imagine it... but she wasn't falling anymore. He couldn't ignore that.

Then a cry hit ears and he snapped back to focus. He knew that sound.

He shot upright, ignoring his body's screaming protests and scanned his eyes frantically around him. He'd heard it; that was Maria. He searched desperately, praying he wasn't loosing his mind already. No, he told himself. He'd heard her... but he couldn't see her anywhere. His chest heaved with breaths, panic starting to rise urgently.

The soft blaze of thrusters brought him back. His eyes shot upwards - and his heart fell to the floor in absolute relief.

"Maria." He gasped breathlessly.

Stark's metal suit thudded as he dropped to the ground, Maria's trembling whimpering form in his arms. He knelt and handed her over smoothly.

Thor couldn't move, frozen helplessly with his absolute relief. He let Maria slump against him as she sat on his thighs. She was breathing hard, her eyes screwed shut. Thor's hand found the side of her head and he kissed hard into her hair, his other arm winding around her waist and rocking her as she cried against him. He wanted to join her but he couldn't, overwhelmed too much for mere tears. He held her like a child, her body feeling so fragile in his arms.

His chest ached more than he'd ever imagined possible, but it was the best pain he'd ever felt. He wouldn't trade it for anything.

"I think she's hurt." The mask parted from the genius's face as he righted himself, sunlight glinting magestically off his armour. "That was a hard hit, and I'm not exactly made of cotton wool. Something cracked."

So that was it, he thought, wanting to smile with pure gratitude but unable to force his lips to move. The flash of red had been the suit not...what he didn't want to think about.

He had her. She was safe in his arms again.

The god glanced down and examined her for the damage he knew would be there in some form or another. The collision had been brutal. She was clutching at her wrist with trembling fingers and blood stained the front of her shirt, though Thor didn't know if it was hers or Chitauri from Stark's armour. He knew there must be more. There had to be. It hurt to know she was in such pain, but at least she was alive to feel it. Wounds could heal. The dead stayed dead.

His fingers threaded through her hair and angled her head up to him. His mouth crashed down on hers. She couldn't kiss him back; her whimpers on his lips were too strong. But he kissed her slow and soft regardless, needing to taste her, to know she was really safe and with him.

His heart broke when he heard a strangled cry leave her lips.

Everything hurt. His chest ached with a lethal combination of relief and anguish, a thousand emotions surging through him at once, though right at the top, he just felt like crying that someone had stopped her from crashing to her death. He still had her. But she was broken. He could feel it.

It felt like a lifetime before her heaving chest started to slow and settle but her cries never fully stopped. The best he could do was reduce them to silent, gasping tears.

When he pulled away, she collapsed against his chest.

"My r-ribs hurt." she finally stammered, her voice trembling as violently as her body. "M-my collar bone. Ah - my wrist-"

Thor breathed a sigh of relief. Broken collar bone, broken wrist and a few broken ribs. They would hurt, but they were a small price to pay. He was too tired to smile, but he was sure he would have otherwise. He ducked his head and pressed a kiss into Maria's hairline, grateful Tony had had the chance to save her.

Thor's eyes lifted to the amoured man, eyes glistening. "Thank you." His voice was shaky. Would the genius ever truly know what he had done for him? He had, in essence, saved his life. In saving Maria, he had saved Thor himself.

Stark reached down a hand, and Thor took it, using their combined efforts to pull the god to his feet. Maria remained tenderly cradled in his arms.

"No hard feelings, Thunder?"

Thor gripped the man's forearm harder, not caring if he couldn't feel it through the metal. His eyes gleamed with sincerity. Yesterday, he hated this man - now, he loved him! "I will never pay off this debt, my friend." the god said deeply, fighting to keep the fragile emotions out of his voice. It didn't work, his voice cracking. He'd never heard himself sound so weak before. He didn't give a damn. "I owe you my everything."

The arrogant grin that fitted well into Stark's face curved into the billionnaire's lips. "Let's start with saving the world, yeah? Consider that step one."

An almighty crash from above distracted them both, eyes training on the explosions blasting around them from the surrounding battles.

Tony's mask slid shut. "We'll sort this later."

Thor stood back as the genius shot up into the air, leaving him alone with Maria on the torn up steet while the world raged around them. His mind snapped back into battle mode - they were right in the open.

He hurried to the side of the street out of open fire, launching them over the twisted form of an upturned car. He didn't go any further; he didn't trust the buildings. Nowhere was safe now, but at least he could defend her out here. In a building however, where he was restricted... no.

He crouched down as smoothly as he could, and eased Maria down to the ground, her back against the underside of the vehicle. The air hissed from her lungs at the movement.

Thor drew in a shuddering breath, some part of him wanting to hate Stark for how much pain he'd caused Maria. But he could never hate what he did though, never regret it. Not when the alternative was so painfully clear and so narrowly avoided.

He stayed down on one knee with her, hands on her shoulders as her forehead rested against his breast plate.

"I c-couldn't close it." she sobbed into his chest, the tears back. "I tried, b-but I c-couldn't." Her hand released her wrist and moved to his neck, her fingertips clenching in his hair. "I'm so sorry, Thor. Oh God, I was so scared. I was so scared."

She rambled hysterically into his breast plate and Thor listened silently. He felt relaxed, though he strongly suspected that was his exhaustion lulling him. "It doesn't matter." he breathed, cutting her off. His fingers stroked gently through her hair. "None of it matters."

None of it did. The portal and Loki could go to hell and Thor simply didn't care anymore. The breath swelled more fully in his chest, and he couldn't help but wonder if he'd broken a few ribs himself at the pain that shot through him.

"I-I never thought I'd see you again. I was..." she bit her lip as the last note cracked. "I thought I was going to die. I was so ready to die..."

Thor's hand found a place at the back of her neck and stiffened. He clamped his jaw shut: he didn't want to think about it, let alone talk. It was just ... too horrific to imagine. He sighed with relief as Maria's shuddering started to still. "I would have come." fled from his lips in an urgent whisper. He pressed a hard, brief kiss to her lips. "I would have come."

"There wasn't time."

He wanted to tighten his arms around her but didn't dare. He didn't want to hurt her anymore than she already was. His fingers traced to her cheek instead. "You broke your promise."

She started to chuckle but it turned into a squeak of pain instead. "Small price to save the world." she forced through gritted teeth, eyes screwed shut.

"Not for me." His lips found her forehead and stayed there. He never wanted to be apart from her ever again. "You are my world."

Her sigh misted against his armour and Thor felt relaxed enough to be back in the cottage in England. What he'd give for that. He promised himself that when this was all over he'd take Maria home. He'd buy her that Titanic film she liked so much and they would just stay in the house, watching over and over again, while she lay cradled in his arms on the couch. He never wanted to let her go again. He would love her. He would care for her until the end of his days.

"You were so brave." he murmured into her skin. The grin crept into place on his lips as he reccounted how she'd used his manouvres to break free. He was grateful he'd taught her that now. It may have just saved her life. His lips pressed into her cheek. "My little warrior."

"Do I pass?" she shuddered a chuckle. "You're not the only hero now, Thunder Boy."

Thor claimed her lips, unable to take it anymore and she let him take her. It was all she wanted, as if Thor's taste was the only medicine for her pain. It was - for the inside.

"Where's Loki?" she breathed as they parted for air. Her fingers softened in his hair as the tension in her body started to ease. It didn't hurt as much when she relaxed.

Thor's arm wound around her back carefully, eyes lifting to the Tower Maria had just leapt from. The last Thor had seen of his brother was at the top of that tower. His gaze was just in time to see the massive green from of the Hulk crash into the building with purpose.

Suddenly, Thor felt very sorry for Loki. "I'm guessing he's up there."