~New Mexico, USA, Earth~

“By the Norns, it’s hot in this realm!” Fandral said, swiping the back of his hand across his forehead as he along with Hogun, Volstagg, and Sif landed on the hot sand of the New Mexican desert.

Scanning the desolate landscape, Sif sheathed her sword, and shielding her eyes from the red blazing western sun, she pointed to a town twenty miles in the distance at the base of a snow capped mountain range.

“That appears to be the sole civilization for miles,” she said, breathing hard from the heat. “Shall we?”

Nodding in agreement, they ran full speed across the landscape.  At the edge of the small town which appeared to be nothing more than one lone street, Volstagg winced at the cramp in his side and whistled an exhale.

“When we return, remind me to ask Heimdall why he dropped us so far from the proper site.  I do not care for running.”

Watching carefully the stares of the townspeople aimed in their direction, Hogun muttered, “Duly noted, Volstagg.  I imagine the gatekeeper will be shocked at the revelation.”

“I think we might look a touch out of place,” Fandral said, so nervous that he didn’t even wink at any of the women. “How do you propose we find him?  Go through every building?”

Thor’s gruff voice from behind them stopped them in their tracks. “That won’t be necessary.” 

Smiles spreading across their faces, the warriors turned and launched themselves at him.  Taking turns embracing him, they laughed.  Sif held him longer than was perhaps appropriate considering the petite woman looking on was most likely Jane.  Thor gently pulled free from her tight hold on his neck sensing the awkward glances between the two women.

“My friends!  It has been far too long!  I am beyond delighted to see your faces.  Though I find it astonishing that my father would allow you to visit.”  

He gripped Sif’s shoulder and gave it a solid squeeze hoping the gesture seemed platonic.  He kicked himself mentally for falling so easily for Jane who stood behind him when Sif clearly still had romantic feelings for him.  When Odin had banished him, he’d had no idea when he would see Sif again, and the weight of that knowledge had made him immensely lonely.  Jane had saved him from that loneliness.  

Eying each other, the warriors frowned, and Fandral spoke first. “Thor, I regret to tell you that the Allfather has fallen into the Odinsleep.”

Thor gaped.  Rubbing his hand down his now wet cheek, he consciously closed his mouth and looked at the clouds whispering, “Father?”

Sif, ignoring Jane who had come up and grasped his hand, hugged him once again.  She willed herself not to kick the tiny brunette in the gut.  How dare that short creature think she was a worthy companion for her golden, albeit fallen, prince?

“Your mother watches over him day and night,” Sif sighed against his chest, holding him close. “You must come home.”

“What?  No!” Jane said, incredulous, pulling Thor not only from his sorrowful thoughts but also from Sif’s arms.   

Fandral, seeing Sif’s anger growing, broke the deafening silence that had come over the group at Jane’s words.

“You must be Jane Foster,” he said, bowing and bringing her hand to his mouth for a kiss.  

“I am, yes,” she said, offering a weak smile before returning her attention to Thor. “This must mean that gatekeeper you spoke of has passed along my information to your friends.” 

Thor hung his head, still bewildered by the news of his father. “Is my brother well?”

Grabbing Thor’s hands, Sif spoke first. “He is king now.  And we have been begging to come get you since he took over.  He refused at first.  I don’t trust him, Thor.  And you shouldn’t either.  Come home.  There’s nothing for you here anyway.”

“Excuse me?” Jane turned angry eyes on the much taller woman.

Thor shushed Sif and shook his head. “It pains me greatly to say it, but I have no place in Asgard, Sif.  Not anymore.  I am mortal.  Father, if he were awake, would have refused just as Loki did.  You must not hold that against him.  He is right to follow my father’s last command.”

Tears stung Sif’s eyes as she gripped his hands harder. “Thor, how can you say that?  You must come home!”  

“If he feels that he should stay here, then he should,” Jane snapped, anger clouding her small features. “Like he said, he isn’t a god like the rest of you anymore.  He would be out of place.  Plus,” she softened her tone and reached her hand up to his face, “I still have so much to learn about you and the other realms.”

Before she could stop herself, filled with jealousy and rage, Sif slapped Jane’s hand away and gave her a swift kick to the stomach.  Jane, as though she were nothing more than a ragdoll, was knocked back fifteen feet.  Screaming in pain, she curled around her injured torso as Sif drew her sword and made to run her through.  Eyes wide, Thor threw himself over her small frame, shielding Jane from the blow, but Sif was unable to stop the attack and the blade pierced his spine.  The warriors screamed ‘NO!!’ in unison and watched, horrified, as Thor rolled off Jane and cried out in agony.

Sif sheathed her sword and pulled his massive body into her lap. “Oh no, no, no, please, no, Thor!” She stared at the clouds, begging the gatekeeper to bring them back to Asgard so Thor might receive proper and swift healing before his human form succumbed to death. “Heimdall!  Please!”

“It’s too late,” Thor gasped, choking on his own blood.  He looked up at Sif as tears streamed down her face.  He grimaced at the excruciating pain shooting through his upper body, the lower half having been paralyzed by the blow.  

“No, it’s not!  We will save you, Thor!” Sif sobbed, ignoring the hundreds of people who had run into the street at the sound of their screams.

Sputtering around the metallic taste in his mouth, Thor croaked, “Tell Mother and Loki…”

Hogun bent down and gripped his dying friend’s limp hand as Thor’s voice failed him. “We know.  Save your breath, my friend,” Hogun whispered. 

Sif continued to weep and put her face in his hair. “What have I done?!  I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry.  Please don’t go where I can’t follow.”

As Thor’s mortal body gave in to the fatal injury, the sound of nervous and terrified chatter filled their ears.  Looking around, they glared at the townspeople who were running back into the shops and diners, most likely calling for their local law enforcers.

“We need to go,” Hogun said, pulling on Sif.   

Angry, she pushed his hands away. “We cannot just leave him here!  He must return to Asgard for a proper funeral!  It is the least we can give him!  Think of the queen!”

“Heimdall?” Fandral yelled up at the gathering clouds overhead. 

“What is that?” Volstagg shouted, pointing at what looked like a flaming arrow speeding to them.   

Fandral’s eyes blew wide, and he smiled. “It’s Mjolnir!” he shouted over the deafening sound of the famed weapon coming straight for them just as Thor’s hand shot up and caught the hammer.   

Staring in awe, the warriors laughed gleefully as his armor appeared across his body.  He stood, looking every bit the god that he was and pulled Sif up with him.

“Thor,” she started, but he shot her an angry look, and she closed her mouth abruptly.  She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole right there.  He would never forgive her for this.  Or, at least, not for centuries.  

Glaring at her, Thor snarled, “You and I will have words.  Later.  For now,” he turned and picked up Jane’s limp barely living body before continuing, “we must get Jane to our healers.”  

Not a second had passed when the bifrost opened, sweeping them up to Asgard.

---

Looking on from across the deserted streets of the town, a black suited man wearing black aviators pulled the chirping iPhone from his pocket.  Sighing at the number flashing on the lockscreen, he slid his finger across and answered.  

“Stark?  This is atypical.  Returning my calls isn’t usually on your to do list.  I assume Miss Potts had something to do with it.”  

Shaking his head and rolling his eyes, he waited through the sarcastic and clever comments of the famed billionaire on the other end.

“Your mocking tone is, as usual, greatly appreciated, Stark,” he sighed, running a hand down his face. “I am not a scientist.  I am a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.  Comprehending what I can only describe as the stuff of science fiction that I just saw is not part of my job description.  That’s your job.”  

Groaning through the response, he continued, “I’m aware of how ridiculous it sounds.  It looked like a tornado with beams of light sucked up four huge men, wearing capes and carrying Viking like weapons into the clouds.  One of whom was the blond guy we detained for a bit a few weeks ago.  They had two women with them.  And by the way, you can stop with the nicknames.  They aren’t as witty as you think.  Coulson or Phil will do.”  

He pushed a finger to the ear that wasn’t covered by the phone and furrowed his brow thinking he’d misheard what Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, was telling him on the other end. 

“You want me to what?  Fly to Catalina?  Tonight?  I’m flattered by your desire to see me so soon,” he deadpanned, his eyebrows creeping up his forehead at the words.  

Stark was something of a genius who lived up to his billionaire playboy status.  He’d created a suit of iron that allowed him to fly and battle enemies of the state with advanced weapons technology that he, impressively, had created.  The world thought of him as a superhero and treated him like a celebrity, but he was usually annoying as hell.  He flirted with practically anything that wore a skirt and had slept with the prettiest of said skirts.  Hundred of them probably.  Coulson wrinkled his nose at the thought.  Stark was arrogant (yeah, he’d earned that right but so what?) and owned more real estate than the secret government agency that Coulson worked for did.  Sure, Iron Man had been a welcome addition to the agency’s list of go to guys for save the world type missions, and yes, he’d saved a lot of lives, but Coulson found it incredibly difficult to work with the non-team player nonetheless.  

“You are allowing me to step across the threshold of your colossal vacation house?  Should I expect a ring, too?”

Chuckling at his own quip, Coulson ignored Stark’s snide retort.  All laughing aside, though, Stark must have considered Coulson to be of great importance if he was willing to fly him out on his private jet—The sky must be falling.

“I’ll be there in a few hours,” he said and hung up.  He returned the phone to his pocket and walked back to his ’62 Corvette and spun off, dust flying behind him.

---

Hunched over inside the Jotunheim portal that was far too small for a frost giant to comfortably walk through, Laufey led his army of vengeful Jotuns to the frozen over entrance into Asgard.  All it took was one blast of his fist into it and the ice shattered.  He turned to face the thousands of pairs of red eyes and nodded his head.

“Asgard falls today.  You are to freeze every single living creature you see.  I want that casket back!  And we will have it!  The power it wields belongs to us!  King Loki was not expecting us until tomorrow.  I will deal with him.  And the Allfather.”  

“And that hawk Theoric,” he muttered under his breath.  

With a sweeping arm, Laufey signaled the giants to charge through the portal.  The thousand strong army pummeled through the forest, their sheer mass snapping trees as though they were nothing more than twigs.  

As they made their way from the broken trees, the first warning siren boomed through the city.  The sound was so loud that their ears bled.  It wasn’t long before terrified blood curdling screams of the lower class citizens in the outskirts of the city joined the cacophony of pounding feet, war cries, and horns.  Laufey glared at the Asgardian army’s boat like gunships headed in their direction as he continued demolishing the first small village with blasts of ice.  He saw the blazing yellow shots that had been fired at his fellow Jotuns before he heard them.  The Asgardian defense had responded so quickly to their charge that he wondered if their mischievous king had known his plan to arrive a day early all along.  No matter—They’d all be dead soon, King Loki with them.

A fiery laser from a quickly approaching ship pierced one of his lieutenants running next to him right through the chest, and the giant’s body was blown back from the force.  Growling, Laufey ran faster, screaming for his troops to press on.

---

Thor had landed in the bifrost’s observatory with his friends and Jane in tow, and after having kissed the gleaming floor, he was now walking down the long bridge.  He’d asked Heimdall to summon a healing ship for Jane upon arrival.  Setting her carefully in the boat, he allowed the pair of healers to see to her as he climbed in and sat across from her.  He could have held her and flown to the healing rooms, but it would have taken longer, and he knew these people would tend to her injured body immediately.  He was unsure what he’d done to win back his status and his weapon, and furrowing his brow, he decided to press Loki for that information once he’d deposited Jane safely in the healing rooms.  Surely his brother, sitting on the all seeing throne, would know the answer.  

Just as Sif and the warriors settled at the stern of the ship, the loud blares from the sirens that stood menacingly at the top of four buildings equidistant from the palace echoed across the realm.  As the ship took off at top speed toward his home, he and the warriors stared in horror at the onslaught of Jotuns tumbling out of the forest situated at the base of the mountains.  Gunships flew past them, the soldiers shouting orders to the defense troops that had sprung from their bases spread throughout the city.  Thinking he might have been imagining it, Thor rubbed his eyes.

“How….?” His voice trailed off as he sprung to his feet.  

It was impossible!  Where had they come from?  There had always been rumors of secret portals to other realms, but none had believed them earnestly.  He turned to Sif and barked for her to stay with Jane.  Tears in her eyes, she nodded and moved to sit with the all too frail mortal woman, the guilt she felt effectively silencing the biting retort about being as strong as a man and deserving a good fight.  Thor, along with the three warriors, jumped from the flying ship, landing squarely on their feet, and he ran faster than he knew he could run.

“Horses!!”  

The stables not more than a hundred yards from them, he’d forgone the use of the hammer so the stable hands could hear his shouts for them to prepare their horses.  He charged through the hundreds of soldiers headed in the direction of the trees and slid to a stop when his white steed was hurriedly brought to him.  Grabbing the reins, he jumped swiftly and with more grace than his size would suggest possible onto the saddle.  With the forward shout, his horse neighed and reared back before speeding toward the forest alongside the Asgardian cavalry, his red cape flying behind him.

FALLEN CONTINUES IN CHAPTER SIX: DEATH IS EVERYWHERE

Visit the Trilogy main page HERE.

Fallen Chapters: ¹ Come Back to Me, Sig. ² I’ll Protect You From Everything ³ Let’s Just See How This Plays Out ⁴ When Did I Get So Soft? ⁵ Bring Me Home (But Not to This) ⁶ Death is Everywhere ⁷ The Bridge ⁸ The Desert ⁹ Remember Remember (It Hurts Like Hel) ¹⁰ Green is for Life ¹¹ I Don’t Make Deals With Monsters ¹² Rain Rain, Go Away ¹³ Are You Ready? ¹⁴ I Will Find You

CHAPTER FIVE THEME SONG:

“Never Say Die” by CHVRCHES

What Readers Have Said

About CH 5 “Bring Me Home (But Not to This)”

“Perfect!! I have a fondness for villains. I love those who aren’t evil per say but love being bad. Probably my favourite type of character is Chaotic Neutral, neither good nor bad, but they love causing chaos. And that fits in perfectly with Loki and your story. I really can’t wait to read more, and thanks for not making Thor sickeningly ‘good’!! Please more chapters with Loki being a BAMF King that creams Thor’s contributions!”

-DragonTemple6, on CH 5 “Bring Me Home, but Not to This.” , 15 Jun 2017 (AO3)

“Yikes is an accurate summary of this chapter, because nearly everything that happens is…yikes.”

-Harrypotterfreakie, on CH 5 “Bring Me Home, but Not to This.” , 26 Aug 2021 AO3)

---

Please feel free to leave a comment below. Reviews are (almost always *wink*) a source of excitement and humble joy for Jen!