A/N: So I know I need to update Teach Me but this story has been bugging me to be written, so I thought I'd get it out there. Just so no one is confused, Loki and Thor weren't raised as brothers in this universe. This means Loki and Jane don't know each other in the beginning. That being said, happy reading!

Finding Jane

Chapter 1

"It's been nine months," Darcy huffed out impatiently as she leaned against Jane's office door, "and you still haven't filed for a divorce." Jane inhaled sharply, her fingers hitting the keys of her computer more firmly than was necessary as her head jerked to face her temporary secretary and best friend. The dark haired woman's lips were pulled downward in a deep frown, her arms crossed defensively a crossed her chest, yet her dark eyes showed the faintest hint of concern under all her anger.

"It's complicated," she replied, licking her lips nervously as she turned back to the report she was typing up. Darcy snorted in responds, and Jane closes her eyes, releases a steady breath, and forces herself to focus on the statics and figures of her data and not the pain growing within her chest. Failure was never something Jane Odinson was particularly good at accepting, particularly where her marriage was concerned.

"He's a pig," Darcy finally snapped out. "For fucks sake, Jane, he's cheating on you every time he goes into work!"

Her teeth ground together as her insecurities whispered to her that every altercation on Thor and Sif's part was somehow partially, if not wholly, her fault. Thor Odinson was the only man she'd ever been with. She understood that she wasn't very experienced and was shy about trying new things – adventurous things – with Thor. After all, the one time she'd tried hadn't gone very well. (She'd attempted a strip tease for her husband and ended up so tangled up in her shirt that Thor had ended up on the floor from laughing instead of from desire for her as was originally planned.) Yes, she'd admit that her marriage was going through a rough patch, but Thor was adamant that it could be saved. Of course then he'd moved out, claiming some space would be good for them. Jane was the top of her field, in charge of genetic research for a major corporation; she wasn't stupid no matter how blind she wished she could make herself to certain facts. Thor was staying with his secretary/lover, Sif Fairchild, in her city apartment.

"He wants to work it out," Jane replied weakly.

"He wants to work you," Darcy snapped out angrily. "Don't you realize you're worth more than him? His company's in trouble, Janie."

"What?" This was news to her, but then again, Thor dealt with failures about as well as she did.

"Remember my friend, Ian?"

"Your 'special' friend," she questioned, using air-quotes around the word 'special' before promptly turning back to her work.

"That's the one," Darcy replied, and Jane could hear the goofy grin in her voice. "Anyway, he happens to be an investment broker, and he's been telling me for the past few months that Odinson Incorporated's stocks have been decreasing in value. There're even rumors of a merger or takeover."

"Want to help me finish moving my things into the Davenport house," she asked needing to change the subject. "I've got it boxed up already, and most of it is already there, but I still have a few boxes left at the manor."

She looked up in time to see Darcy shiver and smiled. Darcy hated Odinson Manor about as much as she did. But where Darcy had found it "creepy" and "impressively depressing", Jane found it intimidating and ostentatious. It was built like a castle or fort, and had been home to several generations of Odinsons – all of which had portraits that stared down at anyone walking along any hallway in the huge gothic structure. Being a simple sort of person in terms of comforts, it had never felt like home to Jane. At the beginning of the third month after Thor had moved out, Jane had bought a small four bedroom home on Davenport Drive in her name alone (her maiden name at that), and began the tedious task of separating her belongs from his or theirs. Perhaps it had been a bit vindictive of her, but she'd made certain that what she'd come to refer to as the "Davenport house" had no reminders of Thor inside it at all. In fact, she'd even opened up a savings account under her maiden name of "Foster" and had actually had divorce papers drawn up as well as had documentation from a private investigator confirming Thor's many affairs on her – and there were many. She'd been angry enough to have the papers served too, but hadn't as he'd come to her office one day and sweet talked her like only he could – like he always did every time she'd had enough.

Jane sighed to herself, maybe he was using her for something.

"…but I have plans tonight," Her friend's reply just barely cut into her inner musings.

"That's fine," she smiled, glancing towards her wall clock. "Look it's almost five. Why don't you go on home? I have to proof read this report real quick and then I'll finish moving in myself."

Darcy nodded happily, but paused just outside the door. "Doesn't that need to be on the new boss's desk in like, half an hour?"

"Which is why I should start proof reading it now," she teased. "Goodnight, Darce."

By the time Jane had arrived at the Davenport house, she was exhausted. Her new boss, it seemed, was a total bitch. From her manicured nails to her six inch heels, she was completely unpleasant. And though Jane's presentation had been impressive to say the least, and her department had been granted another year of funding, it was bottom line, money mongers like Rebecca Stanhope that made her wonder why she even bothered with her job. Jane liked genetics well enough – it was a science after all – but her passion had always been the stars.

"Thor," she muttered darkly to herself as she stripped off her clothes and allowed the days stress to flow down the drain with the shower water.

Yes, her husband had been the one to push her towards her current high paying job. What good would studying the stars in one part of the world or another be when she could do something locally that was much more profitable, he'd reasoned, and because she'd loved him she'd listened. She'd still earned her PhD in astrophysics, one of the only things she'd done for herself in the ten years she'd been married to Thor Odinson.

'Maybe I could do something with that degree now? Make a new start for myself,' she thought with a tired huff as she turned off the water, dried off, and began dressing before going on to bed. "Tomorrow," she vowed to herself aloud, thankful it was the weekend, "I'm calling the lawyer…"

And so she did. It was with a deep breath and more determination than she could remember having in recent years that she arranged for the private detective to deliver copies of his finds to her attorney's office, and had her lawyer drawing up papers to be served to Thor at his office on Monday. This was all before ten in the morning, by noon she had her home tidied up and the last few boxes emptied and in the garbage can outside. After a quick lunch, she'd decided on a jog – something else she'd always enjoyed that she'd given up for Thor, but as there was a small wooded park surrounding most of the private neighborhood with various nature trails, Jane couldn't think of a reason why she shouldn't.

"Damn," she panted after ten minutes or so, "when did I get so out of shape?"

Leaning against a tree, she remembered a time when she could easily run a mile or two without getting winded. Hell, she'd been a long distance track star through high school and college and had the trophies to prove it! But now…

'Did I really let him change me so much," she questioned herself, then promptly shook it off. What was didn't matter, she told herself, quoting something her father used to say before his death. "All that matters is what is." With that she pushed off the tree and continued along the trail until it led her back home.

It was later that day when Darcy "invited" her to go clubbing with her – meaning she was dragging Jane along whether she wanted to go or not. As it so happened, Jane was in a more social mood than she usually was, having decided earlier she was going to retrieve the person she'd once been before she'd allowed herself to be changed into this weak, malleable thing that her husband walked all over. She went all out, putting large, loose curls in her sandy blond hair, and even voluntarily wore heels with her little black dress.

"Whoa," had been Darcy's intelligent reaction when she'd arrived at Jane's. The brunette had been prepared for a fight, Jane could tell, but upon actually seeing her friend, she'd grabbed Jane's hand and jerked her towards Darcy's car. "We'll actually make it to happy hour for once!"

The night was a long one, as Jane knew it would be with Darcy, and even at one in the morning her friend showed no signs of slowing down. "Two more hours, Jane," she begged.

"One," Jane countered.

"One," Darcy agreed with a smirk, "if you actually dance."

Looking around the room nervously at all the drunk bodies grinding against each other on the dance floor, Jane took a deep breath and Darcy's hand and led them both into the crush before giving into the beat. Darcy whooped with excitement as she and Jane shimmied and swayed to the beat, but was easily distracted when a guy placed his hands on Darcy's hips. Moments later, another guy did the same to Jane, but she pulled away – or at least tried to. The man reached out and held her arm tightly as he insulted her.

"Sorry," she started, attempting to placate the red headed stranger when another voice cut in.

"She's with me," it growled out dangerously, and Jane couldn't stay her eyes from snapping towards it owner. He was tall (easily six feet to her five-seven) and slender, his skin was the palest shade she'd ever seen, and his eyes – steely grey with something hypnotic about them. Currently those eyes were glaring daggers at the man who'd just now released her and stomped off. "Are you alright," his smooth baritone asked her and Jane had the oddest desire to run her fingers through his dark shoulder-length hair. Could it really be as soft as it looked?

"What," she breathed out, blinking a few times to free herself of her thoughts.

His thin lips pulled into a soft smile. "Not used to clubbing?"

"Is it that obvious," she laughed, turning towards the bar. "I need a water. You want anything," she questioned. "As a thank you?"

"Your name."

Jane smiled, the alcohol warming her blood as she turned back to face him. She couldn't remember ever seeing such blatant desire aimed at her as was in this man's eyes. She leaned in, her lips teasing his before finally kissing him with all the repressed passion she had stored up since Thor's latest affair had started. The stranger moaned, his hands reaching to pull her closer when she pulled away. "And where'd be the fun in that," she taunted softly. "Later, stranger," she called out as she went to find Darcy.

"Loki," he replied licking his lips, his eyes still not completely focused as Jane continued on her way to find her friend and go home.

'Home,' she mentally repeated to herself. 'You're still a married woman, Jane. Get home.'