Disclaimer: The Characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to J. Whedon, etc. The characters of the movie Thor belong to Marvel, etc. All are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.

Notes/Warnings: Haven't seen the movie yet. Have read some synopsis, plots, etc. so I've taken one of the first scenes and gone completely off the main path with it.

One Who Is Worthy
By Beriaearwen

Being back in the US still felt strange to him. At the same time, he couldn't deny the sense of home he received just by being in this land, even if he'd never been in this state.

A part of him relished this new aspect of his country. While he always felt most at home in California, New Mexico certainly had its charms; the lack of light pollution being at the top of that list right now. At first, his time in Tibet had been disconcerting. As laid back as he always appeared outwardly, every person is influenced by their surroundings. He discovered that his first day there when compared to those around him.

Now, he had found his own pace, found his peace and was taking a trip throughout the US. He'd stopped by Sunnydale, not by choice, but by necessity when his van broke down. He'd stopped by the Doubelmeat Palace while waiting for the repairs to take place. When he stepped in he caught a familiar scent which he quickly identified as belonging to Buffy. It took him almost a full minute to recognize her by sight.

That, more than the job, told him that things were seriously not right with his friend.

She'd been just getting off shift when he finished his meal, so he took the opportunity to talk to her, to find out what had been happening in her life. It had taken more persuasion than he thought to get the truth out of her. It was while she filled him in on the happenings since the last time he saw her that he realized exactly how much she kept hidden from everyone. He also knew he wouldn't be able to see anyone else for quite a while. He felt too angry with them for what they'd done. He could sense her behavior with Spike was not only dangerous, but wouldn't end well, but knew it wasn't his place to say anything, not when it seemed to be the only thing seeing her through the day.

Now, a few months later and in the desert of New Mexico, he began to let go of the anger he felt at his Sunnydale friends. He felt no sadness at the fact he knew them to be former friends, a part of his past. Their life experiences and goals were too different now for the closeness that once existed. Buffy, however, he knew would always be his friend – not quite pack, a recognized and respected alpha to his wolf – but a friend. Not only because she'd opened up to him, but because he'd been able to open up to her too.

As he lay out under the stars, a streak of light flashed through the sky. He knew instantly it wasn't a normal shooting star. The feel of magic – foreign magic – sprinkled the earth beneath the flaming trail.

Watching it carefully, knowing events like this more often than not meant something dangerous, he waited for the impact to occur before getting in his van and doing his best to track it to its destination.

Not long afterward, he came upon a crowd of people. They had formed a circle of sorts around the crater the object made.

At the sight of it, Oz froze for a moment, considering the sight. He recalled Buffy's story about the troll hammer and wondered if this was it. But, on closer inspection, it seemed far too well crafted to fit the description Buffy gave, not to mention being smaller.

Still, it would probably be best to come back and get it later when there weren't so many people around. Turning, he spotted a man in an unusual uniform. Oz's keen eyesight picked out the word SHIELD. The man, his uniform and the name on it triggered his memories of the Initiative and he knew without a doubt he needed to keep it away from these people.

Fading back into the crowd, he missed the sight of the blond man who eyed the hammer with familiarity and longing.

Hours later, Oz managed to slip past the SHIELD people where were just setting things up and grab the hammer. Using some of his supernatural speed, he took the hammer with him to his van. He headed away from the scene toward the desert once more, again missing the blond man who watched his every move.

Oz knew he would keep the hammer safe for now. He would give Buffy a call in the morning to find out what she felt was best to do with it.

Glancing over at the hammer, he noticed the writing on it. “Not good,” he murmured, turning his attention to the road in front of him. Mystical objects with unknown writing on them never went well for the Scoobies – or ex-Scoobies.

Looked like he'd be making that call sooner rather than later.

End