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As they sailed through the air, it felt like Leila's stomach lurched into her throat, and she tightened her arms around Thor's neck.
Just a few moments later, they landed by runes on the ground that looked remarkably similar to those that had appeared the night Thor had appeared.
Leila remembered that moment with a small smile and a pang of sadness. The storm, the car hitting Thor, the hospital. It felt like so long ago, but in reality only a few days had passed.
Thor and Leila landed on the ground, her legs shaky as she leaned on him for support. "Do you ever get used to that?"
He laughed, a hearty, booming sound that vibrated Leila's bones. "Yes! It becomes very fun."
A few minutes later, everyone else arrived in Jane's van.
Thor walked to the middle of the runed pattern on the ground, looking up at the sky. "Heimdall, open the bifrost." Nothing happened. "Heimdall?"
Thor walked over to the other asgardians, shaking his head. "He doesn't answer."
"Then we are stranded." Said Hogun.
"Heimdall, if you can hear me, we need you now!" Thor raised his head to the sky again. "We need you now!"
"Heimdall!" Finally, a stormcloud from above them began to churn, colours bursting from within. The asgardians grinned and walked towards the runes as the rainbow-esque formation sunk lower and lower to the ground.
Thor turned to Leila. "I must go back to Asgard, but I give you my word, I will return. And I will bring you to Asgard. There we can teach you of your home, of your people, of your powers." He took her hands in his. "Deal?"
Leila looked up at the taller man through her eyelashes. She lifted herself on her toes to softly press her lips to his cheek. "Deal."
"Thor! We must go!" Volstagg called from near the Bifrost. Thor looked into her eyes and a silent understanding passed between then before he slowly walked away from her towards the others. He smiled softly before he disappeared into the cloud.
When the stormclouds cleared, all of the Asgardians were gone. The runes on the ground were smoldering as the crackling rainbow retreated up to the sky
-
The purpose all of the astrophysicists had come to New Mexico had stopped. The auroras ceased happening. After a few days of observing the desert nights, the scientists came to the conclusion that nothing else would happen.
They still didn't know what exactly had caused the anomalies. It was likely Thor appearing, but they weren't sure.
Now, they were all headed their separate ways. Leila was headed back to New York, to stay with her parents upstate for a time as she figured out her next job.
Jane had decided to stay in New Mexico with Darcy in case any more anomalies happened, with a promise that she would call her colleagues if anything else happened.
Erik was also headed to New York, but in the city. He didn't tell anyone what he'd be doing there. While Leila was leaving tomorrow morning, he was leaving tonight.
All of the scientists going to different places. However, they had become more than colleagues-friends, and they promised to stay in touch.
-
Leila sat with her legs crossed on the airport chair. She flipped through the book of Norse myths, a soft smile coming to her lips when she reached the page on Thor.
"Ms. Dayne?" Someone asked, causing Leila to look up from her book. She recognized the man, sharply dressed, as Agent Coulson, from just a few days earlier in Puente Antiguo.
"That's me." Leila shifted in her seat and tucked her book into her carry-on bag.
"I need to talk to you about a proposition. Would you like to take a private plane to New York?" He pointed to the window, where there was a small black jet outside.
Uneasily, Leila slung her bag over her shoulder. "Sure." How did they know so much?
Upon entering the S.H.I.E.L.D. jet, Leila found that they spared no expense. The seats looked comfortable, there were food and drinks laid out, and there were several agents guarding the aircraft.
She sat down on one of the chairs, immediately sinking into the soft leather. Agent Coulson sat down across from her.
"After the situation in New Mexico, S.H.I.E.L.D. is in need of consultants. The thought that there are other beings out there..." he trailed off, looking out the window as the plane began taking off. "No one truly understands what's out there, but people like you are our best bet."
Leila took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I dunno... I think I've had enough craziness for a lifetime in the last few days."
"I understand. It's not exactly every day you discover an alien culture." Agent Coulson chuckled. He reached into his suit jacket and took out a business card that just had a phone number on it. "Here. Just... think about it."
He got out of his seat, and nodded at Leila. "Enjoy your flight," he walked into a separate compartment at the back of the plane.
After a flight that she had slept almost all the way through, Leila stepped off of the S.H.I.E.L.D. jet. She walked through the airport to the doors, where she found her fathers waiting for her.
"Leila!" Shouted her dad, quickly embracing her in a bone-crushing hug.
"Hey," she reached up and patted him on the back. Her papa joined their hug, smiling widely.
He spoke softly, voice filled with emotion. "We missed you, my dear."
"Missed you too. I had just about the weirdest week of my life." Leila chuckled.
"You can tell us on the way home!" Her dad said, grinning from ear to ear.
-
That night, Leila sat at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of coffee. Her phone sat in front of her, as did the business card given to her by Agent Coulson.
Her parents had long since gone to bed, and she'd been sitting by herself for a while now. Soft music played from the stereo on the counter, causing Leila to tap her foot on the ground.
She picked up the card and began tapping the corner on the table. Her thoughts raced back and forth as she considered her options. Her eyes flickered over the lines and she blinked.
Finally, Leila picked her phone up from the table and dialed the number slowly, finger shoving over each button.
"Agent Coulson? This is Leila Dayne. I'll take that job if there's still an offer on the table."
-
So there's the end of Thor! The next chapter will be a little transition to the first Avengers movie, then after that we'll get into an au between The Avengers and Thor: The Dark World. That's really where I'll be able to build Leila's character and not just insert her into a pre-existing script.
