A/N this takes place right after Tony's snap

Jane twirls the ends of her hair between her fingers absentmindedly as she stares at the clock. She could leave now. There's no harm in getting to the airport early. It's certainly better than getting there late. But she's spent all week planning out her schedule for the day to make sure this conference goes perfectly. Leaving early, even if there's no real reason not to, goes against the schedule. She can't do that.

She sighs and drops her hands to her sides. Maybe she should just leave. She'll make it to the airport much earlier than she'd planned, but she can spend her downtime rereading her cue cards. She's fairly certain she has them memorized, especially having given so many presentations so similar to this before, but she can't afford to slip up in such a professional environment. Nothing's going to stop her from overthinking, but it's better to be overprepared than underprepared.

She's about to grab her bags and leave when she feels something change. There's something wrong — with her; with her body. Is she getting sick? If she is, it's coming on rather suddenly, and at the worst possible time. But she can't miss this conference. It's one of the most important presentations she's ever been invited to! She's going to this damn conference if it kills her.

That's the last thing she thinks before she fades away.

And then she's back.

She blinks a few times, trying to clear her head.

That was weird.

There's a loud gasp from behind her, and Jane turns around to find a stranger else in her apartment — or what used to be her apartment, but it looks entirely different now, reorganized completely and full of items that don't belong to her.

Jane instinctively takes a step away. "Who are you?"

The woman in front of her scoffs. "Who am I? Who are you? ? What are you doing in my kitchen?"

Jane stares at her blankly. "What are you talking about?"

"What are you doing in my kitchen?" she asks again. "How did you get here? Were you–" She cuts herself off, eyes going wide. "You were Snapped, weren't you?"

Jane shakes her head helplessly. "I don't know what you're saying."

"You were Snapped," the woman insists. "In 2018. You were Snapped, right?"

Jane runs a hand through her hair, exasperated. "I don't understand what you're saying to me."

"Oh my god," the woman whispers. "How did you do it? How did you get back? Is everyone back?"

"Back from what?" Jane asks, growing increasingly frustrated as the conversation goes on. "What's happening? Who are you? What happened to my apartment?"

The woman shakes her head. "This isn't your apartment. It hasn't been for five years."

"I'm sorry?"

"It's 2023," the woman continues. "Five years ago, Thanos Snapped away half the universe. Half the planet, just... gone."

Jane stares at her in disbelief. "That's not possible," she says. "That can't be–"

"I know," she says qiuckly. "It's crazy. But now you're back, so everyone might be back, so I'm going to call my parents, okay? But we can, you know, talk about sleeping arrangements after. Just..." She pulls out her cellphone. "Give me a minute."

Jane just stands there for a few moments, dumbfounded, while this woman starts completely ignoring her. This is ridiculous. It's insane. She's insane. This isn't happening right now – it cannot be happening right now. There's no possible way five years disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Jane heads for the door, running outside and kicking the door shut behind her. She's met with the same familiar sight she's seen every time she left her apartment for years. And yet, it feels wrong. Nothing's changed, but it's different. She can't explain it, but somehow, deep down, she just knows.

It's been five years.

She's just missed out on the last five years of her life.

Her apartment is no longer her own. What else has she lost? Does she own anything? After five years, is anything still hers? Or has it all been given away – or, worse, stolen?

Maybe she should try to contact Selvig – or Darcy, even. Someone. She just needs to talk to someone, to make some sense of this. Even if they were Snapped away, too. She doesn't need someone to explain it to her. It's already been explained. She just needs someone to talk to about it. She needs to make sense of it for herself.

"Jane."

Jane glances over, and she feels her heart stop.

He stands off in the distance, almost unrecognizable in his bloody, dirty state. His hair has become knotted and matted, partially tied back behind his head. He's grown a mess of a beard, braided down the middle, though not very neatly. But beneath the dirt and the grime and the plethora of weight he's put on, he's still unmistakably...

"Thor," she whispers.

He just stands there, still, silent. His shoulders are slumped, his head slightly lowered, and he just looks... tired.

Jane takes a step toward him, and then another, and then she's practically running toward him, throwing herself at him and wrapping her arms around his waist. Thor lets out a long breath and hugs her back. He relaxes in her arms, and his head finds itself resting on top of her own. And she doesn't even care that they broke up years ago. She doesn't even care that their relationship is long over; that they've both moved on to bigger and better things. Right now, all that matters to her is that Thor's here and he's going to keep her safe.

"I'm sorry," Thor whispers. "I'm so sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Jane asks. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I did," Thor says. "I did everything wrong. And people got hurt; people died..."

"Thor..."

Thor swallows hard, his voice trailing off. Her heart aches for him. She can hear the pain in his voice, the tension he holds. She wishes there was something she could do, but she wouldn't know where to begin. She doesn't know what happened; what he's been through. What is there for her to do?

"Are you okay?" Thor asks quietly.

"I think so," she murmurs. "Are you?"

"I don't know," he admits. "It has been a difficult few years."

"But it's over now," she says. She takes a step back to look up at him, and he drops his hands to his side. "It is over, right?"

"I think so," Thor says. He shakes his head helplessly. "I hope so."

Jane nods solemnly. She can't really ask for more. "What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know," Thor admits.

"Are you going back to Asgard?" she asks.

Thor's demeanor changes, growing impossibly more somber at the question. "Asgard is gone."

Jane's eyes go wide. "What?"

"I had to destroy my homeland to save my people," Thor tells her. "Not long after, Thanos massacred most of my people. Those who are left have moved on. I've hardly seen them in years."

Jane covers her mouth with her hand, staring at him in horror. "Oh, god," she breathes. "I'm so sorry. That's awful. I..." She shakes her head. She can't even imagine that.

Thor takes a deep breath, his eyes almost glazing over as he looks away. He opens his mouth as though he's going to speak, but he closes it again wordlessly.

Jane closes the distance between them again, resting her head against his chest. Thor wraps his arms around her, holding her close, and for a while, they just stand there, silent, enjoying each other's company as much as they can bring themselves to enjoy anything right now. As insane as these last few minutes have been, she can't deny that it's nice to have him back. It's nice to be in his arms again; the safest arms in the Nine Realms.

After a while, Jane asks quietly, "Are you staying on Earth now?"

"I don't have much choice," Thor admits. "With Asgard gone, I have nowhere else to go, and with the Bifrost destroyed, I'd have no way to get there."

She looks up at him sympathetically. "Where are you going to stay?"

"Clint Barton has offered me his home," Thor says, though he doesn't seem very enthusiastic about it. "At least for a short while."

Jane forces a smile. "That's nice of him."

"Mm," Thor hums.

They lapse into silence. Jane lowers her gaze, her cheek resting against his chest while she looks out past his arm. She's not sure what to say. Thor isn't, either. This is such a strange situation. How does one respond to it?

Eventually, just for the sake of saying something, Jane tells him, "A stranger's been living in my apartment for the last five years."

Thor looks down at her in surprise. "That sounds... uncomfortable."

"Mm-hmm," she agrees.

"Can you still live there?" Thor asks.

"I don't know," Jane admits. "For now." That's the feeling she got from the new owner, at least, though they've yet to truly discuss it.

"That's good," Thor says.

"Mm," she hums.

And then it grows quiet again.

She wants to say it, but she can't. What if he's not thinking it too? What if this is just her? What if she's looking too much into this? This is the first she's seen of him in, god, two years, almost? And for him, it's been seven. He hasn't seen her in seven years.

What is she thinking? She can't say it. That would be ridiculous. He'd think she's being ridiculous. She would be ridiculous. She—

"I don't suppose you'd want to share a home."

Jane stares at him.

He actually said it.

She must be giving the wrong impression, because he quickly adds, "We don't have to. It was just a thought. I know it has been a long time since we've seen each other, especially from a human's perspective, and though we parted amicably—"

"Yes," Jane interrupts, a smile on her lips. "I would love to."

Thor smiles, too, clearly relieved by the answer.

Jane finally breaks their hug, taking a small step back to look at him. "Is that why you're here?" she asks, somewhat amused by the thought. "You wanted to move in with me?" That's kind of adorable. Even at the height of their relationship, they still didn't live together. They'd spend a few nights together at a time, maybe, but living together? That's completely new.

But Thor shakes his head. "I left because I couldn't bear the thought of spending another minute with the Avengers," he admits. "I hadn't known where I was going until I saw you."

"I thought you liked the Avengers," Jane says, confused. That was a large part of the reason they drifted apart: she was busy with her fellow scientists, and he was busy with his fellow superheroes.

"I do," Thor says. "Which is why I can't bear to be with them now. Our battle was not without its casualties."

Jane's heart stops.

"What?"

"Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff both gave their lives today," Thor says. "Steve Rogers likely does not have long left, either."

Jane feels her heart breaking all over again. She's only met the Avengers a handful of times, but she always liked them. And, more importantly, Thor liked them. They were his family; his home when he couldn't go home. To lose so many friends in one day...

"I'm sorry," Jane says, because what else is there to say to that? It sounds as though he's lost just about everything he ever had. She can't help him with that, as much as she wishes she could.

Thor forces a smile. "Thank you."

Jane shoves her hands in her back pockets. "Would, um..." She shrugs awkwardly. "Would you want to catch up over coffee?"

"I imagine the local coffee shops are fairly chaotic right now," Thor says. "It may be best to avoid public outings for the next hour or two."

Jane nods. He probably has a point. "Do you want to... um..." God, what is there to do right now? The whole world's been turned upside down. It's probably best not to get involved.

"We could go for a walk," Thor suggests.

Jane smiles. "I would like that."

Thor reaches for her hand, but their fingers barely brush before he pulls it away. Jane takes his hand, interlocking their fingers. Thor looks over at her, a small smile on his lips, and Jane smiles back.

God, it's nice to have her god back.