Among the Stars

Chapter 2

Jane Foster sat curled on her living room loveseat, gazing out the window at the dark and starry night. Usually, watching the stars soothed her analytical mind, but tonight it only heightened her anxiety.

She frowned, frustrated at herself for her unease, but more frustrated that she couldn't quell it. It was like a formula missing a critical equation, and smack in the center was Thor.

"Oh, Thor," she sighed, "what can I do to help you?"

Her mind traveled back over everything that had happened in the last month: being possessed by the Aether, reuniting with Thor, fighting the Dark Elves. And even though they had won, and Thor had come to earth to stay with Jane, their victory was hollow. So many good lives had been lost… Jane's heart twisted as she remembered Frigga's sacrifice. Even Loki had given his all for his brother, something that still confused Jane to this day. That Loki still had a kernel of love buried under all his rage and hate was hard to understand, and Jane wrestled with conflicting emotions of gratitude and animosity towards the demi-god who had caused her so much pain.

And he was still causing pain, even though he was gone; Thor had yet to recover from the loss of his only brother. It broke Jane's heart to see how deeply Thor continued to grieve. He tried to hide it from her, but she knew. And it drove her almost mad not knowing how to help him.

Jane stood up, stretched her stiff body and making her way to her laboratory. It wasn't in the basement anymore; after she had moved back to her home, SHIELD had constructed her an outdoor lab that was bigger and more modern. Agent Coulson had told her it was for practical reasons—more funding with better equipment meant she had a better chance of churning out useful discoveries. But underneath it, she sensed another reason: Coulson knew what terrible memories the basement had harbored, and in his own kind way he was trying to help her move on.

Those memories… Jane winced, trying to drag her mind off of the topic, but it was too late; she was already remembering the hellish night when Loki had paid her a visit. His hatred of his half-brother had driven him to try to destroy in every way that which Thor held closest, and he'd come close. She was still amazed she'd made it out alive and intact. Well, she had made it out mostly intact. The broken ribs had healed, the dislocated shoulder had mended, but the nightmares lingered. And the fear crept after her like a shadow. Some nights were worse than others.

It didn't help that she had kept it a secret. Only Agent Coulson knew exactly what had happened. He'd been surprised when she'd asked him to keep it from Thor, but she didn't want to cause her beloved any more pain. What was the point of telling him? He couldn't do anything to fix it. It was in the past, dead and buried like Loki himself.

"Stop it," Jane ordered herself firmly, driving the memories out of her head. "Think about Thor."

She strolled into her lab, wandering through all the equipment and inventions scattered around the room. Tucked in the corner was her transdimentional circuit, the machine that had saved her life and hurled Loki deep into space. She still didn't know how he'd gotten out of that one, but the god of mischief always had tricks up his sleeve.

Looking at the circuit triggered an idea. She'd managed to perfect it so that it could be used to travel to specific locations, and she'd even talked with Asgaardians through the portal before. She and Thor used it often when he was at his home planet and she stayed on earth.

Maybe she could reach out to one of his friends on Asgaard, like Sif or Fandral. They'd grown up with Thor and knew him far better than she did yet. Surely they could offer her counsel on how to ease her love's grief.

But before she could even punch in the coordinates for Asgaard, her machine whirred to life on its own. The transdimentional portal popped up, which could only mean one thing: someone else was calling her.

Sif's face appeared in the portal screen. "Jane, are you there?"

Frankly, Jane was surprised it was Sif of all people calling her; she'd always felt slightly uneasy around the fierce female warrior, as though there was a hidden undercurrent she was intruding on. But now she was grateful for Sif's call—it would be easier to talk with a fellow woman.

"I'm here, Sif," Jane answered. "What is it?"

Sif was never one for formalities. "I fear for Thor," she said. "When he last visited Asgaard, it was clear how he still felt the weight of his recent losses. He seemed different, changed somehow."

"I'm worried about the same thing," Jane agreed. "I was actually just going to call Asgaard to ask for your advice. You know Thor better than I do—what can I do to help him in his grief?"

"But it's hard to explain across space," Sif replied. "Please, come to Asgaard, and maybe the Warriors Three and I can help you."

Usually, Jane would hesitate about taking a spontaneous cross-galaxy trip, but her fear for Thor quieted her unease. "All right," she agreed. "Give me a minute."

She doubted she'd be gone long enough for anyone to miss her—Thor was with the Avengers at Tony's skyscraper, Darcy was on a date with her intern, Dr. Selvig was researching in his own lab. But just in case, she scribbled a note about where she'd gone and left it on the examination table next to the transdimentional circuit.

Then she flicked the switch, waited for the transportation portal to stretch out on the platform, and stepped through into Asgaard.