Thanks so much for the follows and reviews.
I don't own these characters. I am just giving them some light and air, so that they may grow.
I will not be narrating the movie, much. My goal is to supply backstory.
Beta'd by the most excellent Pandoru!
Chap 2. Set immediately before and after the events of the Avengers.
The Bifrost hummed with energy. Soon, thought Thor, soon he could return to Jane. But first he would have to restore order to the realms. There was war everywhere Heimdall looked. Races that had been peaceful only a few seasons past were now engaged in fierce struggles. The elves of Alfheim, the Giants of Jotunheim, and even the mist people of Nilfheim were fighting with civil wars on their worlds, and hordes of marauders were pillaging across the realms. He approached Heimdall who was standing near the edge of the partially rebuilt Bridge.
"You sent for me Heimdall?" queried Thor.
"Yes, Thor, but since I asked for you new events have come before my eyes, we must return to the City, I must speak with Odin on a matter of great urgency," said Heimdall. He glanced worriedly at Thor. He had seen what Loki was up to on Midgard. He was sure Thor would want to rush off immediately, and was resolved to tell this tale only once, and in the presence of the All Father. Then he would let Thor and Odin deal with the traitor.
Jane knew that she was on the verge of breaking the energy question. Using Tony's new arc reactor would give her the power necessary. Now she had to figure out how to find Asgard. She pulled out a tattered bit of paper, and looked at her notes, and Thor's drawing. It helped her understand the relationship between worlds, but it wasn't detailed enough to give a point to aim at. She knew nothing about the conditions within the wormhole, nor those on the other worlds, or realms, as Thor would call them. Again, she seemed to be up against too high a hurdle. She wondered where Eric had disappeared to; she hadn't seen him in over a week.
Her phone buzzed, it was Tony Stark. Sighing she answered it, "Yes, Tony, what's up today?"
"Jane," Tony said quickly, "I know how you feel about S.H.I.E.L.D., but they have a tremendous opportunity for you. The radio telescope at Tromso is available for the astrometrics you wanted to perform. This might be a great opportunity for you to get the coordinates you're looking for."
"What," she exclaimed, "That's fantastic. Why's this coming up so suddenly?" She added, still suspicious of gifts from S.H.I.E.L.D.
"One of the scheduled scientists was in an accident, so there's an opening for a few weeks, but you have to leave today, as soon as you can, to maximize your time on the 'scope," he said urgently. "My driver can take you to your place, to pick up some clothes, and then the plane takes off as soon as possible."
She was still suspicious, but she knew access to the telescope could give her the information she needed to get to Thor. It had been so long, a year, since she had seen him. She knew something terrible must have happened after he left her, but no one on Earth could tell her what had happened. Even if she could make contact with one of the other 'realms' Thor spoke of, perhaps the beings there could help her. She decided she would go, and began to gather up her notes, as she finished speaking with Tony.
"I'll be ready, Tony, thank you", she said.
"Great, I'll see you there when I finish this thing I gotta do first. Take care," he rang off.
'That was odd,' she thought, 'he seems even more rushed than usual'. She hurried to the elevator, and out the revolving door. Sure enough, there was the car service. She hopped in, and gave the driver her apartment address. The rest of the afternoon was taken up with rushing around, packing, and getting to the airport. Exhausted she looked out of the plane windows as they taxied down the runway. She knew she was in for a long flight, she decided to settle into the incredibly comfortable seat and sleep as long as possible.
1 week later
Jane stormed into her apartment. She was beyond furious, hurt, and incredibly frustrated. She had been tricked by her friend, practically held captive by her enemy, and ignored by the one person she thought truly loved her. She threw herself down on the couch and pondered her next move. She certainly didn't want to return to Stark Industries, and she wasn't even sure about pursuing Thor any more. He had found a way to get to Earth and hadn't tried to contact her at all. Glumly, she considered her options. Maybe she should talk to Darcy? Or try to track down Eric. Gah, she didn't know what to do, and decided that for today nothing was the right choice. Huffing, she stood, and brought her suitcase further into her apartment. As she passed the kitchen something bright on the counter caught her eye. There was a folded note there too. She opened the note.
Jane, I deeply regret I couldn't see you while I was here. I am grateful to Dr. Stark for keeping you safe. After I left you last year, I was forced to destroy the Bifrost to protect the realms. So for many months I could not return to you. And now as I am sure you know, the treachery of my brother, Loki, has caused great damage in New York. Happily, your building is unscathed. I must return to Asgard to deal with Loki and the damage to the other realms. Keep hope! I will return. I have asked Dr. Stark to leave this for you. Thor
Jane picked up a smooth, oval stone, about the size of a quarter. It was a deep black, so shiny that it appeared silver. It was cool, but warmed quickly in her hand
Well, that put a different light on things. She could almost forgive him. She was still furious with Tony for interfering, but she had seen the destruction the Tertauri had caused in New York. She was relieved that her building was in an undamaged portion of the city. She slipped the stone into her jean's pocket.
She put a load of laundry into the washer, and went to peruse the refrigerator. She wrinkled her nose, she had left things in there when she left that really should have been thrown out. Containers of furry take out and sour milk seemed to be all that was in there. She pulled the trash bin over, and chucked it all in. Gathering the bag up out of the bin she started out towards the garbage chute. Her phone buzzed, and she stopped to pull it out of her pocket. She glanced at the caller ID, and huffing at Tony's face, she just let it go to voice mail. She finished getting rid of the garbage, and contemplated her next move. She was too depressed to be hungry, but she checked the freezer. Perfect, there was a pint of Mocha ice cream. Grabbing a spoon she plunked down on the couch and started channel flipping. Her phone rang again, and she worked it out of her pocket. This time Pepper Pott's face greeted her, but she wasn't fooled by this. Again, she just let it go to voice mail. She didn't think she could be civil with anyone, and certainly not anyone affiliated with Tony.
She savagely dug into the ice cream. She wondered if there were any action movies on. She couldn't tolerate anything silly or romantic. She needed some explosions and bloodletting, to match her mood. Her phone started ringing again. Furiously she snatched up, and was getting ready to really give Tony a piece of her mind, when she saw that it was Darcy. Finally, someone she could talk to.
"Hey, Darcy," she muttered, "What's up?"
"Jane! Good, you're back from wherever you went off to. Hey, are you ok? I got kinda worried about you being in New York during all the excitement. Where'd you go?" Darcy asked
"Tony and S.H.I.E.L.D sent me on a wild goose chase, apparently to keep me out of New York." hissed Jane . "I'm furious, Thor was here, and didn't try very hard to see me at all." At this tears started to flow down her face. "Tony tricked me, and Agent Coulson had his fricking goons on me the whole time. I just feel totally betrayed."
"Girl, you need to get out of there." said Darcy. "Come hang with me here, and drop Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D like the garbage they are."
"I want to Darcy, but all the equipment, all the data, is here" replied Jane. "I've cracked the energy question, but the only way I'm gonna find coordinates is by working with the big telescopes. How can I get access to those from there?"
"Jane, you have 3 degrees in Astrophysics. I'm sure you can figure a way to sneak some info out of Stark Tower. Tell 'em you want to take observations at some place, pile the stuff into an SUV, and just get your tail out of there," suggested Darcy.
"Maybe I can make something like that work," said Jane. "I'm gonna have to play nice with Tony first, I guess. That's gonna be hard."
"So fake it," said Darcy. "Go be a nice, forgiving girl, make nice with him, make doe eyes, and get what you need. Then come get me, I'm down in Virginia, at my folks place. You and I can buy a couple of gallons of ice cream, watch old movies for a day or two, and figure out our next move."
Jane eyed the half full pint of ice cream on her coffee table. 'Great minds think alike' she thought to herself.
"I'll do it, Darcy," Jane decided. "I'll call you tomorrow, and let you know when to look for me."
"Good! See ya soon" Darcy said as she rang off.
'Good,' thought Jane. 'Now I've got a plan.' She got up and put the ice cream away. She licked the spoon and put it in the sink. She decided to clean up a bit. She moved the laundry into the dryer, and took a shower. She did her hair and put on some light make up. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
"Just a minute," she called out. She scrambled to put on a pair of clean jeans and a shirt. Breathlessly she opened the door. Before her stood Pepper Potts. Oooh, she instantly wanted to be furious, but knew that it wasn't Pepper's fault, and she knew she needed to act nice, if she was going to get what she wanted. She stood to one side and wordlessly gestured for Pepper to enter.
Pepper eyed Jane cautiously. She knew if she had been tricked and manipulated the way Jane had been she would have been furious. She hated doing Tony's dirty work, and only agreed because she genuinely liked Jane, and wanted to help her.
"Jane," said Pepper. "We were a bit worried when you wouldn't answer your phone. Tony wanted to check on you, but figured the only safe way to approach you was to send me, or come in the suit. He didn't want to send you off, Jane, but everything was so rushed, and we knew Thor had enough on his plate without worrying about you. He hated leaving without seeing you. Did you get the note?"
"Yes, Pepper, I got it." retorted Jane. 'Play nice,' she told herself. "At least I'm not as angry at Thor. And I know Tony was only doing what Coulson asked him to do. And I can't very well be angry with Phil, can I."
At this a wave of grief passed over Pepper's face. She would truly miss Phil. She understood what he had been trying to accomplish. Jane saw Pepper struggle, and remembering that Pepper and Phil had been friends, was a bit sorry.
"I'm sorry Pepper. I know you liked him." said Jane contritely. "He represented S.H.I.E.L.D. to me, and they've been jerking me around for over a year."
"Phil and Fury had a wonderful plan, which still might work out," said Pepper, regaining her composure. "I know they were high handed at times, but without them New York and possibly the world would be under the control of the Tertauri now. You and I wouldn't be having this conversation at all. Would you be willing to come back to Stark Tower with me? Tony wants to meet with you."
"Yes, I can come now, I just finished cleaning up," said Jane. She grabbed her purse, and went down to the street with Pepper. She was surprised that instead of the usual town car they were ushered into a hybrid compact. She looked at Pepper questioningly.
"There is very little fuel in New York yet, and there is still a lot of rubble in the streets near the tower, so we need to think small," said Pepper. "Tony's going everywhere as Iron Man, which pleases him no end."
The little car picked its way through the streets. About 2 blocks short of the Stark building it pulled over.
"We have to walk from here," said Pepper. They started down the street. "Jane, you have to understand, Phil was trying to protect you from Loki. He knew that if Loki found you first he would use you to distract Thor, or keep him leashed. Thor wouldn't have attacked Loki if he thought you might be harmed. And there was much more at stake than your feelings, you know that!"
Jane sighed. "I know Pepper. This whole situation is so hard. I love a guy who is never around, and I have no idea when or even if he will come back. How do I deal with that? I don't want his ability to function held hostage to me! But I desperately want to see him again. Gahh, I just keep going back and forth between furious, hopeful, and despairing."
Pepper looked at Jane sympathetically. "We both love in difficult situations, there's no doubt about it," she said. "Jane, throughout time women have loved heroic men, it takes a heroic amount of love to persist in it. Don't give up on Thor. I'm sure he'll be back."
They turned into the Stark building, and Jane followed Pepper to the back of the first floor. "The elevators and stairs are still being inspected. Tony comes and goes via the suit, but no one else is allowed up there yet."
Tony was behind a desk in a side office. He almost looked life size in the simple surroundings, but he bounded up when he saw Jane.
"Jane! Good to see you!" exclaimed Tony. His energy was unabated, but Jane saw bruises on his arms, and he moved a bit stiffly. She had seen some of the video; she was surprised to see him upright, let alone walking.
"I met your boyfriend the other day, he is some kinda fighter, good to have around when things heat up," said Tony. "Did you get the note?"
"Yes, Tony, and I suppose I should thank you," said Jane. "But I am still furious at being shuffled off like an inconvenient piece of baggage."
Pepper broke in, "Really Jane, that wasn't Tony's or Thor's intent. We really wanted to keep you safe from Loki."
"I know, I know," sighed Jane. "Did Thor say anything about me?" she asked hopefully.
"Really, there was scarcely time, but he did ask me to tell you that the Bifrost was destroyed, and that's why he didn't come right back. They're repairing it now, but it will take some time to fix," explained Tony. "And that's why I wanted to see you. I thought we could continue the research into these gravimetric anomalies that are cropping up."
"Good, that's what I want, too," said Jane feigning excitement. "I thought, if I could have some gear and computers I could travel around a bit, and investigate both current anomalies and the locations of past ones."
"That could work," replied Tony. He turned to Pepper.
"Can you get her an SUV? She can go get the materials she needs from her labs. Oh, wait, I'll have to take you up," he said, turning back to Jane.
"Jarvis, send the suit," Tony said to his Bluetooth. Seconds later Tony stood before her in the Iron Man suit. "Come here, beautiful, give this a try," Tony said to Jane.
Jane rolled her eyes at Pepper, who just sort of grimaced. Tony was so over the top. They walked outside, and Jane stepped close to Tony. He wrapped one arm around her, and with a 'hold on tight' they were off. In seconds Jane was on the top floor of the Tower. She was able to go down to her lab, and she and Tony stacked her gear near a broken window. While she sorted it, Tony started taking gear down to the street. Much more easily than Jane would have believed possible she was off in a fully loaded vehicle, with a Stark Industries credit card for expenses. On reflection she was extremely suspicious. That had been too easy.
"Ok, Tony, what's going on?" asked Pepper. "You made that awfully easy for her."
"What?" Tony exclaimed innocently. "So the Hammer wielding God of Thunder suggested I take good care of his girl while he is away sorting out family trouble. I already went a couple of rounds with him, no way am I pissing him off! And we should get really good data from her research. These gravimetric anomalies are all over the map, and they're increasing."