I'm back, and believe me I have wanted to post, but school is totally killing me this term. Stockholm is coming along very well, but to find time for editing, clearing, and publishing on top of my Master's Program...whew!

Anyway, here is the next chapter of Stockholm. Enjoy!

OH, P.S. - The reviews are slowing down. Please keep on reviewing!

Chapter Six - First impressions always the best

Asgard

Asgard, the realm eternal, was golden and shining underneath the sun and glowing stars of the sky. The city around the castle of the gods was starting to get their day restarted after resting the night previous.

The Warriors Three were gathered in the garden.

Fandral was light swiping his rapier on a sharpening stone. His eyes locked upon the blade to ensure perfection.

Volstagg, knapsack over his shoulder with his food for the day, arrived with his axe for training.

Hogun was already present and working out with a training mannequin.

"Thought I would be late," the largest of the warriors stated. "Had to stop and get something to snack upon."

"Hence why we tell you to meet at morning light," Fandral answered. "Gives you the extra time and you are technically "not late." We just sleep in a little longer."

He gave a small snicker of a comment.

"Where is Lady Sif?" Volstagg asked.

"She is going to retrieve Thor," Hogun said. "He was meeting with the queen before dawn this morning."

"Wonder what for?" he asked.

Lady Sif walked very calmly toward the throne room doors. She was nervous, but alert. She need to put her best foot forward before she got perspired and rancid after they trained today.

She was covered in a maroon tunic that had been custom-tailored for her. She bore no leggings underneath the silk and her regular footwear to match.

Her hair was pulled back with several large curls and a brooch of crimson jewels.

She only hoped that her lord would be impressed by her.

However, before she passed through the side access door, she could hear her lord's voice; and he sounded perplexed.

"Are you telling me that there is no way to Midgard?" she heard his voice.

"What I am telling you my son," the voice of her queen came next, "is that the energy from the shattered BiFrost is being conserved. We are going to need the energy in the event that Asgard were ever to be under siege."

"There are currently no credible threats against our home. I ask for only the task of returning to Midgard to assure Jane Foster's safety."

Jane Foster, the name of the mortal who had captivated Thor's heart. She thought that with the bridge destroyed that he would have forgotten about the mortal. Apparently, she was mistaken.

Queen Frigga was trying to calm her son's emotions as a barrier between him and her husband.

Thor seemed to be obsessed with the mortal Jane Foster and her safety.

"Why do you concern yourself with Jane Foster's safety so much my son?" she asked him. "You have asked Heimdall to watch over her which he has done as a favor to you. Your friend is well at last time I spoke to him."

"But Loki has the ability to hide himself from Heimdall's gaze," her son protested. "If Loki made it to Midgard...

"If your brother..." she tried to finish the statement, but found that her tears were welling into her eyes. She missed her precious baby boy and it broke her heart that she did not know where he was or if he was still alive.

Thor came and gathered her into his arms. "I am sorry mother," he told her. "I mean not to make you weep."

"I know you do not," she said. "I miss your brother, even the tricks he used to pull on everyone. I miss him so much."

"As do I," he said. "But I cannot shake it in my mind that he is out there somewhere and that no one in the nine realms has seen him."

The door to the side of the chamber opened and there appeared Lady Sif. It appeared that she was coming to retrieve her son for training.

"I mean not to intrude," Sif said. "I can come back."

"No my dear," she replied. "Just reminiscing. You look very lovely today."

"Thank you my queen," the lady warrior replied. "I have come to see if Prince Thor is ready for training today."

"I will be soon Sif," he answered. "I want to make sure that my mother is OK."

"Oh I am fine," she told him. "You need to be training, to be ready for anything. Run along now. I need to be going to your father anyhow."

"You are sure?"

"Yes, now go," she told him.

Thor walked out with Sif and she went to the door that led to the chamber where her husband was meeting with the elders. She needed to concern herself with other means and not worry about the location of her wayward son.

As she walked though, she found that she was still thinking about Loki. Oh where had her precious boy gone?

She only prayed that he was safe and staying out of trouble.

Thor and Lady Sif were walking down the hallway toward the garden. He knew that he was running late for training, but he could not help thinking about his brother. The seething words that had come from his lips haunted him everyday.

"Don't tell me it was that woman," Loki had said before their battle. "Oh, it was. Well maybe when we are finished here, I will pay her a visit myself."

And had Thor attacked him.

"Thor," Sif's voice broke his concentration and thoughts. "Thor."

"I am sorry," he apologized. "What is it you were saying?"

"I wanted to know what is plaguing your thoughts," she asked him. "I mean I know what it probably is, but I want to see if there is anything that I can do to alleviate your concern."

"It is nothing Lady Sif. I do not want to bring up Jane anymore than I have to," he told her.

"I am always here to comfort you my lord," Sif told him.

"And I appreciate it, but I know that it hurts when I think or speak of Jane of Midgard. I do not want to hurt you. I would prefer to speak to family about these concerns."

Sif came in front of him and stopped the progress to where they were going to train. He could see the rest of them working hard. Fandral was fighting against Hogun. It appeared that the quiet one was about to win, but the arrogance of Fandral would not let him win.

"Thor, being as frank as I possibly can be without showing you disrespect, I would hope, one day, that you would consider me a friend, a woman, and a confidant. You can speak to me of everything."

Thor let out a small snort from his nose. "Even about Jane Foster?" he asked.

"Even about Jane Foster," she replied.

He put a hand on her shoulder and said, "I think not." He then walked passed her and proceeded to join the rest of the trainees.

Who was she fooling? It had to be herself. Thor would never see her as his equal. She would never win his heart. It had already been taken by Jane Foster and she would not be able to replace her.

Sif brushed away a tear and pulled the brooch comb out of her hair; messing up her dark hair from the curls that were within. She did not care for looking beautiful anymore.

And training was the only thing that was going to make her feel better.

Earth

The Eighth Class

It was in the middle of the day and Jane Foster walked out of the bar that she had frequented with her colleagues the weekend before. She thought that she would ask Freddy or anyone else if they had seen Luke Kenton anywhere.

They said that was the first time that he had seen that guy before. He was not a regular and did not know anything about him.

She headed back to her car and drove back toward campus. The next place that she was going to look was the residence halls.

Jane checked with various Resident Assistants and no one had heard of a Luke Kenton anywhere. They also made a point that many students were moving and switching rooms so the final list would be out soon.

As she was walking out of one of the dorm buildings, her cellular phone was ringing.

"Hello," she answered.

"Ms. Foster," the voice said. "This is Agent Coulson."

"Greetings Agent Coulson," she said as walked toward her car. "What can I do for you today?"

"We were hoping to have you stop by sometime today with your notes so that we can run some tests," he asked her. "Is there time available in your schedule?"

"Actually I am in the mid..." she started to say, and then stopped. What the Hell? "Yeah, I need to stop by my apartment and pick up my notebook. I should be there in an hour or so, but I cannot stay tonight. Wednesdays, I have my three hour night class."

"Understood," he answered. "We will see you here soon."

Hidden in the storage space high above in the apartment, Loki sat reclining back on his cape and old fabrics that had been stored in this area long before Jane Foster took over the unit.

He was chuckling to himself as he read a book on mythology that was intended to educate children.

He read his page over and over again. How simple-minded human children could be, he thought. He was depicted as this little troublemaker who used magic to be crafty and malicious.

The caricature that depicted him was laughable and unlike his real glory.

His mind was still racing from the dream that he had been forced to live through. The cube and his mind were still connected, torturing him. It was why he had scouted for research on anything that could explain the cube's origin or what it was capable of. He located this mythology book on her table, noticing the spine of it deeply bent and worn on Thor's page.

Jane was clearly still missing his brother.

Her passion for Thor could be an outlet to lead to her undoing, he thought.

Loki knew that possession of this power or the army to enslave this world. He would show these primitive beings what he truly looked like. No one would doubt him.

Suddenly the door opened and Jane came barging in. She began looking on her table underneath the newspapers and her work. She was searching for something.

"Where is it?" she grumbled.

What was she searching for?

"Where is that blasted notebook?" she continued to look for the object of her attention.

The notebook, the very one that was sitting next to him. He had taken it from her bag to do some reading as to scout his enemy.

Jane had indeed a wealth of information on the stars and cosmos. If he were his father, Lord Odin, he would consider her to be a very dangerous threat.

How to get it down to her without revealing that he was hiding out with her?

She returned to her closet and started checking through some other bags she possessed.

Loki used his telekinetic powers to bring the book gently over to the table for her to find.

It was too simple enough of a trick, even a childlike Loki could have done. He used to do it to his brother all the time; if only to annoy him.

Jane finally returned and saw his gift.

"There you are," she said, flipping through the pages. "About time you turned up." And then she was back out the door.

He reclined back with his head resting on one of his arms. The next part of his plan would soon reach its fruition.

Not too much action, but it was essential nonetheless. I will make up for it in the next chapter...promise! Remember to review!