Disclaimer: The Avengers characters and story are owned by Marvel and their script writers. I am only borrowing them for a little fun.

A/N: This story began as a small plot bunny for Alydia's Lokane weekend. We will get to that eventually. For now, this story takes off from Avengers and spins away into an AU. The early chapters dealing with the events in The Avengers will be more narrative than anything. I don't feel it's necessary to recreate the film script. Instead, I will briefly take you through what changed. The writing style will likely morph into a more common format in later chapters.

Italics indicate conversation that is not spoken aloud.

Jane Foster was overwhelmed.

She stared fixedly into the light of the Cube in her hands. No, not the Cube. Tesseract, a voice whispered into her mind.

For the past several weeks, Jane had been working at a SHIELD base with Erik. They had brought her in on the renewable energy project due of her unique leaps of logic that allowed her to find answers quickly. She had been content there, hoping that someday the energy project might produce a stable enough power source to power an Einstein-Rosen Bridge.

And then he arrived. The power on the Cube spiked, and a being came through the portal. Loki.

Everything got blurry after that. Along with Hawkeye and Erik, she had followed Loki out of the complex. They had found a place to keep working, and that was all she knew. She occasionally heard bits of other conversations around her, but there was a sort of pressure in her mind that didn't allow her to focus on anything else.

Until she had picked up the Cube to give it to Erik.

And everything changed.

Knowledge flooded her mind. Places in the universe that she had never seen. Pathways between Realms that she had never known existed. And it spoke to her. Even when Erik impatiently plucked the cube out of her hands and returned to work, the connection continued.

You are different, Jane Foster, it said to her. The Tesseract's voice was distinctly female, and immediately she began to think of it as such.

I am? she answered tentatively, not entirely sure how to go about speaking without using her voice.

There is a great potential in you. In your mind. You must be the one to help stop this. What the others are attempting is not meant to be.

The strange pressure in her mind that had been driving her for God knew how long was suddenly gone. She could think clearly again. How can I help? Jane asked, more than a little awed.

I have freed your mind from control and unlocked your potential, the voice said to her, power humming in the background. You must stay with me until the time is right. I will help you.

Oh… okay, Jane replied, not knowing what else to do.