A/N: Hi Folks! Sorry it took me a spell to get this next chapter out. I'm working on three different stories, though this is the only fanfiction piece, and a mad breakthrough on one story meant that the others were slightly shoved to the side. As always, let me know what you think and if you have any ideas that you would like me to incorporate into the plot!

Approximately thirty minutes after Sarah sat in the chair, she felt her human identity slide away. As Fury and Thor outlined their plans for her, Sarah, now officially Sigyn, coldly realized that she would never return to her old life. She wouldn't even be allowed to go back to her apartment to pack up her belongings. Apparently, that was the task for an intern. Sigyn tuned back into Thor's long-winded explanation as he was finishing up. "…take some time to adjust to your new lodging. But I feel you will learn to love Asgard and feel a sense of belonging that you might never have on this realm."

"Uh-huh." Sigyn studied her nails.

Thor frowned. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so long-winded. Truly, he just wanted to verbalize the compromise that he and Fury made before the Director could go back on his word, again. This was no way to treat Sigyn, Thor decided. Quickly, he met the eyes of Natasha, Bruce, and Fury. "I believe this concludes our gathering. If you do not mind, I would be most grateful for time alone with Sigyn."

Bruce and Natasha got to their feet and bid a quick farewell to Sigyn, who appeared not to notice the conclusion of the meeting. Fury was not as easily convinced. "Whatever you need to say, Thor, you can say in front of me."

Thor refused to get into a power struggle with Director Fury and merely shrugged. "Stay if you would like, but I would just prefer to get to know her better since she will soon become a citizen of my land. Surely, you have more pressing matters to attend to."

Fury was stuck. Honestly, he wanted to listen to this mindless getting-to-know-you drivel about as much as he would like to sunbathe in the Arctic Circle. On the other hand, he did not feel comfortable with the Valkyrie trading information with anyone without direct supervision. However, Thor was correct; he did have some other tasks to oversee. With an annoyed sigh, he stood and jerked his head towards the security camera as an unspoken threat towards the two: We will know about any questionable business.

Sigyn waited until the Angry Pirate stalked out of the room before rolling her eyes, an action that she had been holding back for the better part of the meeting. "Well isn't he just a happy basket of kittens?" At Thor's confused expression, she shook her head. "Nevermind. So tell me more about Asgard, land of our people!"

Thor did not answer; he just kept looking at Sigyn with a slightly sad expression. Uncomfortable with the silence, Sigyn looked around the room. It appeared to be a standard conference room, equipped with a long table with gleefully comfortable leather chairs surrounding it. The walls were a comforting neutral beige color, very normal. But then again, Sigyn supposed that when dealing with worldwide catastrophes on a daily basis, it was nice to have a bit of normalcy nearby. Finding other distractions, Sigyn counted the number of cameras around the room (three), the number of hidden cameras (seven), and tried to identify the different colors in the carpet (grape purple, navy blue, emerald green, and puke yellow) before turning her attention back to the Asgardian prince. "If you don't start talking, I might be forced to discuss the different ways one can combine cocaine and hookers in their everyday lives."

Finally smiling, Thor relented. "My apologies, it's not every day that you come across your wayward brother's intended."

Sigyn shrugged. "I suppose the feeling can go both ways. But you insisted that we talk alone and now we are, well, as alone as we're going to get around here. What did you want to talk about?"

"Nothing in particular. I just wanted to get to know you better. Please understand that I truly believe that you will be an important citizen in Asgard and you will love it as much as you think you love it here."

"Um, thanks." Sigyn struggled to find the right words. How the hell do you tell a prince that you are dreading moving to his land? Granted, Sigyn had always felt out of place on Earth, but she mostly attributed that to her time in foster care. She ran her fingers through her hair agitatedly and blew out a sigh. "Look, I don't know why you thought that we could have this great heart to heart conversation but I'll save you the hassle of trying to make me feel better. Fury has given me the distinct impression that I will no longer be welcome here once he has used me for his own benefit, so clearly, that means that I will be joining you on Asgard. I know that I have no choice and I bet you already knew that as well. So can we please cut the diplomatic bullshit?"

To her surprise, Thor smiled and leaned back in his chair, arms folded over his chest. "You are quite an observant woman, as well as a direct one. I cannot tell you how much easier it is to communicate without having to constantly make sure that what I am saying is tactful and not offensive. I have an idea, though, if you are willing to indulge me?"

Sigyn groaned internally. This was not how she envisioned the conversation leading. Her dreams of returning to her slightly depressing quarters and sleeping this nightmare away were slowly floating away like the wisps of smoke of a post-coital cigarette: not entirely what you wanted, but infinitely better to focus on than the awkward situation at hand. Even though his words were kind and the request was open-ended, Sigyn felt that Thor was not asking for her opinion or was giving her the chance to refuse. "And what, pray tell, am I to indulge you in?"

She watched as Thor's smile deepened, excitement building in his eyes, and could not help but return the animated grin. "There is a training arena in this fortress. I was hoping that we could engage in some friendly battle. I find it helps loosen the lips of my comrades."

Eyeing Thor's massive biceps with suspicion, Sigyn thought about his offer. "You want to spar in hopes that we will talk about our feelings a little easier?"

Thor nodded, looking very much like a young boy who was offered a brand new toy. "If we were to leave now and make haste, I predict that Director Fury won't get to us until we reach the door. Which is beneficial, as the area is typically locked."

"So we arouse Fury's fury just to get him to unlock the door to the gym?" Sigyn laughed at Thor's sheepish, almost apologetic, smile. "Good to know that I am not the only troublemaker in the bunch. Where is this room, exactly?"

"Just down this corridor is the staircase. We travel to the forth level and turn right into the next corridor. Then it is just the third right followed by an immediate left. Why do you ask?" Thor did not have time to express the confusion he felt on his face before Sigyn threw open the door to the conference room and ran out the door.

At first, Thor thought that Sigyn was attempting to escape. Then her teasing voice floated back into the room. "Fancy a race? Of good sportsmanship, naturally!"

Though he could not think of a way that a race could be considered fancy, Thor recognized a challenge and tore after his brother's promised bride. From the distance, Thor noticed with pride that Sigyn ran with more speed and agility than any Midgardian. Sigyn barely slowed as she skidded into the door to the staircase and instead of risking a slip on the steps, chose to vault down to the next landing. She did not dare to look back, knowing that Thor would be closing in quickly. Locating the sign that indicated that she was now on the fourth floor, Sigyn slammed that door open and spun to the right. In the distance, she heard the running footsteps of S.H.I.E.L.D agents and slowed her pace. Just as she was rounding the next corner, Thor sped by her. "Getting tired?" he taunted.

Sigyn could only smirk as Thor was instantly tackled by eight or nine agents. "Not tired, just plotting" she sang as she hopped over the living pile and leaned against the locked door to the gymnasium and winked at an irate Fury. "Can you open this for me?"

Fury was not amused. "What the hell were you thinking? Your little stunt set off at least three alarms. Do you know how much paperwork I have to do now?"

Adopting an expression of absolute innocence, Sigyn batted her eyelashes at the pissed off Director. "I can help you, if you would like." As the Director continued to glare at her, Sigyn rolled her eyes. "Thor is testing my physical ability to see how much training I am going to require. Running and accuracy while being chased was the first test and we couldn't exactly warn you all because then your agents would not have pursued us nearly as hard as they would have if they thought we were a threat. Will that suffice for the mountains of paperwork?"

Muttering a curse under his breath, Fury tore his ID card through the door's lock. "Next time, I would prefer that you let me know when you try another 'test' like that." Continuing his muttering, Fury escorted Sigyn into the training gym. Sigyn could pick up random words like "freaking Asgardians" and "good thing I'm already bald."

She chose not to comment.

Thor followed the two into the room. The room was roughly the same size of her old high school gymnasiums, but otherwise looked nothing like what she expected. There was a running track that circled the entire circumference of the space. One side of a lofted area was filled with various weight machines, most of which, Sigyn could not identify. The other consisted of screens and other mechanical devices, some of them were even hanging from the ceiling. When she tore her eyes away from the odd machinery, she noticed that Thor had moved from behind her and was not standing in the middle of what she assumed was a boxing ring. "What? You just want to jump right into this?"

Thor rocked on his feet. "I could be convinced to give you a few minutes if that run tired you out."

Sigyn practically growled in response as she strode to the ring. Without a word, she dropped into a fighting stance, feet spread and her right foot slightly behind her left to minimize the space that can be hit, arms up, and hands curled into loose fists. Thor fought back an urge to laugh at her instant enthusiasm and began to plot out potential weaknesses. They circled each other for a moment before Sigyn dove in. Fury tried to watch the two Asgardians, but they moved so quickly that, at times, they appeared to be little more than a blur. After a minute or so, he gave up watching and mentally ran through his to-do list, hoping for an early and uneventful night.

Between dodging kicks to his throat and elbows to his hip, Thor watched Sigyn as she fought. Her eyes were narrowed and calculating. Her attacks, while still rough and borderline sloppy by his standards, had an amazing strength behind them and surpassed his expectations. A small kernel of hope blossomed in his stomach. Could this woman save Loki? Thor knew that his brother committed heinous acts and if it were anyone else, he would expect his head on a platter. But he could not help but recall memories of Loki as a toddler, always inquisitive about the world around him and shockingly sensitive, especially towards their mother. Thor desperately wanted his brother back. If Sigyn was the key to bring his beloved brother back, then Thor would do anything in his power to keep her safe.

Meanwhile, Sigyn was starting to feel frustrated. Even though she was fighting as hard as she could, Sigyn sensed that Thor was holding back. She could practically feel Thor's gaze on her, sizing her up. "Seeing something that you like? I thought we were fighting."

"Yes." Thor's blunt answer made Sigyn pause for a moment, giving him an opportunity to sweep behind her and throw an arm across her chest. "Even though you are not fully acquainted with your Valkyrie nature, you fight with the passion and systematic planning of one. You are fighting hard, but you are barely out of breath. Though I am concerned that you are not working to your full potential."

Sigyn kicked her foot against the slightly soft area directly below Thor's left kneecap and used the quick loosened pressure on her chest as an opportunity to spin out of his grasp. She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean I'm not at my full potential? I'm kind of working my ass off here."

Now it was Thor's turn to pause. "You don't notice?"

Sigyn looked down at herself. Thor was right; she was hardly out of breath. She also had not even started sweating, nor was her heart beating faster than normal. Remembering the tight arm across her chest, Sigyn pulled her shirt away from her torso and saw no mark whatsoever. Anyone else would have had at least an angry welt. "How is this happening?"

"Your Valkyrie blood is protecting you, making you stronger than any human." Fury's voice piped up behind him. When Sigyn turned around, she noticed that Bruce and Natasha had joined him sometime during the fight. "But your mind has still not accepted that you are anything but a normal young woman. Until your mind catches up with your blood, you will always be functioning at a lower level than what you are capable of. Dr. Banner, is the lab ready?"

Sigyn glanced at the scientist. Bruce nodded, but looked quite pained at the affirmation. "Why do we need the lab?" she asked.

Fury finally smiled at Sigyn. It was terrifying.

"I think it's high time that your brain meets the Valkyrie within."