Chapter 1: The Trail of Agony

The alarm clock switched on the radio at seven in the morning, alerting Jane Foster wide awake. She wasn't in her dorm room at Culver University anymore but in an RV. She couldn't complain about the discomfort of her sleeping arrangements. It was essential to spend more on necessities than luxuries. Unfortunately, her intern didn't get the memo. She yelled at Jane to turn the radio off, throwing her sneaker across the aisle as if it could shut the noise off for her; instead, Jane's backside took the hit.

"Hey!"

That was a painful start to Jane's repetitive routine. She unzipped her sleeping bag, already dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. She reached under the mounted table to put on her brown boots. The journey to the front was a struggle, for she had to tiptoe over a mess of scattered open suitcases and toys, accidentally stepping on a plastic action figure that probably bruised her arch. She kicked the obstacle and prevailed to the other side, switching off the radio and slipped on a plaid shirt hanging from the driver's seat.

Before leaving the RV to begin her work officially, Jane turned her attention to the steering wheel, where a photo of her and her dad was placed on the dashboard. She kissed her fingertips before touching her father's face.

"Morning, Dad. Miss you," she uttered quietly.

Jane met up with her colleague and former professor - Erik Selvig - inside Smith Motors, a closed-down auto shop rented as a temporary research lab. He seated himself at the table with a coffee cup in hand. A stack of pancakes rested in the center, coated with syrup.

"Morning, Jane," he uttered.

"Morning," she whispered, sitting across from him, helping herself with breakfast. "I see that Izzy was generous with the cake's thickness."

"Because she knows that you're going to need it by the numbers we have," he slid the second-filled mug towards Jane, who accepted the caffeinated drink.

"Thanks," she smiled appreciatively, lifting the mug to her lips. The glass door slammed open, and a shrill voice echoed in the garage - another interruption to this quiet morning.

"Get back here, you little twerp!"

"And here we go," Jane muffled in her sip of coffee, making a mental note to ask for mocha next time instead of bland black.

Two children chased around the table. Mini Iron Man took the lead with a toy gun in hand while his teenage sister trailed behind with a fierce look on her face. She was taller than him, but it didn't mean she was fast.

Erik never liked conflict but was used to the college drama back in Virginia. It took years of practice to stay out of the way; otherwise, he might spill coffee on himself.

Again.

"Kids!" Jane called, knowing that she would be ignored. "Knock it off!" This was embarrassing; the kids were old enough to know not to fight in front of a guest, even if Erik was a family friend.

Before Erik could speak, somebody barged inside like the lab was his home.

"Good morning, everybody!" the intruder greeted with a grin, ignoring the chaos to his right. "Miss Foster - Jane," he quickly corrected himself, "you look lovely this morning as usual." Jane didn't bother to return the compliment or make introductions, probably too occupied with the kids to notice. Erik acknowledged him but didn't seem pleased with the teenage boy's lack of etiquette.

"Excuse me, son," Erik began, "how can you just barge into somebody's home? Don't you ever knock first?"

The teenager shrugged, "Don't look at me." He gestured at the glass windows and the opened garage door where the minivan took place, "If y'all are so worried about privacy, you should've put up some curtains." He got a point there.

"But still, what's wrong with knocking?" Erik demanded.

"I peeked through the glass, and nobody was in their underwear. If someone did, I would've knocked. I ain't no pervert. Besides, Jane says I could come by anytime. Did you say that, Jane?"

"Garrett, not now," Jane dismissed the question, preoccupied with the kids to care. "Help yourself with some pancakes."

Garrett's grin extended, "Really? Aw, thanks, Jane. You're the best." He settled on Jane's seat, stacking four pancakes on a plate. He smacked a mouthful and moaned in satisfaction. "These flapjacks are phenomenal! She's a good cook."

"The diner made them," Erik corrected.

"In that case, Jane got good taste in flapjacks," Garrett said while chewing.

The professor huffed, sipping his coffee and paying no mind to the children, until the mini Iron Man bumped into his chair, causing a spill on Erik's lap. His painful yell reached deaf ears to the chaos around the table. Garrett volunteered to help Erik by wiping the burning stain with a paper towel, hoping Jane would notice. Women were typically attracted to gentlemen. Garrett was so distracted by her that he was oblivious to where his hand was dangerously close to the older man's body. Erik snatched the napkin to clean himself up.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Jane grabbed the mini Iron Man in the nick of time while extending an arm to keep her niece away. "What the hell is going on?" she ripped off the mask, revealing an eight-year-old boy with blonde hair and blue eyes - the polar opposite of his aunt and sister.

"Well?" Jane pressed.

"Look what he did, Jane!" the girl cried, angrily showing off the wet strands of hair and stain on her white tank. "Look what he did! Darcy and I were sleeping, minding our own business, until he squirted water at us on purpose!"

"Jane, use my gun!" the boy offered the toy weapon to his aunt. "Help me defeat Jaws before she bites your head off!"

"Squirt me in the face again," the teen jabbed a finger at her brother threateningly, "and I will bite your head off!" To prevent that from happening, Jane placed herself in the middle.

"Kelsey, calm down," Jane ordered her niece in a motherly-warning tone. "It's just water. You love water!"

"Not at seven o'clock in the morning! It's summer vacation! I need sleep!"

"What makes you think I was squirting water?" the boy asked innocently.

"You think we're blind?! Look at this!" Kelsey gestured to her soaking self as evidence. "You're holding the weapon! You..." she trailed off, slowly picking up the mischief on her brother's face and words. She lifted the hem of her shirt to get a whiff of a salty odor. Jane gasped, watching her niece's expression change into disgust at the revelation.

"AJ, you didn't?" Erik asked, even though there was no point in asking. The boy's silence and proud smile said it all.

"Ah, hell no!" Garrett shook his head in dismay.

"You squirted pee on me, you little brat?!" Kelsey screamed.

"Not just you," AJ added. "Darcy was there, too." Garrett laughed at that, only to drop his smile at the sight of Kelsey's face. Her eyes enlarged, her teeth bared, and her fingers curled with fury. AJ's smirk twitched, and his right leg shuffled back a step. Was he prepared to run or shoot? The adrenaline pumped inside him, signaling the boy to make an automatic decision. He pulled the trigger, squirting at the girl's face again. She jumped back with only a few drops sprinkling her shirt.

"Kelsey, don't!" Jane extended her arm once more to prevent a possible attempted murder charge.

"I'm going to kill you!" Kelsey declared, pointing angrily at her brother.

"For what? Shooting you with some salt water?" AJ asked before he squirted it in his mouth to prove a point, despite the gross expressions around him.

"That would explain the mess on the counter," Erik grumbled as he continued cleaning off the coffee stain on his front.

"See? It was just a joke!" the boy shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"But not a funny one, Andrew Jackson," Jane snatched the water gun from her nephew, earning a round of protests and his reaching attempt to take it back. She stomped towards a random cabinet door to stuff the gun inside, too high for the boy's reach.

"Hey, no fair!" he whined. "That's mine!"

"AJ, why are you dressed like that?" Jane gestured to the Iron Man costume he was wearing. The eight-year-old shrugged once more, not giving Jane an answer. "Okay, go to your suitcase and put on some clothes. Now."

"I am wearing clothes-"

"You know what I mean."

"What about my gun?" he demanded.

"You'll get it back by the end of the day."

"No fair!"

"Well, you should've thought of that before you squirt your sister with it. Now, I want you to apologize to her and then put on some real clothes. You are not wearing that to school; it's too hot outside."

"But Tony Stark wears the suit every day!"

"True, but you're not Iron Man," Jane snapped her fingers in Kelsey's direction, "now apologize to your sister."

AJ groaned, hating that he had to apologize for having fun. What's worse was that his sister stared back at him with a smug look, waiting for that apology.

"Sorry!" the word alone lacked sincerity as he ran back outside.

"Thanks, Jane," Kelsey muttered as she took a rag from the table to wipe the specks of water off her face.

"Listen to me, Kelsey," Jane began in a hushed warning tone, "you need to keep your temper in check."

Kelsey looked at her aunt in shock, "But, Jane, you saw what that twerp did! He started it! I was asleep! Why are you taking his side?!"

"I'm not taking anyone's side. I already handled AJ. I don't need you to come in here and threaten to kill him in front of Erik."

"Oh, please! I wasn't going to kill him," Kelsey reassured her godmother. "Although, if I have to teach that brat a lesson-."

"You don't have to do anything. Okay? I'm an adult. I can handle him just fine, thank you," Jane sighed and closed her eyes, interlacing her fingers behind her head and pressing her forearms against her temple. The migraine flare-up didn't last long, allowing Jane to address her niece in a gentle tone. "Just control yourself, please. You're older and bigger than he is." Kelsey rolled her eyes at the redundant quote. No matter the size, everyone was capable of violence. The boy had nails and teeth to scar Kelsey's skin for life.

"I'm serious, Kelsey. You have to start acting like your age. You're sixteen years old."

"About to be seventeen in five days," Kelsey knew that didn't help her case. Technically, she wouldn't be an adult until next year.

Jane's eyes widened briefly in reaction to her niece's statement. Was Kelsey's birthday in a few days? Judging by the look on her aunt's face, Kelsey's frown deepened.

"You forgot my birthday again," Kelsey declared rather than asking.

"No!" Jane denied. She gazed at Garrett and Erik; they both averted their eyes. She didn't need them to tell her that she messed up. "No, I didn't. I just... I was caught off guard. I lost track of time with my research, that's all."

"Mm-hm," Kelsey nodded as she folded her arms and forced a press-mouth smile. "Well, considering recent happenings, forgetting my birthday is completely understandable. Heck, I nearly forgot myself."

"Kelsey, I'm sorry."

"No. No. No, I'm serious," her niece insisted, waving a dismissive hand. "It's okay. I'm not mad. I truly understand. At least we're together, unlike last year." Jane huffed, feeling the extra weight in her chest drop to her stomach. "Where did you say you were during my Sweet Sixteen, Jane? On a road trip to Nashville with Doctor What's-His-Face?"

"Uh... is Doctor Who her boyfriend or something?" Garrett asked.

"Ex," Kelsey clarified, much to Garrett's relief. He subtly pumped a fist and mouthed out a silent yes.

"I'll buy you a cake!" Jane helplessly offered anything to defuse the ticking time bomb.

"Really? Aw, how sweet!" Kelsey's voice pitched before she pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes challengingly. "What's my favorite cake?" It had taken Jane one minute to come up with a guess; Kelsey expected the delay. It had been a while since Jane attended a birthday party - two or maybe eight birthdays, including AJ's. Both children didn't seem to mind her absence as long as she gifted them money or a gift card to spend whatever they desired. Erik refused to participate in the conversation, ignoring his former student's pleading eyes for a hint. She was on her own, mostly because he didn't know Kelsey's favorite cake.

"It's vanilla, right?" Jane offered.

"Vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream frosting and cherries on top?" Kelsey added, cocking her brows.

"Yes, yes - vanilla. Yes, all of it! Your absolute favorite, right?"

"Wrong! That's Mom's favorite cake; I don't even like cherries!"

"But what about the buttercream frosting? One out of three isn't bad, right? I mean, who doesn't love chocolate?"

Kelsey rolled her eyes as she turned away, dismissing her aunt's pleas and apologies with a bitter "I know." She stacked two clean pancakes on her plate and poured a glass of chocolate milk.

"Don't you want utensils, Kelsey?" Erik offered.

"I can use my hands, Dr. Selvig - thank you..." She ceased fixing her plate to check on the professor. "Are you okay?"

Erik waved it off with a half smile, "Eh, don't worry about me, Kelsey. I know what happened was an accident. This..." he gestured his stain, "isn't my first rodeo and certainly won't be my last. I'm lucky that I don't require a skin graft." His attempt to lighten the mood earned a twitch close to a smile, but it was brief.

"I'm really sorry."

"It's not your fault, sweetie."

"I still feel bad."

"Kelsey," he raised an assuring hand and looked at her in the eyes - try to look at her, for she quickly averted her gaze to the floor. He comforted her yet spoke in a firm, finalized tone, "It's okay. Go eat your breakfast, please."

Despite Erik saying what she longed to hear, Kelsey wasn't entirely convinced. She did obey Erik's command to eat her meal in the RV, nearly bumping into Jane's college intern, who entered the garage in a groggy state.

"Morning, sunshine," Darcy yawned in greeting.

"Yeah, right," Kelsey bluntly stated. She couldn't say the same to Darcy, for she was also a victim of AJ's squirt gun, which was a big mistake on his part.

Garrett approached the table with two cups of coffee in his hands. He noticed Darcy and immediately narrowed his eyes at her, "Lewis."

"Brad," Darcy spat at him.

"Bradley," he corrected her.

"Whoever," she dismissed, couldn't care less, "be lucky that you have a name at all."

"Four eyes!" Garrett insulted her.

"Airhead," she snapped back.

"Really?!" Jane slapped her hands against her sides. The two young adults, who acted like children, blamed each other by pointing fingers and claimed the other had started it.

"Jane," Garrett extended an arm that was holding a coffee cup, "I got you some coffee-"

"Aww, for me?" Darcy grabbed both cups; the smirk didn't leave her face. "You shouldn't have. Hey, Jane, I made us some coffee."

"What?" Garrett widened his eyes at Darcy in disbelief. "Lewis, give that back!"

"Get your own!" Darcy snapped.

"That is my own!" Garrett pointed out, but it was too late. Darcy had already given Jane a cup and had taken a long sip from Garrett's, releasing an 'aah' in satisfaction.

"Don't I get a cup of coffee?" Erik wondered, seeing that he was wearing his drink instead.

Darcy frowned at the question, not considering the stain on his shirt, "I'm sorry, I could've sworn I was working for Jane." Erik rolled his eyes, returning the coffee machine to make another cup.

"Darcy, my niece is upset," Jane announced.

"Obviously. I would be mad too if you'd forgotten my birthday," Darcy's comment earned a hateful look from her boss. "What?" she asked innocently, shrugging her shoulders. "Did I hear you wrong?" She didn't have to press her ear against the thin glass door to overhear the tiff.

"Not helping."

"Fine, I'll tell her that she is your top priority," Darcy continued hastily before Jane could rebut the argument, "and promise take-out for her birthday."

"Take-out?!" Jane pitched in disbelief.

"Yeah, take-out. You know, sushi - hibachi-"

"Why not promise her a cake?"

"A cake?" Darcy matched Jane's surprised tone of voice; her eyes squinted questionably.

"Yeah, a cake! Find out what her favorite flavor is when you talk to her."

"Jane, Kelsey doesn't like cake," Darcy declared as if the answer was obvious. It was sad that the intern, who hadn't met Kelsey long, knew the answer, not Kelsey's family.

"How do you know?" Garrett challenged her. "Kelsey asked her-"

"That was a trick question. She doesn't like any old cake; she likes cheesecake."

Jane scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Cake, cheesecake - what's the difference?"

Darcy widened her eyes, stumbling back in disbelief, "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." She sipped her coffee once more. "Now that I have what I came here for, I have a job to do," Darcy passed Garrett with the same boastful look. Meanwhile, he was hatefully staring at the intern with a clenched fist.

"Garrett," Jane regained his attention, "would you mind walking my nephew to school?" He didn't hesitate to follow her orders. Undoubtedly, he would snatch the child from the RV and carry him to school without fail.

"Wait! Wait!" Before Garrett could leave, he lifted a breakfast plate to take the food to go, "I'll bring the plate back, Jane. I promise."

Jane waved it off carelessly, "It's fine."

"Great!" For that, he dashed out the door to do his task. The astrophysicists had some peace of mind for the time being - fifteen minutes tops.

"Well," Erik set the mug down and asked his former student, "you ready to get to work?"

Jane sighed heavily. She didn't know how to answer that question, especially when the boy barged into the lab to tattle on Darcy. He learned his lesson not to wake up the sleeping dragon the hard way, currently enduring a wedgy - a simple punishment yet painfully effective. Little did the astrophysicist realize she wasn't the only one stressed out.

~000~000~000~

In the Asgardian kingdom, today was a special day. It was time for the All-Father Odin to step down as king and leave one of his sons to take the throne.

The double doors opened, revealing a grown-up prince dressed in silver armor and a red cape. He walked down the steps, chugging the rest of his drink with one hand while wielding the mighty hammer - Mjolnir - with the other.

"Another!" the prince roared as he smashed his goblet into the centered fire pit that erupted in flames. Thor thought he was alone in the dimly lit room, but he was wrong. He spotted his younger brother behind the drapes. Loki was dressed in gold and green, a golden-horned helmet placed on his inked head.

Loki came out of the shadows, standing by the god of thunder's side. The corner of his mouth curled into a smirk as he glanced at Thor.

"Nervous, brother?" Loki asked in a teasing tone.

Thor laughed, clearly amused by Loki's question, "Have you ever known me to be nervous?"

Loki furrowed his brows, looking back on his memories, "Mm, there was that time in Nornhiem."

"That was not nerves, brother!" Thor argued. "That was the rage of battle."

"Ah, I see," his brother breathed.

"How else could I have fought my way through a hundred warriors and brought us out alive?" Thor challenged.

"Uh..." Loki opened his mouth to disagree, "As I recall, I was the one who veiled us in smoke to ease our escape."

"Haha, yes," Thor agreed in laughter as one of the servers arrived with another goblet of wine for him to drink. "Some do battle; others just do tricks."

The servant snickered quietly in the background, earning a sharp look from the god of mischief. That was a big mistake. The trickster flicked his wrist, igniting a sudden, collected sound of hisses. At first, the server was confused until he spotted snakes slithering their way out of the goblet. The server yelped in fear, dropping the tray and cup as the snakes crawled away from the beaker.

Loki laughed softly, satisfied by the startling sight.

"Loki..." Thor whined in disappointment, "Now that was just a waste of good wine."

"Oh, it was just a bit of fun," Loki said innocently. He waved his hand over the dropped dishes, making the snakes disappear. "Right, my friend?" Loki asked the server.

The server nodded, laughing nervously as he picked up the tray and goblet, leaving the princes alone. They both chuckled at his reaction, though Loki's laugh lasted longer, clearly proud of himself.

A moment later, another servant arrived, handing Thor his silver-winged helmet. Thor gazed upon his helmet; his grip began to shake with unease. Thor attempted to control the tremor without notice.

"Ooh... nice feathers," Loki complimented, ceasing his brother's nerves.

"You don't want to get me started, do you?" Thor gazed upon the horns from Loki's helmet. "Cow?"

"I was being sincere," Loki assured him.

Thor scoffed, "You are incapable of sincerity."

"Am I?" Loki challenged.

"Yes!"

"Well, in that case, I shall not warn my brother that he lacks the proper attire for the occasion." Thor raised a brow, silently asking his brother to elaborate. "And what I mean by lack of dress is unbeknownst to the entire Asgardian court, they shall witness their future king bare nude."

Thor widened his eyes, gazing down at himself momentarily to check, briefly believing his brother's words to be true. Loki snickered to himself while Thor touched his chest and breathed in relief.

"Not wise to cast doubt on your future king, brother," the eldest grumbled.

"Sorry. After hearing your recurring nightmare through the stone walls last night, I had to."

"Would you prefer to be naked in a courtroom, brother? It's humiliating."

"I know," Loki agreed. "Which is why I am telling you that is not the case here." Thor stared ahead to put on a brave face and catch his breath. Loki listened to his brother's nerves, smiling softly as he spoke, "I've looked forward to this day as long as you have. You are my brother and my friend."

Thor's face softened, listening to his brother intently.

"Sometimes, I am envious," Loki admitted, giving Thor eye contact, "but never doubt that I love you."

Thor nodded, pleasantly surprised and pleased by this sentiment. Despite his tricks, there were moments when Loki knew what to say to ease his brother's feelings without calling him out. For that, Thor awarded his brother an appreciative shoulder pat.

"Thank you, Brother."

"Now give us a kiss," Loki earned a playful smack in the chest from Thor.

"Stop it!"

They both faced the stairs again, chuckling amongst themselves until silence evaded the room. Thor spoke again, casting all jokes aside to ask Loki a straightforward question.

"Really, how do I look?"

Loki analyzed Thor up and down, taking in the details before him, most of which were obvious. Thor looked exactly like their father, which Loki could never achieve, and he never understood why. Thor turned to him, silently demanding a reply - reassurance.

"Like a king," Loki quietly stated, earning a satisfied smile. As the awkward silence returned to the hallway, it was Loki's turn to break it.

"It's time," Loki spoke the obvious, knowing they both needed to get going.

"You go ahead," Thor told him. Loki faced him questionably.

"I'll be along, go on," Thor insisted.

Loki bid him 'good fortune' as he departed the room. Meanwhile, Thor mentally prepared himself for what was about to come. He was adequately dressed and about to be crowned king. What could go wrong?

Author's note 7/2023: For some of you who have read the original version, I've written Thor's nightmare about being naked in a courtroom. In Love and Thunder, Zeus flicked Thor's chiton off in front of everyone! My reaction was OMG. They actually turned my nightmare for Thor into reality?! Poor Thor. Anyway, this story is still stuck in the remake. The good news is series 1 is almost finished. For those of you asking me if I can post the original version for y'all, unfortunately, I don't have a copy of the original anymore. Sad, I know. This is a pain, I know, but just know that I'm really sorry, and don't worry, I won't give up on the series. Let me know your thoughts down below, and thank you for understanding and support so far. You guys, rock!