Chapter 5
Bruce had been right about Jane, she had not been pleased with Thor. She stood before him; arms crossed and frown on her face. She had the air of the mightiest warrior of Asgard, or so it seemed to him. He resisted the urge to rub his cheek where her hand had connected, it hurt his pride more than his flesh, and he tried to explain his long absence. It was hard to feel in the right, however, when she continued glaring at him like that. To the side, Erik tried his best not to be noticed, finding his work extraordinarily interesting. In the centre of the work room, Darcy spun round in her chair while staring at the ceiling. It was all very distracting and, he supposed, humbling, but Jane had flat out refused to leave to the room.
"…And so I have been unable to return since New York," he finished, watching her still unimpressed expression and wondered if perhaps he should have prepared his speech before hand. "I could not neglect my duties," he tried again.
She shifted her arms, looking slightly sheepish. "I suppose that's understandable." But his hoped faltered when her resolve strengthened. "So, why are you only visiting me now?"
"I… I thought you would not appreciate my intrusion on your work. You are so dedicated and Commander Fury requested me not to. Though," he reached out and placed a hand on her arm. "If it is not unwelcome and you have a moment to spare, then perhaps we can go somewhere more private to talk."
He had to admit that wasn't used to soothing over scorned women, it only made his surprise more when she stepped away. "I don't think so. I really need to get this done."
He knew he looked crestfallen. "Perhaps later?"
She turned back to her work. "Maybe. Now, if you don't mind, I have my duties to deal with."
"Ooooooooooooh, burn," he heard Darcy quietly say from her chair.
Thor nodded, knowing that she was dismissing him and arguing would get him nowhere. "I understand. I will speak with you later."
She made a noise of acknowledgement, but made no move to turn back.
"Erik," he nodded in farewell, "Darcy."
The girl cheerfully waved as he left. He would have to make amends to Jane before this was over; he just wished he knew how. If Fandral was here, he was sure his friend could help. He thought of the flirtatious man as he wandered the helicarrier and pulled a face when he tried to picture what his friend would do. No, he couldn't imagine himself doing any of that. Still, he would need to think of something before he left again.
(&)
Sven let out a puff of air and watched as it magically appeared before his face. He grinned and puffed out another cloud. It was amazing, he'd never seen his own breath before; at least, he didn't remember seeing his own breath before. Maybe it was because it was so cold this morning or maybe it was the new place that they had settled down for the night in. They'd walked for a long while yesterday, Old Sam drinking from his metal tubes. The sandwiches he had bought from the mean man were smaller than usual and by the time he'd gone to sleep, he found himself hungry again. As if to agree, his aching stomach gave another small rumble and Sven sighed, even the puff of mist not pulling a smile from him anymore.
He tried to distract himself with something else until Old Sam woke up. He could get up and walk around, but it did seem terribly cold out in the streets. He'd not felt it yet, but then he wasn't sure if it had been this cool before and he was pleasantly warm wrapped in Sam's arms and blanket. There was a cold wind that their current spot gave them shelter from, an enclave doorway of a most strange building. It was almost all windows, round and dark, and just outside stood a lone pillar, looking very odd outside on its own, with a statue on top. Across the road was a building that could not be more different. It was made of brown stone, spires, high colourful windows and all grandeur; at least he was sure that grandeur was the correct word. Several roads met before it which curved round the building and the grassy area surrounding it. It was so different from the rest of the buildings that he wondered why it was so special. He hoped that they sat outside that building today so he could look at it closer. Maybe it was the house of a very rich man, who would give them lots of money.
His day dreams and speculation were interrupted as Sam finally started to stir beneath him, but rather than rising to leave, the old man hugged Sven closer to him, the straggly beard starched at the boy's skin horribly.
"'S a col' morni', ma boi. Mus' kee' ya warm. Dun wanna ge' sic. Then faceless men com ta ta'e ya 'way."
He gave Sven an extra tight squeeze, too tight. It made his bones creak and hurt his body.
"I won't go away, Ol' Sam," Sven gasped out, more in a bid for freedom than anything else.
Sam's chuckle vibrated through his body. "Suc' a goo' boi. 'Ways finkin' a ma. Kin' boi. Cause you neva leave Pa 'gain. Ma Sven will neva leave ma. Pa'll ma'e sure uv tha'."
When the wet kiss touched his cheek, Sven felt the familiar… what was that word… revolution? Maybe, that feeling that made him want to tear his skin away. To scratch away until it was no longer there. It was quite alarming, how strong this feeling was, the strongest emotion he could remember feeling in his short memory, but what was even stranger to his mind was how accustomed to it he felt. It sat within him as if it should be there. Revulsion! That was the word, he was certain this time. Why should it feel so familiar?
As he considered his conundrum, Old Sam slid him off his lap, pushing the boy to his feet, and stood. A moment later the mendicant had wrapped his blanket tightly around the child again; though to be honest, Sven didn't really feel he needed it.
"Ni'e 'n' warm. Ni'e 'n' warm," Sam mumbled to himself and smiled proudly down at 'his' boy. "Com' boi." Off he shuffled, making Sven pick-up the bottom of the blanket to keep up without tripping.
And so they started another day.
(&)
Thor listened to Jane, or he tried to. She spoke with such certainty, conviction and confidence that he could only assume that she knew what she was talking about. She presented her findings professionally to the Avengers and Commander Fury, with Erik only adding the odd comment. It was just a shame that he didn't completely follow it. He understood that they were using unusual storms; he just wasn't sure how they related to Loki or his magic. He trusted Jane though, and Selvig, and let their judgment guide them. They were intelligent humans, who understood these matters far more than he. Tony and Bruce seemed to agree and understand, and though Steve Rogers seemed to struggle as much as he did, Steve at least kept up with the flow.
"These are the likely locations then?" The Captain clarified. "It's more than I thought."
"We couldn't find exact matches for our readings," Erik replied. "We were forced to widen our search a little. We'll continue looking, but there's no guarantee that we'll find what we're looking for."
Thor looked at the holographic Midgard that hovered in the centre of the round table, red spots, eight in total, marred the globe. He could not say where the locations were though, neither cities nor countries. It didn't matter though, in one of these locations was his brother; the name of the place was of little consequence. He had more important issues on his mind, like what kind of greeting Loki would have for him.
Nick stepped up to take control of the meeting once more. "S.H.E.I.L.D. will already have a local team waiting for you at each of these locations; you'll be working with these resident agents to find Loki, if you do, you will hold the fort until the rest of the Avengers get there. Do not engage unless necessary. I don't want to lose him again. I am not having a repeat of New York, do you hear me? I wanna take him down before he can spring whatever he's planning on the world."
Bruce's eyes flickered to Thor before they went back to Fury. The prince was glad he said nothing, whatever question he had, Thor was sure he couldn't answer it. Not to the man's satisfaction anyway. He'd spent over a year looking for Loki, while trying to balance his duties to the Nine Realms. That year he had wracked his mind for anything that would help him, both find his brother and understand why Loki had done what he had. There were times when he thought that maybe he had caught a glimpse of understanding, he comprehended to a certain extend what had pushed Loki over the edge to try to destroy Jotunheim. New York was different. It was a mindless act of rage that in turn angered Thor to no end. He had given Loki every chance to give up his wicked path and to come home as an Odinson. Loki had spat upon the hand that offered peace and every other hand that Thor had extended to bring him back to the light, until Thor had just wanted to grab his brother and shake and scream at him until he yielded his insanity. He understood it less now that he knew that Loki feared his… captors? Masters? Whoever it had been pulling Loki's strings and he was confident there had been another being in the shadows. As certain as he had been when he'd asked Loki on the mountain top, 'Who controls the would be king?' Why hadn't Loki just told him? He could have, would have, protected his brother.
His fellow Avengers believed that he was delusional, seeing what he wished to see instead of the reality. They had brushed aside his claims of kidnapping as an escape, even if they did not directly say so to Thor. They hadn't been there. They hadn't felt the force strike him as he sailed across the universe; they hadn't seen the flash of horror from Loki before he was ripped from his grip. His fears would be brushed aside, so he kept his beliefs to himself. He knew all was not as it seemed, but that didn't stop his resolve from faltering as doubts crept in. It whispered through his mind, 'Are you sure? So sure that you are willing to be made a fool of again?' Sometimes he swore it would drive him insane. His confusion, speculations, hope, despair, and his ignorance clashing together until he didn't care what the answer was, just as long as he received one.
"There are six of us," Tony suddenly announced.
"I have noticed that, Stark," Fury replied in his usual tone.
"Yeah, well, six of us, eight places, not enough to go round. What with eight being bigger than six."
"I can count. We're dealing with that. These four locations," half the spots disappeared from the map. "Are low threat. Non-urban areas and most isolated are the least likely. We already have special teams on their way over to these locations. You take the high priority ones. I want you to focus on the urban areas, where he'll cause the most damage if he turns up."
"I call Bruce as field trip buddy," Tony immediately announced beside Thor.
"I'm pairing Bruce with Thor," Fury said.
"Too late, already called dibs."
Fury glared at the billionaire and Banner shrugged. Thor tried to helpfully interject. "It would be wise to divide our strongest warriors. I am capable of proceeding on my own."
The commander was silent for a moment before changing something on his electronic device. "Fine, Bruce and Tony have Tokyo then."
"Tokyo?" Stark repeated. "I mean, cool, but you want us to find Loki in a city with roughly the same population as Canada. Hell, it has a larger population than most countries in the world. It's like asking us to find a needle in a haystack, 'cept that would be quite easy with my suit."
"Tokyo and Bruce or no Tokyo and no Bruce."
Tony swung his chair round to face his friend. "What d'ya say, fancy sushi?"
Bruce looked nonplussed. "I doubt finding him anywhere else will be much easier."
"Sold," Tony hit the table, "to the science bros."
Fury ignored the comment, moving swiftly back to business. "Agent Romanoff, you have St. Petersburg. Agent Barton, Mexico City. Thor and Captain, you'll take Karachi in Pakistan."
"Wanna lift?" Tony swung his chair back towards them. "Six star service and the company of yours truly."
"We'll make sure everyone gets to where they need to be," Fury stated.
"Thanks, but I have my own ride. Better décor, nicer food and hotter hostesses. At least until Pep made me get rid of them," he looked back to Banner. "Which was completely unfair, they were looking at me."
"You're irresistible to women," Bruce replied dutifully, though his tone lacked any conviction.
From the corner of his eyes, Thor caught Natasha rolling her eyes and could just hear her mutter under her breath, "Irritable to women, more like."
"And some men I'll have you know," Tony continued, not hearing her comment. "You better watch out."
"I'll try to restrain myself," Bruce replied.
"Ladies, we are not here to speed date," Fury cut them off.
Tony smirked. "You think this is speed dating? There was-"
"Shut up, Stark," Fury harshly interrupted in a tone that clearly said that he'd had enough of the genius's banter. His one eye travelled over his gathered warriors, examining them all and lingering for a second on Thor. "I want you gone within thirty minutes; you can read extra details on the way to your destination. Dismissed."
The commander turned and marched from the room, Natasha and Barton quickly followed. Jane and her team were speedy to leave as well, not giving Thor a chance to catch her and talk. She'd spent the entire meeting avoiding his gaze, much to his dismay. Bruce and Tony trailed after them as they, or more precisely, Tony, chatted away about some trip the businessman had been on to their destination. Thor looked down at the device in his hands, committing the most important and relevant details to memory.
"It's tricky keeping up, isn't it?"
Thor turned to see that Steve had yet to leave, standing by his seat. The Asgardian offered a smile in return, relieved to see that at least the captain didn't appear to be anger with him. "Indeed."
"A year ago, I struggled to get my head around this all, I still struggle sometimes. Just when I think I understand, something else comes up."
Thor nodded, sensing that this wasn't what the soldier truly wanted to discuss with him.
Steve watched him, consciously meeting his friend's eye when he spoke. "How are you doing?"
Thor chuckled. "Like you, I struggle, but I understand enough to 'figure it out', as Tony would say."
"That's good, but it wasn't really what I was talking about."
Thor frowned, unsure to what he was referring to.
"I meant this whole situation and Loki."
Ah. "I thank you for your concern, but my feelings are controlled. They will not stop me from doing what must be done."
Steve offered him a small smile. "Don't worry, I got that. I'm asking as one friend worried about another friend."
The prince hesitated before the tangled and murky ocean that was Loki. What was there to say? More than could be said in a mortal's life-time. If he was honest, he would rather avoid discussing it if he had the option. He had something to do now, a direction to go and a step to take towards his goal. "I'm eager to get my brother back," he settled on, it was simple, but true.
Steve nodded, as if understanding the deeper meaning, though Thor doubted he really did.
"Why hasn't Loki done anything? Last time he came to Earth, he made sure we knew he was around. This time last invasion, it was over and done with. Now, not a peep. No facial matches, no attacks or anything out of the ordinary, for here anyway. Why?"
Thor sighed. "Why does Loki do anything?" If he knew that, he probably wouldn't be standing here now. They'd been close, once upon a time, but he was forced to admit that the days of sneaking round the palace in the middle of the night were no more. No longer would Loki whisper secrets in his ear, telling him the king's manservant was bedding a certain woman married to a highborn nobleman or how to sneak all the rafters of the soldiers' barracks to hear their raucous tales or what wicked little trick he had played. It hurt, knowing that not only did he not know Loki anymore more, but he probably hadn't known him for longer than he realised. "He may just be biding his time; he was always more patient than I. He may have already left this realm or be gathering strength or there may be other more…unexpected reasons for his silence," because, by Odin's beard, he couldn't keep the darker reasons from his head.
"You still think he didn't go willingly," Steve wasn't really asking a question.
Thor crumbled in on himself, a familiar argument brewing. "You think me mad."
"No, I think you're unrealistically hopeful, but I understand why. You're a good brother."
Thor doubted that. He'd come to terms with that much over the last year, if nothing else. He still didn't think he'd been a bad brother to Loki, just not a good one either.
(&)
Old Sam was most upset. They hadn't made much money today. Midday food had been late and Sven hadn't gotten half as much as he usual did. It was enough to fill him at the time, but not to buy a drink and he would have nothing to eat tonight. He was already feeling his tummy grumble, matching Sam's muttered words. The mendicant was unhappy. Sven's belly was unhappy. Sven was unhappy. He wanted food, but he doubted he would get any. Sam occasionally bought him cho'ola'e in the evening, but Sven didn't think he would be so lucky today.
The boy sighed. It was very frustrating, this money business. He just wished that he could make it appear. He wondered how everyone else got it. They couldn't all have stalls and there were so many people who just walked around all day. Sven looked up at the hobbling vagabond in front of him. Maybe Sam would notice he was hungry and buy him something. The beggar was still muttering to himself as he hobbled down the street. People skirted round him, eager to be as far away as the pavement would allow. The child pulled a face, he doubted Sam would notice. He didn't seem to know anything else in the world existed when he got like this. So, all Sven could do was keep on walking, careful not to jar his feet and to avoid rubbish that was discarded on the ground.
Sam eventually stopped, looked in through a glass door and stepped inside. Sven didn't follow. He peered in to see another one of Sam's stores. How boring. The boy pulled the blanket tighter around him, more for something to do than any cold that he didn't feel. He thought that maybe Sam would need it more than him, but then, the older man did have his coat, and this way Sven's own clothes were hidden from view. Over the last few days he had become very aware that he was not dressed like everyone else. People stared at him as they went by, at least this way they didn't look half as much.
Sven looked in through the door, shifting from foot to foot as Sam walked away from the see-through – transparent, his mind hissed back – drink cabinet to the shelves beside it. He wondered how long he would take. Part of him urged him to go inside, to look around with Sam if he was so bored. He shouldn't. Old Sam had told him to stay outside. Hadn't he? No, not this time he hadn't. Sven bit his lip. Should he go in? He didn't want to make Sam even more upset, he'd already disappointed the old man today with his 'bad luck'. What was the harm in stepping inside a shop though? None, that rebellious part of him insisted, and if the old beggar didn't like it, then tough… Or he could quickly duck back outside again…
Mind made up, he stepped into the doorway and pushed the door open with a might shove. It gave way to him and above him a bell chimed. Curious, he glanced up to see where the noise had come from.
"If you're coming in, then come in an close the bloody door."
The words came out harshly and almost made him retreat back out into the street again. He puckered up his courage though and slipped inside where it was pleasantly warm. A man stood behind a counter, like the other shop Sam liked, but he was a young man, his skin a light brown. His dark eyes softened when they caught sight of the child and they shifted back to Old Sam, frowning as the old beggar continued fingering metal tubes. Bored by the sight, Sven turned his attention to the other rows of goods, most of which were unknown to the child. He recognised food though, not on trays like the bakery, but in their own packaging. He stomach grumbled, telling him it was time to eat again. They did look…well, nowhere near as nice as the Nice Lady's food, but nice enough to make his mouth water and his tummy ache. Would Old Sam buy him something if he asked? Maybe if he said he was hungry, he did sometimes buy him cho'ola'e.
His eyes fell on a row of tubes, two different colours. He'd seen people eating from them and he'd always wanted to try one. He looked to see Sam shuffling to the shop owner, four cylinders tied together in his hands. He looked between the man and the potential meal. Should he ask?
The vendor was hitting buttons on his machine now, and dark eyes flicked over to Sven and then to Sam. "Owt else?"
Following deeper urges, the boy grabbed a tube, the red one coming to his hand first, and jogged over to his protector.
"Sam, I'm hungry. Can I have this?" He held up the tube and tried to look pleading.
"No! No mane'. Was'e uv mane'."
The shop keeper frowned, his expression verging on disgust.
"But, I'm hungry," he softly moaned.
The mendicant's expression softened and he ruffled Sven's hair. "Sam'll fin' 'is boi foo'."
The child looked down with dread and disappointment; he thought he knew how Sam intended to find food. It made him queasy, but he was very hungry by now. He supposed he should put the tube back, but he really couldn't quite bring himself to do it yet. He looked longingly at the packet as Sam dropped money beside his drinks. Maybe if Sven had been better at getting them money today, then he could have his food. It's just that he didn't know how he was supposed to do that. What was he doing wrong now?
"Come boi," Sam commanded, scooping up his precious drinks into his arms and scurried for the door.
Reluctantly, Sven turned back to the shelves, preparing to lose his to-be dinner.
"How lad," said the shop keeper. "Tyek it."
Sven's eyes widened. "I don't have any money."
"Just tyek it before Ah change me mind," the man grumbled.
He beamed, hugging his prize to his chest. "Thank you. Thank you so much," and before anything could change, he ran out of the shop and caught up with Old Sam. As the beggar opened his tube, Sven wrestled with his own. It took him several minutes to succeed and make it past the two lids, but when he did, he grinned happily. His tiny hand reached inside and drew out a single thin…whatever it was. He took an experimental bite. It was crunchy and flakey, showering the ground in bits that broke off. A light salty flavour filled his mouth. He decided that he needed another one to make up his mind about them. Yes, he thought he rather liked them. Humming he followed Sam through the back streets as he led them back to the spot they had spent the previous night.
Whatever this crispy food was, it was filling, and just a little sickening. It parched his throat and he longed for a drink. By half-way through the packet he could eat no more. At least he could give the rest to Old Sam; that would make him happy and maybe make up for Sven's own shortcomings from earlier that day. The vagrant seemed to have forgotten about finding Sven food anyway. Sam seemed to forget about a lot of things when he started to drink, but then he also seemed to remember a lot of things as well. Sometimes these things would make his weep and rant while Sven sat uncomfortably by his side, unsure of what to do or say.
He looked up at the man and then back at his packet. He really should share; after all, Sam did care for him. Besides, if he did then maybe Sven would give him something to drink.
Sam stopped at their sleeping spot at the strange building. The mendicant shrugged off his bag and dropped it down, stumbling down after it. He threw a tube to the side and opened a new one with a hiss. Slowly, Sven approached him and held out his food.
"Would you like the rest, Sam?"
The old vagrant's eyes focused on the packet and just looked at it. Suddenly he grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him forward.
"Ya bin stealin', boi?" he half shouted.
"No!" This certainly wasn't the reaction that he had expected. His voice squeaked in panic. "No, I have not stolen anything."
Sam shook him by the arm, growling out, "Ya lyin'?"
"I swear I stole nothing; the merchant gave it to me."
The change was instantaneous. The thunderous expression that terrified him so melted into a smile and he let go to pat the boy's head. "Ma boi is a goo' boi."
He took the packet and tore off the lid, after placing his drink on the floor. He wolfed the food down, stopping once to offer more to Sven, who declined. When he had finished he returned to his drink, chuckling. The child relaxed, if Sam was in a good mood, then maybe he could get a drink now. He paused, not wanting to turn the mendicant's mood again. He opened his mouth and closed it again as his arm ached where the man's fingers had locked round it. The dull pain silenced his words. Swallowing back the itch in his throat, he slid down next to Sam. He drew his legs up to his body and wrapped his arms round them. He didn't want to make Sam angry again, not after he'd managed to make him happy. Maybe he could just ignore his thirst.
(&)
Thor followed Maria Hill into the hanger. She had been waiting for him outside of the council room and had pushed a set of 'civilian' clothing into his hands before leading him to a room to change. They seemed a little tight for his liking, but Agent Hill seemed to approve. As she led him to the elevator that went to the hanger, she had explained that a bag with clothes and other necessities would be waiting on the aircraft. He argued with her as they travelled down about him hiding Mjolnir in there. He had reluctantly conceded defeat when she pointed out that his job would be easier if he drew less attention to himself- at which point she'd looked him over with a smile – as much as that was possible. As attached as he was to his chosen weapon, it was not the most inconspicuous armament, and if hiding it would help him find Loki, then it was a small price to pay. Half way down, the carriage stopped and the doors opened to let Tony and Bruce in. Tony's reaction had been less encouraging that Maria's. The man had smirked at him and Bruce deliberately looked away. The remainder of the trip down was filled with awkward silence only broken by Stark's occasional throat clearing. All in all he was glad to be away with only Tony patting his shoulder and saying 'nice clothes'.
He shook his head internally. He had no idea what exactly Tony had been getting at; these clothes seemed much the same as other men in this realm. Yes, he was glad to meet up with Steve Rogers again.
The Captain smiled openly at him. "You changed."
Thor frowned, not heartened by the man's comment. "Is there something wrong with my attire?"
The smile faded from his friend's face. "No, why?"
"Everyone appears to smirk at me."
The grin returned and he slapped Thor on the shoulder. "You just look odd in normal clothes. I guess they are a little tight though. Mustn't have had anything in your size."
So they were tight. "Agent Hill gave them to me."
And then something shifted a little in Steve's smile. "Or maybe not. Maria seems dead serious, but don't let that fool you. She has a… flirty, I guess, side to her. Come on," he jabbed a thumb at the aircraft. "Before you get any more adoring fans."
It wasn't to be, they were walking up the ramp into the craft when Thor heard his name called. Recognising the voice, he turned hopefully and grinned. Jane was jogging towards him, a wad of papers in her hands.
"I'll give you a minute," Steve said by his shoulder and walked away. Thor barely noticed as he stepped down to meet her.
"Jane, I was hoping to see you before I left."
"I know, look," she faltered for a moment and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry if I was unfair earlier. I get that I'm not the centre of your universe and you've got more important things to deal with. I was, am, just mad. It really hurts that you never came back for me, ever after New York."
"There is no need to apologise. It has been brought to my attention that I have been negligent in the responsibilities to Midgard that I took upon myself. I am glad that you are no longer angry with me."
"Oh," she poked him in the chest. "I'm still mad. I mean, is a letter so hard to write?" Her voice softened when she continued. "But I think I can forgive you."
"I am relieved to hear that," and he tried not to grin too widely. "I will make sure that we talk more thoroughly when I return."
"Oh, yes." She held out the bundle of papers in her hands. "I printed off some information about Karachi. It's not much, some stuff from Wikipedia and tourist sites, but if nothing else it will give you something to read on the flight."
His smiled widened at her thoughtfulness. "Thank you, Jane. I am sure it will be of great use to me."
"I doubt it, but if Loki wants to make a big scene again, he might turn up at one of those tourist places."
"Tha-"
"Thor," Steve called from inside. "Sorry, but Fury says we've got to get going."
She smiled. "I'll catch you when you get back." She turned and walked away, Thor watching her go.
"Thor," his companion called again, jerking the Asgardian back to the present. He turned and entered the craft, the ramp lifting after him. Steve looked a little embarrassed. "Sorry, but Fury was getting impatient. I'm glad you two have smoothed things over though."
"It is a relief," he admitted, though he couldn't help but feel as if they had still life things unresolved.
A/N: Eurgh. So, I hope all the stuff with Jane was alright. Originally they weren't in there and then I realised that I really really had to deal with it in some way, especially as it was brought up at the end of the last chapter. I ended up writing the first scene about four times trying to get the balance between how she reacted in the Dark World and not repeating it. As general rule, I think if you're basically going to repeat what was in the original source then there's no point in writing it. That and it's unrealistic to think that the same things will be said and done in two different situations. On the flip side, I wasn't really sure how what to do differently with it. Trying to strike a balance between her being more mad because when she does see him again, he hasn't even come back for her and not turning her into a self-centred bitch while also not making her a push over. Blah.