Chapter Text
Never before had you been so thrilled to see the sign that welcomed you back to your home state of New Mexico. As your rented, bright red convertible hummed across the the asphalt, you kept your gaze fixed on the haze of purple mountains shimmering on the horizon. The wind whipped through your hair. The flat, gray street beneath your wheels remained empty. You allowed your eyes to slide shut for only a moment; heavy sunshine made the inside of your lids glow red. A gentle swerve had you paying attention again, though you lifted your head ever so slightly to breathe in the breeze and the smell of hot, baked earth. Now, truly, everything was behind you: your fiancé’s cold feet, your abandoned apartment, your notice of resignation to the school president, and the feelings of disappointment and pity strewn among each.
In front of you lay the Land of Enchantment, the land of dirt, the land of sunshine and heat waves coming off the pavement and low shrub bushes covering the flat mesas by the side of the road. Some people might not have found the environment beautiful–you certainly would not have in your youth–but the drastic shift was a welcome change from New England. It was something of a relief knowing those mountains would not get much nearer, and that Jane’s town promised more heat and the color brown. Anything to keep your mind off…Well, anything to keep your mind off much of anything, really.
You wanted a weekend without thinking. Your knuckles tightened around the steering wheel momentarily, and then you released a long breath as you cranked up the radio. Just a few days ignoring the twinges, and you’d start planning what you were going to do with your life afterward.
“Forget it,” you crooned to yourself under your breath. The gas pedal shifted underneath your right foot. Soon the landscape blurred behind you and your voice lifted into the air. You’d figure it all out eventually: where you would live, where you would work, who you would remain in contact with.
For the time being, it was just you–you and the open road.
******
The headquarters of one Dr. Jane Foster was in an usual flurry of activity. It would have to be, seeing how small it was and how many people were then inside it. Jane herself had to admit that even she was starting to feel overwhelmed, between Thor’s presence, his friend arguing with Darcy, and Dr. Selvig whispering warnings in her ear while she looked over her instruments one last time before her weekend getaway.
“Jane, I’m not certain that this is a good idea.”
She kept her eyes focused on the reading she was trying to get while she tried to figure out another reason that Dr. Selvig was, as usual, being a mother hen. Jane knew he meant well, but when she’d asked him to watch her things while she was away, she didn’t think he was going to be quite so upset about her bringing Thor along.
“Why?” she asked as she pushed some hair behind her ear and continued moving. Dr. Selvig sighed and came to a stop; Jane had to turn around to catch his answer:
“Because he just doesn’t understand these sorts of things.”
Jane shot a look toward the other end of the room, where Thor was leaning against the wall, watching Darcy triple-check her luggage. When he caught Jane looking at him, he grinned broadly, but soon turned his attention elsewhere. Only once she knew that Thor wasn’t listening did Jane say, “He’s not stupid, Erik.”
He sighed again. “I’m not saying he is. I’m just saying he’s not from around here and Vegas is enough of a trap for people from Earth.”
With a roll of her eyes, Jane decided to end the fretting right then and there. She looked back over at Thor and, lifting her voice, called “Hey, Thor!”
“Yes, Jane?”
“You promise you won’t get into any trouble while we’re there? That you’ll ask me questions if you don’t understand something?”
“Of course.”
Jane turned back to Dr. Selvig with her eyebrows raised. Clearly, Dr. Selvig got the message: Is that good enough for you? But apparently it wasn’t, because he shook his head. “Oh, come on, Erik! He’s saved the world twice now, what more do you want him to do to prove himself?”
“Not get anyone killed while you’re on vacation,” Dr. Selvig answered. “Of course he won’t do anything on purpose, Jane! But that doesn’t mean that nothing will happen.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.” Both Jane and Dr. Selvig looked around to see Thor’s friend smirking at them from his perch in a chair. Unlike the rest of them, he seemed unconcerned by trivialities such as what to pack. Mostly, he just twiddled with his arrows and smiled to himself, like he found the rest of them unceasingly amusing. “I’m coming along to make sure Thor doesn’t accidentally break anything.”
Somehow, even from several feet behind Clint Barton, Darcy heard and answered that statement by slamming her suitcase shut. “What, you don’t think I could handle that?” she demanded as she came up to the rest of the group. He eyed her for a moment.
“Aren’t you like seventeen?” he asked.
“I’m twenty-two!” Darcy snapped, throwing her hands into the air. “And I’d like to see you taze the God of Thunder, Mister Bigshot.”
By that point, Jane was having to try very hard not to rub her temples. Darcy and Clint had been going at it since the latter had arrived via car with Thor four days ago. It was pretty obvious that Darcy thought Clint was attractive, but who didn’t Darcy find attractive? Jane wished that SHIELD had sent someone that at least wouldn’t think loud arguments were a form of flirting. Hadn't Dr. Selvig mentioned a pretty redhead with an icy demeanor that spent most of her time around Clint? Even if Darcy found her attractive, it didn't sound like that sort of woman would reciprocate...
“Look,” Jane said forcibly, and every head in the room swiveled in her direction. “Everything is going to be fine, okay? Dr. Selvig is going to man the fort, and I am going to enjoy having Thor around, and Darcy isn’t going to hire any male prostitutes–”
“I make no promises.”
“Should I make sure to look after you, too?” Clint asked.
“Do you want a taste of my tazer? ‘Cause I can go get it out of my bag.”
Jane rolled her eyes a second time and wandered off, the better to let Clint and Darcy’s voices fade into background noise. Maybe if she showed how stressed out she was getting, Dr. Selvig would leave her alone, too. As she moved across the room, Jane looked at her watch. Where were you? Being on time had never been your strong suit, but she thought she might go crazy if the trip didn’t get a move on soon.
“Are you all right?” Thor touched Jane lightly on the elbow as he spoke. Jane smiled up at him, though she winced a little as she did.
“I’m fine!” she said with a nervous laugh. “I’m just…worried, I guess.”
“If it is about what Selvig said,” Thor’s expression was full of concern, “I really do not intend to make trouble for you.”
“I know,” Jane said as she gently touched Thor’s cheek. “And he knows that, too. Erik just likes worrying.”
“I heard that!” Dr. Selvig called. Jane chuckled, that time more genuinely. Her smile seemed to make Thor feel more at ease as well, because he grinned down at her.
“I am glad that the fixing of the Bifrost and my arrival did not cause you any inconvenience...though I do feel as though I am interrupting your work with this trip.”
“You’re not!” Jane said. “This was already planned. You just have really great timing. Besides, it would be pretty boring, you sitting around watching me work all day.”
“Never boring.” Thor took her hand and kissed the knuckles. Despite that being a fairly common occurrence by that point, Jane still felt herself blush crimson. “You are so passionate that I could never find your work boring.”
“That’s–” Jane began, but she couldn’t finish her sentence. The sound of a blaring car horn cut across her words. Her mouth snapped shut; she looked outside to see a bright red car pulling up to the front of building. “She’s here!”
Before anyone could stop her, Jane pushed the nearby doors open and rushed outside. You were only just getting out of the car when she arrived, and when you saw her, you threw your arms wide open.
“Jane!”
“[Name]!”
Without further ado, the two of you hugged, both laughing. The sound of the door opening again announced the rest of the troop joining you, though neither of you broke apart at that. Even when Jane did step back to beam at you, the group went ignored.
“Thanks for inviting me along on such short notice,” you said.
“It was no problem at all! How have you been?” Jane asked. You cringed slightly, but still tried to pass it off as a smile when you answered:
“Well, I’ve been better.”
“I know. I’m really sorry about the wedding. I was so surprised when I heard he called things off.”
“You and me both,” you said with a snort, but soon your smile was back. “But that’s not your fault. I’m just grateful for something to take my mind off things.”
Behind her, Dr. Selvig cleared his throat. Jane gave him a sheepish smile before looking back at you. He would insist on proper etiquette. Jane’s father might have been dead, but he had done a pretty good job with his choice of father figure. She stepped up beside you, then pivoted to look at the rest of her friends.
“Everyone,” Jane said, “this is [F Name] [L Name]. We were roommates in college. She’s a biochemist up at University of Maine."
“Was,” you said.
“She was a biochemist at University of Maine,” Jane amended, though she frowned as she did so. On top of everything else, you had quit your job? Things must have been really bad for you to want to leave entirely. That moment wasn’t the time to ask for more details. Maybe later, once the lot of you got to Vegas. “[Name], this is my associate, Dr. Erik Selvig, my boyfriend, Thor, his friend, Clint Barton, and my friend-slash-assistant, Darcy Lewis. More my friend.”
“Uh, rude,” Darcy said, though she grinned. “I’m the best assistant you’ve ever had.”
“You’re the only assistant I’ve ever had.”
“Doesn’t change my point.”
“It’s nice to meet all of you. I’m glad Jane has some friends down here.” Your eyes met Jane’s. “She was really shy in college.”
“Well, she’s not shy anymore, I can tell you that,” Dr. Selvig said as he stepped forward to shake your hand. You took his with a smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Selvig. I once had an associate that thought most highly of you.”
Clint and Darcy both greeted you afterward, and then Thor kissed your hand. You smiled wryly and looked over at Jane.
“When did you start having all the luck with men?”
“When they started falling from the sky,” she answered. Your eyebrows shot straight up at that, but Jane didn’t elaborate. She still wasn’t clear on whether or not Thor’s identity was very much “secret.” Probably the truth of it would come out eventually from Thor himself anyway, once everyone got on the road.
As if reading her mind, Clint placed his sunglasses over his eyes and looked pointedly at the car. “I know I’m not the one in charge of this operation, but if we don’t get moving soon, we’ll miss our check-in time.”
“I never told you our check-in time,” Jane said, and looked at Darcy, who lifted her hands to her chest.
“What? Why would I tell him? The more in the dark he is, the better.”
“Are we competing to see who can babysit best?” Clint asked with a smirk. “Because you’re going to lose, Darce.”
“We’ll see about that,” she said haughtily. “And don’t call me Darce! We aren’t friends.”
Clint laughed. Jane stood awkwardly at the center of the group, looking between Thor’s pleasantly curious face, your bemused one, and Dr. Selvig’s expression of complete disbelief at the fact that she was actually going to go through with the trip. For a moment, Jane seriously considered calling it off. Between you being emotionally volatile and Thor…being Thor, and Darcy and Clint being determined to go at each other, the entire thing seemed like a disaster waiting to happen.
But Jane was, if anything, ever-optimistic. Soon she was smiling again. “Well, let’s pack up and hit the road, then!”
“Yay!” Darcy said, darting back into the building to grab her things. Clint followed her at a slower pace, shaking his head.
“You still have a chance to get everyone to stay here, Jane,” Dr. Selvig said quietly. Jane shook her head.
“It’ll be fine! We’re all adults here, right?”
“I suppose.” He still looked doubtful. “You have my number so you can call me if anything goes awry?”
“Yes, Erik,” Jane said. “If Thor’s brother decides to send down another alien being to destroy the hotel, you will be the first on my list of people to notify.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I know, but everything is going to be fine.”
“Loki is imprisoned on Asgard after his attack on Manhattan,” Thor called. He was loading both his and Jane’s luggage into the back of your car. “He will not be able to bother us.”
“Yes, well,” said Dr. Selvig, “I’ve heard that before.”
“Erik…”
“I know, I know. You can handle yourself. Try to look after things, will you?”
“You know I will. And you’ll do the same here?”
“To the best of my abilities.”
“That’s all I ask.”
“Come on, Jane!” Darcy cried. “Let’s get going!”
Jane waved at Dr. Selvig and headed back toward the car. “Goodbye!”
“So, who’s driving?” Clint asked as she arrived. Jane looked curiously at you; you grinned.
“The car is rented under my name, so I’m driving.”
“I call shotgun!” said Darcy, and climbed into the passenger seat without waiting for anyone to argue. Jane, Clint, and Thor made their way to the back of the car.
“Great, that means I get to sit with the happy couple,” Clint said as he scooted over as far as he could go to allow Jane and Thor seats together. Darcy glanced back at him.
“Hey, you want babysitting duty so bad, you can sit there. I don’t want to watch Jane make out with anybody, even if the anybody is as hot as Thor.”
Though his eyes were hidden by his lenses, Jane could only imagine Clint rolling his eyes that that one. Before he could retort, however, Thor clapped him on the shoulder. “It could be worse, my friend. You could be looking after Tony and Pepper.”
A short bark of laughter burst from Clint's mouth. “Right! If anyone needs to be watched in Vegas, it’s that guy. Let’s hope Nat gets that gig.”
“Are we all ready to go?” you asked from the driver's seat.
Jane caught your eye in the rear view mirror and tried her best to smile. “We’re ready,” she answered, though not without another pang of nerves about whether or not the entire Vegas trip was a good idea. No one else seemed to feel that way at all, though, so what choice did she have?
“Let us go,” Thor said.
“Wee!” Darcy said, bouncing several times in her seat.
“Then let’s blow this popsicle stand!” you said, and the convertible rushed back toward the road. Jane twisted only once in her seat to see Dr. Selvig watching them go. When you turned a corner, she settled back down, trying to ignore how worried he looked. Because, really, what could go wrong, with two doctors, a political science student, a demi-god, and a trained government agent?
Thor nudged Jane’s shoulder and pointed toward one of the rock formations as you passed. As Jane attempted to meet his enthusiasm with her own, she really hoped that no one would try to answer that question. It sounded more like the opening to a bad joke than reality, and she'd had more than enough of people treating her reality like a joke.