When Storms Come and Stars Collide ~ Book I ~ Thor Fanfiction

Chapter 1: The Trail of Agony

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.