Whumptober 2023 ~ Marvel Edition

'You Said You'd Never Leave.' - Jane Foster

Day 10:

"Can't you see that you're lost without me?"
Broken Phone | Stranded | "You said you'd never leave."

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This is a milder whump because I don't have the heart to hurt Jane like I do the others </3

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As Jane stepped along the rocks to get herself across the creek, she couldn't help but notice the beauty of the place. The water glistened in the sunlight and the way the sunlight shone through the trees casted beautiful rays about, but despite the scenic beauty around her, it still didn't ease her frustrations.

Jane had been looking for Thor for months, and every time she had a lead, it fell through. This one was looking like it was heading in that same direction. She had followed some abnormal weather patterns into this area of the country that she would have put money on were related to the Einstein-Rosen bridge. But alas, no matter how hard or how long she searched for, nothing here was leading her to believe that this place was any different from the forty-two other places she'd searched in the months since Thor's disappearance.

She just wanted to see him again. At this point, yes it would be nice to see her lifelong work be validated and expanded upon, but she also really wanted to be reunited with the god once again. She knew in her heart that she belonged with him, and finding a way to track or somehow recreate the patterns associated with the bridge seemed to be her only shot at finding him again.

But, unfortunately, there comes a time in every one of her endeavors that she has to call it a day and move on to the next place. Or, at the very least, wait until another day to get a fresh look at it.

Jane growled in frustration and pulled her phone out of her pocket to call Darcy. The sun would be going down soon, and they needed to head back, so she also needed to let her team know that she was about to head back. As she pulled up her and Darcy's messages, she began to type her thoughts. However, a few moments into doing so, Jane felt her foot lose its traction on the slippery rocks below and before she could fully process that she was falling, she felt her front side slam into the creek below.

Jane let out another growl of frustration, but this time, that frustration was also mixed with pain. She was fine - it wasn't the worst pain she'd ever been in, and she could tell that the worst damage was maybe some bruising - but the pain and now wetness encompassing her clothes and hair only amplified her anger.

Taking a moment to compose herself, Jane sat up, took in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and focused her attention inward. Once she was finally calmer, she opened her eyes and went to return to her text.

Wait...her phone. Where was it?

Jane's heart rate picked up and she immediately began searching the water beneath her. Her search didn't last long, because mere seconds after she began looking, she found it submerged in the creek. She pulled it out as fast as she could in the hopes that it wouldn't be as damaged if it left the water only a second earlier, but despite her desperate attempts to get it working again, her screen remained black.

Jane wanted to scream, but she found herself going mute with defeat. How was she supposed to get back now? She knew the general direction from which she'd come, but her phone was supposed to be her way to signal her location to her team for pickup. Without it, she was stranded.

She let her head hang forward and began to silently sob. She was just so tired. She was sleep deprived, overworked, and most of all, she missed Thor.

For one, brief, blissful moment, she thought she'd found her happy ending. She hated the fact that her emotions were so easily swayed by a guy, but he was more than that to her. He made her feel things she never thought possible, and she believed that, besides science, Thor was her one true love. She didn't even know if she believed in "true love", but if it existed, Thor was it for her; she knew it deep in her soul.

"You promised," she said quietly and under her breath, as if praying to him or anyone else above who would listen to her cries. "You said you'd come back for me." Jane looked up at the sky. "You said you'd never leave - not for good. So if you're a man of your word, come back to me. Or at least help me - point me in the right direction. Please."

Jane wasn't sure if it was just a coincidence, her imagination, or if somehow or some way someone was listening to her, but right then, her phone screen came to life, and it seemed to take the breath out of her throat. As the air finally re-entered her lungs, she let out an airy laugh and stood up to keep her phone as far away from the water as she finally could.

She looked up at the sky and smiled.

"Thank you," she whispered under her breath.