Author's Note: Hey again all! This chapter gave me trouble. It takes place very soon after the previous one, and it kind of ended up just being a sort of bridge to the next chapter or two. There's events in this chapter that I needed to have happen before I get on to later stuff; I also tried several times to add some more stuff onto the end of this, but I couldn't make it flow right. Also, I apologize for the lack of Loki in this chapter - I promise he'll be back next time! And this chapter is where I start to deviate from the movies, specifically The Avengers; anything post-Thor is going to be pretty AU. So anyway. As always, I'd like to thank everyone who's been reading, alerting, and favouriting; and a big super thank you and digital hugs to all my reviewers: HistoryGeek1993, MissFictionPrincess, ILuvOdie, RogueMetamorph, Kat7CA, Vince'sgothgirl, and bootsie24513. You're awesome!

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to Marvel. All I own is Rika and the plot.

"Impressive, isn't it?"

I turn to see Thor smiling down at me. I smile back and nod. "I almost can't believe they got it rebuilt so quickly."

Thor joins me in gazing down the bridge at the newly constructed Bifröst chamber; in the three months since it was destroyed, a team of Asgard's finest have been working round the clock to rebuild it. I'm very glad for this. The empty space where it should have been has haunted me, it's absence a dark reminder of everything I lost that day.

But now the new dome gleams in the sunlight, looking exactly the same as the old one. And today the final enchantments are being completed. It will be up and running by the end of the day, reconnecting Asgard with the rest of the nine realms.

"There is something I would like to run by you, Rika," Thor says.

"What is it?" I ask curiously as Thor places my hand in the crook of his arm and leads me up the street towards the palace.

"As you know, I plan to make a trip to Midgard as soon as possible."

I nod. "To find your Jane, of course."

"I was hoping you would accompany me."

I stop walking and stare at him. "Accompany you? To Midgard?" Thor nods. "Why?"

Thor gazes down at me, his blue eyes serious and sympathetic. "Yes. I thought the change of scenery might do you some good. I know everything around here reminds you of Loki."

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise; I hadn't realized that Thor had picked up on so much of my distress these past few months. He's absolutely right. Every time I look around Asgard I see something that makes me think of Loki, and it isn't helping mend my broken heart.

Thor chuckles softly. "Of course I've noticed, Rika, I'm not quite that thick headed." He winks and smiles jokingly, then sobers. "I'm constantly reminded of him too. And I think going somewhere unfamiliar might help us both heal. What do you think?"

I'm touched by his thoughtfulness and I smile gratefully up at him. "I think it's worth a try. I'll go with you to Midgard." We resume our leisurely pace toward the palace and I give my friend's arm a little squeeze. "Thank you, Thor."

He flashes me his characteristic grin. "You are welcome, Rika."

...

A week and a half later I find myself standing with Thor outside the Bifröst chamber, bidding farewell to King Odin and Queen Frigga, as well as Sif and the Warriors Three. Heimdall stands behind us, waiting to send us to Earth. After our goodbyes, Thor and I finally step into the golden dome; moments later, Heimdall activates the Bifröst. The world around me becomes swirling colour and light as we speed off to Midgard.

It takes less than a minute for the swirling to slow and seconds later I feel my feet hit the ground. I look around as the dust clears. We're in the middle of a desert, and there is a small town way off in the distance. I glance at Thor.

"This is where you landed before?"

"I think I ended up a few feet to the left last time, but yes," he replies with a wink.

I roll my eyes, but the corners of my mouth quirk up. "Alright smartass, what's the plan now?"

Thor grins at me. "We go to town."

We have been walking toward the distant town for about twenty minutes when we spot something up ahead kicking up huge amounts of dust. It draws rapidly closer, until I can see that it is a large, white thing on wheels; some sort of carriage, perhaps? There are no horses pulling it, however, so it is a strange sight indeed. Thor laughs beside me and stops walking, watching the horseless carriage as it nears us. Moments later it comes screeching to a halt, creating a massive dust cloud; it's door opens and a petite brunette leaps out and rushes toward where I stand with Thor.

"It seems Heimdall was right," he mutters to himself, smiling fondly.

The woman launches herself at Thor. He catches her and picks her up off the ground, spinning her around happily. She grasps his face and kisses him fiercely; a pang of sadness spears through me, their embrace reminding me of myself and Loki. I do my best to shake off the feeling as Thor places the woman back on her feet and turns to face me, grinning brightly.

"Jane," he says, "there is someone I would like you to meet. This is my dear friend, Lady Rika of Asgard."

My suspicions confirmed, I smile at the woman, dropping into a quick polite curtsey. "I have heard much about you, Jane Foster. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Jane returns my smile. "Nice to meet you. Thor mentioned you when he was here before. You're the one engaged to his brother, right?"

My smile dims and I nod curtly, not wanting to get into the specifics right now. I can tell that Jane picks up on my sudden mood shift, but she thankfully doesn't comment on it. She just gazes at me with a mix of curiosity and concern for a moment before turning back to Thor.

"Come on, I'll take you both into town. Darcy and Erik are excited to see you. And I'd like you to explain where you've been for the past few months," she says with a smile.

I sit quietly in the backseat of the vehicle (a van, it is apparently called) while Jane drives us to town and Thor explains to her what happened when he returned to Asgard. She glances at me when Thor gets to the part about Loki falling from the Bifröst, and I can tell she is feeling bad about her earlier comment. I speak up before she can.

"It is alright, Jane. You did not know," I say softly.

"I'm so sorry. This must be so hard on both of you," she says, reaching over and taking Thor's hand in her own.

The rest of the short trip is spent in silence, until we pull up in front of what Jane says is her laboratory and home.

...

We have only been in Jane's lab for a few hours when there is a loud knock on the front door; Jane rises to her feet, but before she can reach the door the person on the other side apparently tires of waiting and comes in all by himself. A man wearing a black suit strides purposefully into the room, removing his dark glasses to survey us all. His gaze stops on Thor for a long moment before he snaps his eyes to Jane.

"Why didn't you tell me as soon as he got back?"

Jane rolls her eyes. "Because I knew you'd find out about three seconds after he landed anyway."

"We don't have to tell you everything," Darcy comments dryly.

The man narrows his eyes at her. "You work for me, remember?"

"Agent Coulson, you're right," Jane intervenes before Darcy can give voice to whatever sarcastic retort was on the tip of her tongue. "I should have let you know."

"And who is she?" he asks, looking at me now. "This is all supposed to be classified."

I bristle slightly in offense at being talked about as if I were not present. All my years of etiquette training, however, allow me to rise and address the man quite cordially in spite of this.

"My name is Rika. It is good to meet you, son of Coul."

Agent Coulson shakes his head slightly, and a tiny smirk appears on his face. "Well never mind this being classified. You're from Asgard as well."

I raise an eyebrow. "And how exactly do you know that?" Nothing about either Thor or I would give away our heritage at the moment; we both changed into Midgardian attire upon arriving at Jane's home.

Coulson's smile widens into something more friendly. "Thor is the only person who has ever referred to me as 'son of Coul', until just now." He walks up to me and offers his hand for me to shake. "Agent Phil Coulson. It's nice to meet you, Rika. It seems we have a lot to tell you."

A/N: I hope you liked it. It's not my favourite chapter, but it is what it is, I guess. I tried. Also, I just love Agent Coulson ;) Review please? I love to know what you think!