Enjoying yourself?

by GreenQueenofClubs

Summary:

A crazy tale of crazy months. After all, it wasn't everyday a college student ended up sleeping with a highly trained secret agent sniper.

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Darcy hummed, and rolled around, admiring the chest on display. It was heaving gently, as silver in the moon light as it was golden in the sun. She still had difficulty believing it was real. After so long, she knew it almost by heart, knew where to touch to tickle, or to make him gasp. But it wasn't her goal at the moment. She smiled and approached it slowly, careful not to rouse him. She hovered over him, and finally went for the neck, and blew softly at the place it met the shoulder. He shivered, but stayed asleep. She smiled, and moved a bit lower, to his pectorals. She blew again, and this time he didn't move at all. She huffed, and moved to the belly button. She was about to blow one more time when his deep voice broke the still silence of the room.

"Enjoying yourself?"

She raised her head to catch his blue eyes. She smiled at him, and let him draw her up to him, until her mouth was leveled with his.

"Hey."

"Hey. Not able to sleep?"

She shrugged, affecting a detached manner.

"Don't want to. I've been sleeping far too much these past days."

"Hmmm. Really?"

"Nothing to do around here when you guys are out."

"What about the girls?"

"Jane and Pepper are always a wreck. Always worrying, and chewing their nails. And they are plugged on the news channels."

"You aren't worried?"

His gaze turned curious. She swatted him lightly on the chest, indignant.

"Of course I am! You're the most breakable of the group! But in the end, I'm pretty sure if anything happens to you, I don't want to see it on a big screen. Pepper and Jane will let me know, anyway."

Clint nodded, and leaned in to slide his nose against her neck, until he found his favorite spot, nuzzling the warmth of it. Darcy smiled and wrapped her arms around him. She may be fully rested, but he was dead tired. Not that he would let it show. She knew he would follow her lead whatever she decided, but he really needed to rest. Fury wouldn't cut him any loose because his girlfriend was feeling amorous tonight. The Director really needed to get laid. Maybe he wouldn't be as insufferable that way.

Clint sighed against her neck, and mumbled something that sounded like "I love you". Darcy smiled, and started running her fingers through his short hair, and took a long moment to observe the man in her arms.

She thought about everything that happened to get her from a college internship to sleeping with one of the Avengers.

Months of insaneness, and life threatening, and generally weird things. And she wouldn't trade for the world.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Darcy felt a bit stupid. She was in the middle of the desert, holding Jane in her arms, standing beside Erik. All of them looking at the sky like they were expecting something to fall from it. Which they kind of were, but still. They still looked slightly demented.

The weird rainbow thing had disappeared just moment before. And Thor wasn't there. Whatever that meant. Maybe he had things to sort back home, and he would come back after. Maybe his brother defeated him, in the end. However, as Darcy remembered the godly Thor, the one who destroyed the Big Badass Robot- as Darcy called it, Sif called it the Destroyer, but Darcy liked her version better- without even flinching, Darcy didn't want to imagine what someone who could defeat that would look like. She shivered at the mere thought. She couldn't help but thought of Hell Boy's twin brother

Or he could be a two-faced moron, and wasn't intending to come back at all. That possibility seemed even less likely than the previous one. That guy was head over heels smitten with Jane. Even his friends had seemed surprised and impressed by his affection for the scientist.

Anyway, the point was, they were standing in the desert, the day was ending, and Jane wouldn't be the one to call the shots for the moment. Erik still looked dazed. And, as unlikely, and a little bit depressing it was, it fell to Darcy to take the lead, with all her twenty three years of life experience and a driving license. She figured she might as well enjoy it, with S.H.I.E.L.D. around now, she felt her already close to non-existing influence in the group would be properly annihilated. Stupid multi-lettered governmental agencies.

So she summoned her inner Leader, and began to drag Jane to the car, calling Erik above her shoulder. She climbed in, remembered Jane to use her belt, checked to verify Erik was in the car, and took off. She took in the way the golden sun of the end of the afternoon made the desert look like it was made of golden, liquid metal. She wondered if Asgard looked anything like that. If so, Thor was a lucky bastard. Darcy briefly considered whether Thor had another brother, one that wasn't a psychopath he could introduce to her. But when she shot a look at Jane, who was still not moving, and apparently lost in thought, Darcy amended her statement. Until she got more data, dating a God fell in the "more trouble than it's worth" category. She wasn't that masochistic. She had a good history dating stupid bastards, but she wasn't that dumb in love.

The road seemed longer than it really was, the silence in the car stretching it like melted cheese. Darcy was getting more than a little uncomfortable, until finally, their house/laboratory/garage was in sight. Home sweet home.

She helped Jane out of the van, and dragged her to the kitchen. S.H.I.E.L.D. people were already busying themselves, putting everything back. Darcy wasn't an expert, but she was pretty sure one or two things weren't at the right place. Jane seemed to come to the same conclusion, and tried to wrench herself out of Darcy's arms to rectify the situation. Darcy wasn't having it.

"No Boss. No work for you tonight. You need a good meal, and some rest."

Jane whirled around, taking a deep breath, preparing herself to argue. Erik interrupted her.

"She's right, Jane. You'll be useless tonight. You need to relax a bit."

Jane deflated like balloon. Darcy thanked Erik with her eyes. She had no doubt she would have won an argument, she was a political science student for God's sake. But it certainly won her time to have the older scientist taking her side.

Jane let her shoulders drop, and fell back to the empty shell act she took ever since the rainbow thing disappeared. It was almost pathetic. She had known the man for days! Darcy kept her comments in her head; Jane didn't need that at the moment. She slid one arms around her friend shoulders, and guided her to one of the kitchen chair. Erik seated down, and started to talk to the other girl in a low tone. Darcy didn't know if it was to keep her or the agents from listening. Either way, she didn't really care. Erik was something of a second father to Jane; they were more than allowed to have their private moments. Darcy put some water in the boiler, and proceeded to rummage through the fridge, looking for something edible.

She found one of those frozen pasta thing, and started to eat up the stove. She threw the bag's content in the pan, and brought a cup of tea to Jane and Erik. The older woman gave her a small smile, and Darcy hugged her. She nodded to Erik and went back to watch over her pastas.

She stared into thin air while waiting, trying to finally wrap her head around what happened the last day. Because seriously, she felt as if her brain had shut down into the reaction mode, reacting to what happened around her, but never really trying to comprehend it. First off, Thor was really a god. Or, at the very least, a Badass alien with superpowers and inhuman body strength. Second, he, and his friends could travel through a rainbow bridge. Rainbow bridge, seriously. Wasn't that supposed to be for pixies, with gold pot? Though, looking a Thor's outfit, she wasn't excluding the leprechaun theory on the other side.

Anyway, digressing. Thirdly, there was a super powerful alien, somewhere in the universe that didn't give a fucking damn about killing humans. Because, really, she understood the Big Badass Robot had been for Thor, but it could have killed the entire town if they hadn't made them evacuate. That man/god/alien/psycho had issues. But then again Thor had some issues as well. The only reason she didn't tasered him some more times was because Jane forbid her. And because he was some pretty awesome eye candy. It will suffice. Seriously? She hoped it was just a prince thing; otherwise, Asgard must be Ego Hell. Well, even if it was just a prince thing, it must be Ego Hell. Thor certainly had enough of arrogance when he arrived to fill two or three Realms.

Finally, the pastas were done. She seated herself between Jane and Erik, and split everything between the three of them. She briefly considered whether she should feed the agents, but quickly decided they were grown men, perfectly able to take care of themselves. And she really wasn't in the mood, or financial condition, to cook for twenty men. So she took to just enjoy her own meal. Jane looked a bit better, the talk with Erik apparently lifted her mood a bit. At the beginning she looked as if she would refuse the food, but the pointed look from Darcy and Erik made her change her mind. It really wasn't worth the pain to argue. Since then, she apparently realized just how hungry she had been, and she was wolfing her dinner down.

She was just done when one agent, the boss, the one who stole their equipment to begin with , Coulson, if Darcy's memory was good, appeared in the doorway.

"Dr. Foster? Can I have a word?"

Jane turned around, noticing him for the first time. She nodded and got up slowly. Darcy and Erik exchanged a look again, a bit puzzled. Jane and the man talked for a long while, and finally she came back.

"Coulson wants agents to stay with us at all time, since we don't know what the situation with Thor's brother is. He's afraid I would be a choice target for him."

"Bodyguards?"

"More or less. There were already some people watching us, since Thor's little stunt at their complex, around the hammer."

"Great. So they're protecting us against the mean evil brother."

"If you want my opinion we're as much baits as anything else. They would love to get their hands on him. Anyway, he wanted to make me aware of that. They will also come once every other day, to see how things are going."

Darcy nodded. And turned back to her plate. It wasn't so bad. She would have thought they would monitor her all life from now on. Regular checkups weren't nearly as bad.

"And they want us to sign some secrecy paper."

Darcy looked up again.

"What?"

"Apparently, all the alien situation is now classed top-secret, so they want us to sign paper swearing we won't babble about that."

Darcy wanted to roll her eyes again. As if her, or Jane, had any social life outside of each other. They spent their days either exiled in the middle of the desert, or exiled in the lab. Either way, not much company. Instead, she just nodded. Erik didn't seem to care.

Jane took her plate, and went to wash it. She was dragging her feet. Poor girl, she was exhausted. Darcy couldn't blame her, from what she gathered, she spent most of last night on the roof with Thor. Doing God knows what. Darcy shook her head. She shouldn't think things like that. Thor wouldn't do something like that. Too scared of dishonoring Jane. The scientist would have to work a lot to convince him, when he would come back.

Darcy got up as well, and put her dishes away as well. Then she took Jane's arm, and directed her to bed, and forced the scientist to lie down. She gave Jane a look of 'You better stay there until tomorrow morning'. Jane gave her best sincere eyes, and Darcy turned away to see for how much longer the guys would make such noises. Jane stopped her.

"Darcy?"

"Yes Boss?"

"Can you stay with me?"

She turned around, and Jane looked at her with 'Puss in Boots' eyes. Oh God, she felt like a baby sitter.

"Sure thing!"

She drew a chair next to the bed, stopping just short of propping her feet on it, knowing how much Jane hated when she did that.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm afraid he won't come back."

"Don't worry about that boss. He loves you too much for it to happen."

"I'm not afraid that he doesn't want to come back. I'm afraid he can't."

Darcy leaned back, frowning slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"When the bridge disappeared, it was weird. The last times, it was like a tube that would go down, and up again. But today it just… it shattered. Or exploded. It wasn't natural."

Darcy frowned even more. Now that Jane talked about it, it was weird. She didn't notice herself, but then again, she wasn't the astrophysicist. She could notice a human shaped energy photograph, but that was the extent of her competency. Jane continued talking.

"What if the bridge was destroyed? What if he didn't have a way here anymore?"

Yeah, that would put a damper on the relationship. But Darcy could answer that question.

"Easy. You make another one."

Jane looked at her with the eyes of someone who just learned the Earth was round.

"But I can't, I mean, I don't have the data!"

"Find it. Be the man, take the initiative"

Jane leaned back in the bed, loosing herself in thought once again. Darcy waited a few minutes, and when it became obvious her boss wasn't going to talk any time soon, she left. Jane didn't call her back.

Erik was talking with Coulson. He waved her over.

"How is she?"

"She'll be fine."

-I have to go, but I'll come back tomorrow. Keep an eye on her, alright?"

Darcy nodded, and Erik left. She was left alone with Coulson. She really didn't know what to do with the dude, and that make her kind of-a lot- uncomfortable. He looked totally harmless, but she knew he had some serious power in the organization. She was pretty sure he could make the insignificant little her disappear from the face of Earth without anyone asking question. And at the moment, he was staring at her. Intently. Like he was trying to solve her. Which was making her a little uncomfortable as well. It wasn't as if she was a particularly hard puzzle. She waited, feeling he would talk to her at some point. She was pretty sure she had the eyes of a deer caught in headlights, in the meantime.

"Miss Lewis."

"Agent Coulson."

"I have to admit we are at lost as to what we should do with you."

Darcy gulped. She didn't know if she was being paranoid, but she felt a potential death threat in the statement.

"And?"

"You are a civilian, but you clearly know a lot more than you should."

He paused, waiting for her to say something, but she had no idea what she could say to that, so she kept her mouth shut.

"It is not a situation we are comfortable with."

"So are you going to erase my memory like in Men In Black, or will you just kill me and be done with it?"

He threw her a startled look.

"No. I simply wanted to notify you that we would prefer if you limited your social interactions to the circle of people who are already aware of the current situation. At least for a little while."

"Until when?"

"Until we decide whether you are trustworthy or not. And what we are going to do with you."

"Alright."

He nodded, apparently satisfied with her quick acceptance. It wasn't like he was asking a lot from her. She didn't really have any close friend, and she grew apart the others since she started to work here. She wanted to keep her veto right for more capital debates. Like what they were going to do with her. He started to turn around, but changed his mind at the last second.

"Oh yes, one last thing. We are done for the day, but I'll send some agents tomorrow, in case Dr. Foster is not satisfied with the new disposition of her material."

"Oh, cool. I was so not looking forward moving everything by myself."

He smiled a bit, and went away for real, this time. She heard him dismiss his team as well.

She shook her head. And went to crash on her own bed.

Notes:

So here are the two first chapters! I'm going to post once a day, so it only should take me about a month to post it entirely! Comments and kudos always appreciated!

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

"Darcy."

Darcy turned around, trying to shush the voice away. Ignoring it was the key.

"Darcy."

She grumbled, and stuffed her pillow over her head.

"Darcy. Wake up."

Oh. Jane was using that voice. She should listen to her. Doing otherwise was dangerous for her health. She gingerly opened her eyes. Jane was standing aside her bed, wearing clean clothes, and apparently in great shape. Which was good news for the scientist, and bad news for Darcy.

"What time is it?"

"Eight."

Darcy could forgive eight in the morning. It was much better than four. And yes, Jane did the four in the morning to her.

"I'm up. Just give me some time to dress and I'm all yours."

Jane nodded and walked away.

Darcy groaned and stood up. Mornings were not her things, but she had a feeling she would have to save some S.H.I.E.L.D. agent from Jane. The scientist could be a fearsome thing when you played with her things. It took Darcy about two hours to get the message at the beginning of the internship. Touch with the eyes. From far, far away. She put on the first things she found, which happened to be a light blue t-shirt, and a pair of faded jeans. She tied up her hair quickly, and didn't bother to check herself in the mirror. She rarely did, but Coulson made it clear her social life was a thing of the past. Unless she hooked up with one of the minion, and from the quick look she had yesterday, none of them was really worth the trouble. And she really didn't care for a boyfriend who would tell on her to his super-agent boss.

She kind of had a thing for privacy.

At least, in the romantic relationship department. Since she apparently couldn't have it in the rest of her life. That being said, she didn't put it below Coulson to get her followed if he ever was to go out on a date.

She sighed, preparing herself for the day. It would be a tough one. Jane would be climbing the walls, running all over the place, scaring the poor boys who didn't know her yet. Properly braced, she walked into the kitchen.

Jane was wolfing down some cereals, scanning the lab, mentally dressing a to-do-list. Darcy put some bread in the toaster, and turned to her boss.

"Oh, by the way, Coulson is sending some men to replace everything you're not happy about."

Jane started, and swallowed.

"Really? Great! That'll save us some time."

Darcy nodded, turning back to the counter.

"Yeah. That'll save me a back ache."

Jane rolled her eyes, and got up. She started walking around, muttering to herself. Darcy seated herself. She didn't know when the agents were going to show up, but she hoped they would let her finish her breakfast.

She was finishing her first toast when she heard the door. "Please be Erik, Please be Eric" she thought.

"Jane?"

Thank God. It was Erik. She began munching on her second toast. The room was filled with sun. That's why she loved New Mexico. Sun all the time.

She hummed a bit while washing her dishing, when she heard the door open again, and men's voices introducing themselves to Erik and Jane. Darcy told herself she might as well be social. She strode into the main room of the building. Five men were there. Four of them were in normal black t-shirts, with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s logo above the heart. The last one was wearing some kind of weird combat uniform. It was sleeveless and black, and emphasis on his arms. The other four men were focusing on Jane, like soldiers waiting for orders, but the last one wasn't paying -at least didn't seem to- to the woman at all. He was scanning the room, his eyes taking everything in. From the look on his face, Darcy wouldn't have been surprised he already knew all the possible exits from this room, as well as having ranked everything that could possibly be used as a weapon. She was pretty sure he paused on her Taser, a bit startled. Yes dude, there was some badass people in here. She flattened out the God of Thunder; some little human soldier couldn't hold a candle to that. Because if the others were probably office minions, that man was a soldier, to the core.

He was the first one to notice her. Their eyes locked, than he looked away, after a brief second. The gesture could not have been clearer. She was irrelevant in whatever he was here to do. She knew it would probably be the case, but it still hurt to have it thrown in your face that way. He didn't have to dismiss her like that. She acted as if nothing happened and skipped her way to Jane and Erik. She did a quick girl check on the males in the room, but no, still nothing interesting. Honestly, Soldier Boy was the most attractive, but the attitude was a definite turn off. No point in flirting in a guy that's not even interesting in your existence.

Jane smiled slightly to her. If Jane smiled, than things were not going too bad. The scientist turned to the others.

"This is Darcy. She is my research assistant. Any order from her counts as much as one of mine, unless I said the contrary. Clear?"

They all nodded. Jane turned back to Darcy.

"We are going to get started on unpacking everything. Would you check up the data on the computer, make sure everything is still readable? And see if you can notice anything missing."

"Yes ma'am. Right away, ma'am."

Jane rolled her eyes at Darcy's antics, and shooed her. Darcy went to the computer corner, where her laptop, Jane's and Erik's had been put back. She resisted the temptation to check on her own things, and opened Jane's.

The background was a picture of a night sky, stars on full display, of course. It was the only fantasy Jane allowed herself on the computer. Otherwise, everything was work related. No games, no cute pictures of fluffy animals, nothing. Compared to it, Darcy's looked like an amusement park for five years old girls on a sugar rush.

She began opening files, scanning through it. She may not have a photographical memory, or any understanding of what the numbers and pictures meant, but she saw all this enough in the last few months to recognize the patterns. As far as she could tell, everything was in its right place.

An hour later, and about half way through the important files, someone cleared his throat beside her. She lifted a finger, wanting to finish the column; otherwise, she was going to have to start it all over again. Then she looked up.

It was Soldier Boy. His expression was still closed, but he didn't look like he was planning an invasion of the building. Good, because she had her Taser now, and she wasn't afraid to use it. She was sure she could call self-defence somehow. Anyway, digressing. He was talking.

"Good morning. I don't believe we have been properly introduced. My name is Clint Barton."

He offered his hand. His tone was way too formal, like he didn't care anyway, but didn't want to sound indifferent. Darcy warily shook his hand.

"Darcy Lewis. It's a pleasure."

He nodded, still holding himself way to straight to be comfortable.

"I have been charged by Agent Coulson of the delivery of a very important package."

He gave her a small box. She frowned, and went to open it.

"May it be noted that it is in perfect condition, and beholds the exact content as it did when it had been taken."

Inside the box was her iPod. Hmm. This was awkward. She kind of looked for it though. She may have thrown a tantrum about it to Coulson yesterday, after Thor flew off with Jane. But she only wanted to get it back. It wasn't necessary to charge a soldier to deliver it personally as if it was some kind of precious and unique item. But whatever. She fought the blush on her cheeks, and scrambled a quick answer.

"I appreciate the gesture, Agent Barton. Please, give my thanks to Agent Coulson."

He nodded, and walked away briskly. Really, that guy had a talent to make her feel loved. She was distracted quickly enough. She had her iPod back! She quickly put her ear buds on, and began humming happily, resuming her work.

Another hour went by without distraction, and Darcy had moved to less capital documents, namely the one Jane wasn't going to have an heart attack over if they were corrupted. Darcy was mouthing Grenade, when she noted she was observed. She looked up, to see Jane this time. Who was smiling again.

"I see you got your iPod back."

"Yep! It's in top shape!"

"I hope you still have those thirty songs you downloaded under there."

Darcy stuck her thong at Jane. The woman giggled.

"So, how are things going? Macho men are doing their work done properly?"

"Yes, everything should be in order this afternoon. And you found anything I should know about?"

"No, as far as I can tell, everything seems legit. They don't seem to have touched anything."

Jane let out a breath she probably didn't even realize she was holding.

"Hey Boss, everything will be fine! We have the big boys working with us! You will have this sorted in no time!"

Jane gave her a small smile, but Darcy could see the angst behind it. The intern knew it would stay there until they learned what happened to Thor. Darcy could only try and distract Jane, and take care of her, making sure she ate, slept and drank. It wouldn't do to have Thor come back and have a skeleton to date. And Jane didn't have much fat to loose.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Darcy."

"That's why I'm here, Boss. Now why don't you go tell the boys what to do, and let me finish here?"

Jane smiled again, and nodded. Darcy looked back at the screen, hoping she would be able to finish her work before someone else interrupted her. Again.

And she actually was. Everyone left her alone until lunch, by which time she was done, and ready to hand the computer to Jane, who would spend the next few days rereading the data, making sure everything was still there, and reanalyzing it in the light of the new ideas Thor brought with him.

It amazed Darcy how much some things seemed obvious to Thor, while they were completely farfetched to the poor Earthlings they were. And Thor didn't seem like the kind of guy to spend his life locked up in a library, learning advanced knowledge. So everything he brought back from Asgard was basic stuff over there.

That was a major mindfuck.

By lunch, Darcy was done, and apparently, so was the team. Jane was bidding her good byes to them. Darcy merely nodded, not having the occasion to bind with them. Soldier Boy was still a bit apart, looking indifferent. That was getting old quickly. Darcy suddenly got an idea. Probably insane, and she would possibly get a broken arm for that, but she just had to try. She so wanted to see if she could throw him off balance a bit.

So she plastered a big smile on her face.

"Oh, you're leaving already? So sad! Come back anytime you want, it was so nice having you around. Oh, and before I forget."

She spun, took four quick steps, threw her arms around Barton's shoulders, and smacked a noisy kiss on his cheek. She pulled back as quickly as she barged in and gave him a Megawatt smile.

"Thanks for the iPod!"

Then she spun around and fled to the kitchen. She collapsed against the counter.

The look on his face! It was so awesome; there was no way to describe it! She soooo wished she had took a picture of it. Darcy was pretty sure a lilac mammoth ridden by the tooth fairy could have run through the building, the man wouldn't have moved. He looked a bit shell-shocked.

About a minute later, Jane and Erik entered the room.

"What the hell was that?"

Jane was completely bewildered, but Erik was clearly amused. Good to know the man had a sense of humor.

"He was bugging me of, with his serious look. I just wanted to loosen up."

"You did this because you wanted him to loosen up?"

Darcy stood up.

"Sure did. After all, we have no idea how long we'll be stuck in this desert. Might as well get comfortable around each other right away. What's for lunch?"

Jane gave Darcy a look that indicated Darcy wasn't sane in Jane's mind, but decided to roll with it. Very few people considered Darcy sane to begin with. And she began to make herself a sandwich. Darcy and Erik followed suit, the men throwing a wink at the college student.

Messing with Jane was always funny.

Messing with Soldier Boy had been funnier, though.

Darcy spent the afternoon unpacking photographs of stars, and astrophysical phenomenon, and pinning them back on their boards. Erik and Jane were at their computer, talking about the worm holes theory, which Darcy could only understand a word out of five of.

Not that she tried very hard. She learned long ago it could only result in a head ache.

She found a picture of Thor. It was the one she took with her camera phone. She pondered whether she should throw it away, but she decided to pin it on the board instead.

In case Jane needed to remember he was real. He existed. Everything really happened.

Darcy was barely able to accept it, and she had a far less logical brain than Jane.

In the evening, Erik treated them with a specialty from his country Darcy couldn't pronounce the name of, but that involve fish. It was very good, and it felt nice to have a real home cooked meal from time to time, instead of the eternal take out, or warmed up dish Jane and Darcy dinned on. It wasn't they couldn't cook, at least, Darcy could. It was more that Darcy was far too exhausted after a day of trying to follow Jane, and trying to be useful to her in any way, to even think about cooking a half decent meal. So she kept those for the weekends. Sometime she even brought some to Jane. Because, if she wasn't supposed to work on weekend, she knew the scientist needed a babysitter to tell her to eat at least twice a day.

Breakfast was easy. Lunch was usually skipped. Dinner was a struggle.

It felt nice to have someone to cook for her though. It hadn't happened since she left her home to go to college.

Hmm. College. For some reason, she was pretty sure S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't let her go back there. After all, she wasn't supposed to have any social contacts outside of the organization.

She hoped they would at least give her a job.

She was lying in her bed that night, wondering about the future. Then she shrugged, there wasn't anything she could do about it for the moment. She would have to go with the flow.

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Darcy was feeling like a zombie the following morning, dragging her feet around the building. It was one of these days, when no matter what she did, how long she slept, she wouldn't be useful in any way today.

Jane had shot her a look when she appeared in the kitchen, and Darcy knew her boss considered her dead for the day. Jane was used to it. She said once that as long as it was a rare occurrence, she didn't mind. It usually happened once a month, and with the number of times Darcy came in during the weekend for a reason or another, Jane owed her more than that. Darcy dumped herself on a chair, and let her head fall on her crossed arms. She knew her hair was probably displayed all over the table, but at the very moment, she couldn't summon the energy to care at the moment. She could practically see the questioning look Erik threw at Jane, as well as Jane's answering shrug.

She was glad though, that no one actually talked to her, and requested her to do something more than simply breathing. Jane once voiced the theory that this down days were Darcy body's answer to her usual far too high self. And honestly, with all that happened in the last few days, they should have predicted it. Darcy was even amazed it took her body so long to take vacations. Amazed and grateful.. She didn't want to consider dealing with all the Thor drama while having the energy of a snail on Valium.

And she wasn't exaggerating. Well, maybe bit. Let's say she wasn't exaggerating more than she usually did.

She heard Erik and Jane stand up, and start the day. After a while, Jane came back to Darcy, and leaned in to whisper to her.

"Go get some sleep. In a bed. You'll be more comfortable than on the kitchen table."

See, that's why she loved her boss. She could be lost in the stars most of the time, she still was still unbelievably caring for those around her. It was the main reason why Darcy didn't mind babysitting her when she was channeling her inner workaholic. Because the older women would do the same thing for her if Darcy was ever to need it.

Darcy stood up slowly, nodding to Jane. She would thank her properly later. Then she proceeded toward her bed slowly, pausing after each step, knowing from experience her balance was greatly damaged in those occurrences. She really didn't care for having a big bruise for two weeks. On the cheek. Again

Her bed welcomed her with open arms, and Darcy fell into it gratefully. It was far more comfortable than the kitchen table. Jane was right. As per usual.

Then her brain shut off. She wasn't really asleep. She could still hear and feel what was going on around her, but she was merely registering it, like a camera would.

So Jane and Erik spent a few hours discussing, moving equipment around. At lunch time, Erik warmed up some leftovers from last night dinner, and forced Jane to eat. He asked her if he should bring some to Darcy, but Jane told him it was useless. Darcy never ate in her zombie state. It necessitated more energy than she could muster.

In the afternoon, she heard someone knocked at the door. Jane quickly stood up, and went to welcome them. A man started talking. Jane called him Agent Barton. He said he came to make sure everything was still alright. Coulson wanted to be positive everything would be rolling again, as soon as possible. Jane assured him the team had done everything they could, and that she and Erik were already back to work. Barton then asked why Miss Lewis wasn't working with them. Jane told him Darcy was feeling unwell this morning, and was resting, but she would be top shape tomorrow, and would join them. The man didn't reply.

Darcy heard him walk through the room. He stopped close to her. He stayed there a moment. Until Jane called him, and asked if he needed anything else. He replied he didn't, and would go now. He stopped by Jane, and gave her his number, saying they may call him if they needed anything, and didn't want to bother Coulson with it.

Then he left. Jane and Erik went back to work, typing and discussing.

Darcy spent the afternoon in a semi-conscious state, feeling like she was floating in a pool of cotton candy, but at the same time vaguely aware of the noises Jane and Erik were making in the building.

She staid unmoving until suddenly Jane was beside her.

"Are you feeling up to dinner?"

Darcy slowly, very slowly, opened her eyes, and raised her head. Jane was standing beside the bed, a frown creasing her fore head. Darcy thought about it a little. She considered staying in bed, she was really comfortable. But then again, she realized she was terribly hungry, and it would ease some of Jane's worries. The scientist didn't need to worry about her research assistant as well as about her boyfriend.

So Darcy nodded, and sat up, slowly, very slowly. Jane smiled.

"Erik says it will be ready in about ten minutes."

"I'll be there."

Jane nodded again, smiled at Darcy, and went to join his mentor. Maybe he could teach her how to cook? It would be nice, Darcy thought.

She stood up, and realized she was really feeling better. Thank God. She hated the deep tiredness she would feel on those days. Luckily, it never lasted long.

She went to splash to cold water to her face, waking up properly. Then she made her way to the kitchen.

Erik was once again by the stove, stirring something in a big pot. Jane was reading the newspaper. They both looked up when she entered.

"Hey people! How are you doing?"

Erik seemed relieved that her state had been temporary, and smiled to her. Jane didn't really react, but Darcy knew she was happy Darcy was able to eat dinner. She wasn't always. Erik was the one to reply.

"I'm doing very well, Darcy. And yourself?"

She sighed as she sat down, careful. She might be better, but she was far from top shape.

"Very good, thanks Erik. I'm sorry I couldn't help the both of you today. I hate being useless."

"We all have down days. And we are just out of straining times. Don't worry about it. We mostly talked about theory anyway."

Translating, you would have been useless anyway. Ah well, she could have at least cooked supper while they were working. That was her job when Jane couldn't figure something to give her. Which surprisingly, didn't happen that often. Darcy usually could figure something to do with herself, even if it was just entering data, or retyping in a less chaotic manners some old ones. Sometime, Jane would ask her to take a look at some pictures with her, because apparently she had a gift to see what was obvious, when Jane would look over that to systematically search for the most difficult interpretation.

Darcy liked when she was able to point important things out. It made her feel intelligent. Funny how working with a brilliant astrophysicist who could rant for hours about things Darcy couldn't even begin to understand was making her feel more intelligent than her Political Science classes had.

She was absently munching her food when Jane started speaking.

"Clint Barton came by today."

Darcy turned to Jane, frowning slightly.

"Who?"

If she kept it to monosyllabic sentences, she might be able to sustain a complete conversation with her boss.

"Clint Barton, one of the guys who came yesterday?"

Darcy desperately tried to remember which one of them was named Barton, but she felt as if she was swimming through marshmallow.

Jane sighed and smirked at the same time, which was very weird, by the way.

"The guy you hugged and kissed on the cheek because he gave you your iPod back."

"Oh, Soldier Boy!"

Jane and Erik raised their eyebrows at the nickname, but didn't comment.

"What did he want?"

"Making sure everything was running the right way. Asked about you, why you weren't working."

"Afraid I was wasting my time and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s money?"

Jane shrugged, indicating she wasn't aware of Barton's motives.

"I don't know, that man doesn't let a lot on."

Darcy nodded.

"Why do you think I hugged him?"

Jane gave her a look.

"Because you were happy about getting your iPod back and don't think before you act?"

Darcy rolled her eyes. Not that she had anything to say to that. It was basically true, even if she did think before acting this time. A bit. For a whole, long three seconds. Hey, that was way more than her average!

So Darcy continued eating her supper, while Jane turned to Erik to speak about some physic discovery Californian researchers had made. Darcy took it as a cue to zoom out. She could barely follow Jane's astrophysics, and she had been working with her for months.

She stared at the ceiling, counting the cracks. There was twenty four, and one looked like the Joker's smile.

Jane took her bowl from her, and shooed her to the living room. Well, the area with couches and a TV. Darcy curled up on one end of the largest, staring at the screen, willing it to open itself, and to not force Darcy to actually move. Suddenly, a hand snatched the remote, all the way across the table, and a masculine voice startled her.

"What do you want to watch?"

She whipped her head around, and found Barton staring at her.

He was waiting for her to talk.

"Oh, hmm, Big Bang Theory is fine."

He nodded, and tuned in. He stayed quiet, until Darcy got uncomfortable.

"What can we do for you?"

He looked up, and began rummaging through his pockets, and finally took out a small pill bottle. He gave it to her. She took it with a raised eyebrow.

"One soldier I worked with had something like you. Take those pills when you wake up on these days. It'll pep you up; you won't have to stay in bed all day."

Darcy was gobsmacked. The man had taken the trouble to get the drugs, and to come back here, so that some research assistant could feel better. She gave him a huge smile, which made her feel like the Cheshire Cat.

"Thank you so much! You didn't have to!"

He shrugged, totally unconcerned.

"No one should have to be handicapped if there is any alternative."

"Well, thanks a lot!"

She would have hugged him again, but she would have to stand up, and that was absolutely out of question. He nodded, then turned on his heels and walked away. Darcy looked him exit. She didn't understand that man.

Darcy turned to the screen, and raised the bottle to her eyes, smiling widely. If the pills really worked, she was being eternally thankful to Soldier Boy. If not, well, too bad. She would have tried.

Jane came in, after hearing the door close.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"I heard the door."

"Yep."

Jane looked back and forth from the door to Darcy, trying to come up with a possible theory on how on Earth the girl, especially in her present state, had made it to the door, and managed to come back fast enough to tuck herself on the couch before Jane came out of the kitchen. Darcy decided to put her out of her misery.

"Soldier Boy just went out."

Jane's eyebrows shut up so fast they almost disappeared in her hairline.

"Barton? What did he want? Why did he not come to see me?"

"He wanted to talk to me."

"To you? What about?"

If anyone else than Jane had expressed so much surprise over the fact that a man wanted to talk to Darcy, the girl would have seen red. But she knew Jane wasn't implying anything mean, but just didn't see what could relate the stoic and professional soldier to Darcy.

"He thought he knew a solution to my tiredness problem, so he brought me the drugs."

Darcy shook the bottle Soldier Boy had given her, to make her point.

"Really? Pills? Does it work?"

"Don't know, it wouldn't be really useful to try them now. We'll have to wait next time."

Jane nodded, and let herself fall on the couch. The Big Bang Theory was the only show could make Jane watch. And it was really cool listening to it with Jane, since she could actually understand what the guys were talking about, and could explain it to Darcy. Hours of fun guaranteed.

Erik joined them, with some science magazine. Seriously, did these people do anything else with their time? There was more to life than simply science.

Art, movie, theatre, anything. Jane never went out, and as Darcy was getting to know Erik more and more, she had a feeling he came from the same mold. She really should give them a lesson about balance.

Work, hobbies and sleep. You need all three to have a good life. That's what her parents always said, and they were some of the happiest people she knew.

Darcy figured that when Thor would be back, Jane would spend a little less of time on work. Another reason to bring the big guy back.

Darcy never realized she fell asleep, but she woke up in the middle of the night, in her bed.

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

It had been four days since Darcy's episode, and she was feeling great. Jane was always agitating herself around the lab, and Darcy was doing her best to help and stay out of the way. Erik was still around too. Apparently S.H.I.E.L.D. called his work, all the way back in New York, and told them the scientist wouldn't be able for them for a while.

Sometimes, Darcy couldn't help but think they were presumptuous bastards, always bossing everyone, and messing with their life without their consent. Erik liked his work, but because he got himself involve in this mess, he couldn't go back to it for the moment. He said it didn't matter; the phenomenon was so unique, he was glad to have the privilege to study it.

But Darcy saw he was irritated when he came back the night from the organization's quarters with the news. Jane sighed, then smiled and told Erik she was glad he would stay around to help her with the project. That seemed to calm the man. He would do anything for Jane, especially knowing how fragile she was at the moment.

Darcy corrected herself. They both would do anything for Jane, especially knowing how fragile she was at the moment.

Darcy was currently typing on the computer, filling the holes between the lines Jane gave her sooner. The scientist often did that, writing bits and pieces of theory and analyses. Darcy had to try and understand what she meant, and write a text about it, so her boss could come back on it in a few days and still know what it was about. So Darcy's time was separate half and half between typing, and googling weird words do see what they meant. Usually, she did a pretty good job. She felt someone walking behind her, and stopping, probably reading over her shoulder. The footsteps had been too heavy to be Jane's, so Darcy figured it was Erik and she continued her work. He was probably just checking if she was doing things right. She wasn't too nervous about that.

So, the confidence that Erik was behind her was the main reason why she was so surprised when a voice rang. It wasn't Erik's. It was definitely male, though.

"Would I look stupid if I said I don't understand anything that's writing on the screen?"

Darcy spun, clutching her chest.

Soldier Boy was there, still holding himself ridiculously straight, and Darcy still couldn't get how this could be in any way comfortable. But he was frowning; his eyes fixed on the screen, as if staring at it would help him make sense of the text on it. It was only a frown, but it was still more expression on his face Darcy ever saw, except the time she hugged him. And that didn't count.

She shrugged.

"Welcome amongst us, mere mortal."

He finally turned to her, his blank mask slipping back on.

"Don't you know about it?"

She shrugged.

"Hey, I'm getting there."

"You didn't know about it before?"

Darcy wondered why he was asking. The guys must have done a dozen background checks on her. He could know everything he wanted to know back there. She guessed she should be nice anyway. He probably had enough power to put her in trouble, at the very least.

"I'm a Political Science student. I didn't know anything about astrophysics before I arrived here."

"Miss Forster still accepted you?"

"I was the only applicant."

"You must have felt the love."

Darcy swore she saw a corner of his lips twitch. Sarcasm? One point for the guy. Darcy could along with a sarcastic guy. Jane and Erik were helpless at it. They kept ignoring her jabs, taking them as 'Darcy's weirdness'.

"Ah, want do you want, I'm just a people magnet."

Barton raised an eyebrow, and Darcy knows that Coulson talked to him about her social status. Well, her lack of. After all, Soldier Boy seemed to be the appointed one to do the regular checkups the Agent warned them about. He probably had a minimal debriefing about the team, even if Darcy's part in it must have been infinitesimal. Just enough for him to know she was no social butterfly.

"Yes, clearly, a college student stranded in the middle of the desert with two university level scientists is the perfect image of the popular girl."

Darcy huffed, and made a show of turning back to the screen. He stayed there, unmoving. It took her about two minutes for her to be annoyed, and possibly slightly crept off by having a more or less stranger in her back, staring either at her work on the screen, or at the back of her neck. She stilled her fingers on the keyboard. She breathed in deeply, and spun around to face him again.

"What do you want?"

He was looking at her, his eyebrow still raised. He stayed silent, his blue eyes unmoving. Darcy tried to stare back, but got tired of it quickly. The silent gazing must be part of the military training. Coulson seemed quite good at it too.

Darcy got suddenly a nagging suspicion. A suspicion only reinforced by the look in the soldier's eyes. His posture and his face could lie, but he really had to work on the poker eyes.

"Is this some kind of revenge for the hug?"

She looked closely at him. There was no reaction. In her book, that was as good as a confession.

"That's no fair! I didn't interfere with your work!"

"Really? Say that to the guys at the base. They're still talking about the girl who kissed Clint Barton."

Her eyebrows shot up.

"On the cheek."

He shrugged.

"Never pretended agents were mature."

She smirked.

"Good to know I'm famous."

He rolled his eyes.

"If that's what it takes to get you some glory."

"Hey, I'm a college student, working with gods, super hero and scientists too brilliant for their own good. I'll be happy if I can be the girl that makes people smile."

Clint was about to answer, but Jane barged in.

"Darcy, are you down with the summary? Because I would-"

Jane being Jane, she just registered that Darcy wasn't alone.

"Oh, hi Agent Barton. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No, don't worry, I just came by to make sure everything was alright."

"Yes, thanks. I really appreciate S.H.I.E.L.D.'s concern over my researches. And their, enthusiasm into insuring me a proper team to work with."

The emphasis on the word wasn't missed by either Darcy or Barton. Nor its meaning. Darcy wanted to laugh at Barton renewed blank expression. Jane could be a real protective mama bear when one person she cared about was concerned, and being nearly bullied by a big organization clearly counted as such.

"It's always a pleasure to work with brilliant people, Miss Foster."

Jane opened her mouth, but clearly didn't know what to answer to that. Soldier boy apparently wasn't going to add to the conversation.

"What's the point working with brilliant people, if you can't understand what they are working on?"

Jane frowned at her, but Darcy's question wasn't to her. Barton was looking at her, but Darcy couldn't decide whether it was a 'You're one to talk about that', a 'Will you stop interrupting my flirting?', or a 'It's my job to be enthusiastic about hypothetical worm holes, thank you very much' look. She didn't know him enough, and hadn't followed the course about reading blank faces. Seeing she didn't get the point, he reluctantly opened his mouth.

"I work for an organization whose point of existence is protecting this planet and its interests. Any discovery that can be any help to reach this goal is welcomed by me, and all the member of the mentioned organization."

Ahh, hiding behind the gang. She would have to dig that up at some point, but for the moment, she guessed she should at least pretend to work. Keep a good reputation in front of her boss, and all that jazz.

Jane talked for a while with Barton, asking about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intentions, and what Coulson had in mind for the lab. Darcy caught that Coulson was thinking about bringing them back to New York, once they are done with bringing Thor back.

Darcy tuned them out, until she heard her name.

"Hmm?"

Jane gave her a small smile, perfectly aware that Darcy hadn't followed the conversation at all.

"I was asking Agent Barton what you were going to do once the internship was done."

Darcy perked up, happy she hadn't had to bring that one out. Soldier Boy was looking at her, weighting her up.

"I don't know, I'll have to ask Coulson about it."

Darcy nodded. It felt good to have someone aware of her fate. She really didn't care to be forgotten. Jane smiled, and then turned to the man.

"It's been a pleasure seeing you, Agent Barton. I need to go back to work, but if you need anything, you can ask Darcy."

Darcy turned, ready to go all indignant on Jane, but the scientist was already back to her work station. Darcy sighed. She just hoped Barton wouldn't take Jane too seriously. She wasn't feeling up to babysit some super-agent on top of a crazy overachiever scientist.

But clearly, Barton's mind reading skills were seriously lacking,

"If I need anything?"

Darcy suppressed a smirk, and turned back around. If she didn't stop, she would get dizzy at some point.

"I'm pretty sure Jane didn't mean that literally."

"Hmm, too bad."

Barton's eyebrow was back up, his eyes lost the cold, hard look he had when he was fully shouldering his S.H.I.E.L.D. persona.

Darcy swore he was nearly smirking. Maybe she could work on that.

"And any way, what could a jackbooted thug from a Big Bad Agency want from a little research assistant like me?"

"I want nothing from a little research assistant."

Darcy huffed, and raised an eyebrow at him, and she could see him fight the smirk. Nearly there.

"Oh, I beg your pardon, O your highness of the thugs. How could I be presumptuous enough to think you would necessitate my presence. Please, by all means, go back to save the world from dangerous scientists."

He rolled his eyes. He leaned closer to her.

"I do believe you are mocking me Miss Lewis."

Darcy smirked and leaned in as well.

"What if I am, Soldier Boy? And call me Darcy."

Finally, he couldn't fight it anymore, and he smirked. Victory! He leaned even further.

"Then I would tell you it's a dangerous thing to do, Darcy. And my name is Clint."

Darcy was noticing how the color of his eyes was gorgeous, somewhere between green, blue and gray.

"And I would tell you I'm not afraid, Clint. I have a Taser, and I know how to use it."

He was smirking even more, nearly showing some teeth.

"Bring it on, Darcy."

Then, all of the sudden, he straightened up, and took a couple steps back. Darcy only realized how close they had been. From outside, they probably looked like they were going to kiss. She realized as well that Erik was heading their way. Barton really had good ears. Or an inhuman peripheral vision.

Erik only dropped something on her desk and walked away, completely oblivious to whatever had happened, or was still happening there.

They stayed silent, not knowing what to say anymore. Hating uncomfortable situations, Darcy stood up, deciding to get herself a glass of water.

She made three steps before she felt a hand on her hip, and a body close to hers, chest pressed against her back.

She froze. He leaned forward, his mouth just beside her ear.

"I want nothing from a little research assistant. But I'm pretty sure I could want something from the girl who makes people smile. Especially when they are not laughing at me. You'll hear about me, Darcy. Have a good day."

He disappeared, and seconds after, she heard the door open and close. She was frozen in the middle of the place, a slow smile spreading on her lips. If that wasn't a challenge, she didn't know what was.

"Darcy, is everything all right?"

"No, I'm fine, just getting some water!"

She rushed to the kitchen. Praying Jane wasn't too suspicious and hadn't seen anything of what occurred between Darcy and Soldier Boy. Jane wasn't the most observant person about anything socially related, but when she thought she was on something -which she usually was- she didn't let it go easily. And since Darcy wasn't really sure what was going on, she didn't want Jane to become nosy about it.

While she drank her glass, she couldn't help but amend her first impression. Soldier boy was attractive, especially when he dropped the frigid attitude. The smirk was a good look, but Darcy wondered what he looked like when he had a full smile. She had a feeling he would be a killer.

And his arms, god his arms. She was pretty sure they could do porno with them alone.

She smiled in her glass. Things were always more interesting with cute guys around.

Now, don't get the wrong idea. Darcy wasn't one of these girls who lived to get a boyfriend, not by any means. She always thought that friends were more important. Work came second, then boys. She made it one of her goal not to be dependent on a boy to pay for her life. But since she already had friends, and a good work, she certainly wasn't going to say no to some flirting.

Flirting with a secret agent. Wow, she felt like a Bond Girl.

My name is Lewis. Darcy Lewis.

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

A few days went without Barton –she refused to call him Clint for the moment- coming over. Another agent came to talk to Jane about the progress of the researches. Darcy was a bit disappointed when he arrived. She didn't mind him being there, she only minded it meant Soldier Boy wouldn't have a reason to stop by for another couple of days.

She was really looking forward to see him again. After she overcame her shock at his attitude, she decided she had fun last time they spoke. And things were so boring in the lab in the last few days. Jane was all over the place, completely wild about some things or another, babbling to Darcy and Erik. The thing was, Erik understood what it was about, and Jane refused to stop long enough to write down whatever she was excited about. So Darcy had to work with the equations on the boards. However, the all big thing about working in a lab exploring an unprecedented phenomenon was that it was unprecedented. So writing the formulas in Wikipedia wasn't helping at all.

So that morning, Darcy was sitting at the table again, following Jane with her eyes as the scientist ran around the lab. The intern was enjoying her breakfast, knowing any time soon, her friend would ask her to come and help her with something.

The intern was gazing into thin air. She vaguely registered something falling, but preferred not to pay attention to it. Jane would call her if it was really important.

"That looks good."

Darcy jumped, and spun around. Seriously, that man was going to give her a heart attack. She clutched her chest.

"Soldier Boy!"

He smirked. He was standing on the other side of the table, his hands in his pockets. He wasn't dressed in his normal uniform, instead clothed with a blue jean, and a grey shirt. He looked relaxed, well, as relaxed as you could be while standing straight as a broom. Finally, he looked far too smug.

She stopped. He was looking smug. He was looking something. He had an expression on his face. Without her having to do anything stupid or snarky for have an hour.

She was still pondering about that, when he opened his own smug one.

"Hello, Miss Lewis."

"Warn me next time!"

He grinned. He walked slowly, step by step, until he was about four feet away from her.

"Did I frighten you?"

She huffed.

"Frighten? Please, I knock Norse God on their back in my free time. You startled me. At best."

"So I'm more startling then a God?"

He was nearly beaming, as if being weirder than the God of Thunder was some kind of accomplishment.

"Have you ever seen Thor? He's not exactly the most discreet guy around. You usually hear him walking around."

He nodded, as if he knew what she was talking about. She frowned.

"Have you ever seen Thor?"

His grin turned amused, as if whatever memory he was watching was immensely enjoyable.

"Briefly."

Darcy's eyebrows shot up to her hairline.

"Really, how come?"

"Classified information. Let's just say I witnessed him in action."

Darcy realized.

"Oh, you were there when he went to get Mew Mew!"

"Mew Mew?"

"The hammer."

He smirked. So she was right.

"Yeah well, anyway, I guess you didn't come here to talk about Thor's subtlety."

He shook his head.

"I wanted to see how you were doing."

Darcy smiled.

"Really?

"Yeah, I had to go to New York for a few days, and I wanted to make sure Dr. Foster didn't blow you up or something like that."

"It's nice to know you care, Soldier Boy."

"You're planning to call me that for how long?"

"Until you give me a good reason to call you Clint."

He smiled, and his eyes narrowed. He took her words as a challenge, she could feel it.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Good, you work on that. By the way, is that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new uniform, or do I have tp report you for non-conform dressing?"

He looked down, and realized he was wearing civilian gear.

"Oh, that! No, you don't have to report anything. Well, you can, but it's useless. We are allowed to look like civilians on our days off."

Darcy stopped. Again, she might add.

"It's your day off?"

"Yeah, the trip to New York had been eventful. Coulson decided he needed me more relaxed in a few days, so he gave me vacations."

Darcy stared at him, for some reason, she couldn't picture these guys in vacation. They almost looked as if they have been created by the organization to be good little soldiers.

"It's your day off, and you come here?"

He cocked his head to the side, apparently at lost as why she was so surprised.

"Have you been around town recently?"

"Every time I have to go shop for groceries, why?"

"Well, it's not the most exciting place on Earth."

"It's the place where the Norse God of Thunder landed. As well as a Big Badass Robot. I don't believe something like that happened lately in New York."

He cocked his head again, conceding the point.

"My point is, I don't really care for going at the bar at nine in the morning, and I really don't care for staying at the HQ like every other day. I would defeat the purpose of a day off."

"So you came here."

He shrugged.

"It's the only place in town where I can speak about my life a bit, without lying."

Yeah, that made sense. He gestured toward the chair.

"Can I?"

"Sure, as long as you realize that Murphy's Law dictate that at the second you sit down, Jane will call me."

He smirked, and sat down anyway.

"So, except disturbing defenseless interns, what are you planning to do with your day?"

He smirked. Darcy was starting to believe his blank face was a part of his uniform.

"Defenseless intern, hey? You don't have your Taser on you?"

"It's in the lab."

"Hmm. As for my day, I decided to go with the flow. I'll probably ask Dr. Foster if she needs help with anything."

"She knows you don't understand a thing."

"You don't either."

"I didn't. I'm getting there. And I rock at managing things."

He cocked his head, visibly pondering that.

"What?"

"Nothing, don't worry."

There was a silence. He appeared lost in thought,until he shook his head to clear it.

"Do you think she is close to getting him back?"

"I don't know, honestly. I mean, she is really hype, these times around, and she's bouncing everywhere, and she looks very happy with the results we are getting, but I don't know if that means everything will be done next week, or six months from now."

"But you trust her to achieve it."

"Jane was a remarkable, brilliant woman before all this happened. Now she is a remarkable, brilliant woman in love. There's nothing that will stop her."

He smirked.

"Yes, women in love have always been fearsome things to behold."

It was Darcy's turn to cock her head.

"Are you speaking from experience, Soldier Boy? Is there a Mrs. Barton waiting for you somewhere?"

His smirk disappeared, and Darcy was afraid she hit a nerve.

"No, it's pretty dead from that side."

"Yeah, the whole secret organization thing."

"No, more the fact that my best friend is terrifying and they all think we're sleeping together."

"But you aren't"

"No, but she scares people, and they are jealous of her."

"Yeah, I can see how that would put a strain on your possible relationships."

He gave her a small smile.

Jane barged in.

"Darcy, I need your help to move the- Oh, hello Agent Barton."

Soldier Boy, still smiling, stood up, and went to shake Jane's hand.

"Clint, please Dr. Foster. I'm not on duty."

"Then please call me Jane. If you're not on duty, what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"I came to say hi, and help you if you need. Apparently, you could use a strong pair of arms."

"It's your day off, Clint, you shouldn't waste it here."

"I'm not wasting anything, Jane. I'm here to do my citizen duty, and help science. And I must say, the company is very enjoyable. We are starting to get on each other's nerves, at the HQ. Take it as a help to my sanity. I should thank you for it."

Jane smiled. Darcy had to admit, the man knew how to talk. And it really suited him, having expressions. Not that she saw that many of them. For the moment, she had smug, and surprised.

"If that is the case, Clint, I have a machine I need to move."

"It'll be my pleasure."

He calmly made his way to the lab, greeting Erik. Jane turned to Darcy, a big smile on her face. Darcy immediately distrusted that smile.

"He came to say hi?"

"Yeah, that's what he said."

"It's his day off, and he came here to say hi, and help us!"

Darcy didn't really like where this was heading.

"That's what he said."

"Oh come on!"

"What?"

"Is there something going on I should know about?"

"There is nothing going on! And even if there was, I don't know why you should know about it."

Jane pouted. And looked far too good. That was so unfair.

"If anything, he's there because he likes you."

Jane rolled her eyes, and put her fist on her hips.

"Darcy, half of the time, I don't know he's here until I interrupt the both of you! Don't you think he would stick closer to me?"

"Maybe he's shy?"

Jane gave her a Look. Yeah right. Neither of them believed that. He always came in and out the lab as if he owned the place, always spoke his mind, mocked her and looked her straight in the eyes. Not exactly your usual timid guy.

"What do you want me to tell you? There's nothing to tell! I've known the guy for about two weeks, and for a grand total of an hour and a half, at the very best."

"I've known Thor for less than a week."

"For more than an hour and a half."

"Darcy."

"Jane."

"You don't need to know someone for an eternity for them to get interested."

Darcy huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she hoped Jane wouldn't interfere. Her boss seemed to pick it up, raising her hand in surrender.

"Don't worry, I staying out of this. On the condition you tell me everything about it when it happens."

Darcy rolled her eyes. Her boss was such a romantic, always fantasying about grand love stories. If was only fair she got herself a prince, she suited him perfectly. Darcy, on the other hand, wasn't hoping too much. Some flirting, for the fun of it. Perhaps some bed action, if she was lucky. Nothing more.

Maybe the Secret was right, maybe she never got anything because she didn't believe in it...

Well, she decided she preferred to be skeptical and not disappointed, than hopeful and broken hearted. Seriously. Jane might have found herself a prince, but she also lost him in a matter of days. With one kiss. Very romantic and all that. Only the rain was missing.

Darcy shrugged, and walked out of the kitchen. Clint was talking with Erik, gesturing toward some equipment Darcy could only presume were the ones that needed to be moved. She paused, admiring the way his jeans was enlightening certain parts of his anatomy. There was something to be said about army training.

Jane went past her, giving her a wink, making it pretty clear that she knew Darcy wasn't admiring the star chart on the board. Darcy stuck her tongue at her. Come on, he wasn't Thor, but he was definitely cut. And agreeable to look at.

Jane went to talk to him. She pointed a box, visibly indicating she wanted to put it in the truck. He gave her a small smile, and a mock military salute. Darcy smirked, and went to her work station. S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted a detailed report on their activities, and asked it to be done by someone else than Jane. They still haven't understood the one from last time. And even if Darcy didn't always understood exactly why they were doing some things, she definitely understood what they did. So she began to type, sneaking a look at Soldier Boy from time to time. He moved everything around without ever forcing. And his arms were hot when he was working.

At some point, she lifted her eyes from the screen, and realized she didn't see him anywhere. She frowned.

"Enjoying yourself?"

She spun around. He was standing behind her, hand still in his pockets, a cocky smile playing on his lips. She raised an eyebrow.

"Already bored, Soldier Boy?"

He chuckled.

"You know, if you insist giving me a nickname, you could at least make it Soldier Man."

"And why would I want to do that?"

"Because I'm older than you."

She smirked, crossed her arms, and leaned forward.

"Still no proof you're not a boy."

He grinned, step closer to her.

"You know, it's no fair you get to check me out all morning, when you hide yourself behind your screen. Most basic politeness would ask you to at least give me the opportunity to return the favor."

Darcy rolled her eyes.

"What in the world makes you think I was watching you, Soldier Boy?"

Suddenly, he leaned in, putting each of his hands on the armrests each side of Darcy, his face mere inches from hers.

"I'm a Special Service Agent, Miss Lewis. I know when I am watched. Especially when I'm watched by a Taser Friendly Spunky Bored Intern."

Darcy swallowed. He whispered, his breath was ghosting across her face. She thought she was a blunt flirter, but that man took it to an all new level.

"And I assure you, Miss Lewis, that I'm every piece a man, and that I'm going to make myself a pleasure to prove it to you."

She was frozen. He wasn't allowed to do that! Her boss was twenty meters away! Not that she would interrupt them or anything, but still! Darcy would never hear the end of it. But she knew, if she wanted, she just had to push him away, to tell him to leave her alone, and he would do it. She saw it in his eyes. He was giving her the choice, right now. It was entirely up to her.

And she wanted it. He was sexy, he was funny, and he was in her security clearance. She wouldn't push him away. Not now. She would give him a chance. And a run for his money.

She gave him an answering smirk.

"Impress me."

For a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her, but he straighten up, and walked away.

She giggled. Jane finally lifted her head, her gaze shifting from him to her, understanding she missed something, and was frustrated by it.

Lunch time was approaching, and Barton was talking with Jane about the best way to move the computer when his phone rang.

He frowned, but gestured to Jane that he had to take it. Jane waved him. He went out, and came in again a few minutes later. He spoke briefly with the scientist, who pinched her lips, and seemed upset about something.

Then, he came over by Darcy.

"Hey! What's the matter?"

He gave her a wry smile, and gestured to the phone.

"They need me back at the base."

"What? But it's you're day off!"

Darcy stood up, walking to him.

"It's only a day off unless something happens."

She frowned, stuffing her hand in her pockets.

"That sucks."

"That's the way it is."

Darcy huffed, and turned back to her desk. Barton took it as a dismissal, his face dropping a bit.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around."

"Wait!"

He raised an eyebrow, but Darcy lifted a finger, gesturing for him to be patient. She shuffled around, trying to find a piece of paper. Snatching one of Jane's cards, she quickly wrote her number with a pen. She turned back, and gave it to him.

"Here, next time you have some time to breath, and you want to leave the HQ a bit, call me. We can hang out."

He gave her a bright smile.

"Thanks Miss Lewis."

"You're welcome, Soldier Boy."

He turned around, and left.

Well, that brought up their time of acquaintance to a big five hours and a half.

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

The same night, she got a call from him.

"Hey Miss Lewis."

"Well, you're not wasting your time."

"Sorry, but I'm not asking you out."

"To what do I how the pleasure of your call, then?"

"A heads-up."

"What about?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. sent an agent to inspect the lab."

"Isn't that your job?"

"They think we are maybe becoming lenient with you."

"They are aware you are a sucker for my pretty eyes?"

She heard him laugh on the other side. She loved his laugh. It was rough and deep, and catching.

"I think they are more worried about the guys being afraid of Doctor Foster."

"Any sane person is afraid of Jane."

"The new agent won't be."

"Then he is officially mad."

"She. And that is an ongoing debate amongst the Division."

"Another girl's coming?"

"Yes."

"Sweet! We've needed some of those"

"Yeah, well be careful with her. She can be intense."

"Like you can talk about being intense. Wait, is that the best friend you've talked about?"

"Good night Lewis."

"Wait, Soldier Boy, I want to know!"

"Sweet dreams."

He hung up. Darcy rolled her eyes. And threw her phone on her night stand. She couldn't wait to see the woman that would make Barton uncomfortable, and worried enough to call her. And a woman who could handle Barton as a close friend, on a regular basis.

Despite it all, she fell into sleep quickly.

OOOOOO

Darcy told about the new agent to Jane the next morning, and the scientist shrugged. There was no reason for her to be worried; she was confident in her research, and happy about the progress. All in all, she was relaxed, if curious about the woman.

Darcy didn't know what to think anymore. The woman had some history with Barton, and Darcy knew she wouldn't be able to help herself making comparisons, no matter Barton assured there was nothing going on. The woman worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. Darcy was nothing but a research assistant with an incomplete college degree.

Her musing were starting to look like the 'You Belong with me' video clip.

Erik was drinking a cup of coffee, when he settled it back down, and called to them in a somewhat strangled voice.

"Girls? I think you have visit."

Jane and Darcy exchanged a Look, and scrambled to the lab.

Shit.

The woman was tall, taller than Jane and Darcy; she was probably around Clint's height. She was slim and fit, and had red hair that reached her chin. Big blue eyes were calmly taking in her surroundings. She was dressed in simple black pants and a white blouse. She turned to them when they entered.

Darcy stared at her. Why in the hell did Clint bother with her when she was around? How in hell didn't Barton tap that, at the very least? The woman was gorgeous, and the only advantage Darcy felt she had over her was her chest. But then again, you could difficulty have bigger breasts than Darcy's, except they were fake or you were fat.

Darcy sighed. And shook herself. Barton was flirting with her, so there must be something that was drawing him to her. She only hoped it wasn't the boredom of being stuck in the middle of nowhere, and that now that this woman was around, he would forget her.

Jane went to introduce herself.

"Hi, I'm Jane Foster, I'm the main researcher."

"It's a pleasure, Dr. Foster. I'm the Agent Romanoff, from the S.H.I.E.L.D."

"And this is Darcy, my assistant."

The woman shook their hands, her face expressionless. Her poker face was even better than Barton's when he was on duty.

"It's a pleasure to meet the both of you. You have been a very popular subject these last few weeks."

Darcy couldn't help it.

"People talk about Jane?"

"No, people talk about the girl who recovered a fallen Norse God, and about the girl who tasered him. I have to say, Miss Lewis, you have a few admirers."

Darcy blushed a bit, and couldn't find an appropriate answer. Romanoff turned back to Jane.

"Would you mind giving me a tour of your premises?"

"Not at all, Agent, please, follow me."

Darcy looked at them, and decided she should go on with her work; they would call her if she was needed. She was about to turn around when she felt someone behind her. She whirled, pointing her finger at the intruder.

"AH HA!"

Clint stood there, eyebrows so high they nearly reached his hairline, eyes wide and palms up in the traditional, don't-shoot-me-I'm-innocent way. He was still in his civilian gear. She shouted so hard that even Jane and Romanoff turned toward her, surprised. Darcy felt herself blush again, but she was really proud to have noticed him this time. The corner of his mouth quirked up.

"Good morning to you too, Miss Lewis."

"Can it, Soldier Boy, I know you were trying to sneak up on me again."

He didn't answer but gave her a small smirk. Cocky bastard.

"What are you still doing without the uniform?"

"And why are you always enquiring about my uniform? I know girls like guys in uniform, Lewis, but do you miss it that much? If so, I'm sure I can manage something. Just refrain yourself from pounding on me in public, it wouldn't be good at work."

Darcy rolled her eyes.

"You're an idiot, you know that? And you haven't answered my question."

"I already told you it's my days off."

"When a guy gets called in the middle of the day, and has to go to work, it's not a day off."

"Clearly you haven't worked in a special agency before."

"Really, what gave me away?"

He grinned at her, and she found herself with an answering smile. It was really fun to have someone to banter with; Jane was never really good at it. From the corner of her eyes she could see Agent Romanoff and Jane exchanging looks, but she couldn't see what they were about.

Barton took her arms delicately, and led her toward them.

"Miss Lewis, Doctor Foster, I think you have been introduced to Natasha."

"We have been introduced to Agent Romanoff, is it similar?"

"Close but not quite. Tasha, you should be nicer with them, they are the only Not Testosterone Fuelled Individuals you're going to have contact with for the next few days."

He said the last bit to the Agent, who was apparently named Natasha. She gave him a look that Darcy couldn't exactly understand. It was some kind of mix between exasperation, fondness, warning and curiosity. Clint apparently ignored the stare, and turned to Darcy and Jane.

"Natasha entered the agency about at the same time. We were trained together."

Darcy's eyes lighted up. She turned toward the Agent.

"Oh my God, you must have hilarious stories about him!"

Clint gave Natasha a warning look, to which she answered with a small sweet smile. It seemed that Natasha decided to drop the Agent Face with Barton around. He had a way of making you react, in the bad way of the good one. The woman turned to Darcy.

"Some."

"Interested in sharing?"

"Sure, I'm free tonight; I heard there is a good Mexican in town."

"Great!"

"And you, Dr. Foster, will you accompany us?"

"Why not, new women are always appreciated. And please, call me Jane."

"You can call me Natasha, but for some reason, most people prefer to keep with Agent Romanoff."

"That's because you scare them."

Clint was glaring good naturally at the woman. It hadn't escaped Darcy's notice that Barton hadn't been invited to the dinner. She knew she could invite him, but she wanted to have the opportunity to introduce herself to Natasha without him interfering.

"I do not. Maybe I simply inspire professionalism."

"You don't. You inspire If-I-Look-at-Her-The-Wrong-Way-She'll-Shoot-Me-ism."

The woman smiled sweetly at him.

"Now, how could I do this? I'm only a woman."

"Invalid Argument. I've seen you kick the ass of seven agents, at the same time. You're Fury's favorite. Jane is going to bring back the god of Thunder. Darcy knocked the said Norse God of Thunder out."

Natasha turned to Darcy.

"Yes, I've been meaning to congratulate you about this."

"Hmm, thanks? I'm sure you've done better."

"I have yet to fight with a God. And any woman who can stand for herself is worthy."

Clint piped up.

"Don't worry about that. She definitely stands up for herself."

Everyone else ignored his comment, making him pout.

"We're not in the forties anymore you know. Women are not that discriminated."

"Maybe not in everyday life, but in an organization like S.H.I.E.L.D.? Everyone needs to prove themselves. Especially women. We are the weaker sex, after all."

The cynical light in Natasha's eyes made Darcy understand that any man that had the bad idea to make a comment to her about being a frail and defenseless girl regretted it deeply.

Clint chuckled, probably reminiscing some of his friend's most memorable beatings. Because they were probably only friends. They stood perfectly calmly around each other, teasing casually. Darcy felt no tension, sexual or otherwise. She felt relieved, she wouldn't fight the woman over something she considered hers, and she would have been disappointed to not have her chance with Barton.

OOOOOO

Natasha stayed about half an hour after that, finishing the tour of the building. Then she made a date with Darcy and Jane for the night, and all but dragged Barton out of the lab, even if he made it pretty clear he wanted to stay there.

Jane was sitting just across the table, where she and Darcy waited for Natasha to arrive. They came a bit early, and they were convinced the Agent would arrive right on time. Jane was gazing at Darcy.

"Clint and Natasha seemed pretty close..."

Darcy grunted.

"I mean, do you think there is something going between them?"

"That coming from the woman who wanted me to date him yesterday."

"Well, yesterday I didn't know there was a possibility he was taken."

"There isn't."

The two friends turned around, a bit sheepish. Natasha was there, in the same clothes she wore this morning. Darcy looked at her watch. Yep. Right on time. Jane told the woman to sit down.

Natasha turned to Darcy.

"So, you're interested in Clint?

"Hmm, maybe? I don't know, I mean, he's funny, snarky, and kinda cute, but in the end, I don't know him, right? He could be the biggest asshole on the planet I wouldn't know."

Natasha nodded.

"I've known Clint a long time. I've met a couple of his exes. He is a great guy, apparently a great boyfriend, and a god in bed."

Darcy felt herself blush, and kept herself from thinking about that now. Natasha had a small smile on her face, as if she knew was the girl was talking about. Jane spoke to Natasha.

"So, there was nothing between you and Clint?"

Natasha shook her head.

"No. There could have been, at some point, but we were starting our career, and we hadn't time for that. By the time we did, we were too good friends to risk it."

Jane nodded. Suddenly, Darcy felt tonight was maybe some kind of test to see if she was worthy of Soldier Boy.

"So, you said you had good stories about Soldier Boy?"

Natasha smirked at her.

"Well, there was this time..."

OOOOOOOOO

Darcy entered her room late that night. She staggered until she fell on her bed. She was dead tired. After the dinner, they went to a bar to have a few drinks. Natasha, apparently Russian, drunk vodka most of the night, and was still walking straight when they exited. Jane was cautious, but still ended more hammered than Darcy. She had less practice, though. You don't party much when you're stuck alone in a lost town of New Mexico. Darcy was tipsy, but still functioning.

The evening had been epic. Natasha was a brilliant woman, quirky, fit and powerful. And Darcy saw the light in her eyes when she convinced a couple of clingy guys that they were definitely not interested. She could see why people were afraid of her.

And she knew Barton like the back of her hand. She told them about the time he got shot in the ass because he pissed off a team mate and the said man failed to cover him properly in a mission. She also told them about how one night, when they were camping in Canada for a mission, he woke up in the middle of the night, fully panicked, and went out of the tent to shoot the intruder he heard, only to come back with a deer he killed.

But all in all, Natasha seemed to think he was a great agent who rarely did mistakes and save everyone's asses more time than they could think. She also said something about a hero complex. Darcy could picture that one easily.

The only thing Darcy was dubious, was whether she passed whatever test Natasha decided to give her tonight. Having no idea what she was tested about, she simply decided to be herself, but she knew that wasn't always the right answer. Being herself sometimes-often- brought people to think she was insane. She wasn't.

Her phone rang on her side table. She checked what it was about. A new text, from Soldier Boy.

Had a nice evening?

She typed quickly.

Yep, it was great.

The reply came a few seconds after.

Cool! I'll see you tomorrow?

She smiled.

Yeah! See you there! Good night!

Sweet Dreams, Miss Lewis.

She dropped the phone back on the side table, a wide smile spreading on her face.

It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

She may or may not have dreamed of a sexy agent.

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

"Well, you're in a good mood today."

Darcy smirked, and finished typing her sentence before turning to look at him. He was standing a few feet away from her, a small grin on his face.

"Still on vacation Soldier Boy? My, my, I'm going to start believing you don't deserve your paycheck!"

"It's my last day, Miss Lewis. I assure you, my paycheck is fully deserved."

Darcy only smirked, and couldn't help but remember how Natasha praised Barton's competency the previous night. "Yeah, I think Natasha said something about that."

He raised an eyebrow. She rose slowly, making her way to Jane's station. Just when she was beside him, he interrupted her by putting a hand on her waist. She turned around to face him. He was standing close, his gorgeous eyes sparkling from amusement and curiosity. "Should I be worried about what Tasha said about me?"

His voice was low, and Darcy had to restrain herself from shivering. "Don't worry about that, Soldier Boy. Nothing that will send you to prison. Just some stories about how you got yourself a scar on the ass."

And yes, it was totally called for to slap his ass to punctuate her statement. He made a weird little squawking noise in response. She couldn't help snorting while she side stepped him quickly, and skipped to her first target.

Turning around, Darcy caught him watching her, a bemused smile playing on her lips. Jane had raised her head when Clint had squeaked, looking at them and wondering if she should find herself some reason to get the hell out of there with Erik. She threw Darcy a questioning look, but the intern shook her head. They were mostly fooling around, anyway. Well, she thought so. Because, seriously, it didn't mean-

"Hey, Lewis?"

She spun around, to face Clint who was still standing next to her desk, a good ten meters away from her. "Yeah, Soldier Boy?"

His face was dead serious, something she wasn't used to anymore. "Are you free on Friday?"

She stared. Oh God. He asked her out. He just asked her out. Oh my God, say something Darcy. Come on. Was he asking her out? She didn't know anymore. What should I do?

"Are you asking me out?"

Way to go Lewis. That sounded like a gob smacked, slightly indignant gold fish. She probably looked like one, too.

He lost a bit of his countenance, her answer clearly not being what he expected. But he still managed so sound calm and steady when he answered. In other words, much better than Darcy. "Yes, I do believe I am, Miss Lewis."

Darcy stared at him, and felt a big shining smile slowly spreading on her face. He was asking her out! "Then pick me up at six-thirty!"

She saw his shoulders relax. Apparently, he wasn't as confident as he wanted to appear. She wanted to go and kiss him. On the cheek of course, they haven't been out on a date yet. But, still, she decided she would keep that for later. When Jane and Erik wouldn't be standing there staring at them. They did some pretty good gob smacked goldfish imitations themselves.

Barton threw her a grin. "It's a date, Miss Lewis."

She smirked at him. Indeed it was. Clint walked around the desk, and went to speak with Jane about something. Darcy overheard the word Agent Coulson, and zoned out. They wouldn't need her if they were talking about some agency things.

She was going to resume her work, when Jane called her over. Well, apparently she was wrong. Even when they dealt with S.H.I.E.L.D., they needed her around. Jane looked displeased though.

"What's the matter Jane?"

"Apparently, Coulson and his team decided that at this stage of my research I need some help. They're calling in support technicians."

Darcy frowned. "Isn't that technically my job?"

Clint sighed. "Well, yes. But not for long now. Coulson thinks that having you working here is somewhat of a waste of resources."

Darcy saw red, even if she knew Clint had probably nothing to do with it. "So the Big Boss thinks I'm a waste of money and they're firing me? I was the one who helped Jane with her research when everyone else thought it was insane. I was the one who met Thor and I was in the town when that Big Badass Robot arrived. How dare they think I'm useless, I'm-"

Clint laid a hand over her mouth, stopping her from ranting any further.

"Darcy! They're not saying you're useless, or that you're a waste of money! They just think there's other work which would be more appropriate for your skills."

Darcy sneered under his hand, leering at him until he removed his hand. "What? Co-Secretary of the coffee machine Director?"

Clint smirked. "Hey, coffee machines are everyone's salvation. Don't underestimate them." Darcy shot him an unimpressed look. "Honestly, I don't know, but Coulson wants to meet with you. Tomorrow, ten o'clock. Dress nice."

He leaned in, pecking her on the cheek - damn Agents, having more guts than her-, and walked to the door. Just before exiting, he turned around, throwing her a grin. "See you on Friday, Miss Lewis!"

And he was gone. Darcy stood there for a few seconds, before darting to her desk to text him.

Don't think I missed the fact you asked me out before telling me I was fired.

The reply came quickly.

Not fired, Miss Lewis. Reassigned.

She smirked. At least he didn't deny.

OOOOO

Jane was angry. She-isn't-even-working-anymore angry. Which meant things were pretty bad. Jane was always working. Jane was always thinking about working. Jane dreamt about working!

Apparently, the only thing that could keep Jane from working was the prospect of something disturbing future work. She was weird like that. Maybe she was fond of Darcy as well, but Darcy didn't think that was the only reason. Liking her intern wasn't enough for her to risk delaying the return of her boyfriend.

Right now, Jane was storming around, ranting about how it was a disgrace they didn't consult her about all this and how she was going to fill a complaint. That she didn't want any new assistants.

Erik was cooking Darcy's favorite meal. He hadn't said anything, and Darcy could see he wasn't surprised by the news. She guessed it was pretty obvious S.H.I.E.L.D. would get her out of there at some point. She always hoped it would be a little later. Apparently, 'a little later' had arrived sooner than she expected. She was slightly frustrated about the whole situation, and a bit apprehensive, but not really shocked.

Jane, however, was completely flabbergasted. She never suspected her new bosses would touch Darcy. Darcy herself couldn't see where they would put her, she didn't have any complete college degree. The only thing she had any experience with was dealing with slightly unbalanced people, keeping said unbalanced people alive, and reasoning with them when they got too unbalanced. And doing paperwork. She had become a Master of Paperwork. Jane hated it.

Most of her experience came from Jane, anyway. She still didn't know what S.H.I.E.L.D. would do with that.

Erik slid the plates onto the table, asking Darcy if she was alright with his eyes. She nodded. She was alright, mostly. She would be a wreck from stress tomorrow morning, but for the moment she was fine.

Jane sat down with a huff, jaw clenched and brows furrowed.

"How can they do this? I don't have time to train new assistants!"

Darcy rolled her eyes. "Thanks Jane, I really feel the love."

Jane looked surprised at Darcy's sarcasm, mentally replaying her recent sentence. Her eyes widened when she realized the problem. "Oh God, I didn't mean it like that Darce! Really! I just meant you're doing great and I don't want any new help!"

Darcy sighed. She didn't really want to, but she had to convince Jane it was the best thing for her research. Otherwise she would be insufferable for the next ten years. "Jane, you've always worked by yourself in the past. You don't know what it would be like to have real, competent assistants to help you out. You'll probably like it! They'll be more useful than me and everything will go faster! You'll have your big guy back in no time with their help!"

Jane twitched. Of course. Thor was always a good argument.

"But I have to break them in! It took nearly two weeks to train you to an acceptable level! And there will be more of them!"

"Yeah, but they will be actual scientists. I'm a Poli-Sci major. I didn't know anything about this stuff. They'll have a huge head start compared to me. And when I started here, you were alone. Now, you'll have Erik to help you too! You'll be fine, just give them a chance."

Jane's face turned to a pout. "But you're more than my intern! You're my friend! Who will remind me to eat and sleep? Or drag me from my work when I start to go insane? Who will listen when I gush about Thor? They didn't meet him. They won't understand why I'm doing all this to begin with!"

"Don't worry about that Jane. If S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't brief them, they'll know after about two hours."

Jane gave her a Look "Darcy, please be serious."

"I'm very serious. Come on Jane, there is nothing we can do about this except make the best out of the situation. I'm sure Erik can do a good job of keeping you alive and semi-sane when I'm not in. And if you ever feel the need for some girl talk, there's this handy little device called a telephone, you've probably heard of it."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Darcy..."

"Jane..."

Jane looked at her with lost eyes. "It'll be empty around here without you!"

"Girl, I wasn't around six months ago."

"Well, I 'm used to you now. It's like coffee: once you start drinking it, you can't go without!

"Are you saying I'm a drug?"

"A legal one."

"Thanks a lot Boss."

"I'm not your Boss."

"Your still my Boss until tomorrow. Might as well enjoy it."

Finally, Jane gave in and chuckled. "I'll miss you, Darcy."

"I'll miss you too, Jane. I'll come around to see you, I swear!

"I only hope whatever they stick you on, it won't be top secret. I would hate to have to ignore whatever you're getting yourself into."

Jane sounded so much like an overprotective big sister at the moment, Darcy couldn't help it. She went up and hugged the older woman. Jane was surprised, but returned the hug enthusiastically. Then she froze.

Darcy leaned back, a frown on her face. "What's the matter?"

"I just realized, we haven't even talked about Clint asking you out! Shame on us! Come on, we've got to work on that!"

"Do you mind if we finish dinner first?"

Jane gave her the puppy eyes, but Darcy was having none of it. She was hungry.

Erik simply smiled, and sipped his wine. He was happy the girls sorted it by themselves. God knew he loved them, but he had no idea what to do in this situation.

OOOOOOOO

Jane and Darcy had a great evening laughing and spending some time comparing their respective men. Darcy allowed herself to hope what was happening with Clint could be something more. She would cut that out tomorrow, but for the moment, Jane was a bad influence on her.

But maybe. Maybe.

Clint Barton was a fine piece of man after all.

OOOOOOOO

It was eight thirty in the morning and Darcy was, predictably, freaking out in front of her closet. She had no idea what to wear, given she didn't really know what was going on. Should she go in her usual clothes? Old jeans with a baggy shirt? Maybe Coulson would think she wasn't serious about the job. Should she put on her suit? But then again, Coulson knew her, and the way she usually dressed. Maybe he would think she was a ass-kisser who wanted to get a better job by displaying some of her assets.

Oh God. Kill her now.

Or tell her what to wear.

Whichever one was easier.

Finally, she settled for clean, new jeans with one of her pretty blouses that made her look more mature than she really was. It had been a gift from her mother, when she heard she was doing some "serious work". It was the first time Darcy ever wore it and she had to say, it looked good on her. Her mom had good taste, even if she insisted on dressing Darcy older than she really was.

She took a few calming breathes, which didn't do any good, and left. Jane gave her two thumbs up on the way out, though Darcy could see she was still upset about having her intern stolen. Erik gave her an encouraging smile that Darcy couldn't help returning. Smiling always made things better. Sadly, Coulson didn't seem like the type to be moved by that kind of emotional display. She hoped she was wrong. It was something to have all the facial expressions of a tea spoon, it was another force others to act the same way.

She got into the car and drove to the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s HQ, which was an hour away. As she neared the base, the butterflies in her stomach morphed to hummingbirds, then to jays. By the time the base was in sight, she was pretty sure a bald eagle was nesting in her gut. She focused on not barfing. Job interviews caused her some serious angst on good days. Job interviews with people who had the power to make her and all the people she cared for disappear from the surface of this planet? Damn fucking terrifying.

Relax, Lewis. Barton wouldn't have let you come if you were in danger. Natasha wouldn't have let you come if you were in danger. They're probably going to drop you in some menial department where they can forget about you and all the troubles you caused by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

She stopped the car in what she believed to be the parking area. It was hard to tell in the middle of the desert, but other cars were there, so she couldn't be too far off.

She took another bracing breathe, which was about as useful as all the others, and entered the building.

There were a lot of agents around, and the closest turned toward her, a frown on his face, probably going to tell her she wasn't at the right place. She reddened, but interrupted him.

"Hi, I'm Darcy Lewis. I work for Jane Foster, the astrophysicist. Agent Coulson asked me to come over this morning."

It came out rushed, and probably half understandable, but the Agent closed his mouth. He raised an eyebrow, lost as to what he was supposed to do with her.

A woman's voice interrupted them. "Everything is fine, Agent Taves. I will take care of this matter."

Everyone turned to look at Natasha, still in business wear, face blank and professional. Darcy nearly sighed in relief, but from the look on the people's faces, that wouldn't be the best reaction. Everyone else went from nervous to downright terrified. Barton was right, people were afraid of Natasha. She would have to ask him about it. After all, he would want revenge for everything Natasha told her and Jane.

Speaking of Soldier Boy, she didn't see him around. She ignored the drop of her stomach. She had hoped he would come and see her, for moral support and all that, but he probably had some work to do after being gone for three days.

Natasha went to stand in front of her at an angle that kept anyone else from seeing her face, and gave Darcy a small reassuring smile which Darcy answered, relieved. Natasha was on her side, at the very least.

"Agent Coulson is in debriefing with some agents, he will be free a ten o'clock, and wants to apologize for the wait," explained Natasha.

"Oh, it doesn't matter. I was the one to come in early. Could you just show where to wait? I'm pretty sure I'll get lost if I start walking around by myself."

Natasha nodded and led her to one of the several hallways that went from the first room. "I have been assigned to keep you company until Agent Coulson is ready to meet you."

"It's not necessary, really. I mean, I would really like it if you stayed, but I'm sure you have other things to do. You know, like scaring Agents. I'm able to entertain myself."

Natasha gave her a small smile, a sparkle in her eyes. "We are not worried about you being bored, Miss Lewis. We are worried about what exactly you will do to keep yourself amused."

"Do you honestly think I would be stupid enough to try and spy on S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Natasha grinned, and cocked her head, indicating the possibility had been discussed, at the very least.

Darcy raised her eyebrows and gave the woman a skeptical look. "I don't know if I should be insulted that you would think I'd be that stupid, or flattered you actually think I have enough of a chance at success that Coulson would bother to put his best agent on guard duty."

Natasha smirked. "Take it the way it makes you feel the best, girl."

Darcy rolled her eyes. "That's not an answer."

Natasha simply looked at her.

Darcy decided she wasn't going to get any straight answer, and changed subject. "Can I ask you a question? Why do you and Clint always talk in plural when you're in duty? It's always "we thought" or "we decided". And don't tell me it's because you are an actual part of everything that's going on here. Well, maybe you are, but Clint definitely isn't."

Natasha's eyes narrowed and she pinned Darcy under her stare, as if she was trying to decide whether or not Darcy could understand the answer to that question.

Finally she spoke, measuring her words carefully. "Its because, when we work, we must think as a team. Individual concerns are secondary to anything that will help the big picture. It's a thing soldiers are trained for. Thinking as a singular person is the best way to get yourself -and your team- killed during a mission."

Darcy thought it over, and nodded. It made sense, but she didn't like the way it erased the a person's individuality so they could hide behind the idea of an institution. She wasn't sure she could integrate herself into something as completely as Natasha and Barton did. She was pretty sure S.H.I.E.L.D. did things she definitely didn't want to be a part of.

Natasha saw through Darcy's skepticism. "It's a matter of trust. At some point, it'll come."

Darcy snorted. "For the moment, I only trust Jane. And Erik. As far as I know, you guys are jackbooted thugs with a serious power trip and a kink for moving people around without their consent."

Natasha chuckled. "Give us a chance. We're not all bad.

"I seriously hope so. You have cute guys working here."

Natasha laughed. They had reached an open area, with chairs and tables. Natasha gestures to Darcy to sit down. They stayed there for some time, talking about small things, and waiting for time to pass.

Finally, the door they faced opened, and some agents stepped out. When Darcy got a good look at the fourth, her hearth skipped a bit. Barton saw her at the table, keeping his face carefully blank as he looked around. When he was sure no one was looking at him, threw her a quick grin and a wink. She smiled back.

"Miss Lewis, please come in."

The voice had come from the room. Darcy gave a last look to Natasha, who jerked her head toward the doorway.

She squared her shoulders, and walked in.

It was a huge meeting room, with a large wooden rectangular table. Coulson was presently seated at one end, his back to a white board. He was shuffling through papers. He raised his eyes to her, his face as expressionless as ever.

"Welcome, Miss Lewis. Please, sit down."

He pointed to the seat on his left with the corner of the papers in his hand. She willed her feet to move, hoping she wouldn't have to speak too soon because her throat felt way too dry for that.

When she was seated, he took his time to sort his previous folder, which he put back in a binder. He then took a new one. Darcy clearly saw her own name written on the top of it. Her own file. She was curious as to what they had on her. It was surprisingly thick, since she was pretty sure she was as nondescript as one could be.

Coulson leaned back, and looked in her eyes. "Do you know why I called you here, Miss Lewis?"

"Agent Barton said something about being reassigned, Sir." She figured being polite couldn't hurt. And calling Barton Soldier Boy probably wouldn't help her case.

"Indeed. Agent Barton told me you expected to be appointed as..." he opened his folder, took out a yellow post-it, "...co-Secretary of the coffee machine Director." He took a second to look at her.

Darcy, understanding he was expecting her to say something, squirmed a bit. "You already stated you didn't know what to do with me. I simply thought it was a good assignment for someone you were trying to forget about."

"You would be surprised how often the coffee machine is responsible for causing me trouble, Miss Lewis." She raised her eyebrows, trying to determine whether he was serious, or joking. His face certainly gave no clue. After a slight pause, he continued. "But I'm afraid such an appointment would be a stupid move. You have far more possibilities than a simple, mindless employee."

Darcy had no idea what to say. "Possibilities? Sir, I beg your pardon, there must be a mistake. I'm nobody! I have no real diploma, I was barely more than average in school, and I have been playing nanny for a crazed and slightly obsessed scientist for months now!"

Coulson raised an eyebrow, and took few sheets out of the folder. "Mistaking education for competency is not one of my traits, Miss Lewis. There is some fields, such as Dr. Foster's, where a minimum of knowledge is necessary to be of any real use. Which is the reason why we are providing some assistants that are...qualified for lack of a better word. But there are other areas of expertise where I believe years of training will be proven inefficient." He paused. Darcy had no idea what to say.

"Sir?"

He gave her a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. "And you are mistaken when you refer to yourself as average. You have several impressive skills, they're simply not skills normally identified in school. I have most of the reports your teachers wrote about you right here."

Darcy frowned. She knew she wasn't the best student, but she wasn't aware her teachers had written reports about her.

"Most of them stated you had quite an impressing memory, but chose to use it for strange things. Your fourth grade teacher states that, after two weeks, you were able to identify the habits of almost all your classmates, their strengths and weaknesses in school, their interpersonal relationships, and pretty much anything else one could learn without actually spying on them. Your seventh grade teacher wrote that you knew all your classmates so well that you could reason them if need be, broke up or negotiated conflicts, and comforted them when they needed it. There are several more reports just like these two, if you need further proof."

Darcy spoke quietly. "That was a long time ago."

"True. But you have shown similar abilities in deal with Dr. Foster. Notably, taking care of her and making sure she remained somewhat sane. And you displayed a remarkable capacity to maintain your calm, and your mothering tendencies, when living under abnormal circumstances, such as Thor's arrival."

"I do not mother!"

"Yes, you do. You express affection differently from most people, through sarcasm and wit, but you still do care. Your penchant toward snark only makes you more qualified for the job we are going to appoint you to. I'm afraid it will take a strong personality to handle it."

Darcy raised her eyebrows.

"In passing, you also have proved having a good organizing capacity, and an acceptance of paper work. All in all, I believe you to be as qualified for the work as any person could be expected to be."

Darcy stared at him, but he seemed sincere. She spoke slowly. "You still haven't told me what the job is, Sir."

He nodded, putting the sheets back in the folder, taking new ones out.

"I believe you are aware that S.H.I.E.L.D. involves itself in the abnormal phenomenon taking paces in this country."

Darcy nodded. Thor had been, to put it gently, abnormal.

"Well, our activities sometime bring us to meet extraordinary individuals.

"Like Thor."

"Yes, like Thor. As time passes, we meet more and more of them, and handling them is becoming increasingly difficult. And each of them, working on their own, often bring about trouble inadvertently. We consider it a shame to keep such gifted people locked up, so we decided to create a special unit to bring them together and let them fight crime in their own way."

Darcy frowned. "But Sir, wouldn't that make them even more dangerous?"

"So would we think, but no. These people, most of them, have very little respect for office monkeys, as I once heard them put it. They usually think us to be disconnected from reality, and tend to overcome our orders quite easily. When they are a team, they discipline themselves."

Darcy nodded. "But what does this have to do with me, Sir?"

Coulson sighed and intertwined his fingers. "You assignment, if you accept it, would be to be the official Avenger Manager. Basically, it would be babysitting, if you will. Making sure all of them are keeping themselves healthy and sane, that they fill out their paperwork, that there are no interpersonal tensions that would endanger their work, nursing them, etc. Be their friend, their confidant, their assistant, their boss. It wouldn't be that different from the work you do with Dr. Foster, except in terms of the number of people you're babysitting. And of course, you would have to file weekly reports with me and the Director of the Agency."

Darcy stayed silent trying sort out what Coulson was proposing exactly. Coulson didn't ask for an answer immediately.

"The only two people you would have to answer to would be Director Fury and myself."

Darcy nodded. "And if I say no?"

"You will be appointed as co-Secretary of the coffee machine Director."

She looked at him. "Are you sure I can do it Sir? I will be nothing to these people."

"On the contrary, you've already met two individuals we are sure will be part of the Initiative and both of them have filled reports where they strongly recommend you to the post, saying you have exactly the kind of attitude to take on this job. Though I am highly skeptical as to whether I can take Agent Barton's word on the matter. I doubt he's completely unbiased."

Darcy started. And didn't really think before speaking. "Soldier Boy is going to be part of it?"

Coulson looked surprised and amused at her nickname. And yes, this time, the smirk reached his eyes. "Indeed. I take from your surprise he has yet to reveal his special skill set to you?"

"Yes, he has! What can he do?"

Coulson looked at her and shake his head. "I'm sorry Miss Lewis, but I think I will leave Agent Barton the pleasure of telling you about that."

Darcy frowned, but let it go. Soldier Boy would pay for not telling her he was superhero team material.

"Alright, then who is the other member?

"Agent Romanoff is going to be part of the initiative as well."

Well, Darcy couldn't say she was really surprised. After all, from the reaction of the agents this morning, she was pretty sure all Natasha would have to do is say "Boo", and they would fall on the floor, with spasms and everything.

Still, it would be nice to have another girl on the team. She really didn't want to play nanny to a team of solely male super heroes. She could smell the testosterone already.

Coulson looked at her. "So, Miss Lewis, what do you say?"

Darcy looked at him for a long time. She knew it was going to be insane. It was going to be dangerous. It was even probably going to be life threatening. But she looked in Coulson's eyes and thought 'why the hell not'.

After all, it was better than running the coffee machine.

Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Darcy had to sign a couple of papers after that. Coulson told her he would send her a copy of her official job description by e-mail. Then they shook hands, and he looked her in the eyes.

"I'll be waiting for you same time, same place next week, with whatever you wish to take with you to New York. I think seven days should be enough for your farewells and your packing."

Darcy nodded. They shook hands once more, and Darcy departed. Natasha was still sitting outside the meeting room, reading some kind of report.

Darcy smiled and walked to her. The other woman raised her eyes, and arched an eyebrow, clearly questioning.

"Hey, Miss Super-Hero!"

Natasha stood up gracefully.

"Hardly. I'm pretty sure the term Super-Hero implies abnormal abilities. Super-Agent would probably be a more appropriate term."

Darcy rolled her eyes. Natasha's lips twitched, and that was as close as she would go to expressing an emotion when she was at work.

"I take it you have accepted the offer?"

"Yep, I have signed and everything. In a week, I'm gone."

Natasha nodded and led her back to the entrance. Darcy was about to exit, when the Agent stopped her and handed her a card, with a phone number on it.

"My cell. In case you ever need something."

"Are you sure-"

"You'll get it anyway when you'll start on your new job. A week difference won't matter much."

Darcy smiled at her.

"Thank you! Very much! I officially have two Super-Hero numbers? How cool is that?"

Natasha rolled her eyes good naturally.

"Super-Agent, Darcy."

Darcy beamed at her, and saluted as well as she could, but was still pretty sure it was wrong. Natasha shooed her away. Darcy spun around, fishing her phone out of her pocket. She quickly found Barton's number, and typed furiously.

You have been holding on me, Soldier Boy.

His reply came a few minutes later, while she was driving. She pulled over, not really wanting to wait for it.

?

She raised an eyebrow.

Yes, Mister Super-Hero. I am wounded.

He answered right away.

Mister Super-Hero? Is it my new nickname? Cause if so, I think Super-Agent would be better. Anyway, what am I supposed to have hold on you?

Two words. Avengers Initiative.

Holy, how do you know about it? Who babbled? Darcy, it's top secret!

Tell me how the hell a nameless S.H.I.E.L.D. minion got on the team, and I'll tell you how a nameless astrophysicist's intern got to know about it.

I'll tell you on Friday.

Oh come on!

See you on Friday, Miss Lewis.

Darcy huffed, and started the car again, driving her way back to the lab. She was barely in the building when Jane jumped on her.

"So? So! Come on Darcy, tell me!"

The woman was nearly bouncing. Darcy arched an eyebrow.

"I will if you give me time to speak, woman!"

Jane quieted down at once, all but dragging Darcy to the couch.

"Are you allowed to talk about it?"

"To you, Erik, Natasha, Soldier Boy, Coulson and some guy named Fury who is apparently the big boss."

"Well, it's good, right? You don't have to hide from your boyfriend?"

Darcy opened her mouth to protest the term, but Jane beat her to it.

"No. No discussion. He is your boyfriend. I've seen the way you look at him."

She glared at the woman, she really didn't have anything to say about it, with the way she mentally devoured Thor when he was around, and she turned to Erik, who was seating nearby, as interested by this as Jane was. She pleaded him to take her side with big puppy eyes. The man's face turned awkward when he realized he was expected to talk.

"Uh, hmm. I'm sorry Darcy, but I would have to agree with Jane on that one. He asked you out in public."

Darcy frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, pouting and glaring at the TV. Everyone was teaming up against her.

Until Jane stabbed her in the ribs with a finger.

"Well? What's going on?"

Darcy considered not telling them, as revenge, but she wasn't that cruel. She was pretty sure Jane would explode if she was to hold that up on her.

"I'm the newest S.H.I.E.L.D.'s babysitter."

Whatever Jane was expecting, it wasn't that.

"What? They are taking you away to do babysitting?"

"Yeah, they are forming a new super team, and they need someone to watch over them."

"Why you?"

"They said something about me having experience watching over slightly obsessive, crazed and genius persons."

Jane had the decency to blush and look a bit sheepish.

"When are you leaving?"

"In a week. Coulson thought that would be enough to get everything sorted."

"Do you have to find a flat?"

"Nope, they are taking care of it."

"I hope they won't put you in some kind of closet."

"Don't know. If so, I'll transform my office into a somewhat living space."

"Is that allowed?"

"I don't know, but it'll be their fault for putting me in a closet."

Jane smiled, visibly relieved Darcy didn't seem troubled and worried about the job she had been given. Of course, she probably would have been more anxious if she had known just how much of a Special Team it would be.

There are some things she really didn't have to know.

OOOOOOOOO

It was Thursday evening. It had been three days since her meeting with Coulson, and she was honestly pretty ready to go. Everything but the daily essentials was packed, Jane was getting over the fact she was leaving, and her parents were ecstatic she was actually getting a steady, well paid, respectable job. They had pretty much given up hope at that point.

She decided to open the folder Coulson sent her about her new job.

The first part was about why the Initiative was formed. It was really interesting, but it was really pretty much what Coulson had told her. With more details. She found it hard to believe the planet had been threatened with alien invasion that many time.

The second part was the installations the team would be benefitting from. Darcy thought she was dreaming.

First they had access, as their meeting place/living place/training place to a huge mansion, in New York. There could have been fifty of them and they wouldn't have any problem fitting in. Then they had access, at pretty much every hour of the day, to the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s facility. Scientists linked to the Initiative would also have lab space at S.H.I.E.L.D.

She continued reading, flabbergasted. Someone, somewhere had money, and wasn't shy about using it.

The last part was named "Certain and potential members of the Initiative."

First up, with a certain stamp beside her picture was Natasha. Apparently, her nickname was Black Widow. That wasn't foreboding at all.

As she read her list of skills and accomplishments, Darcy came to sympathize with the agents at the HQ. She certainly would be afraid of a woman able to take out a world class assassin using a rolling dice and a length of scotch tape. She could also see why S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted her on the team.

The second one was Soldier Boy. His full name was typed beside a photograph of him grinning doing a visibly mock salute to the camera holder. There was nothing else in the file but a small line.

I'm sure you can ask Agent Barton about it, Miss Lewis.

Well, who would have thought Coulson liked to mess with people?

After that came the list of people S.H.I.E.L.D. was considering putting on the team.

The first man had Darcy choking on her hot chocolate.

The Hulk.

They wanted the Hulk on a team. Darcy had seen a report of this thing action a few years back. She wasn't sure she wanted to have anything to do with it. As she read the file about the man behind the monster, Bruce Banner, she came to reposition herself. Poor guy, she couldn't imagine what he was going through. She decided she would ask him about ways to help, making sure everything was right for him. He really seemed to be trying his best.

The second potential candidate had her spitting hot beverage. Again. She really should come to term with the fact this was a super hero team. It was bound to be formed by weird people.

Like Captain America.

The picture was old, probably from the forties. There was a blond tall man standing awkwardly, as if having his picture taken wasn't something he was to. It was strange, because he was truly gorgeous.

Beside his name -Steve Rogers, apparently- was a stamped, Not Yet Discovered. He had disappeared by the end of the second world war, in a plane crash, near the North Pole. S.H.I.E.L.D. sent regular missions there, trying to find him. Apparently something about the magic/scientific serum they've given him would have made him able to survive the crash. Darcy wasn't going to even understand how it was possible.

The third man had her eyes widen. They wanted Thor on the team. Darcy finally got why they wanted to help Jane's project so much. It would give them one more hero to play with. But Darcy was dubious. She liked Thor, but she couldn't help but wonder how he would act on a team where he wouldn't be the leader. Because it was pretty obvious they wanted the Captain to do that. She shrugged. She would cross the bridge when she got to it, for the moment, Thor was still on another planet.

She turned the page to what seemed the last prospect. She didn't choke. She dropped her mug on the floor, sending hot cocoa flying everywhere.

Tony Stark.

They were putting Tony Stark on a team of hero.

They were asking her to manage Tony Stark.

Fuck all that. She was freaking meeting Tony freaking Stark.

Stop.

They were putting Tony, Thor, and Soldier Boy on the same team.

There was going to be a death by ego by the end of the first week.

Or Natasha would kill them all. With a rolling dice and a length of scotch tape.

She couldn't help it.

She took her phone out, and sent a text to Natasha.

Tony Stark?

The woman answered quickly.

Welcome aboard. I hope you will enjoy the flight.

Darcy fell back into the bed, groaning. Then she started laughing. It was going to be hilarious. Really.

And she was meeting Tony Stark.

And Captain America.

How the hell was this her life?

OOOOOOOOO

How the hell was this her life?

It was Friday evening, six o'clock, and, again, she had no idea what she should wear for her date. She tried to ask Barton where they were going, but he simply said 'Dress Nice for me' and hadn't answered anything else since. Damn Agent.

The problem was, there was nothing dates worthy in town, except the Mexican, and then again... Where was he bringing her? The next town was a good hour drive away, and she really hoped he wasn't planning on going that far, she was really hungry. Like I'm-currently-eating-myself-from-the-inside hungry.

Jane piped in, looking unconcerned and let herself fall on the bed. Darcy didn't even bother to look at her.

"You should go with the dark jeans and the red shirt."

Darcy didn't turn around, but smiled to herself. Yeah, that's why she kept Jane around. She quickly put the outfit on, and turned around, arms outstretched.

"So?"

"You look gorgeous, girl."

Darcy smiled, but Jane apparently saw right through it.

"It'll go great, Darce."

"Yeah. Well my dating history would like to amend this statement."

Jane rolled her eyes.

"Yes, but your dating history doesn't include older hot super-agent."

Darcy didn't answer, because she couldn't really argue with that. He really wasn't the type of guys she usually went out with.

Jane just behind her, and spun her around. She kept her hands on Darcy's shoulders, looking at her right in the eyes.

"It'll be alright! He likes you, you like him. Just breathe and go with the flow."

Darcy gave her a tentative smile. Jane chuckled, and drew her into a hug. Darcy chuckled as well.

"Go get him."

Just on cue, they heard the door opened, and a male voice boomed.

"Hello there! Is everybody dressed?"

Darcy couldn't help it. She snorted. Jane chuckled and released her friend.

"If you plan anything, don't forget to protect yourself."

Darcy choked on her saliva, but Jane hopped away. The younger woman heard her welcome Barton.

Darcy concentrated on breathing. In and out.

"She seems to be in a great mood."

She turned around slowly. He was leaning on the wall, wearing dark jeans, and a royal blue button up shirt. She ran her eyes up and down him, because, hell, he looked good. Under torture, she would even admit to hot. She would have been ashamed if she hadn't seen him do the same. She would have to thank Jane for that later. Speaking of which...

"Ah, she likes it when people go on date. She says it sets the vibes right."

Barton grinned.

"Well, Miss Lewis, I have to say you look lovely tonight."

She would have been worried about his health if he hadn't a cocky smirk on his face, and had taken up a ridiculously horrible English accent.

She walked to him, and offered her hand to him.

"I have to say, Mister Barton, you cleaned up pretty well yourself."

He smirked, and bowed to kiss her hand.

"Are you ready to leave?"

"Absolutely. Impress me, Soldier Boy."

She absolutely told the last part in her most sultry voice, and his eyes totally darkened down a notch.

He smirked nonetheless.

"I will do my best, Miss."

He let one of his hands slid down to the small of her back, resting it there. With the smallest push, he led her to the door. They nodded to Jane and Erik, and exited. There was a black, nondescript car.

"You know, I wouldn't have pegged you as the black car guy."

"It's not mine. Not allowed to bring our own car on mission."

"So, what color?"

He smirked at her and shrugged.

"Guess."

She mock huffed, and hopped on.

"Where are we going?"

"Guess."

"Are you being purposely irritating?"

He chuckled.

"Guess."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

She arched an eyebrow at him, but he simply winked at her, driving away.

"Yes I do."

He smirked, but decided to roll with it,

"Why would this fair lady hate the poor man I am?"

"Because you haven't told me you're a super hero! And I still don't have an idea what you do."

"You still haven't told me how you know."

"I asked first."

He sighed.

"All right, but first, it's Super-Agent. And no, I don't have any super power."

"Aah, sad."

He smirked again, looking at her from the corner of his eyes.

"And anyway, how come you don't know? If you know about the Initiative?"

"Coulson wouldn't tell me. He said I should ask you."

Clint nodded, but didn't offer any more. After a short silence, her spoke again.

"I'm the world's best marksman."

"Marksman? As in sniper?"

"Yes, but I prefer to use a bow than a gun."

"And world's best, is it true, or are you just bragging?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm the best. I'll show you someday."

"Great! Now I have to find a new nickname for you."

"You decided to drop Soldier Boy? And I already have a nickname."

"Yeah, well Soldier Boy was because you were an uptight bastard when you first came."

"I resent that comment. I was being professional."

Darcy was going to argue the term, but he pulled over. They were a few minutes out of town. There was a little pond, with a tree. Yes in the middle of the desert. It was well known in town. She threw him a confused look.

"There wasn't anywhere in town appropriate for a date."

He got out of the car, and went to the boot, taking things out. She got out as well, and watched, amused, as he installed a mat and dishes, just below the tree.

"Picnic?"

"Nothing better than homemade food."

She gave him a full smile and went to sit down in front of him. He served some salad to their plates.

"So where were we?"

"I believe we were talking about your nickname. I'm curious about this one."

He gave her a look, and she was surprised he looked a bit shy. Well, as shy as someone could look with a grin.

"Hawkeye."

"Really?"

He nodded.

She tried it, wondering of it would feel on her tongue.

"Hawkeye, Hawkeye... Yeah, I like it. I'm not going to call you that, but I like it anyway."

He gave her a real smile this time.

"Are you finally going to call me by my real name?"

"Still haven't given me any reasons to, fledgling."

He groaned, and gave her puppy eyes. She laughed.

"No, you're not getting away from this."

"You're enjoying yourself?"

"A lot."

"Than I must be doing a good job."

She paused to consider it.

"Yes. Yes you are."

He beamed.

"You still haven't spilled your dirty little secret."

"Oh, it's no big deal. Coulson think the Avengers are going to need a babysitter. For some reason, he thinks that should be me."

Clint frowned, apparently not ecstatic about that.

"What's the matter?"

"It's going to put you in danger."

Oh. He was worried about her.

"Sorry to break that into you, fledgling, but I've already been in danger."

He seemed to think it over, and relaxed a bit, but still seemed unhappy. She gave him a curious look.

"I'm a bad person."

"Why is that?"

"I should be worried about your safety."

"Well, you are?"

"Yes, but I'm even more happy that I'll get to see you all the time."

Darcy was completely taken by surprise. She was pretty sure her mouth was hanging open. Barton had been flirty with her for a while, but that was one step ahead. He seemed a bit taken aback by her reaction at his admittance, and stayed silent while he put some pasta in her plate.

When she spoke, her voice was very small.

"You mean that?"

"What, that I'm happy to see you as much as I can? Of course!"

"You want more than a date?"

Clint looked at her with wide eyes.

"If I want more than a - Obviously! If all I wanted was a fuck, I would have went to the bar, and find myself a girl I would never see again. I would have chosen one I would have to work with, I wouldn't have spent my days off with you, and I would never, ever have introduced you to Tasha."

Darcy didn't know what to say. He was looking at her with wide disbelieving blue eyes. Damned blue eyes. She lowered her head. He waited for her to comment.

"Hell, Darcy, there's some boys that need to get their asses kicked right fucking now."

She looked up, he looked a bit upset, but not at her. And the fact her used her first name didn't escape her. She willed her voice to stay stable.

"It doesn't matter, really. They were not the kind of guys I would have wanted to have a real relationship with."

He reached out, and took her hand. His hands were strong, but his touch was soft.

"Would you want a relationship with me?"

She looked into his earnest eyes.

"I do believe I could contemplate such a thing."

He smiled, wide and open, and she couldn't help but answer.

OOOOOOO

There was small talk, and the dinner was amazingly good. He apparently made it himself, but she wasn't going to believe it until she had proofs.

All too soon, it was time to head back. Desert at night got chilly really fast, and she wasn't dressed for outdooring.

He drove her back to the lab, and went out with her.

"I don't think I'll be able to see you before you go away, but text or phone me if you need anything."

She nodded, feeling a bit sad she wouldn't see him for a while. He grinned, and step neared, until he was pressed against her.

She looked up, and saw his questioning eyes. She smile and rose on her toes to cover his mouth with hers.

He leaned in instantly, deepening it. She felt herself sigh in the kiss, opening her mouth wider, sliding her tongue out to meet his. It was slow, it was deep, in was knee weakening, and it was absolutely perfect at the moment. She could have stayed there for hours, but after a few moments, he pulled back and pressed his forehead against hers, and whispered against her lips.

"Sweet Dreams, Miss Lewis."

With that he went back in the car, leaving her breathless and slightly dazed. It took her a few moments to collect herself to text him.

Good night to you too, fledgling!

Chapter 10: Chapter 10

It was that time. D-day. Darcy was standing in a heliport close to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base, waiting for the helicopter that would bring her to the airport, to the plane that would take her to New York.

Coulson was beside her, in his traditional black suit. Darcy couldn't believe he could be comfortable in that thing in the middle of the desert, but hey, it was his choice. He was giving her last minute details.

"I will arrive in New York in a few days, after I pack up here. Agent Barton will stay with me. Agent Romanoff will be accompanying you. Feel free to question her if you are worried about anything."

Darcy nodded. She couldn't find a way to untie the knot in her throat, so talking was out of the question for the moment.

"Director Fury will want to meet you soon after you arrive, so wait for his call."

That didn't help her calm down. He gave her a ghost of a smile.

"Here is my phone number." He handed her a small card with a printed number and another written beside it in neat handwriting.

"You're giving me your number? Your cell number? Sweet! Do you text?"

He cocked his head. "Only if you give me a reason to answer."

Darcy smiled. Suddenly, they heard the helicopter approaching. Coulson raised his eyes briefly, and then looked back at her.

"One last thing, Miss Lewis. Do not be worried about Mister Stark. You do not depend on him in any way, and have no respect to pay to him."

He seemed to think about that for a moment.

"In fact, if he bothers you too much, Director Fury and I should be able to find it in our hearts to look the other way over any tazing incidents."

He nodded his goodbyes, and walked back into the building. Darcy watched him go, jaw dropped. It was so unfair he was able to say things like that while still sounding composed and professional. She was pretty sure if she ever got to the point she wanted to taze Tony Stark, she would sound anything but calm.

Suddenly, Natasha materialized by her side. Darcy didn't even bother to ask herself how the hell she got there. The woman was a ninja. Seriously. It was written in her folder. Though she had the sneaking suspicion it had something to do with Barton. The red head looked at her and gave her a small smile.

"Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"How are you feeling?

"Uh, one more surprise away from puking."

Natasha seemed to hesitate, but finally reached out, and squeezed Darcy's arm. Darcy was startled for a moment. Natasha didn't seem to be one of those people big on physically comforting someone. But the shock melted quickly and she gave the assassin a megawatt smile because, seriously, she needed to know someone was there with her.

"I'm glad you're on the team."

Natasha smirked. "Yes, two strong women should be able to keep the boys in line."

Darcy frowned. "Well, I'm pretty sure I don't have the qualifications to deal with Tony Stark."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Leave that to Pepper and I."

Darcy nodded, and couldn't help but feel relieved. The older woman cocked her head. "Aren't you worried about the others?"

Darcy shook her head. "I'm pretty sure I can handle Barton. Thor is a big softy, and I actually know him. I'm more worried about the way he'll react to the others."

Natasha arched an eyebrow. "What about the Captain and Dr. Banner?"

"For all we know, Dr. Banner is still on the run in South America, and Captain America is potentially frozen in the North Pole. I decided I wasn't going to lose any sleep over them until I see paperwork that says they're going to be part of the team."

Natasha nodded, but had a little evil smile on her face. Darcy frowned, not sure it was good news. "What? Am I missing something?

"I just can't wait to see the first time Tony meets Captain America."

Darcy chuckled. After that, the helicopter took off, and there was no way they could talk. Darcy looked out of the window, watching the desert slide by under them.

When they got the plane, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s private jet, Natasha looked at her and pressed a button aside her seat. It transformed itself into some kind of bed. Darcy raised her eyebrows at the agent. She shrugged.

"You should grab some sleep before we land."

She didn't add the because you won't get much of it after, but Darcy could hear it just fine any way.

She was simply thankful only half of the potential team was actually available, because she couldn't picture herself jumping in the middle of Iron Man, Captain America and Thor without knowing them. Except Thor. But she had the feeling Thor wouldn't be the worst one.

Anyone who had ever met Thor will tell you that's a bad sign.

OOOOOOOO

Natasha shook her awake. Darcy blinked, and pressed the button to change her bead into a seat again. She shot a look at her watch, noticing she slept for three hours. She shot a look at Natasha. The red head didn't even look up from her computer, probably having a sixth sense for people watching her.

"We'll be landing in New York soon."

"How soon?"

"About fifteen minutes."

Darcy nodded, and went to buckle her seat belt. When she looked out the window, the sun was still shining, and she momentarily soaked it in. She would miss the bright sunlight. New York wasn't that rainy, but it wasn't New Mexico.

Natasha spoke, clapping her laptop shut. "How are you feeling?"

Darcy took a minute to think it over. "Uh, I was doing well until you asked. But all in all, I feel better than I did earlier."

Natasha nodded. Darcy fished out her phone, and saw she had a text, from Barton.

Are you there yet?

He had sent it about half an hour ago. She smiled.

Nearly. Wish me luck.

He answered right away. Sometime she wondered if he lived with his cell phone, or if he was as anxious for her replies as she was for his.

Break a leg. I'll see you soon.

She frowned.

How soon?

That's out of my hands. Coulson isn't one to linger, though.

Darcy nodded. The man was efficiency personified.

See you soon, then. Fledgling.

That's getting old, Miss Lewis.

She laughed, slapping her phone shut. Natasha shot her an amused look, but didn't comment. Darcy knew there wasn't much to say.

The plane finally landed. On the tarmac, there was a black man with an eye patch waiting. Darcy couldn't help but wonder if the long black leather coat was overkill, but then, maybe it was a secret agent thing. Coulson did wear suits in the middle of the desert.

Natasha followed her look, and raised an eyebrow.

"That's Director Fury."

Darcy felt the panic come flooding back instantly. Fuck, already? She thought she would at least have time to see her new place before seeing the new boss. Who didn't seem to be an easy going kind of guy.

"Don't worry. He isn't as bad as he looks like."

"Maybe to you. You're his best agent. I'm nobody."

That earned her a slight slap behind the head. "You wouldn't be here if you were nobody. He likes women, anyway. He says they are more reliable than men."

"Should I be worried?"

Natasha laughed, and shook her head, but didn't offer any more.

They got off the plane and Natasha went straight to the man. She stood in front of him in a somewhat military stance, waiting for him to speak. Darcy just stood off to the side, feeling out of place. They looked badass, she looked fragile. And she didn't like it.

The man turned his eye to her."Miss Lewis, I presume?

"Yes, sir."

He nodded, visibly appreciating her polite tone. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I simply came to welcome you, and tell you I want to meet with you tomorrow morning, 9 a.m. in my office. Agent Romanoff will help you get there."

Darcy nodded and resisted the urge to salute and bellow 'Sir, yes sir.' Instead, she simply said, "I will be there, sir."

He nodded again. "Agent Romanoff, I will be expecting your report on the New Mexico mission by tomorrow."

Natasha nodded. The man bided them goodbye, and walked to a sleek black car - a lot like the one Clint had borrowed for their date- that someone opened for him while he slid into the back seat.

Natasha went to the second car parked behind Fury's, and gestured for Darcy to enter. She slid in the backseat as well. Darcy couldn't help feeling rich as she realized they had a chauffeur.

Well, she was a Bond Girl, after all. She deserved a chauffeur.

The mansion looked even more impressive in real life than in the pictures. She froze once she was out of the car.

Natasha didn't seem impressed, and Darcy chose to believe it was because she had already been to this place, and not because the agent was used to living in places like this.

"I asked Pepper to keep Tony out of the mansion tonight, so he shouldn't bother you right away."

"Tony? I thought he wasn't an official member yet!"

"He isn't. He's a consultant. But he owns this place. And he's pretty much on the team. Don't tell him though, Fury likes to keep him hanging."

Darcy nodded. She liked the idea of holding out on Tony Stark. It gave her the impression she had a little bit of control.

Natasha went in, Darcy trailing behind her. The agent picked up an envelope that was lying on the table in the entrance, while Darcy was gazing at the house. It was enormous, furnished and styled in a modern inspiration. Natasha had to wave the card she was holding in front of her eyes to actually get her focus.

"Hm? Oh! A present?"

Natasha smirked and rolled her eyes. "This is your access card. You will also have to see with JARVIS to get your fingerprint and retina scans."

Darcy frowned. "Jarvis? Who's Jarvis?"

Natasha simply smirked a little more, and raised her voice, talking to the empty space. "JARVIS?"

Darcy frowned, and was about to comment when a weird disembodied voice with an English accent came out of nowhere. "Yes, Agent Romanoff?"

"Could you please make sure everything had been prepared for Darcy Lewis' arrival?"

"Yes Agent Romanoff. Her suit is ready, all her packages have been delivered and Miss Potts has forbidden Mister Stark from entering her quarters under any circumstances and penalties which I am not privy to."

"Thank you Jarvis." Natasha than turned to Darcy who was two seconds away from bolting for the door. "That's JARVIS. He runs the house."

"And he is a...what, exactly?

"An AI unit. Tony created him. He is networked into all of Tony's houses."

Darcy nodded, as if it made perfect sense. Natasha gave her a small smile, and led her around the building, pointing out the kitchen, living room, training room, comm. center, and finally, the suits. Those occupied two stories. Darcy's was on the top floor, with a view o New York. Natasha told her that if she needed anything, she simply had to ask JARVIS for it. And she still had her cellphone.

With that, the other woman departed. Darcy went to the kitchen and found a frozen meal. Deciding she was too tired to cook, she popped it in the microwave. She looked at her cellphone, and had messages from Jane and Barton. She looked at Jane's first.

How is it going?

Darcy smiled. Her former boss had probably worried about her all day.

I think I might survive. How are the new guys?

I think they might survive.

Darcy laughed, and checked Barton's message.

So?

You'll love the house.

As long as you're in it.

Cheesy.

You like it.

Darcy didn't even bother to answer.

Later that night, she flopped on her bed and thought 'how the Hell is this my life?' She was going to enjoy it through and through though.

Then she fell asleep. It had been a big day.

OOOOOOOO

The morning after, Natasha was there at seven thirty to pick her up. At nine o'clock sharp, she was in Fury's office, facing the man. He gave her a small smile.

"Coulson seems to think highly of you, Miss Lewis."

"If all the guys he deals with are like Agent Barton, I can relate sir."

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I have been told of your relationship with Agent Barton."

"It's nothing going to be a problem, sir."

"I wasn't worried, Miss Lewis. If anything, it'll probably make things easier for you."

Darcy nodded. The man wasn't as frightening as she thought he would be, even if she had no difficulty believing he could be scary if he wanted to.

"I wanted to thank you sir, for giving me such an opportunity, and-"

The door few open, banging on the wall and making her jump. She barely had the time to turn around before a man in a tailored suit was flopping himself in the seat beside her own. He sprawled in it, like he owned the place and wasn't in front of one of the most powerful people in the world.

Tailored designer suit? Check. Sunglasses on is noses even if they were inside? Check. Ego exuding from all his pores? Check.

Tony Stark had just barged in Fury's office. The Director took a deep breathe through his nose. Stark looked at Fury expectantly, like saying, why don't you go on? The black man gave him a hard look.

"To what do we owe the honor, Mister Stark?"

The man smirked, and leaned a bit forward. "Well, I noticed yesterday I missed the chance of meeting our new friend at her arrival. I simply wanted to make up for that screaming impoliteness on my part." Stark turned to her, stretched his hand. "Tony Stark. Pleased to meet you."

Darcy arched an eyebrow, and took the hand gingerly. "Darcy Lewis. Dubious to meet you."

Stark stared at her for a second, then threw his head back and barked out a loud laugh. "I think I might like you, honey."

"I reserve my judgment over you, Mister Stark. And don't call me honey."

"As long as you call me Tony."

"Deal."

She turned to Fury, pretending she didn't just back talk Tony Stark. Stark still looked very amused. Fury simply looked contemplative.

"So, Miss Lewis, until the Initiative is officially launched, your work will consist of preparing their arrival and learning to deal with the different members who will arrive as we gather them together."

"Is there any progress with Dr. Banner, sir?

"Sadly, each time we seem to close in on him, he vanishes. Brilliant people are always hard to pinpoint."

Stark looked smug, and Darcy felt there was a backstory somewhere. Then again, it's Tony Stark. There's always a back story. "Director, is there anything important you have to say to Darcy at the moment? Otherwise, we will have to leave."

Darcy turned sharply. "We?"

"Yeah, of course! You can't discover New York alone!"

"Discover New York?

"You've never been to New York, right? It said so in your file."

"You've seen my file!"

Darcy could see why the man was annoying Coulson and Fury so much. He simply didn't care about social conventions. So, when she felt invaded by him going through her personal file, his only answer had been to wave his hand like it was no big deal. Then he rose, bowed to Fury, and exited, adjusting his suit. Darcy gazed after him, until he called out.

"Coming, Darcy?"

She turned, questioning, to Fury.

"It's your call, Miss Lewis. He'll be insufferable if you don't go."

Darcy rolled her eyes, standing up. "I don't know why, but I have the feeling he'll be insufferable either way."

Then she got out just in time to see the back of his coat disappearing behind a corner. She jogged to catch up.

"You're an egotistical bastard, you know that right?"

"And you're not intimidated by me, for some reason."

"Oh, intimidated, that's a big word."

He turned, walking backward, sliding his lenses down his nose, looking at her directly in the eyes. He seemed puzzled.

"Coulson and Fury told me you had no influence over me, so I don't see why I should be intimidated."

He cocked his head. "But you are defensive."

"What are you talking about?

"You're attacking me for no good reason, so they probably scared you into thinking I'm some kind of devil."

"I beg your pardon, but I personally consider being kidnapped at my workplace as a good reason to be defensive."

Suddenly, he stopped, and Darcy stumbled forward. He caught easily, putting her back on her feet. "Look Darcy. I don't know what you've heard, by the press, or by Coulson. But I'm not making it the purpose of my life to be the most annoying person I can be. I understand it can be overwhelming, entering this kind of universe. I'll do everything I can to help you. Just, please, don't act like I'm going to cook your puppy in the microwave. It'll make both our work easier."

Darcy had no idea how you were supposed to answer that, so she said the first thing that crossed her mind. "Careful, Tony. Your kindness is showing."

He laughed, and turned back to walk beside her, guiding her to the garage. "If it makes you comfortable, you can just tell yourself Natasha threatened to cut my balls if I didn't treat you right."

Darcy laughed, and right on cue, her phone vibrated.

How is Stark behaving himself?

Badly, but I guess I'll have to get used to it.

Stark shot her a curious look, but she simply answered "Natasha" and he nodded. He got inside a red convertible, pointing the side beside her in a clear manner. Get inside. She rolled her eyes, but did so.

First, he took her shopping, because, he said, the Avengers' babysitter needed to be classy at any time. Darcy couldn't believe she was inside the places he took her, and was very intent on making a fuss until he pointed at himself and said billionaire. She nodded, and spent a little more liberally after that, but not by much.

At lunch, they went to a surprisingly small cafe, where they met with the current CEO of Stark Industries. Pepper Potts was seated at the table, going through something on her phone, when Tony and Darcy seated themselves in front of her. She raised her eyes, and gave Darcy a radiant smile.

"Ah, Miss Lewis, it's a pleasure to meet you. Natasha talked about you."

Darcy smiled and shook the woman's hand. "Darcy, please. It's an honor to meet you, as well."

Pepper laughed a bit. "Usually that's about the time people start asking about Tony."

"What's the point? I'm going to live with him. Girl talk is going to be a rare occurrence though."

Tony grimaced. "Please, please, ladies. Spare me the horror."

Darcy rolled her eyes at him. "You were the one who kidnapped me, Tony. Deal with it."

With that, Tony started pouting, and Pepper starting laughing. She spent the afternoon with them, Tony paying for everything, providing the entertainment, while Pepper drilled her on how to deal with rich people with big egos.

At seven, Natasha suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Again. "I have been asked to escort you home."

"Are you my babysitter, or something? Because I was pretty sure it was the other way around."

Tony snorted, earning a slap behind the head by Pepper. Natasha gave her a small smile. "Only until Director Fury doesn't fear you'll get yourself lost in the city."

Darcy pursed her lips, because she was an adult, for God's sake!

Tony laughed. "Well, since there is a chance for you to get lost, I should give you this." Suddenly, he snatched her phone, and quickly typed something on it. "Here, I've given you my number. Pepper's as well. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate."

With that, he gave Natasha a smug smile, and walked away singing something that sounded a bit like ACDC. Darcy looked at Pepper, and the woman had a smile on her face which was a mix of fondness and exasperation. She shot a look at Darcy.

"Sorry, he has unconventional ways. But really, if you ever need help, or tips about Tony handling, feel free to call me. Or text me. Either way is fine."

Darcy nodded, and Natasha dragged her back to the mansion.

She fell asleep right away.

Chapter 11: Chapter 11

The next week was calm. Darcy learned her way around the city, and Natasha was relieved from her watcher duty. She was quickly sent somewhere, and Darcy wasn't allowed to know about it since it wasn't part of the Initiative. She spent some time with Pepper and Tony, but for the moment, he was in Malibu, and she was in England. Clint was still in New Mexico, even though he said he should arrive in a few days.

It didn't help the fact she was utterly and completely bored at the moment.

It was a Friday, she had nothing to do, no one to see. She was alone in the Avengers Mansion, as she took to call it.

She jogged to the kitchen.

"JARVIS, any mail for me?"

"You have an e-mail from an online store promoting their unique skin treatment."

"What do you think about it?"

"The company had been sued several times because of allergic reaction their formula seems bound to cause on the users."

"Delete it then. And can you see if there is a way to mess with their system to keep them from selling anymore?"

"I will look into it, Miss Lewis."

"Thanks, Jarvis."

"May I had, Miss Lewis, that your skin doesn't need any kind of special treatment."

"You're a flatterer, JARVIS."

"I cannot flatter, Miss Lewis. Mister Stark as programmed me to state facts."

"Well, you seem better at charming women than he is."

"Thank you, Miss. I do try to aim for the best of them, a concept Mister Stark seemed to understand only very recently."

"Are he and Pepper a real thing, or are they simply running around each other?"

"Mister Stark relationship status is classified, Miss Lewis."

"Ah, come on Jarvis. I'll be the one who'll have to handle whatever break down that comes out of that relationship."

The AI seemed to pause and think about it for a moment.

"I'm afraid I cannot counter a direct order from Mister Stark, Miss. But I can tell you that no woman without a registered access code has entered any of Mister Stark residences, but Mister Stark doesn't suffer from sexual frustration."

"So basically, he is either having fun with Pepper, or he is fucking outside of his residences."

"Mister Stark was never an adept of making himself vulnerable outside of familiar environments."

"Thanks, JARVIS, you're the best."

"You are welcome, Miss Lewis."

Yep, she had stepped that low. Gossiping with a computer.

Sighing, she plopped herself on the couch. She fished out her phone. Well, if she had to be bored, she would at least bother other people.

…..

To: Jane

From: Darcy

I'm bored

….

To: Clint Barton

From: Darcy

I'm bored

…..

To: Darcy

From: Jane

What are you expecting me to do about it?

…..

To: Jane

From: Darcy

Entertain me.

…

To: Darcy

From: Jane

I'm working, Darcy.

…

To: Jane

From: Darcy

I'm supposed to be working too.

…

To: Darcy

From: Jane

Sigh. Darcy, I'm sure you can find a way to have fun.

….

To: Jane

From: Darcy

I did. I'm talking to you.

…..

To: Darcy

From: Jane

Other than that.

….

To: Jane

From: Darcy

No, I think I'll stick with it.

…

To: Darcy

From: Clint Barton

Poor little thing.

….

To: Clint Barton

From: Darcy

Your concern touches me.

…

To: Darcy

From: Jane

I'll simply ignore you.

…

To: Darcy

From: Clint Barton

You know I do. After all, you're in New York. I'm in the middle of the desert.

…..

To: Jane

From: Darcy

You do that, see how long that last.

…..

To: Clint Barton

From: Darcy

At least you're doing something! You have people around!

…

To: Darcy

From: Clint Barton

Go out, meet people.

….

To: Clint Barton

From: Darcy

I don't know them. I'm not allowed to talk to people outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.

…..

To: Jane

From: Darcy

Have you seen Elizabeth Bennet around?

…

To: Darcy

From: Clint Barton

You wouldn't have to talk, if you pick the right guy.

…

To: Jane

From: Darcy

If I was you, I would look for a Mister Bingley. Thor doesn't fit in the story.

…..

To: Clint Barton

From: Darcy

You don't seem very jealous of me hooking up with other guys.

…..

To: Darcy

From: Clint Barton

Go out if you want. It'll only show you how much better I am.

…..

To: Clint Barton

From: Darcy

You are a presumptuous bastard, you know that.

…..

To: Jane

From: Darcy

How many siblings do you have? It must have been hell for your parents to raise five girls.

…..

To: Darcy

From: Clint Barton

I miss you too, Darcy.

…..

To: Clint Barton

From: Darcy

You're so not fair, fledgling.

…..

To: Jane

From: Darcy

Been to Netherfield Park recently?

…

To: Darcy

From: Clint Barton

You're one to talk, Darcy. If Coulson catch me texting, he'll have my head.

…..

To: Darcy

From: Jane

Fuck Darcy! The Pride and Prejudice jokes are getting really old!

….

To: Clint Barton

From: Darcy

Thank you! And you'll simply have to blame me. Fury likes me too much to punish me.

….

To: Jane

From: Darcy

I know you couldn't resist me.

….

To: Darcy

From: Tony Stark

I'm bored.

….

To: Tony Stark

From: Darcy

Yes, finally! I'm bored too! Do something fun!

….

To: Darcy

From: Jane

It was hard to, since my phone kept buzzing, and the new guys were a text away from answering themselves.

…

To: Darcy

From: Clint Barton

Why aren't I surprised you are already in Fury's favorites. Boot licker.

….

To: Clint Barton

From: Darcy

You're only jealous you're not the one I'm licking.

…

To: Darcy

From: Pepper Potts

Darcy, do you have any idea why Tony sent a firework?

….

To: Pepper Potts

From: Darcy

No idea, sorry.

…..

To: Tony Stark

From: Darcy

I want pictures.

…

To: Jane

From: Darcy

Are they on your side or mine?

….

To: Darcy

From: Clint Barton

God, girl. Don't make me think things like that.

…..

To: Clint Barton

From: Darcy

You are getting ideas, boy?

….

To: Darcy

From: Pepper Potts

I'll ask Natasha, than.

….

To: Pepper Potts

From: Darcy

Why would she know? I thought she was out?

…

To: Darcy

From: Tony Stark

They are in your e-mail.

…..

To: Darcy

From: Pepper Potts

Fury sent her to watch over Tony.

….

To: Darcy

From: Jane

Yours.

…

To: Natasha Romanoff

From: Darcy

Babysitting duty again?

….

To: Darcy

From: Clint Barton

What are you wearing right now?

….

To: Clint Barton

From: Darcy

No. I'm not having text sex with you.

…

To: Darcy

From: Natasha Romanoff

Why do you think I'm eager for the Initiative to officially begin?

….

To: Darcy

From: Clint Barton

Oh, why not?

…..

To: Clint Barton

From: Darcy

Because you're working, and you can be interrupted any time. I already know what you are wearing, and I'll probably be the only one getting worked up. So no.

….

To: Jane

From: Darcy

Really? Sweet! Why?

…..

To: Darcy

From: Tony Stark

What is it I hear about you and an archer?

…

To: Darcy

From: Clint Barton

God I miss you.

…

To: Tony Stark

From: Darcy

I don't believe it is any of your business.

…..

To: Clint Barton

From: Darcy

Miss you too fledgling.

…

To: Darcy

From: Tony Stark

Don't you think he's a bit old for you?

…

To: Natasha Romanoff

From: Darcy

Hit Stark please.

…

To: Darcy

From: Natasha Romanoff

Why?

….

To: Natasha Romanoff

From: Darcy

He's making insinuations about me and Barton.

…

To: Darcy

From: Clint Barton

Just got a message from Coulson. We're leaving in three days. Are you free on Friday?

…..

To: Clint Barton

From: Darcy

Definitely am. Picnic again?

…

To: Darcy

From: Tony Stark

Fuck, girl, are you mad? Asking Natasha to hit me really... Violence never solves anything.

…..

To: Tony Stark

From: Darcy

Says Iron Man.

….

To: Darcy

From: Jane

They say you're making my mood better.

…..

To: Natasha Romanoff

From: Darcy

Thanks.

…..

To: Darcy

From: Clint Barton

That would be spoiling the surprise.

…..

To: Darcy

From: Natasha Romanoff

You're very welcome. Please tell me next time Tony is bothering you.

…

To: Clint Barton

From: Darcy

I hate surprises.

….

To: Darcy

From: Clint Barton

Don't be ridiculous, you love surprises.

…..

To: Clint Barton

From: Darcy

I hate you.

…..

To: Jane

From: Darcy

I knew you loved me.

….

To: Darcy

From: Tony Stark

Iron Man isn't a weapon. It's a high tech prosthesis.

…

To: Tony Stark

From: Darcy

Yeah right. I'm sure the drug dealers you smashed last week agree with you.

…..

To: Darcy

From: Clint Barton

Good. Angry sex is always fun.

…

To: Darcy

From: Philip Coulson

Miss Lewis, I would ask you to please stop distracting Agent Romanoff and Agent Barton, since they have work to do. I am sorry your current employment does not procure you any pleasure at the moment. However, letting Miss Foster do her research will bring you some entertainment, so I would suggest you let her work as well. Miss Romanoff confiscated Mister Stark's phone.

…

To: Philip Coulson

From: Darcy

Right, sir. Sorry sir. I won't bother you again, sir.

…

To: Clint Barton

From: Darcy

See you in three days, fledgling.

…

To: Darcy

From: Philip Coulson

Agent Barton's phone is officially closed until the end of his shift. I sent you some files I would like you to look at.

…

To: Philip Coulson

From: Darcy

Yes sir. I will, sir.

…

To: Darcy

From: Philip Coulson

Good day Miss Lewis.

…..

Darcy looked at the clock. She had spent nearly three hours on her phone. She smiled.

"JARVIS, could you show me the stuff Coulson sent me."

"Yes, Miss Lewis."

A picture of her e-mail account showed up on the window.

"What is it, JARVIS?"

"It seems to be videos, pictures and old mission reports from Agent Romanoff and Agent Barton."

Darcy laughed, her eyes glowing with mirth.

"You, sir, are a mean mean man."

Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Three days later, Darcy was awoken by JARVIS's voice. She opened her eyes, and grunted. The AI system knew by then it was the only kind of response he could hope to get from her at that time. The time being six thirty in the morning. Darcy checked her clock and groaned, curling on her side, trying to bury herself in the thick quilt, reaching for her pillows.

"Good morning, Miss Lewis."

Darcy raised her head slowly, just enough for it to be out of the pillows. She'd had a few mishaps with the computer because she apparently hadn't spoken clearly enough. She was pretty convinced he misunderstood on purpose, though.

"This is not morning, JARVIS. This is fucking night!"

Seriously. She was alone, bored out of her skull, and she still wasn't able to sleep later than seven. She wanted to scream, but the AI didn't like it, and tended to overreact.

"I apologize, Miss Lewis. But Agent Romanoff called."

Darcy frowned, and turned around to raise herself on her elbows. Natasha wasn't the type to call for no reason. Especially not at that time.

"What does she want?"

"She said something about Agent Barton."

Darcy shifted her weight to one of her arms, rubbing her eyes with the other hand. "What about him?"

"I don't know, Miss Lewis. She didn't give any more details. Would you like me to call her back so you can ask her yourself?"

Darcy sighed. If Barton had gotten himself injured somehow, or was delayed again, she was sooo going to kick his ass. No matter how much more training he had.

"Yeah, sure. Link me, JARVIS."

There was a brief silence.

"Darcy?"

"Hey Natasha. JARVIS said you called."

"Yes. I simply thought you would like to know Clint is back."

Darcy perked up, still sleepy, but much more enthusiastic at the idea of waking up. She stretched, snatching her cell.

"Really? Why haven't I heard about it?"

She checked, and no. No missed calls or texts. What was she, chopped liver?

"Coulson confiscated Clint's phone last night. He still hasn't given it back."

Darcy frowned. Last time the Agent had kidnapped Clint's phone was because he was texting on duty. Unless he was texting someone else, he had done nothing. Natasha correctly interpreted her silence as a question.

"He didn't want him to tell you when he was coming back exactly. Apparently you are deemed distracting for Clint."

Darcy smiled. She stood up, making sure she had good footing. The mansion's wooden floors were treacherous in the morning. She slid to her closet, taking the first pants she could find, and a purple blouse.

"Am I?"

She could nearly see the other woman smirk. "Yes, you are."

"Then why are you calling me? Are you allowed to tell me?"

"By the time you get here, they'll be done with his debriefing. They want him to stay until noon, just in case, but you can be here as well."

Darcy smiled, now fully dressed. "Thanks, Tasha! I'm coming, just in time to eat some toast."

"See you soon, girl!"

Darcy didn't even bother to make her bed. Not that she usually did, but the thing about being bored, it turned you into a neat freak. That, and the fact she felt so shy about her room, she did her best to keep it in a good state, in case Tony decided to take it back. The floor was a dark brown, almost black, as were the door and the closet. The bed sheets, curtains, couch and everything else were in different shades of dark red. The light was just peeking through said curtains.

Darcy nearly ran down the stairs, skipping to the kitchen.

No, she didn't like Barton at all. Yes, at some point, she was going to call him Clint. Just, not yet. She felt as if it was a terrible admission by itself.

She threw two pieces of bread in the toaster, brushing her hair at same time, trying to make herself presentable in the least time possible.

She inhaled her breakfast, and grabbed the keys to her car.

Yes, her car. It was apparently indecent to work with Tony and take the subway to go around. So he bought her a car. He wanted it to be a Cadillac, or something ridiculous like that, but she managed to bargain it to a Volvo. Barely. She wanted a Volkswagen, but he nearly vomited at the mere thought. She really didn't want to explain to Coulson why Stark puked in the middle of a car dealer, so she accepted the Volvo.

Tony was still bitching because it wasn't a Cadillac. Well, Tony was still bitching, period. Tony Stark bitching was more entertaining than she thought it would be. She was simply glad he wasn't flirting with her, because that would have been seriously uncomfortable.

This brought her back to the matter at hand. Barton was back. Her, she was going to think it, boyfriend was in town.

The car purred when she started it, and she smiled. She was still taken aback by the sudden wealth she had access to, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to enjoy it as much as she could. If Coulson decided to fire her tomorrow, she had a Volvo, and could tell everybody she slept in Tony Stark's house.

It wasn't that bad.

HQ was buzzing with activity when she arrived, even if it was only seven thirty. These people were serious workaholics. Natasha was in the lobby, talking with a man whose eyes were very clearly stuck to one part of the red head's anatomy. Once she saw Darcy come in, she took her leave, and went to welcome the other woman.

"Hey, you made it quick."

"Yeah, well, I had good reason too."

Natasha nodded, and smirked. "I guess you did. Go on Juliette, your Romeo is at the shooting range."

Darcy nodded and stayed unmoving, looking at Natasha. Her friend gave her a quizzical look. "Why are you standing there?"

Darcy rolled her eyes. "You do realize I have no idea whatsoever where the shooting range is supposed to be, right?"

The other woman blinked and smiled. "Come on, I'll show you."

They entered The Maze. Or what everyone else called the S.H.I.E.L.D. installations. Darcy preferred The Maze. Gave more warning to the innocent newbie who would get in for the first time.

The hallways were bare and clinical white, with uniform doors only differentiable by the numbers on them. People were coming and going, apparently able to navigate their way in here even without any kind of landmark. Darcy thought it was some kind of defense. If someone was to tear through the security, they'd then have to find their way through here. Good luck with that, Champ.

They turned left, left, than right, went down some stairs, and turned left again. Suddenly, they stopped outside a door that looked just like all the others. Natasha turned to her.

"He's in there."

Darcy nodded, suddenly conscious of her five minute ponytail and her absence of makeup. Natasha, once again guessing her thought right -seriously it was getting freaky- rolled her eyes, and pushed her to the door. "Go on, go get him."

Darcy huffed, but entered anyway.

There was only one person in the range. For all workaholics they were, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s people didn't get up at six in the morning to shoot at things. Darcy paused, because, really, she couldn't do otherwise.

His back was to her, his tight training shirt hugging his form closely. He was holding a complex bow that had nothing to do with Legolas's weapon of choice. He was using silvery metal arrows and his focus was on the target down the alley. Darcy couldn't help but stare. The target was so far away she could barely see the bull's eye, let alone hope to shoot it. But his hands were perfectly steady when he loosed his arrow. It went straight to the center, with only the slightest noise. She barely had the time to look back at him before he let the next one go, embedding it just below the previous one, the center already being occupied. He shot three more, drawing a perfect line.

Darcy gazed at the way his muscles played under the skin of his arms and shoulders, making his movements perfectly fluid and trained. There was a confidence in his motions. It was the grace of a prey bird that had seen its prey, and knew he was going to catch it. There was no rush, because it would inevitably happen. The arrow was going to go exactly where he wanted it to.

Right now, Darcy wanted nothing more than to go up him and touch that tight skin, run her fingers over it. Kiss it. Kiss him. She wanted him to touch her with the same assurance he used to handle his bow.

Darcy forced herself to calm down, and reminded herself that walking up behind a trained assassin without warning was really a bad idea, especially while he had a deadly weapon in his hands.

So she waited, until he was done. Until he lowered his bow, breathing a bit heavier.

"Hey, fledgling."

He whirled around but didn't go for an arrow, for which Darcy was very grateful. Once he registered who was there, his face split into full, radiant smile. Her heart didn't skip a bit at that. Because, seriously, she wasn't that gone.

She really should stop lying to herself.

"Darcy!" She couldn't help smiling back, as she made her way over. He quickly put his bow away, still careful not to break it. "Still calling me that?"

She shrugged. "I like it."

"Tasha will never let me live it down if she ever hears that nickname."

Darcy grinned, and stepped a bit closer. "You'll have to find better arguments than that."

"Yeah?" He was leaning in.

"Yeah. She's the reason I'm here at all, you know. You should be thankful."

She was officially three inches away from him, head definitely tilted up, mouth parted open. The only thing between her and his lips was whatever snarky reply he was going to come up with.

"Well, then, remind me to thank her. Later."

Finally, he put his lips on hers. She melted against him. She had craved this ever since their all too brief kiss after their last, first, and only date. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him, feeling all his hard muscles against her own soft chest. His hands snaked to her hips, just strong enough to make her shiver, but not restrictive, so that she could break away anytime she wanted. As if she would want to.

His tongue found its way into her mouth, caressing the inside of her teeth slowly. She sighed. It was so good. She felt him smirk a bit. Cocky bastard. She pulled one of her arms down, until she pinched his backside. He jumped, gasping, and she took the opportunity to push her own tongue inside his mouth, making him moan.

After a while, they parted, breathing quickly. Darcy chuckled.

"See, fledgling, that's how you should have kissed me last time."

He grinned. "I was trying to tell myself it was only going to be a few days and that I was going to see you soon. A kiss like that, and there was no way in fucking hell I was going to let you go."

She smiled at him, and there was softness in his eyes. Lust too, but a softness anyway.

"I missed you too."

The man nodded, looking far too pleased with that, and went to kiss her again. Suddenly, her phone vibrated against her ass, starling her. She fished it out quickly.

From: Phil Coulson

To: Darcy

Take Agent Barton back to the mansion, Miss Lewis. I don't believe he'll be of any use to us for the rest of the day.

Darcy laughed, earning herself a raised eyebrow from Barton.

"Coulson is giving you a day off."

He smiled again.

"Good, I really need to crash."

Darcy only realized then how tired he looked. He had deep marks under his eyes, but they were still very alert. She guessed he had to live up to the name Hawkeye.

"Come on, fledgling; let's get you back to the nest."

The road back was quiet. Barton was looking out the window, no doubt trying to memorize the way for when he would have to make the trip by himself.

He had raised an eyebrow at Darcy's car, no doubt wondering why she had one, especially one that wasn't her usual style.

Darcy only shrugged and said "Stark."

It was always a good explanation. Barton had smirked, catching up the slight exasperation in the name. Probably the fondness as well, but he didn't ask anything more.

Clint gaped once he was in the house, his eyes quickly taking everything in. Darcy smiled, and slipped her hand in his.

"Told you that you'd like it."

He turned to her. "This is fucking awesome! We're really staying here?"

Darcy nodded. "Yep, we are. JARVIS?"

Clint looked at her like she was insane. Darcy smirked. They really should put up a sign for that: 'Hearing-Voices Zone. You are no more insane than you previously thought.'

Or something like that.

"Yes, Miss Lewis?"

Clint jumped, his hand going for whatever weapon was hidden on his person. Darcy deftly intercepted it, sliding her fingers in. He shot her a questioning look. She smirked, but didn't answer him. "Is everything set up for Agent Barton?"

"Yes, Miss Lewis. May I welcome Agent Barton, and ask him to keep himself from bringing any unauthorized individuals in the mansion for the night? This building is under tight security."

Barton's eyebrows had shot up to his hair line when the AI made its comment about the hook ups. "Thank you JARVIS. As for the nightly visitors-"

"That won't be a problem."

She turned to Clint, and he simply snaked an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. She turned, smiling. "Come on, let's show you your room."

Clint's room was a on the first floor of the living quarters. She pointed the door out to him, and told him she would be in the living room. He nodded, and told her he was going to shower. She caught a glimpse of purple when he opened the door, and that was it.

She sat on the couch, zapping through the crap TV of the middle of the day. She finally found a documentary that looked half interesting. She was learning about the turtle reproduction rituals when she heard him come down the stairs. She looked up, and smiled at him. He smiled back, and went to sit down beside her.

She gave him the remote. "See if you can find anything."

He zapped through as well, but in the end, settled on the same channel she had. Then he lowered himself, and lay down, resting his head on her lap. She smiled again; gosh that man could be adorable when he wanted to. She started passing her hand through his short hair, and was rewarded with a small sighed. He shifted a bit, pushing his head into her hand. She continued half her attention on the TV show, the other half on Barton. After about ten minutes, she realized he was asleep. She grinned, and looked up to the screen.

She could get used to this.

OOOOOOOO

"Oh my god, aren't they cute!"

Darcy's eyes fluttered open. She felt Barton start on her lap, jerking up, defensive, and visibly putting himself between her and the person who had woken them up. Darcy looked around, realizing they were still on the living room couch. She had apparently fallen asleep with him there. If the clock on the wall was to be believed, they had been out for about five hours.

Three guesses as to who exactly woke them up.

Yeah. Of course. Tony.

Tony was standing in front of the couch, just far enough so he would have the time to run away if Barton went all Super-Agent on him. He had his hands on his hips and a silly grin on his face.

Darcy sighed, and put a calming hand on Barton's arm. He glanced at her for a brief second, but then relaxed and sat back on the couch. Darcy smiled at him, and gestured vaguely to Tony.

"Fledgling, this is Tony Stark. Tony, this is Agent Clint Barton."

Tony cocked his head. She had seen his eyes sparkle at the nickname, mentally classifying it for future use.

"It's a pleasure, Clint. I've heard a lot about you."

Clint raised an eyebrow, not knowing what to do with that.

"I've heard a lot about you too..."

"Tony, please. Maybe I should put up a sign."

Darcy perked up.

"Yeah. We need to put one up for JARVIS as well. We all look schizophrenics. I mean, fledgling knows me, but someone else would seriously question my mental stability."

Barton turned toward her.

"I was already questioning your mental stability."

Darcy didn't answer, but elbowed him in the ribs. Tony looked back and forth between them, and started rocking on his feet. Darcy tried to stop whatever smartass thing he was going to say.

"Weren't you in Malibu?"

He shot her an amused look.

"I was, but Agent Romanoff dragged me back with her. I'm not to be left unsupervised, apparently. But you are trying to change subjects."

Darcy frowned, and leaned back in the couch, crossing her arms. Weary. Tony turned to Barton.

"I need to ask you what your intentions toward this young lady are, soldier."

Barton arched an eyebrow, smirking.

"I assure you my intentions are perfectly pure, sir."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"Then someone definitely needs to educate you."

He flopped down on the couch, beside Barton.

"You see, when a man and a woman really love each other-"

Darcy let out a startled gasp. No. No. NO! There was no way this was happening. Tony Stark was NOT giving the sex talk to her boyfriend.

Scratch that. There was no way she was letting Tony Stark give the sex talk to her boyfriend.

She grabbed Barton's arm, and dragged him out of the room, into the garage.

Even with the door close, she still could hear Tony's laugh.

Or maybe it was the echo of Barton's, who was rolling on the floor at the moment.

OOOOOOO

There date was supposed to be the day after, as Barton kindly remembered her. Which reminded her to ask if he really minded going out with her two nights in a row. He simply smiled, and slipped an arm around her waist.

She drove them to a small Vietnamese restaurant she had found in the first few days she had been in town. It was tiny, ten tables at most, and the owners were adorable. They spoke in broken English and nurtured every single client that came in. She introduced them to Clint, who scrambled a few words in Vietnamese. He was officially welcomed as one of their favorite clients.

She didn't bothered to ask him how he knew Vietnamese. Though she should ask Coulson for his full file now that they had talked about it. There were probably important details that Barton didn't deem interesting. Like the complete list of the languages he could speak. Insignificant things like that.

Dinner went by slowly, neither of them rushed. Darcy did sent a text to Natasha at some point though.

…

From: Darcy

To: Natasha Romanoff

Hit Tony for me please.

…..

Barton laughed a bit when she told him about it.

"I don't know why you're so upset. I'm sure a sex talk with Tony Stark would be very educational."

Darcy rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but when I sleep with a guy, I really don't want to ask myself if he does this trick because Tony Stark told him about it."

He smirked, apparently very amused by the thought.

"So you want to sleep with me?"

She threw him a You-Are-A-Stupid-Idiot look.

"Anyway, I'm sure your pretty good on your own. Of course, if you are feeling insecure, I'm sure Tony will still be glad to help. He'll probably ask JARVIS for visual support and all."

She kept her voice neutral and detached, carefully picking her next bite. When she looked up again, she smirked.

He had leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, eyebrow raised. He was screaming Challenge Accepted. And his usually grey-blue eyes were now a deep blue. He then leaned back in, his voice a deep hoarse whisper.

"Trust me, darling, I'll be the best fuck you've ever had."

She shivered, but couldn't help but comment.

"I was hoping it would be more than a fuck."

He seemed taken aback, but recovered quickly, a sweeter smile in place.

"It'll be everything you want it to be."

She blushed, but smiled back.

"We'll see about that."

He smiled too.

A bit later, they were on a park bench, watching people go by. And making out. And watching people watch them making out.

Darcy wanted to giggled when an old lady was torn between huffing at the PDA, and ogling them because they were seriously hot together. She settled for walking away, but Darcy swore it was reluctant.

She was getting really comfortable, and hot, and about two minutes away from asking Barton to finish it in her room back at the mansion, when he broke away, and rested his forehead against hers.

"You know what I really would like now?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Do I want to know?"

He smirked.

"It's nothing bad. I would really like you to call me by my name."

She leaned back a bit, looking him in the eyes. He looked earnest, and a bit insecure. She felt giddy from the date and the kiss. She smiled.

"Hmm, I think I can do that. Clint."

He beamed and pulled her back to him and kissed her thoroughly. He broke away briefly and she said it again. And again.

And finally.

"Don't get too used to it, fledgling."

He snorted.

"Wouldn't dream about it, Miss Lewis."

She was about to ask him to take it to her room, again, but was interrupted by her phone vibrating. She groaned, but pulled away.

She found her phone, checked quickly - Natasha- and answered.

"Yes?"

"Darcy?"

Natasha sounded weird, a bit dazed. Darcy leaned into Clint, who put his arm around her shoulders, pressing his ear to the phone as well, listening.

"Natasha, is everything alright?"

"What? Yes, of course."

Clint and Darcy shared a look.

"Then why are you calling?"

"Coulson asked me too. He wanted you to be the first one to know. Outside of the strictly necessary."

Darcy frowned, and Clint squeezed her fingers, trying to reassure her.

"Know what?"

"There was a recovery team sent into the North Pole earlier today."

"Yes?"

"They've found him, Darcy. They've found Captain America."

Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Darcy froze. She already felt the next few days would be chaotic. Even in the middle of the Thor Drama, she hadn't seen S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agents look frenzied. Probably because no one took the big guy seriously when he claimed to be the God of Thunder.

Captain America, on the other hand, people were pretty fucking serious about. Everyone knew him, most people had worshiped him ever since they were old enough to worship anything other than their mom's breasts.

Clint's reaction had been priceless. After Natasha dropped the bomb, Darcy asked her if she was needed, but apparently Coulson wanted to meet her first thing tomorrow, and not before then. She had thanked Natasha and hung up, a bit dazed. Darcy herself had never been a huge Captain America fan, always thought it was a bit too much like propaganda, but she was still giddy at the idea of meeting such a big part of American history. She had carefully put her phone way, and looked up at Clint's face.

He looked completely gone, face blank and jaw slacked. After a few moments, he managed to look back at her, still lost. He whispered, completely disbelieving.

"Captain America?"

Darcy nodded, really amused.

"Yes, fledgling, Captain America."

Slowly, he picked up his jaw and beamed at her, looking out of his mind. He stared at her for a few moments again then threw his head back and laughed, nearly manic from excitement. Darcy couldn't help but chuckle along with him. He had an infectious laugh.

Suddenly, he pulled himself away from the bench, and jumped in front of her. And started something that could only be a little happy dance. Except it was made by a fully grown man. In the middle of a public park. And Clint, for all his Super-Agent training obviously never had a dance lesson in his life.

Darcy started chortling. It was so ridiculous, it wasn't possible. She clutched to her side, keeping herself from doubling over. He soon joined her, falling to her knees in front of her, cupping her face with his hands, and kissing her hard on the mouth.

"I'm meeting Captain America", he gasped between kisses "I'm freaking meeting Captain America."

Darcy pulled away, laughing, delighted. She swatted him lightly on the arm.

"Come on fan boy, let's get out of here before someone starts asking questions."

She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him up with her. He continued laughing, wrapping an arm around her waist again.

"I'm not a fan boy! But, Christ Darcy. It's Captain America!"

Darcy playfully rolled her eyes.

"I know, fledgling, I heard it the first time."

He nuzzled against her neck while they walked back to the car, trusting her to keep him from hitting anything or anybody. He slowly rose until his mouth was by her ear.

"Call me Clint."

She shivered, but rolled her eyes again.

"Excuse me, but when you're freaking out because of Captain America, you are definitely a fledgling."

He twisted her around, kissing her again, hard and hot, pressing her against him. They broke away and she glared.

"Stop distracting me! We're going back to the mansion."

He arched an eyebrow, a filthy smirk slipping on his mouth.

"Your room or mine?"

Darcy resisted the urge of saying 'I don't care, just take me!' and shot him a stern look.

"I'm sorry Clint, but I have to get up first thing tomorrow morning," he groaned at that," and I can assure you the first time we have sex, it's going to last all night long." That shut him up pretty quick. "And we are not doing anything until you come down from your Captain America high."

He gave her puppy eyes, but she could tell her arguments had gotten to him. Still she felt obligated to add.

"I'm sorry."

He gave her a rueful smile.

"It's alright. Coulson would have my head if I went down on you tonight anyway."

She beamed, and kissed him on the cheek. He held her there, whispering in her ear.

"You still have earned me a cold shower."

She smiled.

"And a meeting with your right hand?"

He sighed.

"Probably."

He released her, passing his hand through his short hair. She smiled, and took his hand again, leading him to the car.

When they arrived at the mansion, Tony was still there, obviously oblivious of the latest news. Clint and Darcy shared a look and decided to keep it quiet for the moment. It was always funny to keep something from the person who always knows too much.

Darcy then crashed on her bed. And smiled.

Captain America.

OOOOOOOO

The morning after, Darcy was busying herself in the kitchen, buttering some toast, when two strong hand wrapped themselves around her waist, trapping her there while a warm mouth laid a resonant kiss on the back of her neck. She smiled.

"Hey there."

Clint chuckled, the sound vibrating through his chest to her back, making her shiver despite herself.

"Hello yourself."

She turned around wrapping her own arms around his neck.

"You know I have to leave in about twenty minutes, right?"

He nodded, leaning in slightly to peck her lightly on the lips.

"Don't worry, I'm coming with you anyway."

He back away, and began rummaging through the cupboards to find his cereal. Darcy frowned, and put some jelly on her bread.

"Just because I have a meeting with Coulson doesn't mean you have to come to the HQ at the crack of dawn. You should sleep."

He grunted, and shrugged.

"He'll ask me to come the second he knows I'm aware of the situation. I'll simply save him some time and some trouble."

Darcy sighed and turned around, observing him. The lines denoting a lack of sleep weren't as deep today, but they were still clearly there. She knew Clint needed rest more than he needed to hear whatever Coulson had to say, but she knew him well enough to know there was no way he was staying behind. Not when it concerned Captain America. He was probably right about Coulson anyway. She nodded, and went to sit in front of him wordlessly. He looked up, then around.

"Bit different from Puerto Antiguo, hm?"

Darcy huffed, and took a big crunch of bread. She shrugged and swallowed.

"I'm going to miss it."

He arched a disbelieving eyebrow, smirking.

"You would rather be back there?"

Darcy had thought about it, so the answering shake of her head wasn't hesitant.

"No, but there are things I'm going to regret."

He cocked his head, asking for details.

"Jane, for instance. I miss her a lot. And the sun. It's not nearly sunny enough here, especially with all the buildings. Things like that. I probably sound stupid right now."

He smiled warmly, and extended a hand to squeeze hers.

"Not at all. But you should focus on the reasons you're happy to be here. Me for instance."

She shot him an indulgent look.

"You were in New Mexico, fledgling."

He rolled his eyes.

"I'm not anymore. And long distance relationships never work. Especially the type long distance relationship where half of the things I do are classified."

"Not for me."

"They would be if you stayed in New Mexico."

She grimaced but let it go. He was right after all. He frowned, and slipped his fingers between hers.

"It'll be alright, Darcy. Jane will come back soon, with Thor."

Darcy nodded, gripping his hand and feeling a bit foolish. Clint smiled again.

"Come on girl, let's bring you to the HQ before we're late and Coulson blames me."

Darcy smirked.

"You know, it really makes my job easier when Coulson and Fury automatically blame you and Tony when something goes haywire."

Clint smirked, a mad glint in his eyes.

"Well, if it helps you..."

Darcy smacked him on the chest.

"That was not an invitation."

The garage is pretty much empty. Darcy doesn't even want to consider what her life has become when her garage is big enough to look empty when there are already three cars in it. It's just headache material.

Clint doesn't let her go to her own car, dragging her to his dark purple mustang. She made a comment about the color, earning herself a reply along the lines of 'you have to be a real man to have a purple car'.

The drive to HQ was silent, the streets of the city almost clear given the hour. Well, as clear as New York's streets will ever be.

As soon as they entered the building, they were whisked away by a once more composed Natasha. She gave Clint an inquiring look, to which he shrugged.

"I was just beside her last night, when you dropped the bomb."

Natasha grimaced, but shrugged.

"It's my fault, I should have checked. Well, you would have known soon enough, anyway."

Clint nodded, and followed the women into the Maze. Darcy questioned Natasha.

"So they've really found him?"

Natasha shot her a look.

"It would appear so."

"When are they bringing him back?"

Natasha shrugged.

"Coulson haven't told me. He doesn't want to explain this more times than absolutely necessary."

Clint piped in, squeezing himself between them.

"Just how angry do you think Stark will be that he isn't the first to know?"

Natasha and Darcy shared a look, smirked and answered.

"Murderous."

Clint nodded, smiling, satisfied.

Coulson was waiting for them in his office, in an impeccable suit as always. He raised an eyebrow at Clint, but didn't comment. Probably calculating how much time it would save not having to meet him in private, and comparing it to the time Clint would make him loose in this particular reunion.

They took their places, Natasha and Darcy sitting on the two chairs facing the desk and Clint launching himself on the couch. Darcy resisted rolling her eyes at him as he wiggled to make himself comfortable. It was his day off, after all. Coulson didn't seem to mind, either. He was probably used to it by now. Clint didn't seem to make much of an effort to be presentable to his superior.

"Good morning, Miss Lewis."

"Good morning, sir."

Coulson gave her a rare smile, and it hit Darcy that the man was probably as excited to meet Captain America as Clint had been.

"As Agent Romanoff has already told you, Miss Lewis, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America was retrieved from the North Pole yesterday evening."

"Yes, sir."

Coulson nodded.

"I believe you have read Captain Rogers' file?"

"I have, sir."

"Good. As I said, Captain Rogers is currently on his way back to New York, by plane, with a team of doctors and scientists who will start thawing him shortly."

Darcy nodded, and bent to take her cellphone from her purse.

"How long do they think it'll take for him to regain consciousness?"

She started typing on her phone, connecting with JARVIS.

"About three days for him to thaw, then it's hard to predict how long he'll be unconscious. I am afraid the medical records of people frozen in ice for seventy years that are still alive to tell the tale are rather... Scarce."

Clint snorted from where he was lying, eyes closed but smile firmly in place. Darcy resisted the urge to kick him to see what would happen. Instead, she turned to her boss.

"Will he come right away, sir? Or will you keep him at the HQ for a while?"

Coulson sighed.

"That is still an ongoing debate, Miss Lewis, and probably will be until Captain Rogers is actually awake."

Darcy nodded.

"Will that be all, sir?"

He smirked.

"One more thing. I am leaving it to your discretion as to how and when we should inform Mr. Stark of the situation."

Darcy opened wide eyes, and saw Clint pulling himself upright, a wide grin on his face. Even Natasha seemed excited at the idea. Darcy nodded, trying to stay professional.

"Yes, sir."

Coulson cocked his head.

"Well, then, run along."

Darcy bolted up, the two others following her when Coulson called her name. She looked over her shoulder.

"Oh, and Miss Lewis?" he paused, "I want pictures."

Darcy beamed and nodded enthusiastically. Clint caught up with her.

"Come on, let's go back home. We have a billionaire to annoy."

OOOOOOOOOO

"What the hell is this!"

Darcy was in her room, with Clint and Natasha. She hadn't wanted any of them to be downstairs for Tony to see, so instead they were spying on him with JARVIS's help. He was projecting one of the camera's readings on the window.

In fact, the AI had been pretty helpful, opening Stark's suit for them, and indicating where they could find the entire exhibit about his Captain America fixation.

The computer said it was for Tony's well-being, seeing as it would be unhealthy to have an undeclared obsession with one of his team mate. Or something like that. Because he was certainly not doing it to annoy Tony. The genius could talk all he wanted; Darcy refused to believe JARVIS was incapable of feeling emotions.

So, the living room of the mansion was currently decorated with the complete collection of Tony's Captain America goodies such as pajamas, posters, bed dressing, action figurines, fan letters, books, and many, many, many more. Clint had turned to her with wide eyes.

"And I thought I liked him."

Natasha had answered, shrugging.

"Tony was never really able to look up to his father. Their relationship was to strained. Captain America was the only idol he had."

Darcy had nodded, yeah, that made sense.

Now, though, Tony was completely red, either from anger, embarrassment, or a mix of both. He ran toward the stairs, and came pounding on Darcy's door. The brunette spoke up.

"JARVIS, could you-"

The screen on the window disappeared.

"Thanks."

"Darcy Lewis! I know you're in there, open up, or I'm asking JARVIS to do it for me."

Darcy huffed, and opened the door, leaning on it.

"Please, Tony, your AI likes me better than you."

Tony leered at her, and at the two other people in the room. She was ready to bet Clint was waving at him with a silly smile.

"I'm going to ignore the fact you obviously found a way to break into my quarters, and will ask why you transformed the living room into a Captain America museum."

Darcy huffed.

"We didn't break into your quarters, JARVIS let us in. And we only did it to see if there was anything useful for us to welcome the Captain to the mansion."

Tony froze.

"What?"

Darcy smirked.

"I said, we didn't break-"

"No, not that. The part about welcoming the Captain!"

"Oh that! Coulson didn't tell you? They've found him. He's going to live here soon, so we thought we should prepare something for him."

If you've never seen someone's brain shut down before, well, let Darcy tell you, it was freaking hilarious. Especially when it's Tony Stark. He was standing there, eyes blank and jaw slack, gone to the world. Darcy was even pretty sure there was a bit of drool involved. She knew JARVIS was recording everything, and was probably broadcasting live in Coulson's and Fury's offices. Finally, Stark managed to squeak.

"Captain America?"

Darcy smiled, indulgent and amused.

"Yes, big boy, Captain America. Why don't you come in and take a seat."

It was a sure sign of how dazed he was that he let himself be dragged to the bed, and was dropped between the other two agents. Natasha simply looked entertained but Clint looked ready to jump. Darcy aborted any possible attacks by settling herself on his lap.

Natasha spent the afternoon poking at Tony at regular intervals, waiting of the moment he would gather himself together while discussing with Darcy the weird fixation male Americans had for Captain America. Natasha talked about inferiority complex, while Darcy debated about repressed homosexuality. Clint simply declared himself disgusted by the conversation.

OOOOOOOOO

About four days later, Darcy received a call from Coulson, interrupting a very agreeable make out session with Clint. He had been sent away for three days to a classified destination, and just came back the night before. Darcy still wasn't sure whether he was happier to see her, or that he hadn't missed the Captain's wake up.

It would have given her complexes if her boyfriend hadn't been very enthusiastic in his kissing at the moment.

So, back to the call.

"Good morning, Miss Lewis."

Darcy shot a look at the clock. Ten in the morning. She wondered what it meant that she was actually surprised that her boss called her during normal working hours for a change. She often considered putting up a 'How the hell is this my life' sign beside Tony's and JARVIS's, but she was afraid the team would take it personally.

"Good morning, sir."

"Your presence is needed at HQ immediately."

Darcy pushed Clint off of her and onto the bed, jumping up. She held the phone between her chin and her shoulder, rummaging through her closet to find something work appropriate, because she was pretty sure her low cut shorts weren't.

"May I ask why, sir?"

"Captain Rogers is expected to awaken shortly, and we would like to introduce you to him."

"Already? I thought he was going to be unconscious for a while?"

She removed her shorts, ignoring the sharp intake of breath that came from the bed.

"Apparently not. The doctors are expecting him to be out for an hour or so. I want you to be here when it happens."

"I'll do my best, sir."

She put some black pants on, ignoring once again the sigh. She turned toward him to find he was lying on his back, hand behind his head, gaze traveling hungrily over her form.

"Sir, should I bring Agent Barton and Mr. Stark as well?"

Clint raised an eyebrow, and pushed himself up onto his elbows.

"You might as well. As long as they behave themselves."

"I'll see to that, sir."

"Perfect. Goodbye, Miss Lewis."

"Ciao, sir."

She slipped her phone into her pocket, and extended a hand to Clint.

"Ready to meet Captain America, fledgling?"

He beamed, jumping up. Darcy stopped him.

"We have to bring Tony as well."

Tony, ever since they exposed his Captain America collection, had taken up pretending that he couldn't care less about the super soldier. Something everyone believed. Darcy skipped to the workshop, Clint trailing between, and propped herself on a stool.

"Hey Tony!"

The man barely spared her a glance from where he was working on his car, but it was wary.

"Guess what?"

Tony grunted, which Darcy decided to interpret as a question.

"Coulson called."

Tony stretched to reach a screwdriver.

"That's nice of him."

Darcy giggled.

"Just wanted to let you know. He says the Captain is about to wake up, and we're going to see that. Since you stated you weren't interested, I won't bother by asking-"

She didn't even finish her sentence before Tony was out of the workshop by the stairs that led to the garage.

"I'm driving!"

Darcy chuckled and Clint grinned.

They arrived at HQ, and Clint lead them toward the zone where the Captain was being kept. Coulson and Natasha were already standing outside, watching a screen, displaying a old styled room with a blond man lying in a small bed. Darcy wolf whistled. The Captain was even more handsome than on the picture they gave her. Clint raised an eyebrow at her. Apparently, even he judged the Captain as a possible threat. She rolled her eyes, and reached for his hand, squeezing. She was never one to fall for a pretty face. Tony was in front of the screen, rocking on his feet, devouring the image. He looked like a kid, and Darcy contemplated filming him but decided it wouldn't be fair since she didn't tape Clint when he learned.

And she was supposed to be the mature one around here.

Coulson was explaining that they were trying to break the news into him slowly, gradually, when finally, the man opened his eyes. He rose, looking around. A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, dressed like a forties-era military woman entered the room and greeted him. He asked where he was, looking a bit too suspicious. Darcy frowned, and saw that Natasha was a bit tense as well. Clint and Tony looked simply star crossed. Coulson, well Coulson was himself. Expressionless.

All of the sudden, Rogers said something about the baseball match. Darcy took a moment to curse whatever research assistant that failed to find a match Rogers hadn't followed. Then, the man went through the wall. Literally.

Because doors are too mainstream.

They heard the noise around the corner, and the commotion only to see a man tearing through solid building.

Coulson's radio was already in his hand, and he was ordering for a team. From what Darcy gathered, he was aiming for the streets.

New York streets.

Not the best way to break it to someone he's not in 1940's anymore.

Coulson turned to them.

"Agent Romanoff, will you bring everyone to meeting room five?"

Natasha nodded, stiff.

"Yes, sir."

Coulson frowned infinitesimally.

"We will bring Captain Rogers there. I hate to say this, but we are depending on you to try and reason with him."

Darcy felt her gut tighten.

"You mean, handle the guy who just broke out of a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility?"

Coulson turned to her.

"Captain Rogers always had the greatest respect for women. You have nothing to fear. Me, Director Fury, Agent Barton and Mister Stark will be there as well."

Darcy nodded, and it was Clint's turn to squeeze the hand he still held.

OOOOOOOO

They were all sitting in the room, Clint flicking some paper balls at a makeshift target, Natasha playing with two knives she produced from... somewhere, and Tony's chair was propped on two feet, his own feet on the table, typing on his phone.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps. Natasha's knives vanished, Clint threw his balls in the trash and Darcy stretched to slap Tony behind the head, trying to make him straighten up. He did, glaring at her in the main time.

Suddenly, Coulson, Fury, and Captain America entered. Coulson was still expressionless and Fury looked smug. Darcy had heard about how he managed to calm the Captain down in the middle of a street, with agents all around. And Captain America, he seemed sheepish, upset and confused. He was looking down but raised his head momentarily, eyeing the others gathered in the room, before looking back at the ground. Darcy frowned. She leaned forward and felt Clint tense slightly behind her, ready to jump to her defense. She ignored the flutter of her heart at the idea that a man would put himself between her and a Super Soldier.

"Hey!"

His eyes fluttered to her, looking a bit shy. Poor guy. Everyone was all Super Badass Agent around him.

She smiled, trying to look as welcoming as she could. She knew no one would like that, but she jumped up and went to him, hand outstretched.

"I'm Darcy!"

He looked taken aback, but still took her hand and shook it slightly.

"Steve Rogers, ma'am. At your service."

He looked so polite, Darcy couldn't help but smile a bit sweeter.

"Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D.! I hope they didn't treat you too badly."

The man winced, but shrugged.

"I think they handled it as well as this could be handled."

Darcy smiled. She loved that way of thinking. She took his wrist, and dragged him to the others.

"C'mon. Let's get you introduced!"

She put him in front of Clint, who looked torn between being nervous for his girlfriend, and being a complete groupie. Darcy gave him a chance to decide, talking instead.

"This is Clint Barton. You can also call him Hawkeye. If he tries to pull the Soldier Boy act, slap him on the head and it'll pass."

Clint gave her a pained look.

"C'mon, Darcy! You're giving me a bad reputation girl!"

Darcy rolled her eyes.

"It's called proper warning, fledgling."

He gave her the puppy eyes, to which she simply answered by sticking her tongue at him. A hint of a smile passed over the Captain's face. Darcy beamed. She gestured to Natasha.

"This is Natasha Romanoff."

The Captain turned toward her.

"No warning about ma'am Romanoff?"

Darcy shared an amused look with Natasha.

"I'm sure she'll be happy to give you the warnings herself."

The blond nodded, and went to shake Natasha's hand, while the redhead appraised him. She seemed to be satisfied with what she found, a slight smirk in place. Darcy arched an eyebrow at her, but didn't get a response.

"And last, and maybe least, here is Tony Stark. The best defense against him is to ignore him. You get used to it."

The Captain froze, looking like a trapped rabbit. He stared for a few seconds, than managed a nod and a strangled "Mr. Stark."

Tony seemed confused, and answered by a nod of his own and a "Captain."

Darcy tried to break the awkward pause by addressing the man again.

"Hmm, Captain Rogers?"

The man looked at her, a pinch between the eyes.

"Please, Darcy, call me Steve."

Darcy smiled instantly.

"Well, Steve, how about we bring you to our home, and help you get settled?"

Everyone froze, and even Fury and Coulson looked at her in disbelief. Steve frowned.

"I don't know, Darcy. I wouldn't want to intrude."

At the same time, both her bosses started complaining that it wasn't right; they should keep him at the HQ for a while longer, to make sure everything was alright.

Darcy interrupted them.

"Well, it's either the mansion, with the four of us, or HQ here to be tested for everything S.H.I.E.L.D.'s scientists can imagine testing you for."

Steve paused to think about it for a moment.

"I think I'll go to the mansion."

Darcy beamed immediately. She grabbed his wrist once again, calling over her shoulder.

"Fledgling, Natasha, you coming? Tony, you're driving!"

Once everyone was gone, Fury turned to Coulson.

"Phil, I think I can see why you chose her."

"And?"

"Good work."

They may, or may not, have fist-bumped.

Chapter 14: Chapter 14

The arrival of Captain America amongst their household came with some changes amongst in their home dynamics. Unsurprisingly.

First, Natasha was more around more. She usually only came to sleep, sometimes for dinner, when Darcy and Clint swore they weren't going to go out and leave her alone with Tony. Darcy wasn't sure if it was because the Captain was a more than decent piece of meat, and had a personality that didn't inspire the spy to kick him in the throat every time he spoke, or because, for the first time ever, someone seemed to have a reliable influence over Tony. Which brought up the second point.

Second, he and Tony's relationship was,... complicated and conflicted, to say the least. Steve had apparently known Tony's dad pretty well, better than Tony ever did, and was very uncomfortable around the younger Stark ever since he became aware of that situation. And Tony, well, Tony was always somewhere between adoring, because, according to him, it's Captain Fucking America, sullen, because he only just realized that the Captain would be leading the group and not him, and jealous of the man's relationship with Howard. Complicated. But all in all, Tony always more or less obeyed the man, when he became insufferable enough that Steve, for all his entire inhuman patience, came to the point of snapping. Tony would sulk, glare and pout, trying to hide the fact that he listened. Darcy was considering taking lessons with the man, because she had close to no impact on Tony without resorting to puppy eyes or bribery. Or Natasha.

Third, there were a lot more agents coming around the Mansion, much to all its inhabitant's annoyance. Until that point, they had the place pretty much to themselves, doing whatever they wanted, when they wanted, because that's what a home is there for. No, though, doctors would walk in at pretty much any time of the day, checking on Steve who was in perfect health, if still a bit confused and lost. Agents would try to debrief him, but never managed to get him alone, without Tony interrupting, Clint using them for target practice, Natasha sitting in a corner, sharpening her knives, or Darcy bullshitting them happily until they retreated, fed up and discouraged for the day. Anybody else would say that they were being insufferable for the fun of it but it wasn't the case. They watched as each debriefing depressed and overwhelmed Steve a bit more. All anyone just wanted was for the agents to get the hell out so they could teach to Steve themselves, at the right rhythm, without stuffing him until he couldn't take it anymore. Darcy wasn't sure if the agents were conscious of how fragile the man was. Coulson and Fury were, though, and that's why they never stopped the team from traumatizing their employees.

Fourth, Steve was a perfect gentleman, something neither Darcy, Natasha, and Pepper -being the three women of the Mansion- weren't used to. He stood when they entered, opened doors for them, being always being polite and reserved. At the beginning, it always reminded Darcy of all the Pride and Prejudice movies she had seen. Now, though, she simply thought it was cute. Pepper always had that little pleased smile, and kept looking at Tony, as if saying, 'look, that's how you should threat me.' Natasha never let anything on, which meant she liked it a lot. She was always less guarded at the Mansion, so an absence of emotion meant she was trying to hide something. Like the fact she liked Captain America. A lot. There something to be said about the Russian spy falling for America's Wonder Boy.

And the fifth, last, and definitely not least point, Darcy was pretty sure Clint was jealous of Steve. Not that they didn't get along well, or anything, they really did, since Clint was able to break the 21stth century to him more gently and understandably than Tony. But sometimes, when Steve did something cute, and Darcy would thank him and smile, she saw him twitch a bit, and his mouth curved a slightly downward. She didn't know what to make of it., She wasn't interested in Steve like that, and she certainly wasn't about to fight over him with Natasha. Most of all, she liked Clint more day by day, and wasn't stupid enough to throw that out of the window for Steve's pretty smile and good manners.

She simply wasn't sure how to get that in her boyfriend's thick head.

OOOOOOOO

Clint was in the garden, shooting arrows, looking intense and focused. Darcy, as well, couldn't help but pause and admire him. No, Clint didn't have the perfect physic of Steve, or Thor for that matter, but he was cut. And more than handsome as far as Darcy was concerned. Still, she could get why he would get an inferiority complex, and hoped she could get it out of his system quick.

After he finished his quiver of arrows, he dropped his bow to the ground. That simple gesture put Darcy on her guards, knowing just how careful Clint usually was with his weapon. He sighed, and rubbed his face with both his hands, looking dejected at nothing. Darcy's heart clenched, desperately hoping she wasn't the cause of his mood. She grimaced, and stepped closer, putting a light hand on his bare arm. He didn't jump, having probably heard her coming.

"Hey."

Darcy frowned, he haven't even turned around to look at her.

"Hey. Is everything alright?"

He turned slightly, straining to plaster a smile across his face.

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

Darcy pursed her lips. Man translation, 'I'm worried, jealous and feeling inadequate, but don't worry about it babe, I'm a big man, and I don't feel anything.' She wasn't having it.

"You're a fucking idiot."

Then she threw herself at him, attacking his mouth with hers. He caught her out of pure reflexes, too surprised to answer at first. When he finally snapped out of it his daze, he pushed back hesitantly, almost shy. Clint Barton was a lot of things, good and bad, but he wasn't, ever, shy. Or hesitant. She frowned even more, pushing her tongue between his lips. He groaned, but still kept his hand sagely on her hips, and his mouth as reserved as it was possible while having someone else's tongue in it.

Frustrated, Darcy pulled back.

"What's the matter, Barton? Did I do something? Because I don't get your mood."

Clint looked pained, and passed a hand through his hair, making it stick out at weird angles. It would have looked adorable in any other context.

"It's not you, Darcy, I swear. It's just, fuck, I don't know how to say it."

She sighed, taking his hand and leading him to a nearby tree, forcing him to sit. She then let herself fell down in front of him, keeping his hands in hers.

"What is it? Is it because of Steve?"

Clint winced and looked away. He tried to take his hands back, but Darcy wasn't having any of it.

"It is? God Clint! Are you jealous of him? You know I'm not going to leave for him, right?"

He frowned, squeezing her hands, opened his mouth to speak, closed it, and opened it again. Darcy let him, waiting for him to find the right words.

"It's not that. I mean, I'm not jealous because I think you're going to go away with him. Well, I was a bit in the beginning, but... Shit, why is this so hard?"

She waited, looking at him. She wasn't in a rush, and he needed to spill it out.

"I'm jealous because he knows how to treat you right. Because he doesn't have to try, it just comes naturally. He's simply himself, and everyone swoons. I, I can't do that. I know you thought I was a jerk at the beginning. I probably was a jerk. It's just so easy for him..."

Darcy's eyes went wider than saucers. Okay, she wasn't expecting that. She could get the alpha male thing. But Clint was freaking beating himself up there. He was convinced he wasn't any good for her. Darcy did the only thing she could think of at the very moment. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him for all she was worth. He didn't even hesitate this time, wrapping her in those strong arms of his, sliding his head into the crook of her neck, breathing her in. Again she waited, and waited. She felt safe. She felt warm. She hoped he felt the same. Knew that she wasn't going to leave him anytime soon if she had any say in the matter. Finally, after a small eternity, he loosened his grip a bit, raising his head to press the side of his head to hers. Darcy looked side way, and saw he was still frowning a bit.

"Do you remember the first time I saw you? At the lab?"

He nodded, wary of where this discussion was going.

"I thought you were some kind of stick in the mud, perfect little soldier and all that."

His lips where pinched now. Darcy knew he didn't like to hear that, but he had to.

"Then you looked at me like I was an insignificant being, that you couldn't care less about me. It hurt, you know. And when you brought back my iPod, and you looked like you would rather be anywhere but there at the moment, like you couldn't believe you were acting at the messenger for a college intern. That's why I hugged you. I wanted to prove to you, and myself, that I wasn't so useless enough that I couldn't get any reaction out of you."

Clint was completely tense now, his hands gripping her waist, as if saying 'I know I was a bastard, but please, let me explain before you run away.' She interrupted him, not finished.

"But the day after, when I was in a zombie mode, you came, and you were concerned about me. Even Jane could see it. And you were concerned enough, you cared for me enough, even though you didn't know me, that you took some of your time off to bring me drugs. You didn't have to. No one would have blamed you, or even have known that you knew some way of making it better."

His grip relaxed a bit, mumbling.

"Anyone else would have done the same."

She straightened, looking him directly in the eyes.

"No. Not anyone wouldn't have. They would have ignored me. Hell, they would have taken it as a revenge for ridiculing them the day before. You didn't. You try. You try so very fucking hard, to be as good as people expect you to be. And that makes you as good, if not better, than Steve. Because he doesn't have to try. He doesn't have to make as much of an efforts, because he was raised like that. You were raised in a circus, Clint. The fact that you have any manners proves how much you try. I always resented these perfect people in school, the ones that just were the best at everything, without studying or trying. The ones that studied all night, to have grades that were just as good, them I respected. And I respect you. I love you."

Before you start asking, no, that's not how she was expecting to tell him. She was thinking about a romantic, candle lit dinner, or something like that. But at the moment, it felt so freaking right, and any doubts she had of really loving him disappeared when he looked at her with his big, blue, earnest eyes.

"You love me?"

She smiled at him.

"Yes, you stupid, oblivious, pigheaded idiot. I love you."

He stared at her for a few more moments. Then he leaned in taking her mouth as delicately as if it was a flower. It lasted for a few seconds, before he pulled back, looking her deep in the eyes.

"I love you, Darcy."

And he was kissing her again, a bit deeper, but still desperately tender. He pulled back.

"I'm sorry for being such a prick. I've never been good at seeing what's good for me."

They were kissing again. Finally, after a few minutes, he settled her on his lap, hands on her waist, hers on his shoulders. He looked at her, bemused.

"You know what?"

"Hmm?"

"I can't help but wonder if Coulson set us up."

Darcy's eyebrows shot up.

"Yeah, I mean, sending me at the lab to move things around, asking me to bring you your IPod back, ordering me to do the checkups. I wasn't the most qualified man for that at the base, and yet, he always asked me."

Darcy paused to think about it, and shrugged. Yeah, it did sound like something Coulson would do with his spare time. They had to find him a hobby. Not now though. Now she had a much better idea to pass the time. She leaned in, dropping her hands on his hips, pecking him lightly on the lips, before hovering there, a breath away.

"Fledgling?"

She felt him hum more than she heard him.

"Make love to me."

His hands cupped her face, raising it so he could look at her in the eyes. His own were dark. Slowly, apparently satisfied by whatever he saw, a slow, filthy smile stretched across his lips.

"Call me Clint."

She laughed as she dragged him to her room.

OOOOOOOOOO

(A/N: Ok, warning everybody, sex scene ahead. If you're not interested, skip to the next separation)

As soon as the door closed, he rounded on her, a slow grin spreading on herover his face. He prowled to her, gait smooth and supple. Darcy realized she couldn't move even if she wanted to. He had pinned her down with his eyes, and treated her like he would a target, like a prey bird would a victim. Once again, he knew he would get her, and was in no rush. Darcy thought it was a bit weird that she was the one pushing things up, but honestly, she liked being able to call the shots.

Finally, he was just in front of her, less than an inch away, but still not touching her. Hise eyes roamed his eyes up and down, taking his time.

"It looks even better without the clothes."

He cocked his head, smirking.

"Give me time, it's the last time I'll be able to look at you without knowing exactly what you look like."

She arched an eyebrow.

"You'll miss that? We can stop now if you want."

He chuckled, reaching to stroke her face. She leaned into the touch, waiting on his answer.

"Just because I'll miss it a bit doesn't mean I would regret ever making love to you."

She smiled, remembering the conversation they had the morning Steve woke up. She captured his hand, kissing his fingers, looking up at him from under her lashes. He had stopped smirking, looking at her with dark eyes. He finally filled the last inch that kept them apart, pressing himself flush against her. He took his hand away from her mouth, replacing it with his own mouth. Both his hands dropped, and started playing at the hem of her shirt, lightly caressing lightly the slim expanse of on skin between it and her pants. She sighed and pushed against him, trying to press her tongue deeper into get deeper in his mouth. The kiss was slow, wet and filthy, tongues circling each other. Clint's hands were getting bolder, slipping under her shirt, caressing her belly up to her bra, and going down again.

Darcy's own hand, previously holding onto Clint's shoulder, went down, and tugged at his shirt, signifying she wanted it off. He smirked, and stepped back to remove it swiftly. She was against him once more even before it hit the floor. She blindly traced his muscles with the tip of her fingers, earning a moan from him. His mouth left hers to trace her jaw line, than her neck. Darcy sighed, and trailed her hands from his neck to his pants. Suddenly, he grabbed her shirt, and lifted it over her head, leaving her in a bra before she even realized what had happened. He gazed hungrily at her. She laughed a bit breathlessly.

"Like what you see, Fledgling."

He raised an eyebrow, and suddenly her feet left the floor, and he was carrying her. He dumped her on the bed, and crawled over to her. He hovered over her for a moment taking everything in, than he jumped onto the bed, lunging for her breasts. He began mouthing the pale skin just above the fabric, reaching behind her back to unclasp the bra. He got it off, taking the nipple in his mouth. She moaned, tangling her fingers through his short hair. He quickly switched to the other one, palming her neglected breast. She was panting by that point, as she always had a sensitive chest. That man knew how to do it.

"Clint!"

He smirked, leaving a last kiss to her nipple, and traveling slowly downward, all lips, teeth, and tongue. She sighed. It had been far too long;, she had forgotten how good it could be.

Finally, he reached the waistband of her jeans. He looked up briefly, checking she really wanted that. She nodded.

"Please, Clint."

He deposited a light kiss on her belly while he quickly removed her pants and underwear. When he finally found her core, Darcy let out a keen moan and had to remind herself to breath. He licked and nipped until her climax took her, and she cried out.

He slowly, he crawled back up, while she came back down. By the time she was once again able to see and process information, he had removed his belt. She extended a hand, but he was too far for her to grab.

"Come here."

He looked up with a small smile, pupils so blown they were almost black. He let himself fall on top of her, propped on his elbows, knees either side of her thighs. She grabbed his neck to pull him into a hard kiss. When she was sure he wasn't going anywhere, her hands went to remove his own pants. She unzipped them, palming his erection through the fabric of his underwear. He growled in the kiss, deepening it, nipping at her lower lips. He was begging her to hurry up. Who was she to refuse him? She kicked his pants down, and he kicked them off. They did the same for his boxers. Finally, they were both naked, and Darcy pushed him a bit up a bit to admire his newly exposed skin. He wasn't the biggest man she's ever been with, but he was thick and solid. She looked back at him, and for a moment, they simply stared at each other, convincing themselves it was actually happening. Darcy's words were gasped out rather than spoken.

"Condom. Top drawer."

He nodded stretching out, and Darcy couldn't resist touching those muscles in awe. He caught her hand without looking, finding the condom, and sliding back over her. He leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"If you want me to last long enough to take me with you, keep your hands calmoff."

She smiled and kissed his cheek.

"But I want to touch."

He moaned.

"Later. We'll have all the time in the world later."

She nodded, and arched her back, rolling her hips against his. He gasped and she bit her lips.

"Come on, fledgling, time to prove yourself a man."

He growled, ripping the condom pack and, rolling it on. He settled, elbows on each side of her face, knees between her legs. Darcy gripped his waist as. He looked at her.

"Ready?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Get inside me already."

He chuckled. And slid into her. Darcy's memories were a bit hazy after that, bits and pieces of skin, groans and grunts. A bruising kiss. A bite on his shoulder. One hell of an orgasm.

Later. She couldn't tell how much later, after they both came, after he cleaned them up, they were cuddled together in the huge bed, simply caressing, tender, learning each other's body. There was nothing rushed. His eyes were back to their usual blue-grey, a small grin tugging on his lips.

"So, how good was it for you?"

Darcy let out a small laugh.

"Three words. Best sex ever."

He beamed, so proud of having rocked her world, she couldn't resist ruffling his hair. He shook his head, and she stretched, enjoying the light soreness.

"And you?"

He traced the curve of her breast.

"You are a sex goddess, Miss Lewis."

She laughed, and tugged him closer to kiss him. When she pulled back he looked so happy that she can't help but make sure he understood exactly how she felt.

"You know I really meant it, right? I love you Clint."

He smiled, and traced her lips.

"I know Darcy. I love you too."

She nodded, curled, tucking her head against his neck, and closed her eyes. A nap sounded good at the moment.

OOOOOOOO

It was dinner time by the time they got out of their room. Clint was relaxed, more than he had been ever since the Captain had arrived at the mansion. Darcy wasn't sure if it was the talk or the sex, or a pretty awesome mix of both, but whatever. He looked good. His easy grin was back, a warm hand on the small of her back. Darcy sighed happily. She hoped she could finally get to enjoy Steve's company without fearing for her boyfriend's sanity. An idea crossed her mind. She grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop just before they entered the kitchen.

"Oh, and Clint? If you start standing up every time I enter the room, or insist on opening door for me, I'm sending you for a weekend road trip with Tony. Are we clear on that?"

He arched and eyebrow, a little dorky grin playing on his lips.

"Crystal clear, ma'am."

She pecked him on the lips, and entered the kitchen. Only to freeze. She was barely aware of Clint's presence behind her.

Someone-Tony-had hung up a huge gold and red banner all across the room.

'Congratulation to Clint and Darcy for finally getting their acts together!'

Darcy's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe it. They hadn't been that loud. She definitely remembered keeping herself from screaming a few times.

She felt Clint pass by her, squeezing her shoulder, and going to the fridge to get himself a beer. He then dropped himself beside Tony, slapping the other man behind the head.

"If she refuses to have sex with me again around here because you scared her, I swear to god, man, I'm not to be held responsible for your possible injuries."

Tony rolled his eyes. That finally snapped Darcy out of her daze. She stormed to the man, a hand on her hips, the other pointing accusingly at the billionaire.

"How the fucking hell did you know about that!"

Tony merely raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you were trying to be discreet? If so, you really need to improve your skills."

Darcy frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

Tony made a show of stroking his goatee, mock thinking.

"Hmm, where should I begin. How about the part where you dragged Clint all across the mansion, in front of anyone who could be there to see? And trust me, I know a Gonna-Get-Laid face when I see one. Or the part where everyone could hear your groans and seriously, man, you make some really unattractive noises."

Clint looked insulted, but Darcy didn't give him any time to defend himself.

"I think you left out the part where you asked Jarvis to spy on us."

It was Tony's turn to look insulted.

"Why would you think I have done such a thing?"

Darcy rolled her eyes.

"Because you're a nosy bastard and I know it? And because I read Coulson's file about this place, and it clearly states its state of the art soundproof."

Tony pinched his lips, not liking that someone knew that much about his house. Darcy smirked.

"And yes, I know about the secret stash under the aquarium, in the living room."

Tony groaned, than stared back at her.

"You're trying to change topics."

Darcy doesn't even bother to deny that, because honestly? Yes, she was. She was also trying to figure out a way to get rid of the banner before anyone else saw it. That could lead to a seriously awkward discussion.

A choked noise came from the doorway. Darcy closed her eyes tightly shut. Fuck. Too late. When she risked opening them again, Tony was grinning evilly, and Clint was giving her puppy eyes. 'It's not my fault, I swear, please, please don't hate me' puppy eyes. And even if she had been angry with him at the beginning, she was a sucker for those eyes. She took a bracing breath, and turned slowly around.

Steve was standing in the doorway, honestly as red as a much so that, invincibility or not, Darcy was afraid it was bad for his health. He kept looking between the banner, Clint and her. And again. And again. He turned-against all expectation-even redder when he realized they were watching him watch them. Darcy forced a smile on her lips, knowing the poor boy needed a distraction.

"Hey Steve! How are you doing?"

Steve swallowed, and managed a strangled "Fine, thanks."

Darcy felt fucking awkward, but the two idiots at the table weren't helping her, and again, she was supposed to be the mature one around here.

"What have you been up to all day? I haven't seen you around."

She heard a "Not that you have been paying much attention." from behind her, and a moment later, a slapping sound and the distinct indignant hiss of a wronged billionaire on his natural turf. Yes, her life was a jungle. Steve relaxed a bit.

"Natasha took me to S.H.I.E.L.D., to discuss about my new uniform."

Darcy remembered appointing that meeting but, "Wasn't that supposed to be tomorrow?"

Steve shrugged.

"Yes, but Natasha seemed pretty keen on getting me out of the mansion, for some reason."

At the word reason, his eyes drifted to the banner. Okay, Darcy thought, maybe they had been that obvious. She pursed her lips, but let it slide. There was no reason in taking her anger out on Stark, he was as much an innocent bystander as anyone in the place could claim to be. She rubbed her eyes with her hands, walking to the fridge, to seeing if there was anything edible she could throw at her team. She found some leftovers from the chili they ate three days ago, and dumped it in a pot to reheat it. She was rummaging around for bread, while the boys talked baseball. Now, before you scream to sexism, it only happened to be her roaster night. They all had one of those. Tony usually took them out to some fancy restaurant, Natasha commanded take out, but her, Steve, and Clint actually knew how to cook. The chili was a leftover from Clint's night.

So yes, she finally found the bread when Natasha walked into the room, looking calm, until she spotted the banner. She gave a 'Congratulation' look to Darcy, a 'About time you fucking idiot' to Clint, and finally, a 'Aren't you supposed to be older than that' to Tony.

It was amazing how much Natasha could say with just looks. The only thing Darcy ever managed to say with her eyes was 'Hey, I wear glasses!' Not as cool.

Natasha seated herself gracefully beside Steve, petting his knee. Darcy looked around, at the bunch of them, at the banner, at her man. Yes she lived with the future Avengers. And Tony Stark. There was some weird shit bound to happen. Her privacy was definitely a thing of the past. B, but she knew she could trust them with her life and everything that mattered to her.

And it felt wonderful.

Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Darcy was eating breakfast one morning-pancakes, Steve was an awesome cook-when she realized something.

"Where is Natasha? It's been a while since I've seen her."

Before you blame her for not noticing sooner, the Russian is kind of slippery. As in she would disappear for a time, either for a mission or simply because Tony was getting on her nerves, and Darcy would only know what it was about when she got back. So she basically stopped asking questions and concentrated on keeping tabs on Clint, Steve, and Tony.

But, honestly, ever since Steve arrived the spy always cut these trips as short as possible. A few days at a time, and then she was back, drinking tea at the table like nothing ever happened. However, Darcy was pretty sure Natasha had been gone for a good week now, and she hadn't heard from the spy.

Steve gave her a look signifying he didn't know, and wasn't really happy about that fact, but hadn't dared to ask about it yet. Darcy had no such shame. She brooded about it for a few minutes before Clint came in the kitchen, still sleep mussed, eyes merely slits, aiming straight to the coffee machine. Then he slid next to her, kissing her neck briefly. Steve reddened a bit, but gave them a fond smile. She smiled, and then asked.

"Hey, fledgling, do you have any idea where Natasha is?"

Clint drained his coffee cup, raising an eyebrow.

"Hm, I heard something about South America. I don't know any more."

Darcy pursed her lips. She really, really didn't like that. She snatched her phone, and barged out of the kitchen, dropping herself on the couch. She ignored the groan coming from the Tony Stark shaped lump on the love seat, and began typing furiously.

...

To: Phil Coulson

From: Darcy

I want to know where Natasha is.

...

The reply came right away.

...

To: Darcy

From: Phil Coulson

Agent Romanoff's mission is classified.

...

Oh no. She wasn't having any of that.

...

To: Phil Coulson

From: Darcy

You hired me to take care of this team, Coulson. That's pretty hard to do when one of them is sent to undisclosed locations half the time.

...

To: Darcy

From: Phil Coulson

Miss Lewis, I am sorry the current restrictions are not to your liking.

...

To: Phil Coulson

From: Darcy

I am going to make this very clear to you, Agent Coulson. If I don't learn where and what Natasha is doing in the next message, I'm telling the boys she is in danger and leave you to deal with whatever collateral damage they cause.

...

There was a pause, before a response came through minutes later.

...

To: Darcy

From: Phil Coulson

Agent Romanoff is in Mexico, trying to recruit Dr. Banner for the Initiative. I congratulate you on your blackmail tactics. You are turning into a true S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

...

Darcy smiled, and went back to the kitchen, Clint and Steve looking at her with wide eyes.

"Better make some space boys, we'll have a new play pal soon."

Steve looked genuinely interested, but Clint frowned, obviously doing the math and surmising that Thor and The Hulk were the only team members left. And Thor wasn't in South America. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Natasha has been sent to bring back Dr. Banner."

Clint sighed. Steve seemed confused at that. "What is the matter with Dr. Banner? Because I truly fail to see how his character could be any worse than Tony's without him being a super villain."

Darcy barked out a laugh at that, and Clint snickered. It wasn't fair that Steve was able to say things like that while sounding perfectly innocent and polite.

Darcy laughed, and patted the Cap on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it big boy, he won't make you want to punch out walls."

Steve frowned, looking between Clint and Darcy, waiting for one of them to drop the bomb. Clint grimaced and made a 'little bit' sign with his thumb and fore finger.

"The Dr. may have an itty bitty anger management problem."

The Captain still looked at them with suspicious eyes. Darcy sighed. She really didn't want to be the one to break that one into Steve, but she doubted she would have any choice in the matter.

"Alright, everybody. Movie time."

She slumped toward the living room, the boys trailing behind her. She spoke up. "JARVIS, you got any records of the Hulk in there?"

There was a slight pause. "I do not, Miss Lewis, but I found one in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database. Are you sanctioning my acquisition of the said file?"

Darcy arched an eyebrow. "Are you asking me to take the responsibility for you hacking to get a file that should be in my security clearance since it concerns one of the possible members of my team?"

There was another slight pause. Darcy felt a bit proud, she managed to daze the AI twice now. "No, Miss Lewis, I'm asking you to take responsibility so Agent Coulson doesn't think Mister Stark is being nosey, again."

Darcy huffed. Clint was sniggering behind her, and she could almost feel the amused smile on Steve's face. Seriously, what was so wrong with having lengthy conversation with a computer butler? She liked JARVIS. He was probably the sanest sentient entity in the house. Yes, it was a bit depressing. "You know what, hack the video, and leave a message for Coulson that if he's not happy, he'll have to give me the necessary material for me to do my job."

Clint was chortling now. Why she even put up with that man was beyond her sometimes.

"Yes Miss Lewis. Is there anything else you would like me to do?"

"Inform me when Tasha is back into communication zone. And prepare Dr. Banner's quarters."

"Yes, Miss Lewis. Are we to expect Dr. Banner's company in the near future?"

Darcy shrugged. "That'll depend on S.H.I.E.L.D., JARVIS. Is the video uploaded?"

"Yes, Miss Lewis, and ready to play."

She smiled, and let herself fall on the couch. Clint seated himself beside her, and leaned over until he was lying on her lap. She rolled her eyes at him. Steve installed himself on the love seat, waiting for the video to begin. She was grateful for the Captain's politeness. Tony would never have let them cuddle in peace. Darcy really wished Pepper was around more often, but being the CEO of an international company was apparently slightly time consuming.

The video began, in a town Darcy was pretty sure was San Diego. It was probably around noon, on a busy street. People were walking around, and Darcy quickly noticed a man that resembled the picture she had been given of Bruce Banner. Sure enough, after a few minutes, a few police cars appeared, sirens on. People started running around, except the man Darcy had cornered, who tried to disappear into a small alley. It didn't work, and the cops dragged him out, asking question about the Hulk and being generally very displeasing. Darcy frowned. She would have to have a word about that with Coulson. The doctor was very obviously trying to control himself, but the policemen weren't relenting. Darcy spared a glance at Steve. He seemed a bit displeased at the treatment of the man, but confused as to why there was such a fuss around him. Darcy had barely brought her eyes back to the screen when it happened.

One cop, who was apparently having a bad day- Darcy hoped it was a bad day and he didn't act like that all the time- decided the poor man wasn't giving answers quickly enough, and slapped him in the face. Clint tensed on her lap, hissing something that sounded a lot like asshole. Steve had righted himself, full of indignation. Darcy didn't react as she watched the doctor slump to the ground, grasping at the ground, shivering, trying to get a handle over himself. Desperately trying to get an handle over himself. Then it happened.

His entire body tensed, muscles completely tight over his chest and shoulders. He shivered, and suddenly, he started to blow up, turning green and tearing his clothes until the only thing left was his torn jeans that now more resembled shorts.

Steve's eyes were as wide as saucers, staring at the screen in disbelief. Darcy could get that. It was something to see a scraggy, scrappy middle-aged scientist transform in a matter of seconds into an enormous green rage monster. Clint was still tensed on her lap, his sharp eyes sweeping over the screen. Darcy understood he was looking for weaknesses, ways to take out the Hulk if it was needed. Darcy passed her head through his hair, and he relaxed. They would explore that with the doctor when he was back at the base.

Steve was now frowning, looking at the Hulk while it made its way into the city pushing cars and trucks around like they were cardboard boxes. He turned to Darcy. "What happened to him?"

Darcy grimaced.

"Lab accident. I don't understand much about it, but it's something about gamma rays and radio activity. But yeah, basically, lab accident."

"Lab accident? Are you talking about me behind my back again?"

Tony was in the stairway, cleaning his hand on a spotted rug, obviously just coming up from his workshop, with his stained wife beater and his hair sticking in every direction.

Darcy grinned. "Surprisingly enough, no. About Bruce Banner."

Tony raised an eyebrow, and let himself fall on the other end of the couch Darcy and Clint were occupying, forcing Clint to raise his feet at the last minute to keep them from being squished. Clint threw him a dirty look, and took his revenge by making a show of putting them back on Tony's own lap, very very close to his sensitive parts.

Tony ignored him, focusing on Darcy.

"Banner, hey? They managed to find the Hulk?"

Steve piped in. "The Hulk? What's the Hulk?"

Tony pointed a vague finger to the screen. "The big green scary thing? That's the Hulk."

Steve nodded. He looked worried, as Clint has been. Tony wasn't, but then again Darcy had yet to see Tony worried. And he was probably the only one who would be out of reach of the Hulk if anything was to go wrong.

"Yes, Natasha was sent to get him back from South America."

Tony nodded. "So that's where she's at. I couldn't find it anywhere in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s network. Coulson is getting good at hiding things."

JARVIS interrupted whatever Steve was going to say. "I would like to take this opportunity to announce Agent Coulson wasn't pleased that Miss Lewis hacked into his system, and introduced Captain Rogers to the Hulk situation before the time S.H.I.E.L.D had planned for it."

Darcy rolled her eyes.

"Tell Agent Coulson, you did. And if he wanted to talk to Steve about Dr. Banner, he should have told me, and done it before sending Natasha in."

"Message delivered, Miss Lewis. Mister Stark, Agent Coulson would like to add he had always been good at hiding things, you're simply an upper class nosey git. His words, sir."

Darcy snorted. She also fished her phone out.

….

To : Phil Coulson

From : Darcy

Upper Class Nosey Git?

….

Tony looked insulted. "Well, tell him-"

"Agent Coulson also informed me he wouldn't take anymore messages from me and expects you to man up and talk to him yourself, and that networking your AI at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s HQ wasn't sanctioned and is not acceptable."

….

To : Darcy

From : Phil Coulson

My words were 'Upper class nosey, dubious individual'. I am not responsible for any interpretation an AI came with.

…

Tony was crying out now. "Any HQ of any kind should have an AI to run it. I simply tried to save everyone's time and efforts by offering my own!"

Steve and Darcy shared a skeptical look. Steve was the one to speak up, since Tony was known to listen to him from time to time.

"And it would have nothing to do with spying on the building."

Tony took on an indignant expression. "How dare you! Me, who is offering you food and shelter. Me, who always works for the department's best interest. How dare you accuse me of spying?"

Clint snorted. He rose up, stretching. He patted Tony's back. "You should take up acting, man, almost believed you there."

Tony raised his nose, and tried to look haughty, which is always hard when you are pretty much covered in motor oil. "I think I hate the bunch of you."

Darcy pouted. "You hate me Tony?"

His expression cracked, but he managed to keep it up. Clint came to Darcy's rescue, adding his own puppy eyes to the mix. "And me?"

Tony pursed his lips, willing himself to be strong. Finally, Steve joined in. "And me?"

Tony looked between them before finally cracking, throwing his arms in the air. "Argh! I hate all of you!" And he ran away to his room, on the top floor.

There was a moment of silence before they all cracked up. Clint ended up of the floor, rolling and clutching up his ribs. Darcy looked around and sighed. There was no way Banner would be able to keep his heart rate stable in this mad house.

OOOOOOO

The day after, they were all called into Coulson's office. Darcy straightened her clothes, as did Steve. Clint and Tony looked supremely unconcerned about their appearances, one in jeans and a T-Shirt, the other in a designer suit. Darcy knew she was a bit irrational, she wasn't there to seduce Coulson. God help the person who would try to seduce the agent, Darcy hoped he could deal with prolonged celibacy. She simply couldn't help but feel self-conscious when she came over here. This place exuded the 'Disappointed Parent' vibe. She would have to ask the man how he did it. Maybe it would help deal with the team.

Coulson merely raised his eyes when they arrived, currently typing at the computer. Darcy and Tony sat in the two chairs, while Steve stood behind them -at an ideal distance for whacking Tony upside the head, Darcy noticed- and Clint claimed the couch again. Darcy rolled her eyes at him, because, seriously, this was his boss' office. He could make the effort to look respectful. Because he truly respected Coulson, surprisingly. More than he probably respected anyone else. Which is why he would respect his orders, most of the time, even if he argued over them all of the time. It was also why Coulson was the only handler who would still work with the archer. Darcy thought about sending apology flowers to all the previously wronged agents, in Clint's name, but they would know it wasn't from him. Clint's idea of an apology was to not shoot them in the ass, or not appear out of no wear to drop on them the next time they annoyed him.

Very few things annoyed Clint. Mostly, it was either treating him like he was an empty head, or treating him like a mindless killing machine. Sadly, both situations had happened a bit too often in the past. Hence why Coulson was stuck with him.

Darcy cleared her throat, feeling more and more uncomfortable. "You asked us to come, sir?"

He didn't raise his eyes. "I did, Miss Lewis."

That was it. They waited, and waited. It was a good five minutes until Darcy couldn't bear it anymore. "Well?"

He suddenly rose from his desk, taking one folder from it, and walked to the door. He turned around briefly, looking around at them. "Well, by now, Agent Romanoff should be done giving the tour of the Mansion to Dr. Banner, and he should be settling in. By the time you get back there, he should have realized that the building has the potential to be a very nice place to stay when its inhabitant are absent, or at the very least, calm and quiet. So you are now free to go. Good day. Try not to blow up anything for a few days. Dr. Banner is jumpy."

And he took off, leaving them behind. They looked after him with jaws dropped.

Tony summarized the situation pretty well. "Well fuck."

Darcy nodded, as Clint did, and Steve didn't even reprimand him for his language.

Darcy's phone vibrated.

….

From : Phil Coulson

To : Darcy

Please do not take these measures personally, I simply couldn't think of a reason I would ask Agent Barton and Mister Stark to come over without asking you and Captain Rogers as well.

…

Darcy raised an eyebrow. Yeah, she could get that. She clapped her hand like a kindergarten teacher. "Alright, buddies, back to the Mansion."

Clint sighed. "Shoot, I thought you were going to say Back to the Future."

Darcy whacked him upside the head.

OOOOOOOOO

The drive back to the Mansion was pretty calm, if you ignored the lecture Steve gave to Tony about trying, please, please trying not to upset Banner. Even for the sake of finding out just how much self-control he had. They would have plenty occasions to figure that one out the field. No, Tony, he wasn't restraining his scientific inspiration; he was ensuring the safety of the Mansion's occupants.

Darcy and Clint stayed silent, exchanging amused looks, happy not to be the ones dealing with the billionaire at the moment.

They finally arrived at the gate, Tony had a silly smile on his face, and Steve was standing very very close to him, eyes alert. Darcy texted Natasha very quickly, to know whether or not she could be part of the Tony containment team. Apparently she was still with Banner, which made her a very good candidate. Darcy led the way in. She was about to ask JARVIS where Tasha and the doctor were when he spoke up by himself. "They are in the living room, Miss Lewis, and are aware of your arrival."

"Thanks, JARVIS."

She didn't pause to consider whether she was predictable, or the AI knew her well, since it wasn't really relevant. Then again, the computer was able to predict with a pretty good accuracy what Tony's move would be, so she must be pretty easy after that.

She climbed the stairs quickly. Natasha was sitting comfortable on the couch, and Banner was propped on the love seat. Propped because he was way too straight, his back not touching the leather, his hands on his lap, his eyes darting everywhere, looking like a cornered animal. When he saw her, he focused, apprehensive. Darcy kept herself from sighing. It was almost as bad as Steve. She smiled, bouncing to him, outstretching a hand. "Hey! I'm Darcy Lewis. It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Dr. Banner. I hope you'll like it here."

He relaxed a bit, but stood up to shake her hand. "Bruce, please. And I'm very thankful to be here. It's been a while since I lived somewhere with hot water."

"And I wonder how you survived."

Darcy winced a bit, because, yeah, she kind of hoped Tony would get lost somewhere between the entrance and the living room. The billionaire came forward, offering his hand as well.

"Tony Stark, it's a pleasure."

"Bruce Banner, likewise."

Bruce seemed uncomfortable, and Darcy couldn't blame him.

"I have to say, Dr. Banner, your work is unprecedented, and I'm a huge fan of the way you loose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

Everyone froze. Darcy wanted to groan, slap Tony, and hit her head on the nearest wall. She saw Clint and Natasha discreetly going for their weapon, but Banner seemed perfectly calm, answering with a dry "Thanks".

Darcy sighed. Maybe they would survive this. Steve and Clint introduced themselves afterwards. Bruce seemed very impressed meeting Captain America, but he was obviously no fan boy. Otherwise, he really would have had to teach his relaxation method to Tony and Clint, because they still had little happy dance episodes when they were sure the Cap wouldn't see them.

He seemed more interested with Clint though, after the Agent told him he was a marksman. He turned pensive. "Marksman you say?"

Clint frowned. "Yes, why?"

"What kind of weapon do you use?"

"A bow or a crossbow."

Bruce nodded, getting the same look Jane had when she was on the verge of having a very good idea. Clint looked puzzled, not understanding why the new guy was so interested in his trade.

Finally, Banner looked back up. "Do you only use traditional arrows?"

Clint's eyebrows shot up, but it was Tony who answered. "For the moment, but we are working on creating new ones, sonic, explosive, all that jazz. Why?"

Bruce looked surprised for a moment, that Tony was still there. "Oh, right, you're an engineer, hey? I forgot."

Tony pursed his lips, because really, who could forget Tony Stark was engineer, the fucking best engineer there was around? The guy who had been on the run for the last few years and had more important things on his mind than you, Darcy wanted to tell him.

But Banner didn't give either of them the time to do so. "Do you think you could build one with some kind of tranquilizer in it?"

Once again, everyone stared at him. He sighed. "If I'm supposed to work with you, it could be useful that one of you has the means to stop me. The Hulk is responsive to certain tranquilizers, and Mister Barton wouldn't have to come close to use it, if it was integrated into an arrow or dart. So, do you think you can do it?"

Darcy found it odd, the way he spoke of the Hulk like it was a different person, rather than himself. Though, looking at the scrawny guy, she could get how a green wall of muscles and destruction could feel foreign to him.

Tony puffed his chest. "Of course I can do it. Just give me a list of the tranquilizers, and I'll put myself on it."

Bruce nodded. Steve and Clint seemed relieved that there was a way they could hope to control the Hulk. Darcy could see it had been nagging them for a while now. She patted Steve on the arms-his shoulder was far too high- and kissed Clint on the cheek.

The rest of the day went by quickly. Tony, Clint, and Bruce spent a good part of it in the lab talking about the arrows, until Clint excused himself to go take care of dinner while the scientists began talking about chemistry and physics.

The dinner was simple, lemon chicken breasts with green beans and rice. Banner sat gingerly at the table, and spent most of the time staring around in wonder like he couldn't believe this was actually happening. Like he couldn't believe he was having a nice warm, well cooked meal surrounded by people who weren't scared of him or treated him like he was a freak.

Darcy couldn't help but frown. She would have to work on that.

Chapter 16: Chapter 16

zIt was a sunny afternoon, and Darcy was getting a bit tired of being either at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s HQ or the mansion. So she decided they were all going out to take a walk in Central Park. Might as well enjoy their somewhat anonymous status before her gang became famous for saving the world or simply for being more sexy than should be allowed.

When they had arrived, Darcy had perked up, feeling like a babysitter.

"Alright, kid, everyone hold someone's hand and never let go. We wouldn't want you to get lost!"

Which earned her a laugh from Clint, amused smiles from Bruce and Natasha, a horrified look from Tony, and a puzzled one from Steve. She chortled for a few minutes, before waving at them, telling them to move.

So here they were, strolling around. Steve and Tony were arguing over the Captain's sartorial choices, since the blond had insisted, once again, upon wearing his boring pale beige pants, and Tony was trying to convince him that jeans, or at the very least black pants, were more fashionable. And that his attire made him look like a man three times his age. He wasn't going anywhere on that regard. Steve, under his little boy looks, could be surprisingly stubborn concerning certain things.

Tony himself, for once, had dropped his suits and was wearing a plain pale grey button up with some dark jeans.

Clint and Natasha were discussing the possible tactical advantages of the various locations of the park, which Darcy found quite amusing, but didn't bother to try and follow. They understood each other, and she was quite happy Natasha was around to listen to the fight related babble Clint could come up with. Darcy was used to listening to things she couldn't really understand -Jane saw to that- but she knew Clint preferred to have an interlocutor who could answer him coherently. She took a moment anyway to eye her boyfriend, who looked quite good in his blue jeans and a dark blue T-shirt that displayed his arms quite nicely. Natasha was dressed in a black skirt and a white blouse, while still managing not to look overdressed.

Darcy herself had fallen behind with Bruce, walking slowly, admiring the view, and smiling at her team. The doctor was really easy to be with, calm and serene. He was taking everything in, not quite believing he was really there even if it had been a good two weeks since S.H.I.E.L.D. brought him back in the States. Though he seemed to have come to terms with the fact that he was officially part of the team, which implied general weirdness up to and including the sentient and flying TV remote Tony managed to build three days ago.

Yes, flying and sentient TV remote. Tony had lacked some serious sleep that day. Steve and Clint had to force him into his bedroom after he revealed the thing. The billionaire had fallen asleep the moment his head touched the pillow. Darcy, Natasha and Clint spent the remaining afternoon trying to catch the remote, while Bruce and Steve watched them, both of them lacking the speed and agility to take part in the chase.

They managed to corner it, Darcy grabbed it, and proceeded to mollify it, petting it and naming it Zazu. It had officially adopted her, following her around the Mansion when it could. It also had a soft spot for Bruce for reasons they had yet to decipher. It distrusted Clint and Natasha, and downright hated Tony. It was hilarious.

Most of the time, when Tony tried to watch TV, it knocked him on the head until he relented and asked JARVIS to play whatever it wanted him to at the start. The AI would tell him it's wasn't in his appointed tasks. Finally, Tony would stand up and manually work the TV, all the while grumbling about his house turning against him. Darcy had recorded it once, sending it to Coulson and Fury, and she was apparently well on the way to a pay rise.

So anyway, they were now in Central Park, without any flying remotes. She looked at Bruce.

"Hey, I meant to ask, how are Clint's new arrows coming along?"

Bruce looked at her, a small, quiet smile tugging at his mouth.

"Good. We think, at the very least. It's hard to tell. We won't know for sure until we try them for real."

Darcy frowned. She couldn't decide whether the doctor was apprehensive about that or not. Sometime, he would look so lost and dejected that she wanted to hug him and to hide him in a closet at the mansion. He was pretty much hiding himself in his lab. And she wasn't exaggerating. It took her, Clint, and Steve to convince him to come with them today. And they had to use full blown puppy eyes. They were probably the most dangerous weapon at the mansion. Bruce noticed her bemused look.

"It's alright, you know. I'm happy to have finally the occasion to do something good. While being controlled."

Darcy nodded.

"Hence the arrows."

Bruce smiled a bit.

"Hence the arrows."

Darcy smiled, and squeezed his arm, happy that he was there. He was a drop of sanity and control in the middle of their mad house. Surprisingly, he managed to keep himself from hulking until now. Darcy was two steps from building him a shrine. He was like Buddha reborn.

She was about to say something, nothing really important, just a comment about the weather, or something like that, but she never got the chance to. Because gravity suddenly seemed to disappear. Her feet left the ground, and she screamed, not thinking anything other than 'What the fucking hell!'

Suddenly, she was spinning on top of everything, and she was desperately trying to keep her lunch down. She blurted out, on the top of her lung.

"Stop! Stop! Please stop!"

She was turned around and drawn into a bear hug, her face smashed into a hardened chest. She struggled to breathe, and felt, as much as heard, the mysterious man boom.

"Darcy! I am so happy to finally see you again! I missed you tremendously! Thanks to my dear Jane, I have finally the chance to meet you once more! How have you been? Jane told me you weren't her handmaiden anymore!"

Darcy wriggled her hand free to pat his arm, hoping he would get the hint, and release her. He surprisingly did, letting her go, and taking the opportunity to release the full power of his dimples and obscenely white teeth. Darcy took a few deep breaths. Realized there was nothing but silence behind her. She turned around slowly, and well, she stopped.

Natasha had two guns in her hands, and a knife between her teeth, aiming for Thor's head. Clint had guns as well -she would have to ask him where he hid those- and looked completely blank, which meant he felt murderous and would have no qualms acting upon this feeling. Tony looked pissed that he had no way to interfere, no weapons. Steve was ready to pounce, and Darcy was honestly curious as to who would win that fight, but not here. Bruce was a bit behind, but his eyes were intense, and there was a green tint in them letting Darcy know he was simply waiting for the cue to transform.

She felt a bit warmer knowing they were ready to defend her, if a bit worried since it was Thor. The five of them would probably manage to take him out at some point, but he would drag a couple along with him. Darcy would prefer that not to happen, if it was possible.

She stepped away from Thor, and gestured awkwardly.

"Umm, hey guys, would you mind dropping the weapons? We're amongst friends here."

No one moved, and Thor was beginning to understand the puny mortals were threatening him and possibly Darcy.

Darcy sighed, and designated the God.

"So, this is Thor, Norse God of Thunder. Thor, this is Clint, Natasha, Tony, Bruce and Steve, the Mighty Avengers."

Still no movements and Thor was officially on the defensive. Not good. Fucking not good. She looked pleadingly at Clint.

"Come on, fledgling! You know it's him, you've seen him!"

The look Clint gave her signified it wasn't her best argument at the moment. Darcy huffed, puffed her chest, and put her fist on her hips, leering at the group.

"Okay, listen carefully you bunch with a hero complex. First, we're in the middle of Central Park, and both Coulson and Fury will have your collective heads if you make a scene. Second, I'm telling you he's safe! How much would it hurt you to just believe me? And third, he freaking hugged me! He didn't try to snap my neck or anything like that."

Bruce relaxed, deciding to take her word for it. Darcy was thankful, she had no idea how Thor would react to the Hulk without any prior warning. Steve hesitated for a few seconds, before relaxing his stance as well, putting a hand on Tony's shoulder, indicating he was expecting the same from him. Natasha was more reluctant, and shared a long look with Darcy before putting her weapons away. Clint looked pained at the mere thought, and Darcy had to actually walk to him and pry his guns out of his hands. Luckily for him, he didn't put too much of a fight at that point, but he did argue.

"But you screamed!"

Darcy rolled her eyes.

"I would have screamed if you did that as well. Well no, I don't think you could have done that. Let's say Steve."

That worked. Clint was distracted by trying to defend his honor and to convince her that he could lift her. Darcy didn't give him the opportunity- she knew he could. She turned back to Thor, who had calmed down as the same time as they did, but still looked confused.

"Hey, big guy! When did you get here? And why the hell haven't I heard about it? Where's Jane? Is she with you? Anyway, who was stupid enough to let you come here alone?"

"I assure you, Miss Lewis, it wasn't voluntary."

Everyone spun to see Coulson arrive, looking a tiny bit annoyed -his mouth was a millimeter thinner than it usually was- from the streets where Darcy could see a couple nondescript black cars. Just behind him was Jane, who went straight to Thor, and proceeded to scold him for god knows what. Darcy looked at Coulson expectantly. The man quickly assessed the situation, and looked back at her.

"I hope you didn't have too much trouble."

Darcy arched an eyebrow.

"No, of course not. I simply had to defuse single handedly a group of superhero in full fighting mode in the middle of Central Park."

Coulson cocked his head.

"It's good to know you are up to your job description."

Darcy threw him an unimpressed look. Because, yeah, the angry superhero part was part of her job. But some other things weren't.

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure that somewhere in my job description, it's written that I am to have access to all useful information regarding my team. Which includes, in case you were wondering, whether or not Thor has been brought back from Asgard before he creates a commotion in the middle of Central Park. It also includes telling me when Natasha is sent to South America to get another member of my team. And S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance cameras' record of where Tony is, and what the hell he is doing before he manages to create a sentient TV remote."

Tony looked offended.

"Hey, you love Zazu!"

Jane, who was listening to them at the point, looked dazed.

"A sentient TV remote?"

And Darcy waved a dismissive hand in Tony's direction.

"Not the point Tony."

And looked at Coulson. The man seemed to be pondering something.

"Miss Lewis-"

Darcy interrupted him, pretty sure of where this was going.

"Look, sir, I get that it's your job to be all Super-Secret Agenty, but you hired me, and you apparently trusted me enough to put me in charge of a team that has the destructive potential to wipe this town off the map before anyone can react. Seriously, beside that, how dangerous can it be to be a bit more transparent with me? Because you're not helping anyone by not telling me."

Jane looked at Darcy with wide eyes, probably wondering when the hell did Darcy got this pushy. Darcy wanted to roll her eyes at her, because she always had been, but arguing with Jane didn't necessitate carefully build arguments. It implied very short and simple sentences and a lot a repeating. An awful lot of it. Somehow, Darcy didn't think that would work with Coulson. Since the Agent had yet to answer, Darcy added.

"And you know, the time I loose pulling all the information from you would be much better spent dealing with the related situations."

Coulson seemed to come to terms with whatever internal decision he was trying to make. He nodded briskly.

"Very well, Miss Lewis. In the future, I shall try and give you all the information you should need."

Darcy nodded, and gave him a little smirk that made him raise an eyebrow.

"I really hope you do, because otherwise, I'm unleashing Tony and JARVIS on your network, and I asked Clint to time how long it'll take to break down completely."

Coulson didn't let anything on, but Darcy knew he was really trying to decide whether she was actually serious. Darcy simply smirked. He nodded once again.

"Understood, Miss Lewis. I trust you to bring Miss Foster and Lord Thor back to the Mansion."

Darcy nodded.

"Agent Romanov will bring them back at the HQ tomorrow for the full debriefing."

Darcy smiled. So whatever happened, it interrupted one of Coulson's briefings. The agent gave them all one more look, before turning around and calling all the units. The agents looked a bit disappointed they weren't going to get any action, but followed Coulson anyway. Everyone followed Coulson in the end. Even Darcy, with all the arguing, knew she would follow any direct order Coulson gave her. She shrugged, and turned back to the team. She really wanted to chew Jane out, but they had caused enough trouble, and a crowd was starting to form.

"Alright kids, we're going back to the Mansion. Jane, Thor, fledgling, you're riding with me. Bruce, Tasha, Steve, you're with Tony. See you in a few. No detours."

She grabbed Jane's arm, dragging her along, knowing Thor would follow his woman, and Clint would never let her alone with the man he still considered as a threat. She saw the reluctant look on Natasha's face, but someone had to help Steve deal with Bruce and Tony.

Darcy climbed into her car, Clint taking the passenger's seat. She saw the double take Jane did with the car, before sliding in the back seat with Thor. She leaned forward, between the two front seats. She looked incredulously at Darcy.

"Is this your car?"

Darcy rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, a gift from Tony."

Jane stopped.

"When you say Tony, you don't mean Tony Stark, do you?"

Clint and Darcy shared a confused look.

"Yeah, of course. You saw him at the park."

Jane gaped.

"No, I didn't. I saw a lot people I didn't know at the park, and one of them was named Tony. That's all I knew."

Clint sniggered. They were on the road back, and Darcy shot a glance at Jane in the mirror.

"You also knew he built a sentient, flying TV remote. So yes, Tony Stark."

Jane looked daze.

"I won't ask about the remote-"

"Don't worry, you'll love Zazu."

"-but I'm going to ask you why the hell you haven't told me you worked with Tony Stark."

Darcy cringed.

"Well, I told you I-"

"You told me you were doing babysitting for a new team."

Darcy raised her eyebrows.

"Which I am doing."

"Obviously not, you work with Tony St-"

Darcy saw the exact moment when Jane realized how you could babysit a team and work with Tony Stark. Her eyes turned protective and dangerous.

"No! No, no, no. Darcy, please tell me it's not the team they recruited Thor for."

Clint raised an eyebrow, obviously amused Jane's first reaction was so close to his own. Darcy gave him a 'You are an overprotective fool' look, and tried to look sheepish for Jane.

"Hum, yes, pretty much."

Jane stared at her.

"Do you even realize in how much danger this is putting you in?"

Darcy rolled her eyes again.

"In no more danger than a superhero team -who conveniently includes my own overprotective boyfriend- is able to handle."

Jane paused, and slapped Clint upside the head. The archer yelped, not expecting the hit.

"You're part of the team and you still let her do this?"

Clint turned around and frowned at her.

"I beg your pardon, Dr. Foster, but have you tried to argue with Darcy over something she's set her mind on? I mean, really tried? And succeeded?"

Jane glared at him, but leaned back, obviously still angry. Clint relaxed, but added.

"I know you worry, but honestly, she would be in danger simply for being my girlfriend. At least now, she has a whole team to protect her."

Thor chose this moment to boom in.

"Do not worry, my dear Jane. I will do everything in my power to keep Lady Darcy safe."

Jane sighed. Darcy extended her hand to squeeze Clint's. She could see he really was worried about her being in danger, but she trusted them. From the way they reacted with a stranger hugging her, she had nothing to fear from someone who trying to actually maim her.

She pulled up to the entrance of the Mansion. Jane gasped, gaping at the building. Darcy gave her a puzzled look, until she remembered that Jane wasn't aware of Tony's implication in the process. She explained briefly, locking the car.

"Tony's house. He offered it to the Initiative since he apparently didn't use it very much. It's much too big for one man anyway. Just out of curiosity, what do you know about the team?"

Jane shrugged.

"Not much. They've only told me it was a specialized team formed to defend any bigger aggression that normal organizations couldn't handle. Why, is there anything more to know?"

Clint chuckled, sliding a hand on the small of Darcy's back. Darcy resisted the urge to elbow him.

"Yeah, kinda. Come on, we'll show you."

As soon as she stepped into the house, she was assaulted by a small rectangular object, who proceeded by nudging at her cheek, asking to be petted. Darcy laughed, and grabbed it, and tickled it for a few moments, rejoicing in the happy beeping sounds it emitted. Jane was staring blankly at it. Darcy turned to her, and presented the object.

"Jane, this is Zazu, Tony's latest Chef d'oeuvre. Zazu, this is Jane, my friend. She is new here, so you'll have to be nice with her, cool?"

The remote floated slowly to the scientist, and went around her head, as if sizing her up. Then it started nudging her jaw as well, begging for attention. Jane gave a startled look at her friend, who looked insistently at the remote. Jane sighed, and started petting it as well.

"So this is the flying remote. Its-wait is it, an it or a he?"

Clint answered.

"He. He hates it when you say it."

"Well, he's cute."

Zazu beeped happily, and flew away, probably to look for Bruce. As if on cue, Darcy heard the second car roar into the garage. She took Jane's arm once more, gesturing the others to the living room. She forced her friend to sit next to her, noticing Thor and Clint standing awkwardly aside. She sighed.

"Fledgling, why don't you introduce Thor to the kitchen. I'm sure the both of you could use a beer."

Clint raised an eyebrow but nodded. Thor turned to him, with a curious expression.

"Is Fledgling your battle name? If so, you midgardians are very strange. On Asgard, such a name would be shameful for the warrior wearing it."

Darcy summoned all her strength of will not to laugh, and she could see Jane was doing the same. Clint looked horrified, pained and annoyed and threw her a dirty look. Darcy managed to control herself enough to speak again.

"No, Thor, fledgling isn't his warrior name. It's his special nickname, for me only. You are not to use it, understand?"

Thor nodded, apparently confused as to why Darcy would have a special nickname for Clint, but willing to go with it. He looked at the archer.

"If it is so, how am I to call you?"

Clint hesitated, but answered, a bit more tensed then he usually did, not that Thor would know that.

"Clint Barton. But you can call me Hawkeye."

Darcy frowned.

"Oh no. It's Clint. None of this codename bullshit around here."

Clint rolled his eyes at her.

"Says the one who goes around calling me fledgling."

Darcy huffed.

"That's not a codename, it's a nickname. And it comes with the boyfriend package."

Clint gave her an amused look, but Thor spoke before he could.

"What is a boyfriend?"

Darcy gave a funny look at Jane, surprised she hadn't covered that part yet.

"Hm, a boyfriend is what you are for Jane."

Thor cocked his head, puzzled.

"A betrothed?"

There was a pause, and Jane starting choking, while Darcy and Clint were laughing. They heard a voice from the staircase.

"Someone is betrothed? How come this is the first time I hear of it?"

Darcy didn't look at Tony, simply patted Jane on the back, and gave Clint an insistent look toward the kitchen. Surprisingly, he took the hint, and led Thor away stating that "he should go away before Jane came back to her senses." It was a discussion best left in private.

Darcy rubbed shooting circle on Jane's back until the scientist was actually able to comprehend her surroundings. She then gestured to the peanut gallery that was observing them.

"Jane, let me introduce you to Bruce Banner," Bruce nodded, and seated himself in an armchair, "Tony Stark," Tony smirked, and plopped himself on the other end of the couch, "Steve Rogers," Steve smiled, and went to the loveseat," and of course you already know Natasha."

The Widow squeezed Jane's shoulder and went to curl herself beside Steve who turned an interesting shade of red, but looked pleased nonetheless. Jane waved at all of them. Then she pointed to Bruce and Steve.

"I'm sorry, but I've never heard of you two."

Bruce grimaced, and Steve blushed even more. Tony smirked evilly.

"Sure you have. The blond is Captain America, and the skinny one is The Hulk."

Jane paled while Natasha and Darcy glared at the billionaire. He ignored them pointedly.

"Hey, Barton, bring me one as well, will you?"

They heard Thor boom.

"Barton? But I thought we were to call you Clint?"

And Clint cried out.

"Fuck you Stark!"

Tony snickered. Darcy rolled her eyes at him and in turn at Jane.

"Alright, you. I want to know exactly why I haven't heard of you finally making your things work out. With all the time I spent on this project, don't you think I deserved that much? Don't I mean anything to you?"

She gave Jane her best pained pout. Jane winced.

"Coulson wanted me to keep it a secret."

Darcy rolled her eyes.

"Coulson lives to keep things quiet. But come on, one text wouldn't have hurt you!"

"It would have gotten me in trouble with my bosses."

Darcy arched an eyebrow, and she heard Tony snicker behind her.

"Jane, you have the best blackmail material at your beck and call. They won't do anything to you, because they know that if you leave, Thor will as well. Next argument."

Jane opened and closed her mouth, clearly not having considered things this way. Darcy sighed.

"Alright, sense you apparently weren't that interested in keeping touch with me," that got an indignant expression out of her, "explain how Thor managed to ditch both you and Coulson to appear unsupervised in the middle of Central Park to terrorize my team."

Both women ignored the various protests over the term terrorize. Jane looked a bit sheepish.

"We were at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s HQ, and Thor wouldn't stop inquiring after you, so Coulson thought the best way to make him shut up was to tell him you were at Central Park. Then Thor asked where Central Park was, and some other agent decided to show him a map, before Coulson had the time to react. Thor memorized it in about one minute, and flew away. You know the rest."

Darcy nodded.

"I don't know why, but I have a feeling that agent is in a little bit of trouble."

"You could even have a feeling he will be assigned to be Coulson's assistant for the next few weeks."

Everyone turned around. On one of the windows, JARVIS was projecting an image of Fury. Darcy raised an eyebrow. She had learned that Coulson's assistant was the worst consequence one could have. The man was a machine, running around all day, asking for coffee or tea, being extremely picky about it, using them as punching bags for his sparring practice. He would be even worst with an agent that had caused him personal trouble. Coulson had once told Darcy he had always refused to take a stable personal assistant because he wanted to have an excuse to torture the one he had at the time.

Darcy gave a smile at the black man.

"Director Fury. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

The man nodded at her.

"Miss Lewis. I simply wanted to inform you that now that your team is complete, the Initiative will officially begin in a few days."

Darcy gulped. Yeah, that's why she was here, but still, it still stressed her a bit. After all, supervising superheros at home was one thing. Supervising Superheros on the field was something else entirely.

Still, she nodded.

"Yes sir. I will wait for your call sir."

"I expected as much from you."

Than he smirked at the lot of them.

"Avengers assemble."

Chapter 17: Chapter 17

The Initiative had been active for over three weeks, and honestly, nothing had really changed. The team still spent a lot of time in the mansion, except when Darcy and/or Steve got fed up and would force them all to go out. Tony and Bruce spent most of their time in their labs in the mansion's basement, working on things that were going to save the world somehow. Every other day, Darcy would go down, and ask them what they were doing.

No, scratch that. She would ask Bruce what he was doing because he was really good at explaining science using layman's terms, a skill neither Jane nor Tony had developed. However, if she listened to Bruce long enough, Tony would get annoyed about not being the center of the attention and would start talking about his own stuff in a way that Darcy could actually understand. Every time, Bruce and her would exchange a knowing smile.

Did she mention she was getting along very well with Bruce? Probably. Anyway, it probably necessitated repeating. She got along very well with Bruce. It amused Clint to no end, seeing as she was going out with the Dumb Jock, while she was best friends with the socially awkward scientist. There was a comment about friend-zone thrown in there as well.

Darcy never learned if he was trying to get a raise out of the team with the friend-zone part, or the socially awkward one. His plan was thwarted when the part everyone's, including Coulson and Natasha who were the ones that questioned Clint's intellect the most, attention got stuck on was the Dumb Jock part. Darcy had hit him upside the head for that one, daring him to doubt his own intelligence once more, just to see what would happen. Natasha had thrown a knife a hair's breadth away from his head, Tony had snarked about self-esteem issue, the Cap looked at Clint disapprovingly, and Thor had opposed loudly that his companion was on the contrary very intelligent.

Bruce had simply looked a bit embarrassed to have been the one the start this argument, until Darcy had put a reassuring hand on his arm, meaning it wasn't his fault but Clint's, and Clint's alone.

Coulson had simply looked Clint in the eye and told him.

"I assure you, Agent Barton, that had your intellect been anything but as sharp as it could ever hope to be, you would never have even heard of this Initiative before it hit the streets. There are plenty of sharpshooters out there that are ready to take your spot. You are the best we have, and that also means the cleverest. Are we clear on this?"

Clint had opened his mouth to object, but Coulson had cut him.

"I never made the mistake of confusing education for intelligence, Barton. Or bravery with stupidity."

He nodded to them all, turned on his heels, and left the mansion after that. Darcy fought really hard to keep her smile to herself, but hey, she loved her boss. He could be a stick in the mud, but sometimes he would do something awesome like that.

Anyway, back to Bruce. So yeah, she spent time in the lab, trying to understand what the geniuses were up to. And she understood most of it. She would try to keep up with Jane's research as well, but the scientist worked at S.H.I.E.L.D. most days after having tried, unsuccessfully, to be efficient in the basement. It took her about three explosions to change her mind.

Some other times, she would go to the gym with Natasha and Clint, training in hand to hand combat and firearms. It was oddly liberating, and it eased some tension she didn't even know was there, some pent up emotion built up over years. Nothing bad, no traumatizing experiences, simply small frustrations that she had never found a way to be free of before. She always left the gym sore and relaxed, and usually earned herself a massage from Clint. The man was really good at that, and very enthusiastic about it, since it often led to good sex.

With Thor and Steve, she decided she would help them adjust to the 21st century on Earth. Steve wasn't starting from as far as Thor, but he was glad to have someone else to share his 'classes' with, and helped Darcy when she was on her third attempt to explain something to the God, and couldn't think of any other way to phrase whatever she was trying to get across.

Basically, she tried to spend time with every member of her team. She was also very vehement about bringing them together. Dinner was to be taken as a group, the only exception was if one -Natasha or Clint- was out doing something for S.H.I.E.L.D.

Everything was going along fine. They still had disagreements. Between Thor, Tony, and Clint there were some serious egos going around. Steve could be somewhat stuffy sometimes, and sometimes, no one, not even Natasha, could really take it anymore. Especially when he was talking about fighting the good fight, with the air of someone who would never accept anyone that wasn't thoroughly convinced by it, the spy would get irritable and snappy, and leave. Darcy usually sighed, and Clint would look worried. Darcy knew it took a lot to get a rise out of the Russian, so her reaction meant she not only liked Steve a lot, but she also had a shady past and was worried of how Steve would react to it.

Darcy had started planning an intervention. She was torn about whether she should send Clint or Bruce to Steve. Bruce would be more delicate, but Clint would be more comfortable.

So yeah. The point of all that was, things were going fine, and Darcy had nearly forgot the entire point of bringing the team together was to help saving the world.

Until the world actually needed saving.

OOOOOOOO

Darcy didn't know if they were really lucky they formed the team just in time for this, or it was some kind of self-fulfilling thing, because of course, the moment they formed a super-hero team, something was going to happen that would need a super-hero to solve it. Honestly, she wasn't sure it made a difference. The end result was certainly the same.

It was a Tuesday morning. Tony wasn't in his lab, because Pepper was back for the moment, between two trips, and the billionaire wanted to spend the day with her. They were in the kitchen, speaking lowly, and drinking coffee. Darcy could see them from her point of observation, and she didn't remember the last time she saw the man so at peace. He really loved Pepper, and it showed.

Since Tony wasn't working, and he apparently needed him for the experiment he was running at the moment, Bruce wasn't working either. So he was sitting on the living room couch, half watching the TV, half speaking with Darcy, who was leaning on Clint, who was flipping through the channels, an arm around Darcy's waist.

Thor and Steve were sparring in the gym, and Natasha was at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ for a meeting with Fury. It was pretty normal. Sure at some point, Zazu got tired by Clint endless zapping, and escaped his grasp to hit him on the head until the archer promised to settle on something. Bruce and Darcy found it pretty hilarious, since they could make the remote do anything they wanted. But hey, that was normal for them.

Just like it was normal that Tony told them he was planning to build a mate for Zazu, a mini flying, sentient stereo.

Anyway, everyone was calm when the alarm, the one they chose for Avenger Situations, the one that was linked to Coulson's and Fury's office, as well as everyone's cell phones, rang. It was shrill, and violent. Suddenly everyone was one their feet. Clint run back to the room where they kept all their gear. Darcy's phone appeared in her hand, connecting with Coulson's who gave her a few pointers. Bruce looked at her intently, waiting for her orders. They saw Tony run out of the kitchen to the workshop to suit up. Zazu flew quickly to hide under the couch's cushions. Pepper exited the kitchen as well, slower. She looked worried, but not anxious. It wasn't the first time she was faced with a situation like that, and it showed. Thor and Steve arrived in the living room, already suited up, since Thor could summon his armor and the gear room was just beside the gym.

Darcy hung up just as Clint barged back in, wearing his field suit, his quivers and his bow. Tony was just behind.

"Alright, team, there's some big trouble on Wall Street. Coulson's not exactly sure what it's about, but it's big, and nothing the police have tried worked. Thor, Tony, you go by air, Coulson's already there. Clint, Steve, Bruce, you go by car, it's ready in the basement, and JARVIS uploaded the coordinates on the GPS. Clint, once you get there, find the best vintage point and stay out of trouble for the moment. Coulson will give you further orders. Steve, you'll join whatever Tony and Thor will have going at the point. Bruce, try not to Hulk out until Coulson tells you to."

Everyone nodded. Thor and Clint looked eager, Tony and Steve focused and intense, and Bruce a bit apprehensive. Darcy guessed he was to one with the least experience with that kind of thing.

She looked around.

"Stay safe. Anyone that gets hurt will have to answer to me."

She glared at them all, especially Clint. They nodded once again, then turned to leave. Bruce squeezed her arm to reassure her, and she smiled at him. Zazu suddenly emerged from the couch, and followed Bruce, nudging his cheek, like a dog who wanted to keep his master with him. The remote followed Bruce down the stairs, despite the scientist attempts at pushing him back to Darcy.

Clint paused, turned back to her, took three big steps, grabbed her by the waist, kissed her hard and fast, pulled back slightly to whisper against her lips "See you in a few" before turning back and following his teammates down the stairs. She looked after him, feeling anxious. For all of them, but him especially.

"It's always hard."

Only then did Darcy remember that Pepper was still there. The red head was looking at the stairs with a forlorn expression. She looked back at Darcy, noticing her questioning expression.

"Seeing them go like that, wondering if it's the last time you will ever see them. Then you see them back, luckily, and they're all banged up. And you know they'll do it all over again, because they're heroes and that's what they do."

She sighed, and smiled, a bit self-deprecatingly.

"And we wouldn't love them nearly as much if they didn't."

Darcy chuckled. It was true after all. It didn't make her feel much better, though.

Pepper seated herself beside her.

"At least, this time he isn't alone to save the world."

Darcy froze, and nodded eagerly. She didn't even want to consider Clint going there alone, without anyone who would go out of their way to help him out. Well, if she was being honest, she didn't really want to consider Clint going there at all.

That suit of his seemed so flimsy, not protecting anything important. Darcy was sure it wasn't anything above bulletproof. She wasn't even sure Natasha's was bulletproof, but it wasn't really necessary, since she wasn't sure bullets would be fast enough to catch the spy.

Clint, however, no matter how skilled he was, was still very human and very breakable. Any villain with half a brain would notice that and make him their first target. Darcy took a deep breath in.

"JARVIS, connect yourself to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s network. I want the live tapes of the incident. I also want to be alerted if anyone is injured."

"Miss Lewis-"

"If you tell me Coulson isn't letting me, JARVIS, I swear to Hell there will be blood."

Darcy knew she was a bit too harsh with the computer, but she couldn't help it. Her team was out there dammit.

"I was simply going to tell you that Agent Coulson tells you not to worry, the threat shouldn't be a problem for the team. Also, we are connected."

A picture of the scene was suddenly projected on the windows. It was chaotic, a huge scaly things running mayhem in the streets, pedestrians running around. Darcy frowned, trying to make sense of the entity on the screen. It looked like a huge crocodile. Pepper looked skeptical and mildly disgusted. The monster wasn't a thing of beauty.

Zazu, coming back from watching the Avengers leave and went straight to the windows. He froze for a moment, beeping, apparently horrified. Then he started to tick, and Darcy realized belatedly he was trying to change channels. She couldn't help but smile fondly, and reached for the remote, cuddling it to her chest, petting it. It was a bit soothing. Pepper was staring at the screen intently, her sharp eyes taking everything in.

All of the sudden, there was two flashes of red in the corner of the screen. Thor and Tony were finally there, pausing for only a moment, apparently receiving orders to attack the creature. Well, that's what they did. Darcy frowned.

"JARVIS, is it possible for you to connect to the radio channel they're using?"

"Yes, Miss Lewis. But you will not be able to communicate with them."

Darcy nodded.

"I didn't want to, JARVIS. I only want to know who I'll have to chew out later for not following orders."

Pepper smiled faintly. Tony and Thor were banging on the crocodile, taking turns distracting it. They could hear Coulson giving orders to the other teams. Natasha had apparently been put in charge of the evacuation, since they had no idea what the creature's weakness could be for the moment.

Finally, the black van the rest of the team used arrived. Steve barged out, running to Thor and Tony to help. Clint leapt down, and started running to the nearest building, and proceeded to climb up, monkey like, until he reached the top and put himself in position.

Darcy heard Pepper release an impressed breath. Yep, her man was good.

Bruce stayed behind not having received any orders regarding whether or not he was expected to Hulk out. He looked focused, his eyes going from one Avenger to the other, except Clint. Darcy guessed the archer had told him so; it would defeat the purpose of a hidden archer if Bruce was to betray his position by looking at him.

Suddenly, the reptile got fed up with the tiny humans who were running around him. He whirled around, surprisingly fast for a thirty foot long crocodile, knocking Thor and Tony down with his tail, and snapping his teeth two meters away from Steve. Darcy and Pepper stiffened, and they waited for someone to breach the silence that had fallen on the other side of the comm. Suddenly, "We're fine, we're fine."

They breathed again, never happier to hear Tony. Coulson sighed and ordered.

"Dr. Banner, your assistance is requested."

Bruce nodded grimly. He relaxed, and suddenly tensed all over again, blowing up, his clothes ripping apart. Darcy had seen him do that once, on the video they had shown Steve to break the news, but it was really freaking different watching it now, knowing Bruce. She hoped they had some spare clothes somewhere for him to use. Zazu was beeping frantically, not understanding what was happening, and being protective of Bruce like the good little remote it was. Pepper gave him an amused look, before going back to watching Tony.

They heard the sound of a car rolling into the garage, and exchanged confused stare. No one was supposed to be here, they still could see the team. Except Clint. But it would probably be bad news if they saw Clint. Then Jane barged in, out of breath, and apparently a few seconds away from ripping her own hair out. She threw herself on the couch without saying a word, staring at the screen, trailing Thor with her eyes. Pepper put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Darcy was still standing, feeling much too restless to sit down. Zazu was flying around crazily, having finally associated Bruce with the Hulk, and doing his own version of cheering.

Darcy forced herself to take deep breaths. Coulson seemed to have a pretty good handle on the situation, the reptile wasn't that dangerous once the guys learned to stay away from its tail.

The team seemed to come up with a plan which included throwing the beast on a building to knock it out. The Hulk, Thor and Captain America positioned themselves for the throw while Iron Man was keeping it occupied. And they did it. There was a blur of green scales, and the sound of a building breaking and crumbling down. But Darcy didn't register that. The only thing she did register was what they all heard on the comms just seconds before the impact.

"What, no! Not this building, you ba-"

And silence. Well, technically not silence, since half a building was brought down, but Clint didn't speak anymore.

Darcy distantly heard Coulson fuss over the comms, asking for Hawkeye to speak up, to tell him his status. No one answered. She saw that The Hulk was busy beating up the reptile until he was truly dead. She saw the horrified look Pepper and Jane gave her, neither of them knowing what to say.

But she knew one thing. She couldn't stay there.

She left the living room, moving towards her own room, unfeeling. She was in the same daze she would be on one of those days, where she was barely more than a walking corpse. She heard herself speak up.

"JARVIS, please let me know when anything more is known about Clint's status."

"Yes, Miss Lewis."

The AI seemed sympathetic, and she thought for a moment that she would like to hug him. Or Bruce. Or Clint.

Yes, she wanted to hug Clint. And hit him on the head for not telling the guys he was on that building until it was too late. She thought she made it pretty clear she would have their heads if anyone got hurt. She let herself fall on the bed, spread eagle, forcing herself to think about something else. Like puppies were nice. Cute. Puppies weren't crushed under tons of rubble because they were fighting against giant reptiles. She groaned, she wasn't going anywhere.

She heard a faint buzzing noise, and suddenly Zazu was tucking himself in the crook of her neck, beeping softly. The remote didn't like Clint very much, but he understood the man meant a lot to Darcy. And he liked Darcy. Darcy turned her neck to look and the machine.

"You should be watching Bruce."

The remote shook his head-what they all took for his head-and cuddle even closer to her. She grinned briefly, caressing it. They stayed like that for a while, until JARVIS spoke up again.

"Miss Lewis?"

Darcy tensed.

"Yes, JARVIS?"

"Agent Barton has been retrieved. He is conscious and aware. The medics are on his case, but Agent Coulson doesn't believe him to be sporting any injuries worse than bruises."

Darcy breathed out, immensely relieved. She nearly melted into the mattress.

"Is the operation done?"

"Yes, Miss Lewis. The Avengers are on their way back to the HQ, and the cleaning teams are on the attack site."

Darcy nodded, and stood up. Zazu beeped happily, nudging her cheek once, and flying off, probably to see if it could steal a glance of Bruce.

She walked back to the living room, snatching her coat as she went.

"I'm going to the HQ. Anyone with me?"

The two women looked up, and from their relieved looks, Darcy took that they knew about Clint as well. They both nodded, and got up as well.

They all got in Darcy's car, and not for the first time, Darcy wondered if she could ask Tony to build a secret tunnel that linked the Mansion and HQ. She would give a lot to be spared from the traffic.

The ride was long and tense, even if the women knew their respective men were alright. Darcy wondered once again about forming a club. The AGA. The Avenger's Girlfriend Association. Come, we have stress pills.

Finally, they arrived. Natasha was waiting for them in the lobby, apparently unscathed, and looking utterly unaffected. Darcy couldn't help herself, she threw her arms out and hugged the spy. All the agents around them froze. Natasha merely patted her on the back, but Darcy was fairly sure she was glaring at said agents over her shoulder. Darcy felt herself grin.

"I'm glad you're okay."

She pulled back, and Natasha was looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm alright, don't worry. I won't be like this all the time. Its just, this is the first time."

Natasha nodded, and led them away, eying Darcy carefully.

"It won't help you if I tell you he's fine?"

Darcy rolled her eyes.

"JARVIS already told me that. I just need to see him."

Natasha nodded. She opened the door of a meeting room, walking inside. The other women followed suit. Natasha went to curl herself in the chair next to Steve, near the head of the table. Tony was typing on his phone and hadn't noticed them at the moment. Thor was watching Clint from the corner of this eye. Steve wasn't even trying to be subtle, and was nearly glaring at Clint. The man himself was sprawled on a chair, holding some ice over his arm, probably one of the future bruises JARVIS mentioned. Bruce was seated in another one, and looked like hell, a consequence of his recent transformation.

Darcy sighed, and went over to the archer. He raised an eyebrow, a bit weary, unsure as to how she was going to react. She leaned down, kissing him deeply. She felt him repress his groan, and she sighed again. She pulled back slightly, whispering "We'll talk about it later" and straightened up again. Tony had finally looked up, and was making puppy eyes at Pepper.

"Can I get one like that too?"

But the woman merely rolled her eyes. Jane was back in Thor's arm, not kissing, merely holding onto each other. Darcy walked up to Bruce, and hugged him, feeling the man could use it. The scientist looked surprised, but smiled a bit and returned it. Clint grinned.

"Hey, Banner, hands off my woman."

Darcy pointed an accusatory finger at him.

"First off, Fledgling, his name his Bruce. Second, I am allowed to hug whoever I want to. Third," she turned back to Bruce, "you will have a remote to reassure when we get back. He was pretty upset when you hulked out."

Bruce winced, but didn't comment. Tony snorted, and said something about affectionate, dependent house appliances. Pepper elbowed him and said he had no one but himself to blame. Coulson was beside Fury, and managed to look smug while staying completely impassive. He did manage to bring the whole team back mostly unharmed without creating any kind of archaic chaos in the streets.

Fury spoke.

"Now that you all have given your own report of the events, is there anything you would like to bring to this table before I send you all back to the care of your babysitter."

Darcy arched an eyebrow, but couldn't really object. Steve looked around, and once again took on staring down at Clint.

"I think we have to talk about team communication, Director. What happened today was unacceptable, and I feel that Hawkeye should have handled the situation better."

Clint straightened up, insulted.

"And how exactly was I supposed to do that, Captain?"

Steve was now clearly glaring.

"By making us aware of your position, Hawkeye."

Clint snorted derisively, raising an eyebrow.

"I think you don't understand the principle of a sharp shooter, Captain."

Steve pursed his lips.

"You are welcomed to enlighten me."

Clint leered.

"I have to be invisible. Otherwise they'll be expecting my shot."

Steve scowled.

"Not from your own team!"

Clint rolled his eyes.

"We had no clue where that thing came from. We had no idea whether our comms were bugged. And if I had told you, you would have betrayed my position by looking at me too often."

Steve's jaw clenched.

"But if you had told us, we wouldn't have thrown the gator on the building you were posted on."

"I'm fucking fine! And what were the chances, seriously? There were buildings all around. How was I supposed to know you would target mine!"

"You're supposed to work with the team!"

"I do what I can, but I'm a sharpshooter! I'm supposed to stay apart!"

Steve didn't like that, at all. Darcy looked around. Bruce was worried, Tony was slightly amused, Thor was puzzled, and Natasha was torn between supporting her longtime friend, or her future boyfriend. Darcy realized she had to be the one to intervene.

"Enough, you two!"

Everyone turned to her, Steve and Clint included.

"Alright, Steve, we all understand your concern, we were all frightened by what happened today. However, I think Clint has a fair point, and divulging his position through comms could be dangerous. Clint, you should give your teammates more credit. If you tell them not to look at you, they won't. You need to trust your team, otherwise this isn't going to work."

There was a stretched silence, everyone waiting for Steve and Clint's reactions. Finally, the both of them deflated, still looking frustrated, but no longer like they were about to jump at each other's throats. Clint spoke up.

"So what do you suggest? How am I supposed to keep everyone up-to-date with my position without using the comms? I mean, I can tell them where I intend to start, but my movements won't be planned after that."

Darcy frowned, and turned to Tony, who had made himself surprisingly scarce during the exchange.

"Do you think you could come up with something, Tony?"

He looked around, wondering if it was okay to talk, then, because he's Tony Stark, he decided he didn't care, and looked at Darcy.

"Sure. I can make sure fledgling and Cap are happy."

Steve scowled a bit at that, and Natasha put a calming hand on his leg. That distracted him, and Thor took the opportunity to boom happily.

"My friend, this had been a most agreeable battle. I hope we shall be this lucky in our future encounters!"

Jane shook her head, and everyone except Steve and Natasha snickered. Darcy walked up to the Cap, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll figure something out, alright?"

Steve nodded, probably because he knew she was the one in the room that was the most concerned about Clint's safety.

Fury grimaced.

"Are you done with the emotional display? Because I'd like to be able to kick you out and go take care of important matters."

Everyone whispered assent, and started to exit the room. Darcy was going to, but Fury held her back.

"Lewis."

She stiffened, and turned back to her boss. Coulson was still there as well, putting his papers back together.

"Yes, director?"

Fury stared at her for a long moment.

"You did a good job there."

"There's no need to sound so surprised, sir. You hired me."

"No. Coulson hired you. I'm simply reassured my higher staff is able to do good and make important decisions without me getting involved."

Coulson turned to look at him, a simple twitch of lips. He was proud. Darcy smiled.

"I'm happy you find my work satisfactory, sir."

Fury nodded, indicating the door with his chin.

"You may go, Lewis."

She nodded once more, and turned back.

OOOOOOOO

And if she held a little tighter onto Clint that night, trying to reassure herself that he was still there, without any lasting damage, well no one other than him needed to know.

Chapter 18: Chapter 18

A ray of light caressed Darcy's face, trying to coax her into the waking world. She felt Clint's warm form against her, breathing evenly, still fast asleep. She went to open her eyes when she realized how numb she felt.

Oh no, please no. She needed to be with her team today, they'd need her around with what happened. She needed to speak with Steve, and Bruce. And god Zazu, he would flip if he saw her like that.

She summoned all her energy to lay a lax hand on what she was pretty sure was Clint's thigh. It wasn't her own body so it would do the job. He groaned. She whined.

"Clint."

He twitched, but didn't raise his head from the pillow.

"Clint."

She felt his shift, probably turning around to look at her. She was sure he was squinting against the morning light, looking all sleep-mused and adorable. Fuck her sleepiness keeping her from seeing that, it wasn't fair.

"Darcy? What's the matter?"

Darcy willed her mouth to open.

"Purse."

"Purse? You want your purse? Why? It's six in the morning! Why don't you get it yourself?"

She would, if she could summon herself to move. Instead, she whispered.

"Pills."

"Pills? What pills? Do you have some medication you haven't-"

He paused, his sleepy mind finally computing as to what she was asking for.

"Right away, love."

He kissed her cheek, and stood up. She heard him padding through the room, getting her purse which she was pretty sure she had left beside the door.

Quickly, his weight was once more on the mattress beside her.

"Here they are."

He dropped two of them in her hand. And helped her raise said hand to her mouth. She thanked him with a fleeting smile before focusing on swallowing the pills. Once she did, he wrapped his arms around her, cuddling her close. She curled against his warm chest, nearly purring.

"They'll take some time to kick in. You should go back to sleep."

She nodded against him, nuzzling his skin. She felt him chuckle, and he began petting her hair. She sighed. Her man was the best.

Then she slipped back into sleep.

OOOOOOOO

She woke up a while later, she wasn't sure how much. Clint was still holding her close, caressing her tenderly.

She kissed his chest, and straightened up a bit, testing her energy level. He looked at her calmly, ready to catch her if she was to collapse. When he was sure she was more or less steady, he spoke.

"How do you feel?"

"Exhausted, but functional, which is far better than I usually do."

He smiled at her. He looked a bit tired himself. She frowned.

"You should have gone back to sleep. You need it more than I do."

He rolled his eyes.

"Darcy, I have been on more dangerous missions than yesterday's with far less sleep than that."

She pursed her lips.

"You still managed to get yourself knocked down a building."

"Yes, and Tony and Steve will ensure that'll never happen again. Beside, am I not allowed to take care of my girlfriend?"

Darcy smiled at him.

"You already did. You gave me the pills."

He lowered his eyes, looking at her sheepishly from under his lashes.

"You have no idea how much I wanted to cuddle you to my chest back then."

Darcy raised her eyebrows.

"Even at that point?"

He nodded.

"You were so cute, and defenseless, I wanted to protect you from the rest of the world. But I couldn't, so I brought you the pills. It was the least I could do."

She leaned in, ignoring how dizzy that made her.

"It was already much more than I expected from you."

She pecked him lightly on the lips. He smiled once more.

"Come on, love, let's get you something to eat."

"Right behind you, fledgling."

He rose, tugging on her hand to get her to follow.

"I'd rather have you in front of me, Darcy. And if anyone, you're the fledgling here today."

Darcy took a few tentative steps and pursed her lips. Movement was still difficult, she would have to stay put today. Maybe Zazu would be willing to play the messenger pigeon, rounding up the ones she wanted to talk with. She turned slowly her head to talk over her shoulder.

"I'm not the one who fell from the nest, fledgling."

He groaned, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"You are horrible."

"You love me."

"For some reason."

They went down the stairs, slowly, Clint hovering close to her, ready to catch her at any time.

They finally entered the kitchen. Bruce was nurturing a cup of tea, and Tony was running around, his arms flapping, and for Darcy's slowed brain, it looked like he was trying to fly.

They turned to watch her, Tony welcoming her with a "Darcy!" that was far too peachy, which made her doubt he had gotten much sleep the night before. Bruce merely smiled, than seemed to notice something was off, and frowned.

Darcy trudged to the table, and let herself fall, collapsing on the chair. Yep, she would stay there for a while. Maybe all day. All day sounded good. Tony was by her side in a moment, poking at her with a wooden spoon. She didn't even have the energy to slap it away, and Clint was focused on cooking her breakfast. Bruce frowned at Tony.

"Tony, leave her alone."

"Aww, come on, it's not like it's my fault she can barely walk. It's fledgling you should be scolding."

"Tony, leave her alone."

"You're no fun, Bruce. And what are you going to do to stop me?"

Bruce sighed tiredly and spoke up.

"Zazu?"

There was a silent pause, and then a loud poke was heard.

"What the hell! Hey little guy stop that! Ow! Will you-Ow! Get that thing away from me! Bruce please!"

Darcy looked up, to see Tony being chase around the kitchen by their remote, who was whacking him repeatedly on the head. Bruce shrugged, and smirked at Darcy from behind his cup of tea.

"It's your call, Darcy."

Darcy thank him with a warm smile, and she heard Clint chuckle. She turned around to learn he was recording Tony on his camera phone.

"You've got enough material?"

He gave her a thumb up, so she called out.

"Zazu? You can leave him alone."

The remote stopped at once, and zipped over to Darcy, nudging her cheek. Darcy chuckled, and petted him.

Steve and Natasha entered at the moment, the former rubbing his still sleepy eyes, the latter fully awake and alert.

"What's going on here? Why are you all screaming? It's barely seven in the morning."

Clint smiled up.

"Zazu was defending Darcy."

Steve nodded as if it made perfect sense. Tony was looking at him with focused eyes.

"What's the matter Cap? Aren't you already up by that time, usually? Have a late night last night?"

Steve went bright red. Everyone stopped. Well except Natasha who went to the fridge to find herself something to eat. Tony looked ecstatic.

"You did! God, and I was only kidding! JARVIS! Where is my banner?"

A knife appeared out of nowhere to pass an inch away from Tony's head to embed itself in the wall behind.

Tony paled, and cleared his throat.

"You know what, forget about it, just order some cake!"

"Yes, Mister Stark. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, thanks!"

Darcy looked at Clint.

"Why aren't you able to do that?"

"Because no one is able to be as scary as Natasha."

Darcy nodded, and let her head fall back on the table, too tired to do anything more. She could feel everyone's concerned gaze on her neck, but she ignored them. Clint was still busy cooking and didn't look eager to be the one to explain the situation to the others. Finally, she heard the characteristic heavy thuds of Thor's footsteps. Jane walked in, and Darcy heard the characteristic sigh her previous boss was bound to give when she realized Darcy was out for the day.

She felt a petite hand squeeze her shoulder in passing, and she was ready to bet the scientist exchanged a knowing look with her boyfriend. She heard her ask.

"So, are the pills effective?"

Darcy forced herself to look up.

"Yeah, well, a bit. I don't feel like death warmed over. I'm pretty functional."

Everyone but Jane and Clint seemed dubious but they didn't comment. Jane took it into her own hands to reassure them, to tell them she was bound to feel like that sometimes, it wasn't anything to be worried about, she was perfectly healthy. Darcy was glad someone else was giving the Speech, because she may feel better, but she didn't feel that good.

Suddenly, a large hand dropped on her shoulder, and straightened her until Thor enveloped in a bear hug, lifting her from the ground once again. She relaxed into it, returning the hug. From over Thor's shoulder, she saw the glint in Tony's eyes a mere second before he yelled "Group Hug!" and ran into them, dragging Steve with him. Clint smirked evilly, and grabbed Natasha to join the bunch of them. Bruce and Jane looked a bit worried, not daring to join, but feeling a bit awkward standing next to them. Thor boomed.

"Jane, Bruce. Please come and join us!"

Jane grinned and sauntered over, squeezing herself between Clint and Natasha. Bruce sighed, and went to join them as well. Finally, there was a happy beep, and Zazu zipped over, accepting to be cradled between Natasha and Tony.

Darcy chuckled, trying to imagine what kind of picture they were offering to an outsider. Whatever, if Coulson was to interrupt, she would chalk it up to team bonding. And try to convince him to join. He looked like he could use a hug.

After a while, everyone pulled away, except Bruce who spotted her falter a bit, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to steady her. She gave him a grateful smile, and leaned into him. He led her back to the table, where Clint had put her breakfast. She beamed at the French toast, reaching for the maple syrup. Clint dropped himself on her left, since Bruce occupied her other side.

For all her boyfriend had been jealous of Steve when he first arrived, he never seemed threatened by Bruce. Probably because the doctor wasn't interest in any romantic or sexual relationship, and made it clear since day one. Darcy couldn't help but feel sorry for that poor intern that tried some pretty aggressive flirting on Bruce the first time they went to S.H.I.E.L.D. It was the first and only time Darcy had seen the scientist something more than mildly frustrated. The girl was pale and shivering by the end of it.

Darcy looked up to see Steve lingering in the doorway.

"Hey, just give me the time to eat and I'll speak with you and Tony about the tracer for Clint."

Steve frowned, looking displeased.

"No, Darcy, you need to rest."

Darcy rolled her eyes, and ignored how dizzy that made her feel.

"Steve, I'm fine, just a bit tired. I can work."

Steve shook his head.

"No, Darcy. You are not working today."

"Steve."

Tony popped his head in the kitchen.

"Cap's right, kid. Take things slow."

Darcy hmpfed and crossed her arms.

"You are a freaking bunch of mother hens."

Clint smiled and bumped her shoulder.

"You have a house full of super people ready to serve you for the day, savor it."

Darcy pouted.

"I don't need to be served."

Bruce smiled. Clint was chuckling. Steve gave her the puppy eyes, and Tony left to the living room.

She glared at Clint, but knew there was nothing she could do about it. She brooded while she munched on her toast. It wasn't fair that Clint was that good of a cook when she was trying to be angry with him.

When she was done, she tried to rise to wash her dishes. Her movement was aborted when Clint stole the plate away and Bruce held her down with an arm around her shoulder.

She whispered "Traitor.". He simply smiled at her, doing a fine impersonation of an innocent man. She glared at him. Without any result.

"I want to go to the living room. Can I?"

Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"Sure." He raised his voice. "Steve! Come over here! Darcy wants to move."

Darcy felt her eyebrows shot up.

"Why are you calling Steve? I don't need hi-"

She squealed as she felt herself be lifted in the air, and cradled to a large chest. She wanted to protest, but the movement left her dizzy. Steve carried her to the couch where he deposited her lightly, careful not to hurt her. She glared at him. She wasn't some kind of doll they could play with. She heard Clint protest from the kitchen.

"I could have done that!"

And Bruce's answer.

"Just wash the dishes, Clint."

Bruce then followed them, taking the end of the couch. Steve took the loveseat, where Natasha was already settled. Darcy noticed they were definitely closer to each other than they had been before. Tony was tinkering with the TV, and Zazu was looming around his head, either wary or eager, it was difficult to say. Thor and Jane were cuddling on the other loveseat.

Clint finally emerged from the kitchen, and lifted Darcy so he could slide under her and settle her on his lap. She snuggled against his chest once more. She hated these days, but if they were going to be spent this way, she could get used to it. Though she would have to put her foot down about being carried around.

After Tony was done with whatever he was torturing the TV with, they started arguing about what they wanted to watch. Finally, Bruce settled it by asking Darcy what she'd like to watch.

"I used to watch Disney movies."

Steve looked interested.

"I haven't seen the latest ones."

Tony gave a long suffering sigh.

"Do we really have to?"

Natasha, Jane, Steve and Darcy turned to glare at him.

"Don't bash Disney, man."

Darcy turned to Steve.

"I'm voting Mulan. Who's with me?"

Everyone agreed, and they started the video. Tony was irritated about their choice, which meant Zazu was really enthusiastic about selecting it.

Tony grumbled about treacherous houses. Everyone ignored him.

The movie began, and quickly everyone was focused, Jane and Darcy singing along with the characters. Clint was smirking at her, Steve and Thor enthralled, and Thor looked especially moved when Mulan ran away to take her father's place. He declared her to be 'a most brave woman that should be admired'. Darcy smiled at him; Mulan was always one of her favorite characters.

They had reached the point where the soldiers were leaving the training camp to fight the Huns when the TV froze. It lasted for a few second, long enough for everyone to turn around to look at Tony expectantly. He shrugged, and moved to check what was wrong. Zazu was hovering around, apparently at a lose and not really happy about it.

Tony had nearly reached the TV when the screen suddenly changed. Instead of the animation, there was now a face. A pale male face, with hard cold blue eyes, framed by black slicked back hair.

The man was smirking. Thor leapt on his feet, throwing Jane on the ground. He didn't even realized it, and was staring at the screen with his mouth hanging open. The man on the screen started speaking.

"Salutation, Midgardians."

Everyone frowned, and Darcy felt Clint tense under her. The man continued.

"I am Loki, Doer of Good, and Doer of Evil. I come in front of you today to express my sentiments toward this world."

There was a pause. Everyone was glued to Loki's words. Thor was still frozen in place.

"I have visited your planet numerous times since my birth, thousands of years ago. I saw you build your countries and civilizations. I have seen you fight over inane things since the beginning of time."

He paused again. Darcy didn't like where this was going.

"I have watched you as you slowly destroyed the world you were given, the world you depend upon to survive, the world so many from the Nine Realms have died attempting to destroy. I could bear it no longer. I come here today to declare myself your king, and give you the ruler you so desperately need. You were made to be ruled. Submit to me quickly and without a fight, and I shall be merciful."

He smirked at them more widely, arrogant. Sure. He was persuaded they would step down quietly.

"I am Loki. Your king."

And the image disappeared, returning the TV to Mulan. They watched the picture for a moment before they realized what had happened. Darcy cleared her throat.

"Zazu, pause the movie please."

The remote did so, confused.

Tony spoke up.

"JARVIS, where did this communication come from?"

"I don't know sir. I am unable to trace the signal."

"Where has it been broadcasted?"

"To every computer, television and radio on the planet, sir."

Tony looked dazed.

"Well, shit."

"Indeed."

They turned around, to the picture of Fury, looking especially displeased, on the window.

"Avengers, you are requested at the HQ, as in five minutes ago. Miss Lewis and Dr. Foster as well."

Everyone scrambled to their feet, except Thor who had to be tugged along by Steve.

Clint turned to Darcy.

"I thought he was dead!"

"So did I. So did we all."

They were all tense during the ride.

OOOOOOOOOO

HQ was a hellhole.

Everyone was running around, trying to find the source of the message, and apparently failing.

Coulson was in the lobby, waiting for them, his face as blank as usual, but his eyes were blazing. They shot to Thor, inspecting his face, apparently satisfied that the god was as thrown with Loki's sudden appearance as the rest of them. If they had to suffer, they may as well suffer as a group. Like AA members.

They were brought to a room full of complicated instruments, already occupied by Fury and a though looking lady. Tony went straight to the computer dudes, trying to make himself useful. Steve and Bruce looked grim, at the treat of potential world domination, but didn't exactly understand what the fuss was about. They hadn't been debriefed about Thor's extensive back story, and didn't know any more about Loki than their basic Norse mythology knowledge. They didn't really understand why everyone was freaking out. Except that the man took control of all the communication devices of the planet.

Clint and Natasha were in full assassin mood, ready for the single word from Coulson or Fury to send them after the rogue god. Thor was slowly coming back from wherever his mind had fled, and was torn between being ecstatic that his brother wasn't dead after all, and being despaired that he was attacking yet another realm. Jane was watching him carefully, trying to decide how she should breach the subject. It would be awkward to find themselves with a bawling God of Thunder in the middle of a war council.

She suspected neither Coulson nor Fury would have much patience for it today.

She parted from Clint, and went to stand next to Bruce, who looked like he could use some company. Tasha and the archer started talking in low voices, discussing strategies, plans, and other things they didn't want her to know about, probably because they included one of them doing something she would judge stupid.

Bruce squeezed her hand, looking at her with eyes full of question. She squeezed back, and looked at both him and Steve.

"I'll explain later."

They nodded, just as Fury called out.

"Avengers!"

They all stepped forward to take place on the big table. Clint appeared back to seat himself next to her. Tony was the last one to arrive, having reluctantly left the technicians. Darcy nudged her boyfriend, indicating the unknown woman with her chin, asking him with her eyes.

"That's Agent Hill. She's third in command after Fury and Coulson. Though nut. She doesn't like us very much."

Darcy nodded, just as the woman turned to her with a slightly disdainful expression. Clint caught it to, and answered with an arched eyebrow, which Darcy knew to mean 'Yeah, and what are you going to do about it?' even if she didn't understand why it was used now. She nudged him again.

"She's from the army, and doesn't like the idea of civilians being brought that deep into the organization. So she believes that having you, Tony, Bruce and Jane down here today is some kind of liability."

"What about Thor?"

Clint shrugged.

"He's a warrior. He understands the principles of war."

Darcy pursed her lips. Fury looked around.

"As you are aware, a threat has made itself known to us today."

A picture of Loki appeared on the screen behind him.

"We haven't been able to trace the origin of the message, nor how the broadcaster has been able to network himself in all known televisions, computers, radios, and other communication devices. The only thing we do know is the identity of the threat. And that he has a lot of money."

Thor frowned.

"I beg your pardon, Man of Fury, but I doubt my brother would have embarrassed himself by using what you call money."

Fury turned to Thor.

"Then how can you explain what happened today."

"Loki has always been gifted with magic. I would believe he used some sort of spell to take control of your devices."

Tony snorted.

"So that brother of yours popped over here, waved his magical wand, took control of TVs all around the world to proclaim himself King of the Earth, and popped out, using magic again."

Thor nodded, not noticing Tony's skepticism.

"Yes, Man of Iron, this is what I believe."

Fury looked dubious as well.

"Well, for the moment, I don't care how he did it. What I care about is what he did. And that is broadcasting a terrorist message on international, private, top-secret channels. He even managed to link himself into disconnected and isolated channels. And he sent a giant alligator into the middle of New York as a mise en bouche, as he called it."

Everyone stiffened. The adrenaline that had been keeping Darcy's drowsiness away was beginning to disappear, and she really needed to lie down. Steve was the first one to answer.

"He's the one who was responsible for yesterday's occurrence?"

Coulson nodded.

"We received a second transmission just after the first one, claiming the reptile as a product of his magic. He seemed quite amused by the result of his 'bit of fun' ."

No one answered, and Thor was definitely distressed now.

Fury looked at all of them, pausing on each face, like he was measuring, weighing them.

"We also receive a message from the NASA. A float of UFOs has been witnessed approaching. They claim to support 'King Loki'."

Clint shook his head, muttering a "Fuck" under his breath. Fury nodded, agreeing with this statement.

"Indeed. As of now, Loki has been declared Public Enemy Number One."

He paused, looking determined.

"The war has started."

Chapter 19: Chapter 19

No spoiler in this chapter, except the end note.

Loki's announcement had been two weeks ago, and the team had been in and out the mansion ever since, rarely there for more than a few hours at a time. The team's moral was at its lowest. Thor was depressed by the idea of fighting his brother, even if the said brother was giving him all the reasons he needed not to feel bad about it. Bruce was dazed and lost most of the time, wandering around the mansion and having some difficulties getting himself back after giving control to Hulk so often. Natasha and Clint were battered and bruised, grim. Clint was asleep when he wasn't fighting, and Natasha spent most of time curled around Steve, who had apparently become her security blanket.

Steve himself was stressed and tensed, even if he tried his hardest not to let it on. He often looked at the destruction left behind by their fights like he couldn't believe someone would cause so much destruction. Darcy had wrapped her arms around him.

"Some men just want to see the world burn, Steve."

He shuddered against her, and buried his face in the crook of her neck.

Tony himself was doing his best to stay himself: sarcastic, cynical, annoying, and so perfectly comforting. Darcy wanted to hug him as well, but it would go against the plan. You weren't supposed to want to hug Tony Stark. Slap him, sure. Not hug him.

Zazu, Pepper, Jane and her had taken up trying to keep themselves as sane as possible.

It wasn't going very well, but she knew the team appreciated the effort. Tony even promised a mate to Zazu as soon as he got some time for it.

So, it had been a fucking long two weeks, and the Avengers had been at the Mansion for an actual day without any kind of emergency situation. Everyone had slept for fourteen hours, exhaustion catching up with all on them including the resident super-soldier and God. For the moment, they were in the kitchen, eating waffles Darcy had whipped up deftly, when she agreed to let Clint leave the room. Tony was slowly coming back to life after his third coffee, Thor and Steve inhaling the food. Bruce was eating as well, albeit more slowly, and looked more like himself, calm and serene, than he had since they first saw Loki.

All in all, the break was good for the team. Of course, that's when they were called back.

They all raced to get suited up, and back down to leave, Clint pausing to kiss her as he made it a tradition to. Zazu went directly to the window, waiting for the feed to appear. Darcy left the kitchen for her own room. She decided after the second mission that staying with the others to watch the fights was very bad for her heart rate. Zazu took it upon himself to report to her. She had begun to understand which beep designated which Avenger, and could follow just how much trouble they were in. She was grateful for that.

Jane and Pepper would never scream, never groan, never make any noise. They stared at the TV silently, clutching each other's arm's, biting their nails, or whatever. Darcy couldn't stand it. She wanted to jump, shout, pace, whatever. She didn't know what she wanted to do, but she certainly didn't want to stay around and watch her boyfriend get beat up.

She had been running around her room for about five minutes, when Zazu zipped in, looking completely out of his mind, zooming around frantically.

"Zazu, Zazu! What's the matter? What's going on?"

He didn't calm down, and she was starting to freak out.

"Hmm, can I get downstairs without seeing bits and pieces of Avengers scattered around?"

He nodded. Okay, so whatever had happened it wasn't violent.

She ran down. Pepper and Jane looked flabbergasted.

"Alright, you two. What the hell is going on?"

They shared a look that Darcy couldn't identify.

"Well?"

"Hmm, well, they went to the site, and Loki was there. He was alone, standing in the middle of the street. He looked at them, and did something weird, and they all just, froze. Theycouldn't move. Then he said, 'Hmm. You look like you could use a break, Avengers. Why wouldn't Earth's Mightiest Heroes want to take a break?' Then there was a flash, and we lost the comms. And the visual."

Darcy's phone started vibrating. She whipped it open, briefly glancing at the name. Coulson.

"What's going on? Where are they? Is everyone alright?"

"Breathe, Miss Lewis. Everyone is healthy and unscathed. I am bringing them to the Mansion."

Darcy frowned.

"You're bringing them here? Why, what about the briefing? Why aren't they going to the HQ?"

There was a weary sigh on the other side of the line.

"Please, Miss Lewis. Everything will be clear once we get there."

"Alright. See you then."

She hung up, looking at the other women.

"Don't look at me, I have no idea. They're fine though."

They breathed out in relief.

"What do you think is going on?"

"No idea. Who knows what's Loki's idea of relaxation is?"

OOOOOOO

Turns out, Loki's idea of relaxation were slightly disturbing. That was Darcy's first thought when Coulson arrived at the mansion. Accompanied by a blond lab, a miniature golden rhinoceros, a peregrine falcon and three kids. Darcy frowned at him, refusing to even consider what she was pretty sure happened.

"Sir, are you opening a zoo without telling me about it? And I know, I am a kind of a glorified baby sitter, but I doubt dealing with the Avengers will leave me a lot of time do take care of kids."

As soon as she spoke, the blond kid who had been looking around as if expecting an imminent attack looked up, and ran to her, launching himself to her leg, squeezing for all his might. He was surprising strong, for a kid that looked about four. He started mumbling against her leg. One other, with close cut black air and an arrogant air, started to walk around like he owned the place. The last kid stayed by Coulson's side, staring at his shoes.

Coulson sighed, and passed a hand on his face, upsetting the falcon on his shoulder. Said bird let out an indignant huff, and took off to the back of the armchair in the living room.

Coulson pursed his lips.

"I beg your pardon, Natasha."

The bird nodded her head, as if to say 'Apology accepted'. Jane, Pepper and Darcy stared in disbelief. Darcy shook her head.

"No. No, no, no. No, you can't be serious."

Coulson gave her a wry look.

"I'm afraid I am, Miss Lewis. This is Natasha," he pointed to the falcon who looked supremely unimpressed, "this is Steve," now he was designating the dog that was standing beside him," this is Thor," now he looked at the golden mini rhino," and the three babies are Tony, Bruce and Clint."

Jane let a strangled sound, and went to kneel in front of the rhino, petting it. Thor leant into the touch, mindful of keeping his horns away from Jane. Pepper intercepted Tony who had wandered toward the workshop. Darcy bent down, and pried Clint away from her leg. The kid looked dejected, but made a motion to go stand apart, as if he was expecting it. It broke Darcy's heart, and she caught him before he got out of reach, taking him in her arms and cradling him. He sighed, mumbled a thank you, and tucked his head in the crook of her neck.

Darcy looked at Coulson.

"Are they still... Conscious? I mean, are they still themselves?"

Coulson shrugged.

"Thor, Natasha and Steve seemed to be, from the limited communication we managed with them. Bruce, Tony and Clint, on the other hand, seem to have truly regressed to four year olds. Not that it makes that much difference in a certain case."

He shot a look at Tony who was wriggling in Pepper's arm. Darcy's own tightened around Clint. He nuzzled her neck, mumbling wordlessly.

Coulson looked back at her.

"I will leave them in your care, Miss Lewis. I already contacted some animal specialists, they will come around with the necessary material to help you and give you some advice."

Darcy arched an eyebrow, adjusting her grip on Clint, popping her hip for him to rest on.

"You've managed to find a specialist in mini golden rhino's, sir?"

He looked at her, unimpressed.

"Hopefully, they function the same way as regular ones."

Darcy nodded, and Coulson turned around, leaving the mansion.

Bruce had watched him leave, lost and confused. It really wasn't a good look on a four years old child. Steve slowly walked to him, poking him lightly with his nose. Bruce started, and looked, frightened, at the lab. Darcy looked around. Jane was petting Thor, and trying to establish a communication system with him and Natasha. Pepper was struggling with Tony, trying to keep him from the less childproof parts of the house. Darcy pursed her lips, and looked back to Bruce, who was apparently coming to terms with the fact that Steve wasn't going to bite him, but didn't look especially pleased by having him near anyway.

Darcy made sure Clint was still stable in her arms, before kneeling.

"Bruce?"

He looked up sharply, eyes boring into her own. He was looking for an anchor. She smiled sweetly at him, and extended her free arm. He looked surprised for a split second, before he took off in a run to wrap his own arm around her neck, holding for all his might. She slowly stood up, using both their weights to balance herself. She walked calmly toward the couch.

She sighed when she sat down. They were sturdy four years old, and her upper body strength, despite the training she received lately, was kind of pathetic. She would have to work on that more seriously. She had told herself she wouldn't have any reason to use it. Trust the Avengers to prove her wrong.

She looked at the two boys. Bruce had let her go, sitting cross legged beside her, but he kept his left hand on her thigh. Clint had to be pried away from her again, and was seated fully on her lap, facing her. They were both staring at her, blue and brown earnest eyes. She looked at them both in turn.

"Alright, misters. Are you able to tell me your names?"

They shared a look, and Clint decided to go first.

"I'm Clinton Barton. But people call me Clint."

She smiled gently at him, resisting the urge to ruffle his hair.

"Hello, Clint. It's nice to meet you. How about you, love, what's your name?"

She looked at Bruce, and he frowned.

"You know my name, you said it. You called me."

Darcy was taken aback. Of course, a kid Bruce would be smart as well.

"You're right Bruce. I know your first name. But I was wondering about your surname?"

He nodded.

"Banner. My name is Bruce Banner."

Clint leant forward, still looking her in the eyes.

"I'm sorry, but do you know where my parents are?"

Darcy froze. Shit. She wasn't expecting that. From the questioning look in Bruce's eyes, he was asking himself the same thing.

"Hmm, your parents are...on vacation! Right, they are on vacation, and they left you here so we could take care of you!"

Bruce nodded, satisfied, but Clint frowned.

"What about Barn? Why isn't he here as well?"

Darcy closed her eyes briefly. Fuck Loki.

"Barney went to your parent's friends house, but they couldn't take care of the both of you so you came here."

Clint accepted the explanation and leaned back, looking around. There was one last thing Darcy wanted to know.

"Boys, do you remember me? Do you remember who I am?"

They both looked back at her, faces scrunched in concentration. It was obvious they both thought they should remember, both weren't able to. It was starting to frustrate them. They stayed like that for a full minute before Clint spoke again slowly.

"You're... Darcy, right? Your name is Darcy?"

Darcy's heart swelled. He remembered her. He was four years old; he didn't recall anything but her. She smiled at him a bit teary, hoping he wouldn't see it. She doubted they would understand she wasn't sad.

"And what do I do?"

This time it was Bruce who answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You make sure we eat, we sleep, we're happy and we're loved."

She beamed and gathered them in her arms, hugging them for all she was worth. Suddenly, Tony plopped down on the couch, poking them with his stubby fingers, requesting attention. Darcy let her two boys go.

"Bruce, Clint, this is Tony. He will stay here with us. You have to be nice to him."

Both the boys stare at Tony, who began to get a little uncomfortable. Suddenly, Clint broke out a full white smile, and launched himself to tackle Tony, sending them both down the couch with a loud noise. Darcy and Pepper tensed until they heard the boys laughing, and rolling around. Bruce looked unsure. Darcy reached out and ruffled is hair.

"You can stay with me if you want."

He smiled shyly at her, not quite daring to be as impulsive as Clint and Tony could be. Darcy knew he had been brought up with a restrictive and asking father, who always pushed him harder. Pushed him to be more mature, to be older than he should be. She didn't like the idea. Every child should have the right to be a child. Then again, she looked at the two others, who were racing each other around the couch, she doubted they had many normal childhood experiences themselves.

There was a beeping noise, and Zazu zipped over. He beeped again, confused as to why there were so many new people in the house. Darcy gestured him over.

"Zazu? This is Bruce."

The remote froze, and then cocked to the size. Poor thing. He had come to terms with Bruce being Hulk, now he had to understand that Bruce was a four years old kid. Said kid was staring at the remote with wide eyes. Finally, the machine floated forward, and nudged tentatively at Bruce's cheek.

The kid opened wide eyes, but reached out to touch Zazu. The remote ticked, and Darcy knew the new Bruce was accepted. She then pointed to the others.

"This is Clint and Tony. The dog is Steve, the bird is Tasha, and the rhino is Thor."

Zazu nodded, but Darcy could tell he didn't really care. He knew where Bruce and Darcy were, that was all that mattered.

After a while, the specialists Coulson had talked about came in, and started inspecting the three animals. Thor kept running around, testing his new body, thoroughly enjoying himself, and the vets were a hair's breadth away from tranquilizing him. Steve held himself perfectly still, the perfect dog, and everyone loved him. Natasha kept giving them death glares, daring them to do anything she judged inappropriate. They left plenty of food, saying it should last for about a week, and that they would bring back some more by if it was needed.

When they were gone, Darcy gathered Tony, Clint and Bruce in front of her.

"Alright, misters, I'm putting you in charge of Steve. You have to feed him and make sure he goes outside. Do you understand me?"

They all nodded enthusiastically, and ran away to play some kind of tag Clint and Tony had somehow persuaded Bruce to play as well. Darcy looked down at Steve.

"Warn me if they forget about you."

Steve nodded, and looked back at the kids, a fond look in his blue eyes. Natasha flew over to Darcy's shoulder, landing smoothly.

Thor ran head first into a couch. Darcy asked JARVIS to send her the tape.

OOOOOOOO

They ate pizza, none of the girls up for cooking. They finished the evening by watching Up! and Darcy hoped it wasn't giving anyone ideas. Zazu hadn't left Bruce's side since Darcy had introduced them earlier, and Darcy was pretty sure he wouldn't until everything was back to normal.

They watched The Princess and The Frog after dinner, Clint curled on Darcy's lap, Tony in Pepper's. Jane was sitting on the floor next to Thor who was sprawled for all his length, which added up to a bit over two feet. Bruce was sitting cross legged on the love seat with Steve sleeping beside him, Natasha watching over them from the back of the seat. Bruce seemed to have come to terms with the fact that Steve wasn't going to bite, lick, or drool all over him, and seemed to like the dog just fine. Zazu was lying on his lap, watching the movie, beeping from time to time.

Darcy smiled at them, petting Clint's hair. He turned around briefly, and shot her a shy smile. She beamed in return. He turned back to the movie, enthralled.

By the time the final scene started, Bruce was lying on the loveseat, using Steve as a cushion. Tony was drooping in Pepper's arms and was staying awake on sheer will alone. Clint's eyes were almost shut and he was holding on to her arms. Darcy looked at the clock, and decided eight was definitely a good bed time for kids.

"Alright, everybody, time to go to sleep."

Predictably, Clint and Tony started arguing. Well, Tony tried to squirm himself out of Pepper's arms, and Clint started to mumble wordlessly, which Darcy chose to interpret as a protest. Bruce simply nodded, and slipped to the floor, keeping a hand in Steve's fur when the dog followed him.

The scientist's room was the closest. Darcy stopped outside, Clint still in her arms. She shot a look to Steve.

"Will you stay with him? Just tonight?"

Steve nodded, and nudged Bruce on the hip to lead him inside. The kid did, while shooting a look at Darcy. She frowned.

"Wait."

Both Bruce and Steve turned to look at her. She went to kneel in front of him.

"Have a good night."

Then she kissed his forehead. He beamed at her, and nodded. She looked at him until he disappeared in his room. Then she turned to Clint.

"It's your turn, fledgling."

Clint didn't answer, but nuzzled her neck. She walked into their usual room, which had first been hers. She settled him on the bed, before realizing they didn't have any pajamas. They had all been wearing nondescript clothes, from the stash S.H.I.E.L.D. always kept in case some civilian kid got involved in a clothing-ruining activity. She pursed her lips.

"Well, you should remove your pants. We'll go shopping tomorrow."

Clint nodded, throwing his clothes down the bed, and getting under the covers. Darcy went to get ready, showering, brushing her teeth, and putting on her sweatpants and tank top. Then she came back in the room, and climbed into the bed.

She was sure Clint was asleep, but he proved her wrong by coming to cuddle next to her, tucking himself against her neck, shoulder and chest. She smiled, thinking that such a gesture coming from his usual self would be far less innocent.

She tightened her arms around his waist. He sighed against her neck, and mumbled.

"Darcy?"

"Yes, Clint?"

He sighed again, shifting slightly.

"You're much nicer than my parents."

Darcy's heart shot to her throat, and she was at a lose as to what she was supposed to say. Instead, she passed a hand through his hair and kissed his temple, waiting for him to fall asleep.

OOOOOOOO

The next few days were...chaotic to say the least. Coulson came by every day to update everyone about the status of the researches. Or to simply make sure baby-Stark didn't build some kind of mass destruction weapon while being left unattended for a bit too long.

He didn't. Pepper was a glorious babysitter. Apparently, there wasn't that much difference between a four year old Tony and a supposedly adult one. In fact, the kid was even easier to contain because there was some adult respect apparently inherent to human nature when you're a four years old kid.

Coulson also bonded with Bruce, taking him outside when Darcy and Pepper were overwhelmed by their own mini boyfriends, and really couldn't spare a minute for the scientist, despite all the efforts Darcy was making to take care of her best friend.

Coulson stated he didn't mind. He usually took Steve and Natasha with him, as it did those two good to get out of the mansion.

Well, Natasha was out most of the time, but Steve wasn't.

Thor, sadly, was restrained to the Mansion's grounds because, seriously, no one wanted to explain to the public how the hell did the Avengers manage to get themselves a mini golden rhino.

And Darcy, well, Darcy was doing her best and discovering she wasn't as hopeless with kids as she thought she was. She missed her boyfriend though. Clint was the cutest thing ever as a four year old, but there is some departments where he simply couldn't compete with his older self. And Darcy wasn't used to the lack of sexual gratification anymore.

But, like everyone, she made the best of the situation at hand.

OOOOOOOOO

Darcy was reading a book with Bruce, having finally manages to dump Clint to Pepper and Jane, claiming they should all feel bad about abandoning the little scientist simply because he wasn't troublesome. They should be ashamed to punish good behavior, and...

That was when Jane cut her off and shouted that she would look after Clint if Darcy could just stop rambling.

Darcy was just that good at guilt trips. Or at annoying people. Either way, same end result.

So she was reading a Dr. Seuss book with Bruce, when Clint came barging in.

She barely had the time to raise her head before a nerf dart stuck itself to her left glass's lens. She cried out, only to have her right eye vision cut by a second nerf dart.

She heard a gleeful laugh, which she at once identified as Clint's. Bruce chuckled, and climbed onto her lap to carefully remove the two nerf darts from her glasses.

As soon as he was done, Darcy glared at Clint. He was waving a small toy bow, looking far too pleased with himself. As soon as Bruce gave him back his two darts, he shot them at Zazu, who promptly zipped out of the way but not without beeping angrily at Clint. Bruce petted him while assuring him the 'arrows' were completely harmless.

Darcy simply kept on glaring at Clint.

"Where did you get that, mister?"

He beamed at her, so completely adorable that Darcy had some difficulty staying angry at him.

"Jane! She said that if I had a bow, I would pretty much be able to entertain myself!"

Darcy sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. Clint wasn't done.

"I'm good, aren't I? Tony wasn't even able to shoot an arrow! I'm able to touch an apple!"

Darcy frowned at that. It confirmed another suspicion her and Phil had. The kids still had some knowledge, like Bruce was able to do basic chemistry, Tony was still able to tinker a bit, and apparently Clint could still shoot perfectly. They also had emotional memory, because Clint loved her still despite the fact that he was a deeply distrusting child toward strangers.

But otherwise, they were no better than amnesiacs. It was frustrating at times, but Darcy liked that better than having her boyfriend with his mind intact stuck in a four years old body.

Anyway, she looked back at Clint.

"How about you got practice until you can shoot a nut?"

Clint seemed to ponder that, and finally nodded.

"I'll be the best archer in the world, Darcy!"

"That you will, love."

He ran back outside, and Darcy settled back on the couch, Bruce curled around her.

"You want to finish this?"

He nodded eagerly.

OOOOOOOO

Darcy was in the kitchen, cooking breakfast for Bruce and Clint when Tony ran in, followed by a sleepy and resigned looking Pepper.

Darcy frowned.

"Hey, Pepper, what's the matter?"

The red head rubbed a hand over her eyes.

"I fell asleep last night while he was playing in the workshop."

Darcy froze. Tony unsupervised in his workshop was a bad new on a good day. A four year old Tony with a more than wild imagination unsupervised in his work shop was fucking terrifying.

"And?"

"Well, you know that theory we had that they are amnesiacs?"

Darcy frowned.

"Yeah?"

Pepper sighed.

"Well, it's not exactly right."

Darcy wasn't sure what to make of that, until Tony tugged her sleeve.

"Darcy, Darcy! Look what I build last night!"

Darcy looked at what he was pointing.

It was a stereo. A flying stereo. Fuck.

Tony had built that mate for Zazu after all. Only, he wasn't supposed to remember about that promise at all. Zazu slowly hovered toward the stereo, rounding it cautiously. Finally he nudged it. The stereo answered, and they ended chasing each other around the kitchen, beeping happily.

They also knocked Thor down when he walked in to eat. A flabbergasted golden min rhino was a sight to behold. Darcy took pictures.

Darcy and Pepper shared a look. This was getting weirder by the minute.

OOOOOOOO

Darcy was lying on the couch, resting her eyes for a while. Clint and Tony were outside playing with Zazu and Flit-the newly named stereo-and would likely stay out of trouble for another ten minutes.

She heard the floor crack. She turned around, to see Coulson walk in, closely followed by Bruce. She smiled at them.

"Have a nice walk?"

Bruce nodded, and went to her, asking wordlessly for a hug. Which she gladly gave.

"The others are in the garden. You should go too, before Zazu decides he's tired of Tony again."

Bruce nodded again, smiling at her as he ran outside. Phil watched at him go, and seated himself on the other end of the couch.

"It's hard to believe they are the same people we knew."

Darcy shrugged, sitting up.

"We're giving them a much different environment then they were brought up in."

Phil nodded, and looked slightly displeased. After a time, if you are gifted, you start being able to read Phil Coulson's face. It's hard, but possible.

"Sometimes I wonder if S.H.I.E.L.D. is some kind of weird way for the government to keep track of is most unsettled child."

Darcy nodded, she knew the feeling. She realized Phil was staring outside. More precisely, he was staring at the dark curls of a mini scientist. She raised an eyebrow.

"He really likes you, you know."

Phil briefly turned his head, arching his eyebrow as well. She was pretty sure that look meant 'He's four years old.' She didn't answer, but leaned in to squeeze his shoulder.

OOOOOOOO

They had been transformed for two weeks. Darcy was lying in bed one night, passing her hand through Clint spiky hair. She looked at him, and decided she's had enough.

She was Darcy Lewis, and she would get her team back to normal.

Chapter 20: 20

The day after, she called Coulson to ask him to come over and watch Bruce and Clint. She told him she had some shopping to do, and she didn't want to leave Pepper alone with the three babies.

Coulson wasn't really pleased, but it had been two weeks since she had any time for herself, and she threatened him with extensive damage to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s property once the team was back.

She may have mentioned PMS as well. Nothing got men to act quicker.

So, she was free for the morning.

Phase 1 accomplished.

Phase two officially initiated. Slight wrinkle: it involved finding an evil alien super villain, and she had no idea how to do that.

She decided to start at the place where the Avengers were transformed, and work from there. Maybe she would find a sign or something. 'Loki was here!' sounded good to her.

She arrived at the site. There was nothing extraordinary; pedestrians were strolling around, annoying cars and taxis. Darcy leaned on a wall looking at the street, looking without seeing to think like an evil mastermind. She wasn't getting anywhere in that regard and that honestly felt a little reassuring.

Her phone beeped.

...

From:Phil Coulson

To:Darcy

Barton refuses to come out of under the couch and eat. He says he hates me and wants you back.

...

Darcy chuckled at the kid's antics.

...

From:Darcy

To:Phil Coulson

Give him some bacon, and tell him I told you not to. You'll be his new best friend.

...

She pushed herself away from the wall. As cute as they all were, they really needed to return to there adult/human forms. Natasha was getting increasingly moody as days went by, and an annoyed Natasha with a sharp beak and dangerous talons is not an agreeable housemate.

Darcy still had marks. She knew the only reason Tony and Clint didn't have any as well was because even Natasha had qualms attacking four year olds.

Her phone rang again.

...

From:Phil Coulson

To: Darcy

Thank you, Barton is now eating and being reasonable. He is still asking for you though. I suggest you come back fast.

...

Darcy frowned. She had always suspected Clint had some separation issues, but mini Hawkeye only confirmed her suspicions.

...

From:Darcy

To:Phil Coulson

I'll be as quick as I can.

...

She walked, looking around, trying to figure out a way to attract Loki. She wondered into a park, not really thinking about it. She was so lost in her own head that she didn't notice someone was in front of her until she hit him.

She started, and pushed quickly away, apologizing profusely. Until a quick hand grabbed her wrist. She froze. It had long, lean, pale fingers. She slowly raised her eyes until she found the pale face and the annoyingly arrogant smile of the person she had been looking for.

He smirked.

"No need to apologize, Miss Lewis. I do believe you were looking for me."

She nodded and opened her mouth. He made a tuting noise, and pressed a single finger on her lips, shushing her.

"Do not fret, mortal, but I do believe this conversation would be more appropriate in private."

And like that, he did some kind of weird wave of his hand, and they were both pulled into a void. It was the best description Darcy could come up with of the place they were in for a few seconds before reappearing in an apartment. He finally let her wrist go, walking in like he owned the place. He probably did.

"I have to say, Miss Lewis, it's a pleasure to finally meet you face to face. I've heard so much about you."

She tensed. Was there a mole at S.H.I.E.L.D.? How else could he know about her, she was no one.

He smirked.

"No, no, there is no traitor in your little organization, at least not of their own wills. But the ability to see into another's mind is extraordinarily useful."

He cocked his head to the side.

"I have to say, for a seemingly totally unimportant little mortal, you occupy the thoughts of the Avengers a lot."

He leaned forward.

"They worry about you. They care about you."

He was saying it like it was a weakness, and seriously, Darcy wasn't here for the Voldemort act.

"I'm here to ask you to change the team back."

"I know."

Of course he did. Telepath. He knew the moment she stepped out of the Mansion.

"So?"

"I did it in their own interest. They needed to calm down, or they would have died from exhaustion. It wouldn't do."

She sneered.

"Wouldn't that be good for you?"

He chuckled.

"There is no glory in winning without opposition."

"You seem sure of your victory."

"I am."

"Then you should change them back. They aren't much of an opposition right now. Though I would watch out for The Widow. She is still pretty dangerous."

Loki approached her slowly, a few meters between them.

"And what price are you ready to pay for that?"

Darcy's throat tightened.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You came here asking for a service on my part. You must pay for it."

She tensed.

"What do you want?"

He smirked, reaching for his scepter.

"Would you give yourself to me?"

Darcy choked.

"What?"

He smirked.

"If I was to touch you with this, I would be able to take control of you completely, body and soul. Would you be ready to accept this, if it meant I turned your team back?"

Darcy was frozen. She thought about Clint, and Bruce. About all of them. She was supposed to take care of them. To protect them. She would be doing this now. She could do it.

She looked back at Loki.

"If I have the assurance that they are truly back and well, yes, I would accept that price."

They were worth so much more than her.

Loki stared at her bemusedly for a while. He got closer, until there was barely a foot between them. She forced herself to stay put. To not flinch away from him. He raised his free hand, to caress her cheek with the back of his fingers. She was frozen once more. Her mind simply couldn't compute what was happening right now.

"Yes, I do believe I can understand the appeal."

He cocked his head, drilling his cold stare right into her mind.

"So puny, so irrelevant, so unimportant and yet so terribly fascinating. Strong and caring and intelligent. So human."

He grinned, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"They love you so much. You are so necessary for their existence. You are what keeps them together, and I could take you right now."

His hand was cupping her jaw now, his thumb caressing the corner of her mouth. She was a bird held captive by the snake's eyes. She was looking at death, and it was so fascinating.

"I could take you, and make you love me. I could make you my queen, and make them watch while I made this world kneel and rule it with you by my side. I would make them watch as I took you away from them."

His mouth was a breathe away from hers. She couldn't breath.

"We would be so perfectly beautiful together. Immortal King and Queen of the Earth. I could make you almighty. Immortal."

Now there was emotion in his eyes, an emotion she couldn't quite identify. Suddenly, he retracted his fingers, curling them in a fist beside her face. He huffed, and backed away at once. Her head was spinning, and she reached out to steady herself on a chair. He was looking once more perfectly cold and collected, his head cocked to the side, pondering. He sighed.

"But I won't."

She breathed, relieved and wary at the same time.

"Why?"

"Because my brother, and I suspect your other friends won't be any different, never fights as hard or as well as when he has someone to fight for. I won't make this mistake twice."

Darcy nodded.

"Then what?"

He arched an eyebrow at her.

"What do you want if you won't take me?"

He grinned.

"A messenger."

Darcy frowned.

"A messenger?"

"Yes, I do believe I could use someone to link me with your organization, and you are far more agreeable than whoever they would send to me should I ask them."

She pondered.

"So you're asking me to pass notes?"

"I'm asking you to be ready to answer my call at any time if I was to contact you."

Well, it wasn't that bad.

"I won't be anything other than passing messages, right? No torture or anything sinister?"

He smirked.

"You were ready to give yourself to me, but you are afraid of being harmed."

She shrugged.

"If you would have taken me, I wouldn't have been really conscious."

He nodded.

"In that case, Miss Lewis, I assure you that no, I won't do anything sinister in this meeting. Merely giving you a message to bear."

She stretched her hand.

"Deal."

He smiled, grasping the proffered hand."

"You have my word."

She felt the magic course through her, and suddenly, she was back at the park where he had taken her. Her phone buzzed.

...

From: Phil Coulson

To:Darcy

Miss Lewis, I would ask you to come back at once. The team appears to have come back to their usual forms.

...

She ran to her car and hurried back to the mansion.

OOOOOOOO

She had barely made it three steps into the mansion before receiving an armful of archer. He lifted her, and spun her around.

"I'm back! I'm back!"

She chuckled.

"That you are, darling."

He set her back down, beaming. His eyes weren't as pure and innocent as when he was a child, but they were happy and bright and god she missed it. She never allowed herself to think about it, not wanting to get moody or frustrated over mini Clint, but she missed having his strong arms holding her firmly, his cocky smile, and his smart ass replies.

She wondered, had she not gone to see Loki, how long would he had been stuck in a child's body.

He leaned in. She had a memory flash of Loki doing the same thing just minutes ago. She could get why girls went after the bad guys. She wasn't one to try and delude herself, she had been attracted to Loki. He was dangerous, and seducivew, and so, so exhilarating. With the emphasis on dangerous.

Clint was so different, always solid, making her feel safe, always confident and forward, but giving her the choice. Ready to hand her the control. Now again, he noticed her hesitation and stopped, a breathe away from her lips, raising an eyebrow. She huffed. Like hell she was going to let Loki ruin her Welcome Back kiss. She leaned in, plastering herself against his warm, strong chest. They both sighed, and melted into each other. It was deep and slow. The frantic part would come later.

It was loving and tender. That's why, no matter how much Loki attracted her, she would never leave Clint. Loki could give her power, could give her wealth, he could give her the world, literally. But Clint made her laugh, kept her safe, and protected her. He kept her warm, in all the possible ways.

She broke away.

"Welcome back, fledgling."

He groaned playfully.

"Any chance I ever had of making you give up that nickname just blew up in smoke, right?"

She laughed, leaning on him, basking in his heat.

"Just? No, it blew up in smoke two weeks ago."

He laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Two weeks, christ. I don't know how you did it, handling mini me and Tony for two weeks."

Darcy shrugged, slipping her hand in his, leading him to the living room, wanting to check up on the others.

"Pepper mostly took care of Tony. And you were the cutest thing."

He blushed. Darcy froze. Clint Barton had just blushed. He had turned his eyes down, a small grin playing on his lips.

"I have to say, I haven't really heard that one. And I don't have any pictures of myself before I got into the circus, and even then..."

Darcy felt a pang for a second, before brightening up again.

"Well, now you'll have plenty pictures of you as a four years old menace!"

He laughed, his blush subsiding.

"Yeah, well I have to say, this childhood was better than the last one."

Darcy pursed her lips, thinking about the bastards that had dared to make Clint's life shit. He cupped her cheek with one hand, tilting her head up, snaking his other arm around her waist to pull her against him.

"Hey, it's alright. It's in the past. If it led me to here and now, than I wouldn't take it back for the world."

She grinned. Another point for Clint. Regrets were never his kind of things. She resumed her walk to the living room.

"So, do you remember all of it?"

He smiled, tucking his hand in the back pocket of her jeans.

"Yep. Well, some parts are a bit fuzzy, when I was tired, but yes, overall, I can recall pretty much everything."

She nodded. A loud beep made her jump. Zazu zipped over, nudging over, visibly happy to see her again. Flit followed, looking dazed-which is a weird look on a stereo. Poor little thing, six of the mansion's inhabitants completely changed in a matter of seconds.

She petted the both of them, and introduced Clint to Flit. Flit rounded him, and quickly requested to be pet. He was definitely less defiant than Zazu, which, hopefully, would help the remote. Darcy had her fingers crossed.

The first person she saw in the living room was Bruce, standing and looking lost, which wasn't unusual. Bruce always looked more or less awkward and out of place, even as a child, which Darcy had never failed to be weirded by. The idea she had of kids were of noisy and running little beings, like Tony and Clint. Then again, her idea of kids didn't include sentient flying stereos and perfect dart guns attacks.

She skipped to Bruce, kissing his cheek and hugging him. It felt good not to have to worry about hurting him anymore. He returned the hug gladly.

"Thank you."

She pulled back and cocked her head.

"What for?"

He shrugged.

"Taking care of me."

She sighed. What was it with these superheroes that they seemed to consider taking care of a child an act of extreme benevolence? Every kid should be taken care of; it was a right, not a privilege.

"Nonsense. I was happy to do it then, I'd be happy to do it again."

Tony, who had been discussing something with Pepper looked up and called out.

"Hey baby sitter, could I have some milk please?"

She rolled her eyes.

"You lost all your milk ordering privileges the day you built Flit."

Tony smirked.

"Do not try to lie, Darcy, you love the little guy. Where does Flit comes from, anyway?"

It was Steve who answered, his voice rough from disuse.

"Pocahontas."

Tony turned around, an eyebrow raised.

"How do you know about that? I thought you didn't watch the new Disney movies."

Steve shrugged.

"We watched them all in the last two weeks."

Tony frowned.

"Really? How come I don't remember?"

Thor answered.

"You fell asleep the most often. Your daily activities left you exhausted."

Tony pursed his lips, but Coulson, who had been previously talking quietly with Natasha, cut in.

"Tony, I don't think the true question isn't how attentive you have been to the evening entertainment in the last two weeks, but how the six of you got turned back."

Tony glared at Coulson for interrupting him, but, as they all did, turned to look at Thor. The blond squirmed a bit, and looked distinctly out of his element. He spoke hesitantly.

"I am no master in magic. But I do remember my brother saying such spells had to be reverse by their caster."

Natasha arched an eyebrow.

"So basically, Loki allowed us to change back?"

Thor nodded.

"So I would think."

Clint frowned.

"Why would he do that? It would be easier for him to keep us helpless."

Phil nodded, looking concerned.

"He must be up to something. It's probably a trap."

Thor sighed.

"I do doubt Loki would have relinquished his hold on us without an incentive."

Darcy squirmed. She hadn't planned on telling them, but they were being paranoid, and well, she would have to tell them if she was to be a messenger.

Natasha piped in.

"We should run some tests to see if anything strange has happened. Loki is planning something. He wants us to be distracted."

"No he doesn't."

They all turned to Darcy, and she felt her face heat up.

"It's not a trap."

She finished lamely. Coulson narrowed his eyes at her.

"And you know that how?"

She was officially tomato red.

"I'm not a spy, I swear! He doesn't want to hurt the team, he thinks there's not glory at winning without opposition."

Everyone remained silent, staring at her. She really, really wanted to disappear right now. Coulson leaned forward.

"Miss Lewis, how, why, and when have you been in communication with Loki."

She stammered a bit, before blurting out.

"Uhh, I may or may not have gone to see him today?"

Clint spoke slowly, in a very, very low tone.

"You did what?"

She grimaced, and started flailing her arms around.

"You had been transformed for two weeks, and I was worried! And I thought, well, Loki was the one who transformed you, so he could get you back! I didn't really think, I had to do something! I'm sorry, but hey it worked, right?"

They all stared at her. She pinched her lips.

"Guys? Say something?"

Coulson talked through his clenched jaw.

"You went to meet a known powerful mad man, on the whim of the moment, without notifying anyone?"

Darcy looked down.

"Uhh, yeah?"

Tony started swearing, and Steve didn't scold him. Clint was breathing heavily, and Bruce was pacing the floor. Natasha, Thor and Coulson were painfully silent. She looked back up, and everyone was looking at her disapprovingly.

"Hey, it worked! You're back!"

Clint exploded.

"You could be dead! You could be dead, and we would have no fucking idea what happened! You went to meet a psycho, a murderer without telling anyone. He could have killed you. He could have kept you hostage. He could have tortured you, sent you to another dimension, change you into something else! Don't you understand? Don't you fucking realize this?"

Darcy felt her temper rise. She knew her move wasn't the best, but she wasn't going to get scolded like a child.

"I had to do something! I couldn't let you stay in the skin of a four year old child until the day you died! We needed to get the Avengers back! I had to take the risk."

Coulson waved a hand at Clint, stopping him from replying.

"Miss Lewis, you should have consulted me, at the very least, gotten some support from S.H.I.E.L.D."

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Loki wouldn't have contacted me if I had anyone else with me."

Coulson pinched is lips.

"You should have told us where you were going. If you had died, we should have known."

"I think you're missing the point, which is getting the team back."

Coulson stretched himself to full height.

"Miss Lewis-"

"Don't. Nobody had any idea what we were supposed to do, and I think it's a fucking pity for your division if the only one ready to put herself at risk is an insignificant poli-sci college student, and-"

"Darcy."

She froze. It was the first time Coulson ever called her by her first name. He looked angry, eyes flaring.

"I think you are missing the point of this argument. This isn't about getting the team back, no matter how relieved we are, but about one member of the said team putting herself in danger unnecessarily."

Darcy opened and closed her mouth. Steve was the next one to talk, his voice soft.

"You are a member of the team, Darcy. We need you around. We would all have been destroyed if you had disappeared."

She swallowed.

"You would have gotten me back."

Clint answered, looking completely vulnerable.

"Not if you were dead."

She felt her eyes mist over, and she looked down.

"I'm sorry. I just had to do something."

Suddenly, two strong arms wrapped themselves around her. Clint nuzzled against her ear.

"Don't ever do that again."

Thor was looking at her, wary.

"What did you pay him?"

Everyone tensed.

"Loki wouldn't have let us go simply because you asked. What did he ask in return?"

Everyone turned to her, Clint's arm tightening. She swallowed again.

"A messenger."

They frowned all at once.

"A messenger?"

She nodded.

"Yeah. He wanted me to be ready at any time to make the liaison between himself and S.H.I.E.L.D."

Coulson pursed his lips.

"So you are to meet him again."

She nodded, but didn't talk. He sighed, and rubbed his hand over his eyes. She could practically feel Clint scowl.

"We'll find a way to monitor you. Some kind of communication."

Tony perked up. He had been awfully silent since the beginning of the conversation. He was never good at expressing care or concern.

"I'm on it. Don't worry. We won't lose her again."

Phil nodded.

"Avengers, I'm expecting your reports tomorrow, first thing in the morning."

He left. As soon as he was out of the room, Clint started dragging Darcy to their room. She frowned.

"You have paperwork to do."

He spun, pinning her against the wall, kissing her hard and needy, rubbing against her.

"Later."

Chapter 21: Chapter 21

This is a love declaration to Memos from Fury. Go check it out. It's awesome.

From the desk of the Director.

To whom it may concern:

Agent Barton AKA Hawkeye is not allowed to broadcast heavy metal music over the P.A. system at seven AM.

In fact, Agent Barton is not allowed to broadcast any music over the P.A. system at any time.

...

Darcy was creeping in the hallways of the HQ, praying for coffee. It wasn't even seven in the morning, she should be in bed. But apparently, secret Agencies had very little respect for what is considered a normal sleeping schedule. The team had been up all day yesterday, fighting against giant scorpions. Why was it never like, giant puppies, or giant teddy bears? Why was it spiders, or snakes, or scorpions?

You would think evil masterminds would have some originality. But no. Always the same things over, and over, and over again. Darcy was only grateful it made them easier to defeat for the team. Nevertheless, the scorpions kept the team up until around one in the morning, and Coulson allowed everyone to go and get some rest before the debriefing, on the condition that Darcy would be here for said meeting, to try and keep some order amongst sleep deprived super heroes.

She didn't have much hope on that regard, but hey, miracles happen.

She miraculously got to the meeting room where everyone already was except Clint. She fell on the seat beside Bruce, and proceeded to use his shoulder as a pillow. He leaned on her as well and they supported each other, elbowing the other regularly to keep each other awake.

Coulson and Fury were talking in hushed tones, looking crisp and wide awake. Darcy wanted to do a urine test on them both. No way these two were humans. Finally, Fury went to speak.

"Avengers, first let me cong-"

Suddenly, they all jumped a meter high in the air. Out of the blue, some heavy metal song started blasting at full volume over the intercom at the exact moment when the singer started yelling one incomprehensible thing or another. Bruce fought to keep his heart rate under control, while Darcy clutched her chest. In the hallway, they heard the slightly manic, and sugar high laughter they all could identify, Fury included. The vein on his fore head was pulsing, and he yelled at the top of his lungs.

"BARTON!"

OOOOOOOO

To whom it may concern:

People have been putting papers with the colloquialism "Dat Ass" written on it followed by a downward-pointing arrow on Capt. Rogers backside. This is inappropriate.

...

Steve was walking through the headquarters, lost in thought. He was thinking on how he could have handled his team better in the last mission, so that Thor wouldn't have crashed through a dozen shop's front windows in his effort to catch the fugitive giant scorpion that slipped away when the rest of the team was busy dealing the rest of his kin.

Granted, a few shops was far less damage than what the Avengers were used to creating, but still Steve was convinced it could have been spared. He should have ordered Hawkeye to stay high, no matter how the archer hated to be kept out of the action.

Any way, he wasn't really paying attention to the rest of the personnel, but after a while he could help but notice that people seemed to stare at him more than usual. He told himself he was imagining things, but he couldn't shake the feeling.

He rode his bike back to the mansion, with a helmet because Darcy was always vehement about it no matter how much he hated the thing. And it was the law. Steve figured it would be bad for Captain America to break the law over things that could really save lives.

He got in the Mansion, greeting everyone, and heading to the kitchen when Tony called him.

"Cap, hey Cap! I didn't peg you for one to advertise that kind of thing!"

Steve turned, frowning. Tony merely smirked, and reached behind him to unstick something that was glued to his back. He showed it to Steve. It was a piece of paper, with Dat Ass written across it. Steve turned bright red. Natasha, who was just behind Tony, smiled at him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it love. If they hadn't noticed it themselves, they're blind."

Steve was convinced he was burning now, Tony was snorting, and Natasha chuckled, pecking him on the cheek.

OOOOOOOO

To whom it may concern:

All S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel are forbidden from challenging Thor to any kind or drinking contest.

...

Darcy was sitting on the couch in one of the rec rooms at headquarters. It was a late Friday night and it was the birthday party of some agent or another. The Avengers being invited, she was there to chaperone. Steve and Natasha were dancing. Well, technically, Natasha was showing Steve how to dance. Tony was at the bar, telling some ridiculous story or another to an indulgent Pepper. Clint was definitely tipsy and was leaning heavily on Thor, laughing loudly. Bruce was sitting beside her and would be hiding in some dark corner if she hadn't forced him to stay there. Everything was under control. Until some agent took Clint's remark about Thor being the best drinking buddy ever because he doesn't get drunk, personal.

He was Polish, if Darcy remembered correctly, and claimed he could drink the god under the table.

Thor smiled and Clint called Tony to them.

"Hey Tony! Tony! Drinking contest!"

Tony whipped around grinning widely.

"Get the vodka and the camera!"

Everything was set up quickly. Bruce and Darcy shared an unimpressed look. All the Avengers knew the only one who could possibly out drink Thor was Steve. Why Clint and Tony felt the need to prove it was beyond them.

It turned out the agent could handle alcohol pretty well. Not as well as Thor, of course. But pretty well anyhow.

Didn't save him from a trip to the hospital, though.

OOOOOOO

To whom it may concern:

Captain Rogers' skills regarding the use of modern technology are still under development and should not be mocked. Additionally, the DVD player in the entertainment room needs to be replaced after being mistaken for a mini-oven.

...

"I don't understand how this is possible."

Steve was holding Darcy's iPod upside down by the ear buds string. Darcy pinched her lips, delicately prying her precious iPod from his fingers.

"It's not that hard, Steve. You press the button, and it plays music."

Tony was rolling on the floor at that point, and Darcy might have been worried about him dying from the lack of oxygen if she wasn't that annoyed at him. He should be the one explaining these things, he was the genius engineer.

"But how do you fit the disk in it?"

Tony was officially crying now, and Steve looked embarrassed.

"You don't need a disk, Steve, the music is already in it."

He frowned.

"But how can you put a song in it without using a disk?"

She sighed.

"Not just a song, Steve, about a thousand of them. And you use a computer."

Steve looked lost.

"A computer? That shiny screen Tony showed me yesterday? But how can it fit a thousand songs on this thing? And I don't even know a thousand songs!"

Darcy didn't have the time to answer before Bruce came in the room, looking confused.

"Uhh, guys? Does someone know why there is mini pizza leftover in the DVD machine?"

Steve turned bright red and fled to his room.

OOOOOOOOO

To whom it may concern:

The discussion of genitalia belonging to Avengers or SHIELD personal is not an appropriate topic to discuss with the press.

To whom it may concern:

Due to the 'hammer' comparison between Mr. Stark and Thor, SHIELD had been compelled to rewrite its official description of what is and is not a 'weapon'. Personnel should find the new description far less vague.

...

Darcy was at the Mansion with Jane and Pepper, who had just come back from a trip to India. Zazu and Flit had come to get her when the fighting had stopped. There were surprisingly few destroyed building and little general chaos, which meant that the press arrived quickly and that the Avengers were in good enough shape to talk to them which didn't happen often. She heard Coulson's sigh, and the order he relayed from Fury that the team was to stay on site an talk to the journalists.

It was smooth at the beginning, every one staying clear of the Hulk and no one really interested in interviewing Clint except to ask how it felt to be one of the only humans on the team. So Darcy's boyfriend was able to slip away pretty fast to hang out with the Hulk. Natasha was occupied with some feminist paper or another asking her how she felt being surrounded by men and if she thought women were being discriminated against. She gave the usual non-answer. Spy training could come handy sometimes.

But, as usual, the main focus was on Steve, Tony and Thor. The Captain was slightly apart, while Tony and Thor stood together. All the girls saw the exact moment when the billionaire got bored, and they all frowned.

A journalist asked Tony the next question.

"What do you think of your weapons, in comparison to, say, Thor's hammer?"

Tony smirked evilly, and Pepper hid her face in her hands.

"Well, as much as I love the suit, Thor's hammer is pretty nice. But I have to say, I have a hammer of my own, and I have been told it's pretty potent."

Pepper went bright red and Thor protested.

"No hammer his more powerful than mine!"

Tony patted his arm mindlessly.

"Sure, sure buddy, but we're talking about mine now."

Pepper groaned and shook her head. Darcy and Jane burst out laughing. Tony wasn't done, though, because it's Tony.

"It's a nice weapon, and many people have knelt at the sight of it. As they did Thor's. All the Avengers have nice hammers. Steve!"

The Captain, unaware of the discussion, turned to them with his big innocent blue eyes.

"How do like your hammer?"

Steve frowned, but wisely didn't answer, turning back his own journalist. Tony shrugged and went back to the woman who asked first, who now looked between disgusted and interested.

"Though I have to say, I think the Jolly Green Giant must have the biggest one. Probably, if it's proportional. Luckily, I don't know for sure. Thank goodness for indestructible pants, right?"

Pepper dove after Zazu and turned the TV off, despite the offended beeps of the remote. Darcy and Jane were now bent in half, rolling on the floor.

Pepper was mumbling into her hands.

"Fury and Coulson will kill him. He'll be dead by the morning."

OOOOOOOO

To whom it may concern:

Agent Barton AKA Hawkeye is not 'The Batman' and is not allowed to dress in a cheap Halloween costume during combat scenarios. It is also inappropriate to jump out at unsuspecting interns, shout 'I AM THE NIGHT' and toss smoke bombs to veil his escape.

...

Darcy was in a meeting with Coulson late one morning. They were discussing the team's current dynamics and moral. Ever since she made the deal with Loki, they had all been tensed and worried, acting very protective towards her. They never left her without one of them or Coulson to watch over her.

Since today was training day, they allowed her to stay with the agent, after a lot of arguing from Darcy, Bruce and Natasha. In any other circumstance, Clint would have been on Coulson's side, but he was angry at his boss for letting her go on the Morning of Doom, as Tony chose to call it.

So, they were in a meeting room close to the gym, so the team could get her when they exit.

"Dr. Banner seems to be in a good mood lately."

Darcy smiled.

"Yeah, he's relaxing slowly."

Coulson nodded, looking pleased. Coulson was expressing an emotion. Darcy smirked.

"You know, he does seem to be in better mood when your around."

Coulson was kept from answering from a loud crash in hallway. They heard a loud scream, and the sound of someone running.

The intercom came to life with the voice of a pissed off Fury.

"Coulson, Lewis, I highly recommend the both of you to get your hands on agent Barton before I do."

They shared another look and stood up, Darcy sighing. They heard someone laugh like a maniac and scream "I AM THE NIGHT!". Darcy started to swear under her breathe. They did even got to the door before the resident lunatic archer, who was currently decked out in a black costume with a cape, barged into the room, crossed it in three strides and jumped into the air duct in a swift motion.

Through the smoke that accompanied the entrance of Clint, a red intern walked in looking disheveled with black burned traces marking his face. Coulson sighed.

"Miss Lewis, I will go and deal with the personnel, if you would please accompany Agent Barton home."

She nodded. He boyfriend slid to the ground at the moment Coulson exited. He gave her a slightly mad smile. She walked to him, grasped his rubber band held mask, pulled, and let go, enjoying the slapping noise it caused.

"Ow."

"Come on, batman. Let's go home before Fury rips your head off with his teeth."

OOOOOOOOO

To whom it may concern:

Mr. Stark had requested that whoever is teaching his lab robots to play board games please stop, as they are refusing to do anything other than play Connect 4 all day.

...

Bruce was in his lab late at night. He rubbed his eyes, and looked around. He noticed the clock on the wall. It was two o'clock in the morning. He knew no one would be up at this time, just as he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, not yet. He needed to be far more exhausted to get a real good nights sleep.

But he was tired of his experiments and he couldn't do much about them at the moment. He looked at Tony's part of the lab, noticing some movement. He moved there, and saw two of the bots, DUMMY and U.

He didn't connect as much with them as with Flit and Zazu, but they could keep him company. He saw a box on Tony's counter.

"Hey, guys?"

The two bots looked up, well, raised their arms.

"Do you want to learn how to play Connect 4?"

They whirred happily, rolling toward him.

"The both of you against me, alright?"

They nodded. Bruce then proceeded to explain the rules to them, helping them process the best way to handle the chips and sending them all on the floor by accident. From the way they looked horrified afterward, Bruce took that Tony wasn't the most patient with his robotic helpers. Bruce made sure of telling them it wasn't a big deal.

Afterward, they had a pretty good time, the robots improving their play until Bruce had to go back to his experiments, in a better mood than he had been previously.

Tony's reaction later had been priceless as well.

"What? What the hell are you poking me for? Connect 4? No, I don't want to play Connect 4! Leave that alone! What, so you're going to play between the both of you? No, I need you to test the new protot- What do you mean you don't want to? DUMMY! Come back here you hopeless piece of junk!"

Bruce smirked into his tea cup.

OOOOOOOOO

To whom it may concern:

This is to notify all agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that social networking sites such as Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter are not to be used to comment on work schedules, strategy or the mental capacity of other agents.

Agent Barton is to be reminded that posting as 'Legolas' does not make him anonymous.

...

Clint was in his room, as opposed to Darcy's where he slept most of the time. It felt a bit weird to be back here, since he hadn't been here since he and Darcy had started sleeping together.

But Darcy was gone on a girls night out with Jane, Pepper and Natasha, leaving him alone. Thor and Steve were fighting, and he wasn't getting in the middle of that. Bruce and Tony were having fun with their science gear downstairs, and Clint was always a bit afraid to go there. Bruce was the product of a failed experiment after all.

He could have gone to the range, but he already spent most of his day there, and he knew the consequences of overworking himself. So he was back to his old ways of entertaining himself, internet bashing. Which was the reason why he was using his own computer instead of Darcy's.

He logged in to his Facebook account.

Legolas:

I resent my work's inhuman hour.

Big man in a suit of armor:

Considering you're an elf...

Legolas:

Shut up. Aren't you supposed to be working? And some of us need to sleep.

Big man in a suit of armor:

I'm working. It's called multi-tasking. And you could sleep right now.

Legolas:

Yes, which is why I resent the schedules. Sometimes we're literally overwhelmed, sometimes nothing happens for days.

Big man in a suit of armor:

Poor thing.

Legolas:

Come on, you know what I mean! Even the lambda team could have handled these last doom bots, and they're not exactly competent.

Big man in a suit of armor:

I see your point. Do you remember when Jamerson shoot himself in the foot because he got caught in a spider web?

Legolas:

That was hilarious.

Eternally Furious:

This discussion is inappropriate. Barton, Stark, if you do not stop, we will disconnect the Mansion's internet.

Legolas:

Who are you? What are you talking about?

Eternally Furious:

Barton...

Legolas:

Who is Barton? I am an elf.

OOOOOOOOO

To whom it may concern:

Agents Stark and Barton are to vacate the Office of the Director immediately, and are to cease and desist in referring to it as 'Fort Kickass'.

Nor are they allowed to deny the Director entry into said fort.

Especially since the Director is Supreme Overlord and Tyrant of said fort.

...

Tony was hiding behind the desk. He was breathing heavily, a mad smile stretching his face to the near painful state. From the corner of his eye, he saw Clint perched on the top of Fury's bookcase, armed with his nerf gun he kept from his four year old phase. He threw a tantrum when Coulson had tried to get him to hand it over, insisting it wasn't dangerous and would keep him entertained when he was bored.

Apparently, no one expected him to used it to take over Fury's office while the man was in a meeting with the R&D guys. They ditched the security pretty easily, scared as they were of Barton's bow, may it be a toy.

Though Tony wasn't sure they actually noticed it wasn't a real bow. They dropped to the floor and let them do as they wished.

Tony had worked his magic with the door, opening it and locking it back when they got inside, in such way that Fury wouldn't be able to open it himself. Just on cue, the Man started pounding on the door.

"Barton! Stark! Open that door at once!"

Barton called out.

"Access to Fort Kickass denied!"

The pounding got even louder.

"Barton!"

"Yes Sir?"

"Open that door!"

Tony cut in.

"Sorry big boss! Hawkeye fell under my incredible influences. He doesn't listen anyone but me!"

Barton shot him an amused look but didn't deny it.

"Mothefuckers! You will open that fucking door or I'll send your sorry asses to Siberia for the next few months!"

Tony snorted.

"I'm a consultant, Fury."

Barton smirked.

"You wouldn't survive without my charming self around you to shoot aliens."

"Don't make me fucking laugh, Barton!"

He continued pounding until a female voice came from the other side of the door.

"I can interrupt, sir?"

"Certainly Miss Lewis. Have fun."

"Guys?"

They didn't answer, and Clint pursed his lips.

"I'm going to assume you are in there. I am here to inform you that me and Pepper decided that if you don't come out of 'Fort Kickass' in the next minute, you are both sleeping on the couch for the next month."

There shared a look, and sighed together. Barton slid to the ground, and Tony uncurled himself. They opened the door, shoulders tensed. Fury glared at them, and they glared at Darcy, who remained unflappable. She was spending far too much time with Coulson.

OOOOOOOO

To whom it may concern:

Captain Rogers is to be reminded that briefing notes are official documents, the margins of which should not be used for drawing caricatures of fellow agents.

As charming as Agent Barton looks in a tutu while riding a unicycle on a tightrope and juggling puppy sized elephants, it is highly inappropriate.

...

Steve was tired. They had been up for over 24 hours, chasing after some rogue scientist who designed some kind of shrinking ray.

Despicable Me much? No one should get inspiration from kid's movies. It's just wrong.

The point was, Steve, super soldier and all, was fighting very hard not to fall asleep in the middle of the debriefing. Natasha was wide awake beside him but the woman wasn't human, Steve was sure of it. He loved her from the bottom of his heart but still. No way she was straight vanilla human.

Clint wasn't even trying and was presently sleeping on Darcy's lap. It was truly adorable. The archer could be very harsh sometimes, though not as much as Tony, but still. He looked completely relaxed in his sleep, leaning unconsciously into Darcy's touch.

Steve didn't even realize he was doodling until he was half through the sketch. It was proof of just how tired he was, his brain wasn't even controlling his arm anymore. He stared at the picture as it took place, not hearing Fury anymore.

Coulson called him, asking for his attention. He forced himself to answer in a coherent manner, ignoring the fact his hand was still drawing. He was able to draw without really looking at his picture, just watching from the corner of his eye. Of course it was a simple drawing, not a portrait or anything but still.

Finally, Fury dismissed them. Steve was grouping his papers when a tanned hand appeared out of nowhere, stealing the sheet with the drawing.

Tony quickly jumped out of reach, and looked at the drawing. He started laughing like maniac. Fury was looking at Steve with suspicious eyes.

Tony jumped to Clint who was just waking up, and threw the paper under the archer's nose. The man stared at it for a few seconds before taking it. He looked between the sketching and Steve a few time, before holding it up.

"Is that supposed to be me?"

Darcy chuckled.

"Aaww, I think it's cute!"

"I'm wearing a tutu!"

"You are a charming ballerina, fledgling."

Fury grimaced.

"Captain Rogers?"

"I'm sorry, sir. Won't happen again, sir."

Steve was beet red. Again.

OOOOOOOOO

To whom it may concern:

Agent Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye and Miss Darcy Lewis are not to encourage Mr. Stark to turn his Iron Man suit into a portable sound system.

The Avengers do not require background music no matter how "bitching" it would make their "fight scene."

...

They were sitting in Coulson's office after a simple mission. The debrief had been quick, and the only 'wrinkle' throughout the entire operation is the fact that Tony's suit started blaring 'Eye of the tiger' in the middle of the mission.

Well, Fury and Coulson thought it was a wrinkle. Darcy and Clint really didn't see what the problem was.

"Agent Barton, you of all people should know the importance of being stealthy."

Clint rolled his eyes.

"It's Tony we're talking about sir. He's flying around in a red and gold glorified tin can. He can't be less subtle than he already is. It's bitching to have a real life soundtrack."

Coulson gave him a Disapproving Face. Coulson's Disapproving Faces were famous, and should be labeled as Weapons of Mass Destruction. Needless to say, Clint shut up pretty quick.

"And you Miss Lewis, am I to remind you that you are the responsible and mature adult around here?"

Darcy pinched her lips. She hated being scolded.

"Sir, I have to take care of the team's moral."

He cocked his head.

"The team's field performance is my responsibility, Miss Lewis. That includes Iron Man not having a portable DJ sound system incorporated into his suit. Should something likewise happen again, I would be obliged to take some measures."

They both nodded.

"You are dismissed."

They exited, and Clint wrapped his arm around her waist, knowing how much she hated being reprimanded.

"Are you alright?"

She smiled at him.

"Yeah. It was about time I got my name on one of these memos."

Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Darcy was running on the treadmill, listening to her iPod. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Natasha wiping the floor with Clint. Oh right, Clint was giving her a chance since she was a woman and he was a gentleman. Idiot. No one could beat Natasha. Except Coulson. Clint said Coulson managed to take the spy down from time to time. She really had to ask JARVIS about that video feed. It had to exist somewhere, because whenever Coulson and Natasha spared it wasn't during the hours any normal human spends awake.

Anyway, she was running and having a pretty good day. The team had been called twice last week, a normal one, for little cases that left all of them whole and accounted for.

She closed her eyes briefly, listening to the sheer genius of the guitar solo. Once it was done, she opened her eyes again. She froze, and crashed inelegantly from the treadmill.

Clint and Natasha were up and running toward her in a matter of milliseconds. Clint crouched next to her while Natasha stopped the treadmill absently, looking at Darcy with a frown. Clint poked her slowly on the shoulder.

"Darcy? Love? What's the matter? What happened? Are you hurt?"

Darcy couldn't speak. She slowly lifted her arm, pointing to the object that caused her to fall.

It was a roll of parchment, held close by a green ribbon. It was floating midair, a few meters in front of the treadmill. Natasha narrowed her eyes, and walked slowly toward it, as if expecting it to blow up. She reached out, and went to take it, but her hand passed right through. She scowled, but looked back at Darcy. She was the messenger, she would be the only one who would be able to take it. They expected it to be so, but apparently Natasha had hoped nonetheless.

Darcy slowly got to her feet and went to the scroll, opening it while letting the ribbon fall. Clint caught it. Darcy spared him a quick questioning look, and he shrugged as if to say 'you never know.' She looked back at the message.

...

Dear Miss Lewis,

As you probably already guessed, -if you haven't please refrain from letting me know, I would hate to have to underrate my estimation of human intelligence- I am delivering you this letter to inform you it's time for you to start upholding your side of our accord.

Meet me in the same park as last time in an hour. I will be waiting for you.

Please, come alone.

Loki.

...

Darcy took a deep breath. Clint and Natasha were frowning at the message. The spy turned to her.

"Do you understand what it says?"

She looked up.

"Yeah, why?"

They shared a look.

"Because we can't."

Darcy arched an eyebrow. Between the both of them, they spoke, read and/or understood about fifteen languages. She looked back at the scroll. She still could perfectly decipher the message. Loki must have cast a spell on it.

It wasn't really reassuring her.

She tightened her fist, rumpling the thick paper. Clint's expression was closed, grim. Natasha's was blank. Darcy's was probably between bemused and slightly nervous. She forced herself to calm down. She got herself in this mess and the rest of them would be plenty worried for her. She slowly reached for Clint. He quickly grasped her hand, tugging her to his side. His hands were as steady as always, but that didn't stop her from feeling his angst through the tension of the wired muscles of his arms.

She wanted to reassure him, but she was pretty sure whatever she said would go in one ear and out the other. So she merely squeezed his hand back, leading him and Natasha away to the living room. Natasha pushed a couple buttons on her cell, calling an alarm. The 'No one is in danger and the city isn't under attack, but you better bring your ass to the living room ASAP' alarm. Clint came up with the name. Steve disapproved. He said 'Meeting' alarm was more appropriate. Tony disapproved.

She seated herself n the couch, reading the message once again. She had about fifty five minutes left, plenty considering Tony would probably insist on dropping her off.

Bruce came silently, appearing at the top of stairs leading to the labs. One look at the three of them told him everything he needed to know. His calm face turned grim, and he reached for Zazu, who came to rub itself on his cheek. Flit flew around, playing 'Poker Face' at maximum volume until Natasha shot him a warning look. He lowered the volume a bit, switching to 'Barracuda'. Natasha bared her teeth, and he zipped out of the room.

Darcy bumped her with her shoulder.

"Hey. No frightening the furniture."

Natasha gave her an unimpressed look.

"Bring yourself back in one piece and I'll sew him a cape."

Darcy snorted, and even Clint smirked faintly. Tony came loudly in the room, arguing with one employee or the other on his Bluetooth and completely oblivious to the tensed atmosphere. Steve slipped in behind him, looking curious. Finally Thor barged in dressed for battle.

"Friends! I have felt Loki's magic, we must-"

He saw the scroll in Darcy's hand and fell silent. He seemed to like the idea of Darcy going to meet Loki alone as much as Clint. Whether it was because he was wary of what his brother would do to her or because he was jealous of not getting to chance to talk to him himself Darcy wasn't sure, but the end result was the same.

Darcy took a deep breathe.

"Loki contacted me. He wants to meet me in about fifty minutes in the same park as last time."

She paused. Of course, someone would have something to say.

"I'm bringing you."

She kept herself from grinning. Tony would be insulted if he knew just how predictable he was.

"Alone."

"Just because the meeting in itself is to be between you and him alone, doesn't mean you have to get there by your own means."

They all jumped except Bruce. Coulson was standing in the entrance of the room, looking perfectly collected. He nodded welcome to them, before turning to Tony.

"I trust that you are done with the communication device?"

Tony nodded.

"Yep. It will enable us to hear what she is hearing and to talk to her, even if he transports her across the planet."

Steve pursed his lips.

"And if he travels to another planet."

Tony shrugged.

"Haven't had time to test that particular possibility."

Steve frowned, but didn't answer. It wasn't as if he could blame Tony. Darcy rolled her eyes.

"Uhh, guys, haven't you considered that if he asked me to come alone it was because he didn't want you to talk to me?"

Thor shook his head.

"My brother would have wished you to come alone because he feels threatened by my companions."

Coulson leaned in.

"Furthermore, this meeting will be far more useful if you can actually speak on the behalf of the division."

Darcy nodded. It made sense. Of course it made sense, it was Coulson. Tony walked to her, presenting a small tan thing. It looked like it was made of transparent jelly, and her distrust must have shown on her face because Tony smirked. He went beside her, and started toying with her ear and the thing. Finally, when she felt like she had a grape stuck in her ear, he backed away.

"Great. Can you hear me clearly?"

Surprisingly, she could hear him perfectly. It must have shown on her face because Tony rolled his eyes.

"I resent the look of surprise on your face."

Steve threw a coaster at him before turning to Darcy.

"How long?"

She looked at her watch.

"Forty minutes."

Coulson nodded.

"You should go now. I would prefer if you arrived early."

Darcy nodded as well, not wanting to discover what Loki would do if she was late. Tony looked between them and announced he was going to suit up, asking Darcy to meet him on the roof in five minutes. She stood and turned toward the staircase when she felt a hand come to rest lightly on her hip. She turned around to face Clint, who was looking at her with a slightly distressed expression. He cradled her face softly and kissed her, slow and tender. It was completely different from the way he kissed her when he was going out himself, but then the situation itself was completely different.

It was one thing to put yourself in danger, it was another altogether to see someone you love put themselves in danger.

After a while she pushed him away gently, looking at him in the eyes and trying to reassure him. She could see she failed, so she raised herself on her toes to kiss his forehead and slipped away to the roof. She saw from the corner of her eye the hug Natasha pulled Clint into and Bruce's worried look that followed her until she was out of sight.

She took a deep breathe. She made the deal. She would honor it.

Tony was already there, waiting for her. She climbed on his back, the same way they had practiced a while ago.

Every member of the team including girlfriends knew how to ride on the suit. It was one of the many security drills Coulson insisted they do. Darcy was kind of grateful, no matter how much she complained at the time.

The ride there was silent once Darcy told Tony which park it was. The billionaire, as much of a genius as he was, wasn't good at expressing emotions. Especially concern and worry. So he stayed silent. Darcy would have made a joke about him being quiet for once in his life but she knew he wouldn't find any humor in it today.

They arrived at the park with twenty minutes to spare, since Tony went slower than he would usually have. He dropped her behind in a bunch of trees and stood there a little awkwardly, until she huffed.

"Go Tony, you'll do no good by staying here."

He cocked his head and Darcy could perfectly imagine the frown under the metal faceplate.

"Be careful Darcy. We want you back in one piece."

She patted his shoulder.

"I will. But don't come in all guns blazing over nothing, alright? Take a deep breath and let me handle things."

He nodded.

"Good luck."

"Goodbye."

He took off. Darcy wrapped her arms around her torso and allowed herself a brief moment of panic. Once she was done, she took a deep breath and slowly walked to the spot where Loki and her collided the last time.

He was already there, standing on the side of the path with his hands crossed in front of him. He was wearing dark pants and a light green button up shirt, observing the passersby who didn't seem to notice the wannabe King of the Earth amongst them. He must have used some spell or another. Or they couldn't recognize him without the horns, leather and metal.

Darcy walked to him, squaring her shoulders. He turned to her, a small smile playing on his lips. The unnerving one that didn't reach his eyes. The one that make you wonder just how many steps ahead of you he is. She swallowed and looked him in the eyes, waiting for him to speak first. After all, he was the one to call her here.

He cocked his head.

"Miss Lewis, it's a pleasure to see you again."

She nodded a welcome.

"Loki."

He smirked, extending his hand.

"Shall we?"

She heard Clint grumbling in her ear.

"Hit him in the nuts and run."

She ignored him, reaching out to take the proffered hand in her own. Loki pulled them both into the void, then into the apartment. He let her go and she took a discreet step back when he turned.

"You look lovely today."

Clint growled but Darcy noticed the mockery in the tone and looked down, only to realize she hadn't changed or showered since she got the message. Which meant she still wore her running clothes and was still kind of sweaty. She forced down the blush that was threatening. She wasn't here to seduce him.

"You called me?"

He tuted, shaking his head slowly.

"Miss Lewis, it is of the most basic politeness to return the politesses addressed to oneself."

She sneered, arching an eyebrow.

"Loki, it is of the most basic impoliteness to blackmail someone into being your messenger."

He smirked.

"You accepted the deal."

She rolled her eyes, putting her fist on her hips.

"Doesn't keep it from being blackmail."

"You are awfully cocky, mortal."

"I'm only here to get the message, Loki. Give it to me and we'll be free to go our separate ways."

He got nearer, barely three feet away.

"Why are you so rushed, Miss Lewis? Another appointment? A romantic rendezvous, perhaps?"

She took a deep breathe, restraining herself from kicking him in the nuts and running as Clint had told her to and reminding herself she had no clue where she was.

"Loki, my task is to be the liaison between you and S.H.I.E.L.D. Nothing more. Please cooperate."

He smirked, ignoring what she said. Leaning in, he whispered just beside her ear.

"Poor little archer, how hard it must be for him. His beloved all alone with me. At my mercy. Oh the things I could do to you..."

Clint exploded in her ears, and she could literally hear Natasha, Steve and possibly Coulson physically restrain him.

"Don't you dare touch her, you fucking psycho! If you hurt her in any fucking way, I'll send you to hell piece by fucking piece!"

Loki pulled back, cackling evilly. Darcy spoke through her clenched jaw.

"You're not happy unless you cause trouble, are you?"

Loki shrugged and calmly walked to his kitchen. Darcy took the pause to speak to her boyfriend.

"Clint? Clint it's alright, he didn't hurt me. He didn't even touch me. He's only doing that to rile you up."

Coulson was the one to answer.

"And he is succeeding. Miss Lewis, I do believe this meeting will only be improved if it can be shortened."

She rolled her eyes.

"What do you think I'm trying to do? If you haven't noticed, he's not really helping me."

Loki called her from behind his fridge door.

"Do you want anything to drink, Miss Lewis?"

Thor spoke immediately.

"Do not accept any sustenance or beverage from my brother. He might use it to bewitch you."

She kept herself from rolling her eyes. Thanks Thor, like there was any way she would take anything from Loki to begin with.

"No thanks, I'm fine."

Loki came back with what looked like a glass of wine.

"Now, sir-"

He cut her off.

"Milord."

She gave him a disbelieving look, and took a deep breathe.

"Sir."

She heard Tony chuckled in her ear. Stupid power hungry psycho demigod Frost Giant.

"If we could go back to the matter at hand."

He raised an amused eyebrow, and took a slow sip of wine. After a good thirty second and a "Well?" from Steve, he spoke.

"A most dreadful business that left me puzzled and irritated."

Darcy forced a smile. The theatrics were getting on her nerves. At least with Tony, she could get the info from JARVIS. She doubted there was anyone, anywhere that could keep up with what was going on in Loki's head.

He grinned.

"A certain Thanos contacted me a few days ago."

She heard Tony ask JARVIS for information and someone, probably Coulson, type on a keyboard.

"What did he want?"

Loki pinched his lips.

"Thanos wants to attack the Earth and asked for my help."

Silence in her ear. Darcy swallowed, and tried to make sense of what had been said.

"I take it he isn't human."

Loki gave her an indulgent look, visibly saying 'you're cute when you try to think.'

"No, he isn't. He comes from a world out of the Nine Realms, a world I didn't know about before he spoke to me."

Darcy nodded.

"And he wants to attack the Earth."

"Yes."

She frowned, hoping someone would give her a line, but Coulson seemed busy on his computer.

"And you refused to help him."

Loki pursed his lips in distaste.

"I do not work well with teams."

Well that was an understatement if she ever heard one.

"You're telling us about this. Why?"

Loki shrugged, looking supremely unconcerned.

"I thought you might be interested."

She sighed, and rubbed her hand over her eyes. Clint was swearing in her, and Tony snorted in disbelief.

"Yeah, well we also would have been interested to know about it when you sent the giant gator to New York, and when you transfigured the whole team. Why are you telling us now?"

He looked her in the eyes and for a moment she saw honesty there.

"Because Earth wouldn't be a very interesting kingdom if there wasn't anything alive on it anymore."

Now Natasha, Tony and Clint were swearing. The only thing that kept Steve from doing the same was his upbringing and Bruce was probably doing some kind of meditation. Coulson had stopped typing. Darcy simply looked at Loki.

"He wants to exterminate us."

Loki nodded.

"His planet is in desperate need of resources, and he decided yours was the best place to take them from."

Darcy nodded, forcing herself to stay calm. Coulson spoke again, still collected.

"Miss Lewis? Ask him if he has any more details."

She looked up and opened her mouth but Loki answered directly, either reading her thoughts or having super-sensitive ears.

"His attack is scheduled for two weeks from now. He will come with an immense army, and will land in the North. He is underestimating the humans though. He is only bringing enough of his people to gather as many resources as he can."

Darcy nodded. Coulson spoke again.

"Why the North?"

"They mostly need water. The biggest reserve of water in the world is in the North."

Darcy breathed "Canada." She looked up.

"He's going to Canada?"

Loki nodded. Tony spoke.

"Great. Moose and beavers."

Coulson shushed him.

"What is Loki expecting from us?"

Loki shrugged.

"To stop him."

Clint grunted.

"No shit."

Coulson sighed.

"That much is a given, but what more?"

Loki smirked.

"I am an interested party. I demand no more than him to be stopped."

Darcy pursed her lips.

"Why not do it yourself?"

He shrugged, slipping back to his unconcerned act.

"Maybe I don't feel like it?"

Thor protested, and Darcy was more than happy to relay his words, but Loki spoke before she could.

"Go now, Miss Lewis, and prepare your troupes for battle. I will send you further information if I can find it."

And with a wave of his hand, he dismissed her and she was back at the park.

"Uh, guys? He sent me back."

Tony answered immediately.

"Don't move, I'm on my way."

Clint spoke next.

"Darcy? Are you alright?"

She finally released the breathe she hadn't realized she had been holding, and breathed in fully for the first time since Loki pulled her into his apartment.

"Yeah I am, don't worry. I told you he was only doing it to annoy you."

He huffed, but didn't argue. Steve was next, though he was speaking more to Coulson than to her.

"What are we doing now?"

The agent answered, expressionless.

"We will contact the Canadian Army, explain the situation to them, and work from there."

Bruce piped in.

"Can we trust him? He could be tricking us to help this man."

Darcy answered.

"He seemed honest."

Clint sighed.

"He's the God of Lies, Darcy."

She rolled her eyes. Iron Man arrived at that moment, and she climbed on his back.

"He's also the Doer of Good and Doer of Evil. He's done plenty of evil, it would be about time for the good."

Natasha sneered.

"A bit weak, for an argument."

Tony was the one to answer.

"Look, I'm with Darcy on this one. Even if he's not telling the truth, there'll either be no invasion and we'll have prepared for nothing, or it'll happen somewhere else entirely. If it does, well, the planet is huge. Might as well prepare for Canada and move afterward."

There was silence for a while as everyone pondered what had been said. Just as the Mansion came into view, Coulson spoke again.

"We'll contact the concerned institutions and a decision will be made accordingly. Meanwhile, the Avengers will pursue their normal activities until a contrary order has been given. Are we clear?"

Everyone muttered their assent.

Tony and Darcy landed on the roof. She went to the stairs as he flew down to remove the suit. Clint was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs and enveloped her in a warm bear hug as soon as he saw her. Thor looked at them for a moment before shouting: "Group Hug!"

He got to them in three strides to circle them with his big arms. There was a floating moment where everyone else paused then all at once, except Phil, they walked forward to join the hug. Bruce paused, looked over his shoulder at the agent and asked:

"Coming?"

Phil seemed surprised that he proposed but accepted the invitation to be dragged in. Tony walked up the stairs.

"Hey! Why is everybody else getting some love?"

He ran and slipped between Bruce and Steve. Flit and Zazu beeped happily, the remote nudging Darcy, relieved. He wasn't used to her being the one taking risks. Darcy sighed, warm and safe, and tucked her nose against Clint's neck.

"It'll be alright. Everything will be fine."

The archer didn't answer but tightened his embrace.

Chapter 23: Chapter 23

The following days had been stressful to say the least. Loki had yet to recontact them, and S.H.I.E.L.D. was doing its best to try and prevent an alien attack they knew next to nothing about.

They found no information to prove or disprove Loki's statement that the aliens would target Canada. The Prime Minister of said country himself was highly dubious, especially when they told him the aliens would be after Canada's water. In his opinion if Martians were to come they'd be after the oily sands, not water.

No matter how Fury explained the situation to him, notably about how that the aliens already crossed galaxies to come here so they probably couldn't care less about oil, the Canadian government remained dubious.

Nonetheless, they accepted that S.H.I.E.L.D. would come and investigate. Tony and Bruce had gone along with a team of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s techs and scientists. They had just gotten back that afternoon looking tired and slightly disappointed. Darcy knew everyone was hoping for a clue, a simple clue, something to give them an inkling whether or not they could trust Loki's word.

But nothing came. Not from Canada, nor from anywhere else in the world. Everything was calm, calmer than it had been since the team was formed.

About five days after her meeting with Loki, Darcy was walking through the mansion looking out for her boyfriend. She had already launched the first phase of her plan, which meant she asked Pepper and Jane to distract their respective boyfriends for the evening. Everyone needed to breathe for a while.

She found Clint sparring with Natasha in the gym and she walked to them, waiting for the next time the spy would send him down. It happened quickly enough and she stepped in before he could try and retaliate. He raised an eyebrow at her, wondering silently to what he owed the honors. She patted his shoulder and looked back at Natasha.

"You should take Steve out tonight. It's been a while since he's been out. I think he misses the city."

Natasha arched an eyebrow, questioning Darcy's motives. The younger woman shrugged.

"You've all been so stressed lately, you need to relax a bit otherwise you'll be burnt out by the time the aliens actually arrive."

Natasha pinched her lips but nodded and walked away. Darcy called after her.

"He's talking about Brooklyn a lot!"

The spy stepped out. Clint leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"So, I'm taking you to dinner tonight?"

Darcy rolled her eyes, and swatted him lightly on the chest.

"Don't be ridiculous. You're going to shower. Then I am going to take you out."

He grinned a bit. He was probably the calmest of them all. As a good sniper, he knew it wasn't useful to get worked up over something that hadn't happened yet.

"Is that so?"

She smirked.

"Yep. Now go. You're sweaty."

He saluted.

"Yes, ma'am. Right away ma'am."

He disappeared in the stairs. She only had one person left to take care of. She fished out for her cell.

...

To: Phil Coulson

From: Darcy

You're coming to the mansion to hang out with Bruce.

...

The reply came fast.

...

To: Darcy

From: Phil Coulson

I don't know what you are trying to imply, Miss Lewis.

...

She rolled her eyes.

...

To: Phil Coulson

From: Darcy

I'm not implying anything sir, but everyone else is going out and I'm not leaving Bruce alone to wallow in self-pity. You're coming over.

...

To: Darcy

From: Phil Coulson

Sometimes I wonder whether you realize that I am your superior Miss Lewis.

...

To: Phil Coulson

From: Darcy

Of course I remember. I also remember you hiring me to take care of the team, which is what I'm doing it right now. I hope you're on your way.

...

To: Darcy

From: Phil Coulson

I am. We will have to talk about your interferences, Miss Lewis.

...

To: Phil Coulson

From: Darcy

This is not interfering. Trust me, if I interfere, you'll know. This being said, you look like you could use it.

...

To: Darcy

From: Phil Coulson

Have a good evening, Miss Lewis.

...

To: Phil Coulson

From: Darcy

Likewise, sir.

...

She shut her phone and skipped down the stairs, entering the living room just in time to see Natasha nearly dragging Steve out of it and toward the exit of the mansion. She smirked. Apparently the Captain wasn't as eager to take a break as Natasha, Clint or Tony had been. Overachiever.

Clint appeared behind her as he was bound to do sometimes when he forgot she wasn't some kind of oversensitive ninja like him. But she was getting pretty good at feeling him. It had become some kind of a sixth sense. So she didn't jump a mile high when he slipped an arm around her waist, still slightly damp and smelling of soap from his shower. She smiled and lifted herself on her toes to kiss him lightly. He smiled in return.

"Ready to go?"

She mock frowned.

"Hey, that's my line."

He chuckled and started batting his eyelashes with a sickeningly sweet smile on his face. She sneered.

"You look like a stoned psudo-Barbie doll."

He chuckled again and she rolled her eyes, leading him to the garage.

OOOOOOO

The dinner was nice. It was a tiny Italian place they had found a while ago, just after Clint arrived there. Both of them agreed that small family restaurants were a thousand times better than huge franchise or stared establishment. It disgusted Tony to no end, but it wasn't as if they really cared for his opinion.

He was free to take his own girlfriend wherever he wanted.

Darcy was relieved and surprised that no one contacted them thorough the meal, leaving her to appreciate her boyfriend and the food.

After they finished eating, Darcy dragged Clint out, asking him for a walk. He laughed.

"You do realize last time we did that, they brought the Cap back right?"

She shrugged.

"I'm sure we could handle a second Steve."

He laughed again, bumping her shoulder with his, nearly tripping her. He caught her deftly and she swatted him lightly on the chest. She felt good, nearly forgetting about the possible alien attack in the near future.

Clint was joyful as well, relaxed. He looked at her with those loving eyes, the ones that made her feel special, safe, and giddy. She drew him to her, kissing him lightly on the lips.

"Well, isn't this lovely."

Clint pushed her brutally away, placing himself between the voice and his girlfriend. Darcy tried to protest, but he wasn't having it.

Loki was dressed casually, his hands in his pockets, looking utterly serene, a small smile playing on his lips. In the semi darkness, it was hard to decipher his exact emotional state.

Clint had a gun in his hand, a fact that didn't seem to stress the god in anyway. He spoke in a calm, slightly amused voice.

"Miss Lewis. Agent Barton. I hope the evening has been enjoyable to you."

Clint sneered.

"It was until you showed your snake-like face."

Darcy frowned, slipping her hand on his bicep. Insulting Loki probably wasn't a good idea. The gun in itself wasn't Clint's brightest flash.

"Clint, please. Not here."

He glared at her, telling her to stay out of this. She glared back. She was the messenger. It was her job. She pushed herself from behind him, ignoring his angry hiss.

"Loki. Thank you, yes, we had fun. Is there any reason for this meeting or is it a mere pleasure visit?"

He smirked, getting closer. Clint was nothing but a tight wire behind her, all tensed muscles and violent anger.

"As much as this evening is pleasant, I am afraid this is a serious meeting."

Darcy nodded, all business. Clint straightened up a bit, interested, if still extremely defiant. Loki looked over her shoulder, assessing the nervous assassin behind her.

"Your companion doesn't seem to appreciate me."

Darcy rolled her eyes. She drawled.

"Fancy that."

Loki smirked.

"Stressful relationships in the workplace are dangerous to one's mental health."

Clint snorted derisively.

"There isn't much to lose."

Loki leaned in, speaking to the archer directly.

"Everyone is insane, Hawkeye. Those who say otherwise are deluding themselves. It's only a matter of how we work through and with our problems."

Darcy couldn't see Clint's expression but she could picture his grimace easily. Loki's word were far too close to what himself and Natasha would say from time to time. She kept herself from reaching behind for him, trying desperately to stay professional.

"Thank you for the advice, Loki. Now if you would please give me the information you've got, I would be more than grateful."

He smiled at her, as amused as he ever was when she tried to stand up against him. It was like a lion looking at a kitten trying to intimidate him. It kind of rubbed her the wrong way. He waved his hand, and an envelope popped out of thin air. She felt her eyebrows lift to her hairline. He handed it to her.

"This contains all the information I've managed to get from Thanos. I'm sure your superiors will know what to do with this."

She managed a stiff nod, and reached out for the package. He surrendered it easily, and she weighted it, startled. It was surprisingly heavy, and she wondered what it contained exactly. Surely, it couldn't be simply paper.

Clint leaned forward behind her, breathing close to her neck.

"Will that be all? It's not booby trapped or anything?"

Loki smirked, leaning back.

"Even if I say it isn't, how much is my word worth?"

Clint scowled, but didn't comment. Loki smirked a little bit wider, before turning away. Darcy finally reached for the archer's hand, calling out.

"Good evening, Loki!"

He waved at them without turning back, before they lost sight of him behind a group of teenagers. When the young people cleared out, he had disappeared. She turned around to face Clint, waving the envelope while speaking slowly.

"I think we should go back."

Clint nodded, but he was still looking over her shoulder.

"I just can't figure him out."

She looked back briefly, before turning to face him.

"I don't think there is anything to figure out. We have to take him as he comes. And hope he'll come to stay on our good side."

Clint finally met her eyes, and smiled wryly.

"Yeah. Still don't like him though."

Darcy chuckled.

"I'd be worried if you did."

She led him toward the car, caressing the back of his hand slowly. He was still tense, but it was nothing like before.

They settled quietly, neither one daring to question what was inside the package.

OOOOOOOO

They were the first ones back at the mansion, except Bruce and Phil, who of course never left. The two of them were in the living room, watching some documentary.

They both looked up when Darcy and Clint entered. Bruce smiled and waved, Coulson nodded, and narrowed his eyes, obviously feeling something was off.

"Miss Lewis?"

She shifted slightly. Then she stopped herself. She wasn't at fault, Loki had approached her not the other way around.

"We met Loki."

Bruce sighed, and rubbed his hand over his eyes. Coulson was up in a heartbeat, and crossed the room in four large steps, stopping just in front of them.

Darcy quickly handed him the envelop. He eyed it carefully before accepting it. Clint spoke calmly, militarily.

"He didn't say anything other than that you would find this useful."

Coulson nodded and sighed.

"Well, I guess I should go and present this to the Director."

He straightened up, nodding to the both of them.

"Miss Lewis, Barton."

He hesitated, before turning around and offering a small smile to the scientist still seated on the couch.

"Good night Bruce."

The other man smiled as well.

"Good night, Phil. Do try to sleep."

The agent cocked his head.

"I'll see what I can do."

Then he turned around and exited the room. Clint and Darcy shared a look, but didn't comment. Both Coulson and Bruce were fairly private people, and being nosy would simply make them to close up more.

Clint threw himself on the couch, just beside Bruce.

"So, Doc, nice evening?"

The scientist smiled slightly.

"Yes, thanks. Though it wasn't necessary to call Phil in. I can entertain myself pretty well."

Darcy rolled her eyes.

"Nonsense. You both needed a break."

They heard the front door, and the absence of loud voices indicated Steve and Narasha were home. Sure enough, they soon entered the living room, claiming one of the love seats. Clint, Bruce and Darcy shared a look and decided to wait until tomorrow to talk about Loki's visit. Everyone deserved a calm evening.

They talked quietly for a while until the remaining couples entered the mansion, the men laughing loudly. Tony crashed into the living room.

"Ah, come on! It's so boring in here. Really, you guys need to learn how to have fun!"

Natasha and Pepper rolled their eyes, while Bruce, Darcy and Jane looked wary. Thor and Clint, on the other hand, looked pretty interested.

"Let's play a game!"

Darcy groaned.

"Tony, we're not in high school anymore!"

The billionaire smirked.

"Of course not, we're in kindergarten! We even have a babysitter!"

Clint chuckled.

"And what are we playing? Tag?"

Tony waved a dismissive hand.

"Please, I have a little more class than that."

There was a collective snort, and he glared at them.

"Truth or dare."

All the girls groaned, Bruce sighed, Steve and Thor looked lost. Tony simply smiled. From her angle, Darcy couldn't decipher Clint's expression, but she was pretty sure he was game.

She also knew that if they didn't humor Tony, he would be insufferable for the next few days.

"Come on, guys! Night's still young!"

Steve frowned.

"What does this game include exactly?"

Tony beamed and flopped on the couch, feeling his close victory.

"Easy. We each take turns and we ask someone else 'Truth or Dare?', than that person chooses. If it's Truth, you ask a question and they have to answer truthfully. If it's dare, you challenge him."

Thor frowned, confused.

"Him? Are ladies not allowed to accept challenges as well?"

Tony waved a dismissive hand.

"Yeah, but they don't. Now, are we playing or what?"

Everyone shared a look but groaned and nodded. Better suffer now and be done with it. Tony smirked, and clapped his hands.

"Great! Since I started the game, I'll begin! Bruce! Truth or Dare?"

Bruce gave a stunningly accurate impression of a deer caught in the headlights, and managed to choke out a strangled "Truth". Honestly, everyone thought Tony would go for Tasha or Clint, who were far more secretive and daring.

Going by Tony's evil smirk, he expected Bruce to call Truth. He leaned forward, looking straight into the other man's eyes.

"What's between you and Coulson?"

Pause. They all froze, not believing even Tony had reached this level of insensibility. Then Natasha hissed, Clint scowled, Steve opened his eyes wide. Thor seemed at a lose as to why a question would create such a fuss. Pepper and Jane shook their heads.

Darcy cried out.

"Tony!"

But Bruce shook his head, gesturing to them to calm down.

"Don't worry. It doesn't matter."

He looked back to Tony, eyes open and honest. His voice was calm, steady and powerful.

"There's only friendship between Phil and me."

Tony arched an eyebrow.

"Pull the other one."

Bruce rolled his eyes.

"Neither of us wants to involve ourselves in a romantic liaison and simply appreciate the connection. He works too much to get involved and the Other Guy won't let me. There's nothing else to know. Steve, Truth or Dare?"

Tony looked put out, and Steve was relieved to have a way to cut this discussion short. He smile lightly at Bruce.

"Dare."

Bruce smirked.

"I dare you to go in the kitchen and take a good swallow of Tabasco sauce."

Steve winced, and rose slowly. Everyone burst out laughing, Clint bumping Bruce's shoulder with his fist.

"You are a cruel man, Doctor."

Bruce smirked. Steve came back red faced, although for once it wasn't from embarrassment. He shot a mild glare to Bruce, which caused Tony to laugh even more. Steve grumbled.

"I hate the whole of you. Darcy, truth or dare?"

Darcy smiled at him.

"Truth."

He cocked his head, contemplating his next question.

"If you could have any super power, what would it be?"

Darcy scrunched her face.

"Uh, tough one. But really, I think I'd go with flying. That'd be awesome. And it would be so much faster to move around here."

Clint chuckled. Thor and Tony expressed their agreement, and the god tried to express the feeling flying procured. Until Darcy rolled her eyes and cut him.

"Thanks Big Guy. Jane, truth or dare?"

The astrophysicist bit her lips.

"Dare."

Tony's eyes opened wide, obviously expecting the petite woman to go for truth. Stupid man. Jane knew better than to volunteer for any kind of questioning by Darcy.

"I dare you to sing I Will Survive, a cappella."

They exchanged a complicit look, while the others provided the usual groans and complaints.

Until Jane started to sing.

You know those people who are just good at everything they do? Well, Jane is one of them. And yes, it extended to singing.

Everyone stared at her, Thor included, to the last note. When she was done, silence stretched and stretched until she cleared her throat.

"Clint? Truth or Dare."

Clint smirked, and shot a mocking look at Tony.

"Truth."

Jane smiled, leaning forward.

"What did you think when Darcy assaulted you the first day in the lab?"

Natasha and Tony whipped around to look at the both of them with wide eyes.

"Clint?"

"What? Why haven't I heard about this? One of the Avengers was assaulted? This is unacceptable! I want to know what happened!"

Clint ignored them, as well as Steve's, Thor's, Bruce's and Pepper's inquisitive looks, and focused on Jane.

"Well, first I had to stop myself to take out my gun when she ran toward me-"

"You wanted to shoot me!"

He smiled at Darcy's pout, rubbing it away with the pad of his finger.

"Then, I asked myself how someone could be that glad over an IPod to go and hug a hardened soldier in front of a roomful of people. I have to admit, when she kissed me, my mind kind of flew out the window. Next thing I know, the little vixen was running away cackling madly and my only thought was 'She's going to get it.'"

Jane was smiling, and the others, despite not knowing the entire story, were laughing loudly. This may be one of Tony's best ideas ever. Darcy chuckled.

"And I did."

She pecked him on the cheek. Clint beamed at her, before turning back.

"Thor, truth or dare?"

"Dare me, my dear friend."

Clint chuckled evilly.

"I dare you to thread a needle."

Everyone started to laugh hysterically. Thor looked lost, and Pepper went to get some thread and a needle.

It was freaking hilarious. Thor's big thick finger were definitely not adapted to sewing.

It took him ten minutes. While he was busy, Tony and Pepper fixed coffee and tea for everyone. By the time Thor shout 'I achieved my dare!', everyone was back with a steaming beverage. The god looked around.

"If I recall correctly, the ones amongst us who haven't been questioned or challenged yet are Pepper, Natasha and Tony?"

They nodded, and Thor smiled.

"Dear Natasha, truth or Dare?"

Natasha smirked, and made a show of arching an eyebrow at Tony while drawling.

"Dare."

Thor beamed.

"I challenge you, dear sister in arm, to hold yourself upright on one arm for five minutes."

Natasha smirked, and pulled herself upside down, all the while making it look so easy.

Clint was timing, but he wasn't checking too hard, knowing perfectly his old partner could do far more than that. Once the time was up, Natasha jumped upward once more, going to curl herself back on the couch.

"Pepper, truth or dare?"

The CEO smiled.

"Truth."

Tony groaned.

"Come on, Peps!"

She elbowed him.

"My turn, my rules."

Natasha smirked.

"What was the first thing Tony ever said to you?"

Tony groaned, and hid his face in his hand. Pepper chuckled, curling herself against him.

"Good evening, Victoria. I need an espresso, and some booze. Booze first. Do you have the cheeseburger I asked for from Jean? She never brought it back. And she wondered why I fired her. I'm taking the rest of the day off, if you could pass my apologize to the Board of Directors."

Tony raised his head.

"I didn't call you Victoria!"

Pepper smiled at him.

"Yes, you did."

He winced. Pepper nudged him with her nose.

"Truth or Dare."

He puffed his chest.

"Dare."

"I dare you to clean the kitchen manually for the next week."

The scream Tony let out made Flit freak out and fly in playing 'Holding out for a hero'.

The rest of the night passed swiftly amid a mix of groans, hysterical laughter, and several slaps.

The sight of Tony wearing a tutu and dancing ballet was going to stick with Darcy for a long time.

OOOOOOOO

"Tony! Why the fucking hell is there a flying Roomba in the kitchen!"

"I'm supposed to wash it!"

"Manually!"

Chapter 24: Chapter 24

One week before the announced date, the team went to Canada to familiarize themselves with the layout and build strategies with the various authorities involved. Loki's letter apparently contained many details, such as the planned attack point and the number of enemies. Coulson seemed pleased if surprised by the quality of the information, despite Thor's statements about Loki's war training.

The trickster god may not have been really interested in fighting, but he was brought up as a child of Asgard and that implied being taught how to win battles. Darcy also felt that Loki's role, when he was to fight alongside his brother, was often geared towards more intellectual occupations such as gathering intel.

Pepper was to stay at the Mansion while the Avengers were out, as a security measure. Jane and Darcy were of course implied in the order as well, but their own work suffered less from stagnation.

Except Darcy's was to look over the team and Jane's implied nightly joy rides, but hey. Coulson was handling the Avengers and Jane's stars weren't going to move in the next few days.

Needless to say, the week after their departure was tensed. The Mansion was empty and threatening in its enormousness without the superheroes bouncing off the walls, something the five of them couldn't compensate on their own. Five of them being Pepper, Darcy, Jane, Flit and Zazu. They forced Tony to donate the Roomba to one of the city's high school's after it tried to swallow Zazu.

The remote hadn't been happy about that. Neither had Flit. If you never saw a flying stereo chase after a flying Roomba, while playing 'Highway to Hell' at the maximum volume, you have a sad life.

Anyhow, the five of them spent the days looming in the hallway, far too worried and restless to do anything productive.

Darcy cleared out her backlog of paperwork in the first two days, Pepper quickly ran out of employees she could scold to relieve her nerves somewhat, and Jane was apparently unable to get any inspiration whatsoever for her science.

The day where Jane Foster stops working of her own free will was a sad day indeed.

Now though was the day before the big day. The girls all went to bed early, wanting to be awake and useful as soon as something happened..

Either Loki had been lying and nothing would happen, or he had been lying and the aliens would arrive somewhere else.

Or he could have been telling the truth, and a resource stealing wannabe mass murderer was going to arrive in Canada, with nothing but a superhero team and the Canadian army to try and stop him.

Oh happy day.

OOOOOOOOO

Surprisingly they were all able to sleep until six, at which point they met in the kitchen. Pepper was preparing coffee, and by the looks of it one cup would be enough to keep them going for the next ten years. Jane was trying to make pancakes, which would usually be worrisome, but this day spelled disaster in big flashing neon red lettering regardless. Darcy dashed to save the poor kitchen from the indignation and shoo Jane over to the table. The team would be banged up enough when they arrive home without finding the mansion down in pieces.

When. Not if. Darcy wasn't going to say if. Darcy wasn't going to think if. Ifs were mean.

Ifs were evil.

She managed to salvage the batter, and quickly whipped out enough pancakes to satisfy all their respective appetites. So about a quarter of the pastries actually produced.

They ate in silence, no one daring to speak, no one knowing what they should say. What could you say when the man you love could possibly die during the day? Darcy resented Jane so much that her boyfriend was as close to immortal as one could get.

Clint was so, so very fragile. So very human. She loved him for it, but gods what she would she give to make him a little less breakable.

Hm, bad train of thought. Last time she thought something like that, she ended up making a deal with a very morally ambiguous Norse God.

She decided to cut down on the Evil part. Until they knew whether or not he gave them good intel.

She sighed, and nibbled on yet another piece of pancake. As much as she hoped it was a false alarm, the wait was killing her. The tensed, unknowing state they were in was so tiring. Until now, the Avengers always had a good, known target. Now, it was a shot in the dark. Darcy didn't like that.

At fucking all.

Suddenly, the entire house filled with noise as a fleet of alarms, sirens, and beeping flashing stuff went off all at once. Pepper's phone appeared almost magically in her hand. Jane made a mad dash toward the living room, calling out for JARVIS to display all the possible existing feeds he could find . Flit and Zazu went to take their own posts, hovering between the different screens. Darcy went to her room as usual.

As she went through the living room, she caught a glimpse of flying metallic engines. She shut her eyes quickly, before her mind could imagine any kind of black human shape in the midst of the chaos.

"JARVIS? Report, please. "

The AI took a second to answer, assessing the situation and trying to separate what was wise to feed her and what she would resent him for saying.

"The portal opened exactly where Loki indicated it would, although it has yet to be confirmed whether his number estimation was accurate or not."

Darcy took a deep breath. So maybe they could trust Loki after all. Maybe.

"Are you monitoring the rest of the planet? It could be a diversion."

JARVIS sounded mildly insulted when he answered.

"I am, Miss Lewis, and I assure you S.H.I.E.L.D. is doing the same."

She smiled. Of course the supercomputer would be two steps ahead of her.

"Thank you, JARVIS. Please notify me if one of them gets badly injured. Or does something stupid."

"I will, Miss Lewis. Though for the moment, the Avengers seem to have the situation under control."

She chuckled humorlessly.

"I'm sorry JARVIS, but if there's one thing working with this bunch of nut heads taught me, it's not to count my chickens before they hatch. Keep me in touch."

"Yes, Miss Lewis."

He stopped talking, turning his admittedly incredible focus back on the fight. Darcy fell on the bed and tried to interest herself in the book she was reading at the moment. The problem was, the post-apocalyptic world described in 'The Road' struck a little too close to home. She shut it quickly. She didn't dare to turn on her TV, knowing there wasn't going to be a single channel that wouldn't be broadcasting the attack.

So she stared at the ceiling. Not really interesting, but it had the perk of not involving aliens or superhero teams.

The ceiling was one of her best friend's at the moment.

She breathed. In and out. In and out. In and out. In and-

CRASH

She jumped a mile up in the air. The entire living room level seemed to have exploded. Darcy was on her feet in a matter a seconds.

"JARVIS! What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know, Miss Lewis. An unidentified object seems to have crashed through the living room."

"Are Pepper and Jane alright?"

"I don't know. There is too much activity and dust."

The AI seemed quite distressed by its own uselessness. Darcy nodded and stood there, wondering whether or not she should try to help. She didn't have time to make her decision, though.

She heard heavy footsteps climb up the stairs. Only one set. Whoever was there was there alone. Or with flying minions. She preferred to think he was alone, though.

She backed away slowly, watching her door. Her hearth was stuck in her throat, she couldn't breathe or speak. On the other side of the door, the footfalls had stopped. She strained her ears to try and detect some sound of breathing, but the other didn't seem to have watched many horror movies in his life and didn't know that psychopaths are supposed to have freaky heavy breathing.

Suddenly, she heard a knock. On her door. Whoever or whatever it was, it was knocking on her door. It wasn't Pepper, it wasn't Jane.

She didn't realize she was still walking backward until the back of her knees hit her mattress. She stumbled, using everything she had to steady herself while making as little noise as possible. She apparently didn't succeed, because whatever the hell was on the other side of the door chuckled.

She gasped, and slapped her hands over her mouth to cover he little terrified squeal.

It was chuckling. And knocking on her door. And crashing through the fucking living room window, possibly killing Jane and Pepper in the process.

What should she do? What was she supposed to do? Oh god. Oh god.

Breathe Darcy. Oh god.

"Darcy Lewis."

She sobbed soundlessly. Oh god. It knew her name. It fucking knew her name. Its voice was deep, and raspy, and definitely not human. It knew her name. Oh god.

She needed to breathe. Now would be a fucking bad time to faint. Like worst timing ever.

Breathe. In and out.

"Darcy Lewis. I know you are here."

Way to ruin her effort. She was hyperventilating. Her gaze was glued to the door, and she felt like she was thinking through mud. Oh god.

"Please, open the door. It will make things far easier for all involved."

She didn't move. Even if she had wanted to obey, she was stuck. Her body wasn't listening to her brain anymore. And her brain was terrified. Oh god. Breathe. In and out.

"No? Well, I guess I'll have to let myself in."

The door exploded, sending wood splinters all over the place. Out of pure reflexes, Darcy shielded her face against it with her arms. She heard the footsteps enter the room, and closed her eyes tight. In and out. She had to breathe. In and out.

"Darcy Lewis. We meet at last. Uncover you eyes."

She swallowed, but did as she was told. She figured she would live longer if she did so. She wished she hadn't, though. The thing was huge, bigger and bulkier than Thor. It was also purple. Like flash purple. As purple as Hulk was green. And it had the best evil grin Darcy had ever seen. She thought Loki had nailed it, but god was she wrong.

She couldn't speak anymore. Her lungs felt petrified. She felt wobbly. In and out. She couldn't faint. Not now.

"I am Thanos."

Fuck. Fuck. Oh god. Fuck.

Thanos.

Fuck. Shit. Oh god.

He grinned even more, puffing his chest, as if he needed to make himself bigger. The part of Darcy's brain that hadn't been reduced to a pot of terrified jelly was busy wondering how he had fitted through the door.

"I have heard so much about you."

That snapped her back. How? How would an alien that came from the other end of the universe would have come to hear of her.

Yeah. Right. It was obvious when you thought about it.

Loki.

That two timing, traitorous, lying, filthy son of a b-

Thanos chuckled.

"Do not fret, human. Loki didn't betray you. At the very least not in the way you mean it."

Darcy frowned, and tried to get her slow brain to remember where the emergency exits in her room were. The bathroom. She tried to subtly move toward it, but Thanos cocked his head, grin still in place. He flipped open a device which he threw carelessly on the bathroom's door. He looked back at her.

"Open the door, and it will explode."

She swallowed.

"You see, Loki's main mistake was to take for granted he was the only being evolved enough to read the minds of others. While I admit the ability is unusual, it was a great feat of arrogance on his part."

He grinned.

"I know everything about you, Miss Lewis. I know it would bring the Avengers to their knees if you were to be taken from them."

He chuckled darkly.

"Loki has been too much of a wuss to go all the way. He was too weak to kill you, and too much of a coward to make you his."

He straightened, smiling fully.

"I will finish what he should have started."

Suddenly, he leaped forward, surprisingly fast for someone his size. He grabbed her by the waist, and threw her over his shoulder. She couldn't breathe.

Oh god.

She was going to die.

Oh god.

He was going to kill her. He was going to kill her in front of her team. And there was nothing she could do about it.

He brought her to the living room. Pepper and Jane were already there, pale and immobile. She stared at them.

No. No. No, please no. They couldn't be dead. No. Jane. Pepper. No.

Breathe. In and out.

Thanos chuckled.

"Do not worry. They are merely unconscious. They would do me no good by dying here and now. They will by the mise en bouche for your own execution. A warning, so the Mighty Avengers will know exactly what is going to happen. They will see them bleed out, knowing your turn will come and there is nothing you can do about it."

He sounded gleeful. Darcy wanted to throw up.

"I wonder how they will react to being powerless."

She forced her mouth to comply.

"They will avenge me. They will crush you if you touch a hair on any of our heads."

Thanos threw her beside the two other women, and gestured to the rest of his minions to tie her up. He smirked at her once more.

"No, they won't. No one ever did."

She frowned.

"They will. There's a first time for everything."

He leaned forward, eyes glinting.

"Your faith is moving, Darcy Lewis. But it won't save you."

He straightened up, looking at the other aliens gathered around him.

"Load them. I want to be back there as soon as possible. The Avengers will lose and die today."

He gave one last smirk to Darcy. The young woman shut her eyes, concentrating on her breathing. She had no idea what she could do, but she knew she wasn't going to accomplish anything by being unconscious.

In and out. In and out.

The minions came and loaded them into some kind of flying ship that was as far from a flying saucer as one could think. The three humans were strapped onto the wall of the ship while the E.T.s busied themselves around.

In and out. In and out.

Her heart was still stuck in her throat. She was going to die. She didn't doubt her team would win the fight, but Thanos wasn't going to miss killing her. Because he knew it would be the next best thing to actually winning the fight. Loki knew that but he didn't take the last step, choosing to use her instead. Leverage. She was leverage to him, a way to bargain if he ever needed to. Thanos wasn't one for compromises or deals. He wanted a full victory and would never accept anything less.

She would die.

Oh god. She didn't want to die. She liked her life, she wanted to live it as long as she could. She didn't want to imagine what the team would be without her around to make sure they didn't slaughter themselves. She just managed to calm them down when she had gotten back from her first meeting with Loki, when they knew she was perfectly fine. She didn't dare to imagine how they would react if they actually saw her murdered.

Thanos would die. Painfully. Slowly. With all the imagination a team formed of trained assassin, super genius and seasoned warriors could muster.

She almost pitied him.

Still. She didn't want to die.

Oh god. In and Out.

In and out. She had to breathe. Pepper and Jane started to shift beside her. Thanos came back in their part of the ship.

"Ah. Good, they are awakening. They will be conscious for the big show."

Darcy swallowed, and held his gaze defiantly. He smirked.

"Human, how I would enjoy breaking you. To rein you. To train you until you licked my feet and kissed the ground I walk on. Sadly, I do not have time."

He gave them a last long look before turning around.

"We will arrive in five for your minutes. Pray to whatever god you believe in, because you won't have time afterward."

Apparently they had moved from New York to the center of Canada in the span of twenty minutes.

Sometime, she hated aliens.

As soon as they landed, minions detached her and pushed her forward. By that point, Pepper and Jane were more or less awake, if they weren't conscious. They followed the aliens without asking, eyes barely open. Darcy threw one last nasty look to Thanos, who was now standing by her shoulder. He merely smirked. God, did he ever do anything else? Was he that convinced of his own superiority that he never felt doubt or self-consciousness? Darcy wanted to slap of that smile off his face, but she felt it would hurt her more than him.

When the ship opened, the first thing that it Darcy saw was the surrounding chaos. Aliens were flying everywhere. The army remained on the ground, shooting as many of them as they could. She saw two brief flashes of red, indicating Tony and Thor were still up and fighting. A bolt of lightning a few seconds after confirmed that theory. Hulk jumped out of nowhere, smashing a few aliens about a hundred meters away from them. He was unaware of their presence. As much as she wanted to shout for him to come and get her, the Hulk had never actually met her and Thanos would have killed her before the Green Monster even computed someone was asking for his help. She didn't see Steve, Natasha or Clint, but it wasn't that surprising.

She did catch a flash of a small bulky man she didn't know. He was fighting hand to hand with knives, and he seemed pretty hard to kill, if the hits he received from the aliens were anything to go by. Anyway, he seemed to be fighting with them, so she wasn't going to worry about that yet.

She was going to die.

Oh god. In and out. She would not faint in the middle of the battlefield in front of her team. Thanos chuckled. He was probably reading her thoughts, the bastard.

In and out. Thanos spoke, his raspy voice suddenly so terribly loud she feared her eardrums were going to explode.

"Soldiers! Come to me!"

Everything froze for a moment. Then the aliens surged toward them, like a swarm of impeccable trained bees. They formed some kind of stage for the four of them to stand on and a barrier to stop the team from getting to them. Darcy swallowed. Thanos really planned everything. She was going to die. In front of her team. In front of her friends. In front of Clint.

The team seemed at lost for a moment, surprised by the sudden absence of their opponent. They paused, until someone bellowed.

"DARCY!"

She raised her head, desperate. She would know that voice everywhere. Clint appeared from behind an army car. He started running toward them. 'No. No, please. Clint, don't.' Darcy tried to tell him with her eyes everything she couldn't say. Thanos chuckled in anticipation, eyes glinting with glee.

Finally, the small man Darcy had seen earlier caught him mid-run, tackling him to the ground, pressing on him to prevent him from escaping.

"Let me go you bastard! He's got her! He's got my girlfriend!"

The other man growled.

"Yeah, and they're going to pulverize you if you get even close."

Clint trashed a bit more, but seemed to come to the conclusion that it was useless, and went limp. The unknown man helped him up, but stayed close, in case he needed to intervene again. Darcy nearly sobbed from relief. 'Please Clint, try to live for me.'

Thanos seemed a bit disappointed, but spoke again.

"Humans! I came here on the behalf of my planet! I will kill all of you, to the very last one. I'm going to bath in your blood. Resistance is futile and ridiculous. Stop shaming yourselves and accept your fate, for it is unavoidable. Stand down, now."

Steve threw the women a concerned look, but spoke strongly to Thanos.

"We will not step aside while you destroy our world."

Thanos shook his head.

"Who ever said anything about stepping aside? You will die with the rest of them, Captain. But why try to delay the inevitable? Chose the easiest way."

Steve sneered.

"We will never stand down."

Thanos chuckled.

"Have it your way. You will be alive and well to see my first sacrifice."

Thanos turned toward his army.

"Tonight, the Earth will feast upon the blood of its children! Cheer with me, for the first sacrifice of our conquest!"

The roar was deafening. The Avengers looked desperate, and the bulky man was obviously disgusted. Thanos walked slowly toward Pepper, grabbing her hair to expose her throat.

"Don't touch her, you sick bastard!"

Tony blasted forward before anyone could get close enough to stop him. He pushed his repulsors to the max and everyone could witness the quantity of weapons he prepared to unleash on the aliens. He got blasted out of the sky by one of the soldiers and landed heavily with a resounding thud. Pepper let out a faint moan, and Darcy could see the spark of recognition in the CEO's eyes. Thanos shook his head.

"Pathetic little insect you are, to think you have a chance against me and me army! Ready to risk any chance you have to save a single woman. I will enjoy crushing you like you deserve!"

He extended a hand, and one of his minions handed him a knife. Oh god. Oh no. Not Pepper. Darcy's mind was running in frantic circles, trying to find a way to stop him. There had to be a way.

He slid the blade on Pepper's throat, not putting enough pressure to draw blood, but enough to be a fair warning. The red head didn't as much as flinch. Darcy swallowed. There had to be a way. Please, a way to save them. All of them.

"Please! Please, take me first."

She threw herself at him. He raised his eyebrows, his grin suddenly absent.

"What are you talking about?"

"Take me first. Pepper is famous. If you kill her first, not that many people will see it. Kill me, catch their attention, and everyone will be watching by the time you get to her. They will be far more afraid."

He grimaced.

"You pathetic little ant, I already told you, you will die last."

She swallowed.

"It's not a good strategy, sir."

He leered and suddenly slapped her across the face, sending her flying a few meters back.

"Foolish girl. I am Thanos The Conqueror! You will not tell me how to fight my battles!"

Everything exploded at once. The Hulk, who had been standing a bit aside confused, roared and surged forward, maddened by the attack on Darcy. Tony, seeing an opening started to blast his way through the wall of Aliens. Clint jumped on the top of a humvee, and started shooting any aliens who got close to her and the two other women. Thor's thunder shocked everyone who so much as looked Jane's way. Natasha and Steve quickly disappeared under the swarm of assailants, but the body count they left behind seemed to indicate they were still up.

Thanos yelled, but even he seemed unable to control the chaos. He whipped around, his face distorted by the rage. He grabbed Darcy by her shirt, lifting her until they were eye to eye.

"You puny human! You will die for your insolence!"

He lifted the knife he still held, and prepared to strike. Darcy closed her eyes. She was going to die. In and out. One last time.

She ignored Clint's desperate "DARCY!" She was going to die. In and out.

Good bye.

A blue flash of light flew in front of her closed eyes, blinding her momentarily by its strength. Thanos yelled at the top of his lungs. She stumbled back, opening her eyes in surprise. The alien was clutching to his right arm, the one previously holding the knife. He was glaring over her shoulder and Darcy started to turn around just in time to see a green and gold flash zip by her, running toward Thanos. The alien pulled himself upright just in time to be stabbed in the ribs by the sharp end of the scepter.

He roared, and swatted his opponent to the side like he was an annoying mosquito. He brought his fingers to his wound, and they came out coated in purple blood, he pursed his lips wildly, whirling around. Loki, after being thrown down, had flipped himself up right quickly and was crouched a few meters away twirling his scepter calmly. His eyes analyzed each of Thanos' moves, anticipating the attack.

"I thought you to be over them, Loki, and yet here you are. Fighting to protect this insignificant planet. Have you really become that weak?"

Loki shrugged, but kept his defensive stance. How he managed to look unconcerned at the moment was beyond Darcy's comprehension.

"I already told you, Thanos. I see possibility in this world and it is of no use to me if you destroy it."

Thanos sneered.

"Liar. I see your thoughts, stupid Asgardian. You want to protect them. You want to protect her. Poor little thing. You will die doing so!"

He surged forward, some kind of weapon appearing in his hand. Loki leapt to the side, avoiding the attack and whirled his scepter to slash at the other alien. Darcy tried to back away, but tripped on a car piece that was lying behind her. As she fell, she saw Loki blast Thanos in her direction, threatening to fall on top of her.

Two strong arms encased her, and dragged her away from the duel. Clint pulled her behind a truck that had been abandoned when the fight started. He quickly looked her over, searching for any sign of injury. She caught his hand and squeezed it, realizing for the first time that she was shaking like a leaf.

"Clint."

He hugged her with everything he had and kissed her fiercely. When he pulled back, he looked at her square in the eyes.

"I've got to go back out there. Don't move from here unless someone tells you to. Here's an earpiece. You'll stay in contact with everything that's going on."

Something exploded, and he shot a look over his shoulder before returning to her face, looking torn. He kissed her again.

"Don't do anything dangerous or stupid, alright?"

She nodded.

"I won't."

He gave her one last long look before darting out to find a good sniping point. She tried to stop trembling enough to insert the device into her ear. It took her a moment, but once it was done, she could hear the reassuring tone of Coulson's voice. She let it lull her back to a state of calm, and looked around. Loki and Thanos were still chasing each other around as they exchanged a couple of vicious blows. Natasha was invisible, as usual, but all the others seemed in more or less good shape. Steve had a gush on his right arm and Tony's armor would need a serious paint job, but otherwise they were fine.

A sudden feral growl came from her right. She whipped around to see the small man appear from behind a nearby building and impale an alien who had tried to sneak up on her.

Huh. Apparently he wasn't fighting with knifes, but with blades that came out of his knuckles. Darcy wondered briefly why she was still surprised by thing like this. It wasn't as if she had seen anything ten thousand times worst today.

Once he was done, he turned to her briefly.

"You alright there, kid?"

She nodded.

"Yeah, I think so."

He nodded briskly, satisfied, and jumped away to find himself some more aliens to slice.

Slowly, the fight died down as the Avengers finished off more and more soldiers. Finally, not one remained on site. The only ones still fighting were Thanos and Loki. Steve sent the army, Thor and Tony to hunt down the remaining troupes.

Natasha, Clint, Steve, the Hulk and the small man approached the duel warily. It was clear that Thanos had the advantage. Loki was battered, bloody, limping. Thanos punched him in the face, and he stumbled back. He looked up once, took everyone in, and pinched his lips, apparently coming to an internal decision. He yelled.

"Down!"

Natasha, Steve and Clint dropped like the highly trained soldier they were. Hulk looked puzzled. Darcy frowned. Loki jumped, whirling his scepter over his head. The blue stone started shining so much no one could look at it anymore. He roared, and slammed it to the ground when he was close enough.

There was a blinding flash, and the earth shook. Thanos howled, and they felt a drop. It took a few moments for Darcy to regain the use of her eyes. Clint, Tasha and Steve were getting up gingerly. The Hulk never went down, despite the strength of the impact, though his hair looked a bit burned on the ends. Thanos was lying on the ground, groaning and trying to get back up. The Big Guy growled and kicked him with all his might in the face. Thanos went out like a light.

Darcy jumped from behind the truck, and walked to Loki, who was lying a good fifty meters away. He was still awake when she got to him, dropping to kneel at his side. She felt Clint appear beside her, but didn't look. His presence was enough to make her feel better.

Loki gave her a small smirk.

"Wake me up when the cleaning up is done."

And he let himself slip into unconsciousness. Darcy sighed, and let Clint bring her to her feet, pressing herself into his chest. He cradled her, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Natasha went to Steve, and held his hand.

From the corner of her eyes, Darcy saw Coulson approach with Claw Man. She pulled herself from her boyfriend and walked to greet the small man.

"Hey, I'm Darcy. I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for stopping Clint from getting himself killed."

The man grunted, but shook the hand she offered.

"Logan. Don't mention it. No point in losing good man uselessly on a battlefield."

She smiled.

"Thank you anyway."

Thor and Tony came back quickly after having helped the army to locate the fleeing aliens. There were apparently a lot of them, but the army's officials were positive they could take care of it and sent the remaining Avengers to get some rest. The two men weren't really hard to convince, eager as they were to make sure their girlfriends were alright.

Jane didn't leave Thor's side once he came back. Pepper, on the other hand, had to phone fifty different people to reassure them that she was indeed very much alive and out of harm's way once she came out of her apparently drug induced daze,.

Darcy stayed close to Clint's side as well. Loki was transported to one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s health care facility's as an ally. She could see Coulson was dubious of Loki's motive, but there was no denying that the god had indeed helped them today. Until further notice, he was then an ally.

OOOOOOOO

She cried for the first time on the plane ride home, cradled against Clint's chest.

Chapter 25: Chapter 25

Darcy stared as a blood drop slid down her arm. She sighed, and walked slowly to the living room table to get herself a tissue, pressing it tightly to the wound. The battle had taken place two days before, and wounds, physical or else, were still far from being mended. Only when they got back to one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'S installations did they notice that the three women who had been taken hostage were not as perfectly healthy as they had thought. Everyone was too relieved to be alive, and far too wired with adrenaline to notice injuries on non-fighting individuals. Jane had broken a few ribs, and was heavily sedated, since Thor couldn't bear to see his beloved suffering, Pepper had broken her collarbone, and Darcy had a pretty nasty gash on her left arm due to some flying shrapnel that tore through her clothing.

Clint still felt guilty over not noticing sooner, but in the chaos of their victory, it would have been surprising he had known the blood on her arm was from her own wound rather than from one of his many oozing injuries. She had gotten stitches, and she frustrated her doctors by constantly pulling them open. She was supposed to stay put and wait to heal.

She couldn't. She simply couldn't. She needed to move, to do something. It was as if her adrenaline rush never ended and was constantly pushing her forward. She knew that wasn't it though.

Every time she closed her eyes, every time she forced herself to do nothing, she saw Thanos' face. Purple, smug and terrifying. She saw his knife an inch away from her neck. She saw the moment she nearly died. When the others were around it wasn't so bad, but when she was alone she was constantly close to a panic attack and the only way she found to relax, if even slightly, was too busy herself. The mansion had never been cleaner than since she returned from Canada. She cooked nearly every meal despite the team's protests. Most of them weren't up for roster duty anyway. Tony was bruised all over, Steve had a stretched tendon in his right arm, Thor never knew how to cook, and Natasha had all but disappeared in the last two days. Clint told them it was normal, she always needed time after a hard fight to lick her wounds. Pepper couldn't use one of her arms and Jane was basically bed ridden and incoherent most of the time. The only thing that kept Jane from being forever recorded discussing The Unicorn Theory with Darcy was Pepper's thankfully enormous influence on Tony. Withholding sex was the only certain way of controlling the billionaire.

So Darcy kept herself busy, maiming herself in the process because she did spend most of her time alone. Well, not really alone but attending to whichever of the Mansion's occupants was currently recuperating, a.k.a sleeping. It was usually either Tony, Jane, Bruce, or Clint, and as much as she loved her boyfriend even she couldn't stare at him sleeping indefinitely without getting bored. And getting bored meant having flashbacks.

Flashbacks sucked. When she spoke about it with Coulson, he stated it was normal for a civilian with no real crisis handling background to be slightly traumatized by a near-death experience at the hand of a mass-murdering psychopath.

She decided being a civilian sucked as well. Clint disagreed with her. Apparently being innocent was part of her charm. It didn't help her with the panic attacks.

No one around the Mansion really understood. Well, Jane probably would if she was able to think straight and about other things than mystical creatures- she had evolved to kelpies last time Darcy saw her awake.

Pepper, the only other real civilian in the place had lived around Tony long enough before anything really dangerous happened to her to accept it easily enough. It didn't hurt that she was heavily drugged through most of her encounter with Thanos and couldn't remember most of it.

The others, freaking superheroes they were, weren't really affected. Clint hadn't been happy about her getting involved in the scenario, neither of them were, but as far as he was concerned, everything went rather well. Darcy felt terribly weak to be so affected by the situation when it wasn't anything to be anxious about.

She shouldn't be having panic attacks. Nothing happened, except a slice on her arm that wouldn't even hurt that much if she didn't keep pulling it open.

She sighed again, dabbing her wound with another tissue, trying to get it as clean as possible while knowing she would probably have to ask Bruce to help her stitch it together again. She tried to stay away from the Medical unit and the disapproving doctors as much as she could manage. Bruce disapproved, of course, but he was more discreet about it and he disapproved because he cared. Not because she forced him to spend precious time dealing with an insignificant civilian when he could be saving superheroes.

He was great like that.

So she was dabbing her wound, trying her hardest not to think about how exactly she got it. Wolverine -Logan- had disappeared pretty quickly after the fight to talk with Fury. No one had seen him since, even when she asked Coulson. From what she heard, she would have to thank him for saving about half the team's life. Well, about the lives of every team member who risked actually dyeing.

Even Coulson didn't know. Probably because from what Darcy gathered, Logan wasn't exactly a predictable character.

Anyhow, she felt weak. She hated herself for it. She hated Thanos for it.

"You should be more careful."

She turned around. Clint was leaning on the doorway, his brow furrowed in concern as he looked at her still bleeding arm. She shrugged.

"It's not bad. And the living room needed to be cleaned a bit."

He frowned even more, walking slowly to her.

"The entire house is spotless, Darcy. And you know it."

He stood in front of her, lightly dropping his hands to her shoulders.

"It's alright to be afraid. It's normal."

She swallowed and looked away briefly, before staring back into his eyes.

"I haven't been normal my whole life, Clint. Why do I have to start now?"

Her voice broke at the end of her sentence and she felt her eyes water once more. Dammit, how pathetic was she? Snap the hell out of it, Darcy! Clint raised a hand and wiped her cheek with the pad of his thumb, catching the already falling tears.

"Darcy. You nearly died. Of course you're affected."

She cried out, her face twisting unattractively she was sure.

"But nothing happened! I'm perfectly fine! I shouldn't be so fucked up!"

Clint sighed, pulling her into a warm hug.

"Stop being so hard on yourself, love. It's only been two days. Give yourself some time. It'll pass. Everything does."

He pulled back, tightening his hand on her arms, staring straight into her eyes.

"We're all fine and that's all that matters. I love you. So much. I love you more than I ever loved anyone. Please, Darcy, stop hurting yourself."

His gaze dropped to her arm, before rising once more.

"In every way."

She looked in his eyes for a while, until she trusted her voice again.

"I'm sorry, Clint."

The archer frowned.

"Whatever for, Darcy?"

She pinched her lips, frowning.

"For not being stronger. I think. For make you worry."

He pulled her into a bruising kiss, minding her arm. He pulled back just enough to whisper against her lips.

"If anyone has reasons to be sorry, Darcy, it's me. For pulling you into this world, my world. For putting you in danger. But I'm for to egoistical to regret having you in my life. And I worry about you, constantly. But it's no one's fault but mine. If you ever apologize for something like this again, I will make sure you know exactly how much you are wrong and I won't hesitate in involving the team. Clear?"

She paused, and let a smile slowly stretch across her lips.

"Clear. I'll see what I can do about the arm."

She pulled away, and went to collect her things. He caught her good hand.

"Darcy? Whenever you have trouble handling things, nightmare, flashbacks, panic attacks? Come and talk to us. Me, Nat, Tony, Coulson. I know we act tough, but we've all been through this. We know what you feel. We can help you. Just talk."

She paused, looking at his big earnest eyes, remembering mini Clint. He looked so beautiful at the moment, so tender. She skipped to him, pulling him into a slow, heated kiss.

"I love you, fledgling."

He smiled.

"Everything will be fine, Darce. You'll see."

She nodded and nuzzled his neck a bit, before straightening back up once more, frowning all of the sudden.

"And you? How are you?"

He shrugged with a small grin.

"Not too bad, don't worry. I've seen worse."

She frowned even more, bumping one spot on his shoulder she knew was bruise free.

"That's not exactly making me feel better, fledgling. Should you be out of bed?"

Clint rolled his eyes, squeezing her waist a bit, following while she picked up her cleaning stuff.

"I'd be more comfortable in bed if you were there with me."

She shot him a look from the corner of her eye and caught his little dirty smile. She whirled around, brandishing her duster like a sword.

"That is out of the question. We are not doing anything until you can sit up straight without wincing."

He groaned.

"Come on, Love. A man's got his needs."

She arched one eyebrow.

"Yeah, and he needs to heal properly so that he can go back to making hours of heated and passionate love to his girlfriend."

He pursed his lips and glared at her.

"Cheap shot, Darcy."

She shrugged.

"If that's what it takes."

He threw his head back and barked out a laugh. She smirked and put everything she collected in the cupboard close to the kitchen, which still contained remnants of Tony's first experimentation on the Roombas. Clint was still grinning when she turned back.

"You've spent far too much time with Nat and Coulson. They're corrupting you."

She skipped to him.

"I prefer to think of it as formation. You can't survive around here by pulling punches. At the very least, not around Tony and you."

Clint was about to answer, trying to defend his honor, when he was hit very hard on the chest by an angry remote. Zazu then proceeded to beat him thoroughly, catching a few injuries, thus hurting Clint far more than he should have. The archer yelped, and tried to slap the remote away.

"What the hell! Leave me alone you stupid- will you stop that! Ow! OW! Darcy, help me."

Darcy shook herself.

"Zazu, Zazu leave him alone, he hasn't done anything!"

She reached for him with her harmed arm, and the remote started to beep frantically at the sight, and started hitting Clint even harder. It clicked.

"Zazu, stop it. He didn't harm me. I did this to myself. It's my fault."

The remote froze in midair, stopping all sound and movement. Darcy pursed her lips. That was getting rather bothersome. They had discovered recently that Tony hadn't programmed their favorite remote to compute that Jane, Pepper and Darcy could get hurt, and he tended to overreact when they were, taking out his anger and resentment on his least favorite people: Tony, Clint, and recently Thor. He seemed to consider the boys responsible for their girlfriend's injuries, and it saddened Thor that he lost the remote's friendship, since they had gotten along fairly well.

Apparently, the remote was also unable to understand that Darcy could, and would, have hurt herself. Darcy hoped she hadn't broken him, floating without any sign of recognition, because she wasn't sure Bruce would forgive her.

"Flit?"

The stereo flew in, playing some soothing song softly. He gave an apologetic bump on Clint's good shoulder, that Darcy had designated as a safe spot for everyone who liked to manhandle her boyfriend. Thor, that means you. Darcy tried not to delve on the fact that the AI Tony created while being a four year old was more mature than the one he built while he was adult. Sleep deprived, but adult nonetheless. There was probably some Freudian theory about it somewhere, but Freud always managed to give her a nasty headache.

The stereo pushed Zazu away, beeping softly. Clint slowly relaxed his defensive stance, looking at her.

"Next time you get kidnapped, bring him. He'll take them all out."

She chuckled.

"I'll think about it."

"Miss Lewis."

They turned around to see Coulson standing in the doorway. She smiled at him, trying to decipher his emotional state. Needless to say, she failed. Where was Bruce when you needed him?

"Sir. What can we do for you today?"

He gazed at her for a moment, unreadable, before he opened his mouth again.

"Loki has woken up. We thought you might be interested. You are our official liaison with him, after all."

Clint pursed his lips as he was bound to do when someone mentioned Darcy's deal with Loki. Even more since Loki came to join them in battle, saving her life in the process. No one knew what ground they stood on with Loki and it made them all uncomfortable, the archer more than anyone. He also didn't appreciate owing anything to the God of Mischief, especially his girlfriend's life.

Plus he hated the fact that he felt thankful for that. Thor, on the other hand, was enraptured to have a reason to hope his brother was redeemable at last. Without Loki, there's no telling how the fight would have gone. Even if his motives were still dubious.

He was still in one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s healthcare facility's. He hadn't woken up since the battle, but according to Thor it wasn't unusual for a warrior to fall deeply asleep after a hard battle to fully recover from it.

Darcy cocked her head to the side.

"Has he said anything?"

Coulson's lips twitched, though Darcy couldn't tell if it was from amusement or irritation.

"Oh, he said plenty. But apparently mortal painkillers do not mix well with Norse God. And Thor wore a bridal dress at some point in his existence. Loki seemed pretty enthusiastic about telling so to the nurse. Amongst other things."

Darcy snorted.

"Amongst other things?"

He was definitely grinning now. If you knew what to look for.

"He and Dr. Foster are forbidden from be in each other's company until one of them regains control over their thought processes, otherwise I fear our personnel will die of Unicorn Overdose."

Clint cackled.

"Is that a real thing?"

Coulson cocked his head again.

"No, but I'm sure Loki will be very happy to make it happen. Miss Lewis, are you coming?"

She smiled.

"Yep, just let me grab my coat and I'm ready. Clint?"

He nodded.

"You're not getting rid of me so easily, love."

She bumped against his shoulder.

"Come on, fledgling, let's get you suit up."

He rolled his eyes, and they both missed the fond look from Coulson.

OOOOOOO

The drive to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s HQ was quiet, Phil working on his pad, like he was bound to do when he had any down time. Apparently, saving the world from an alien invasion created a lot of paperwork and the blunt of it seemed to fall to Coulson. Luckily for him, the Avengers hadn't been called in since, giving him some time to work through it.

Defeating extra-terrestrial war lords had cooled all the terrestrial threats a bit. Fancy that.

Clint was silent, probably pondering once again the Loki Situation. Darcy focused on driving. She never thought too about her relationship with Loki and it hadn't turned out too bad. It was better to go with the flow with him. He can't throw a wrench into your plan if you don't have one.

She walked into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s lobby, Coulson and Clint on her heals. They reached the Medical Center where Thor and Natasha were waiting. The God was eager and anxious, while the spy remained unflappable. Darcy sighed and went to hug him.

He returned it tenfold and she ignored the little sob he gave. Natasha and Coulson averted their gaze, while Clint patted Thor solidly on the shoulder.

Darcy looked at the tall blond god.

"Do you want to go alone first?"

Thor sighed, shaking his head.

"I do want to, but I do not think it would be wise. My brother may not appreciate my presence."

Darcy frowned.

"You two really need to have a good talk. And I don't think anyone will let me go in there alone."

Clint huffed while Natasha and Coulson simply gave her an unimpressed look. Thor frowned, but shook his head.

"No, I will not come."

He turned to the others.

"Nor will you."

Clint opened his mouth to protest, but Thor raised a hand to shush him.

"No, Clint. Loki will want to talk to Darcy. Alone, as he did before. He came to save her. She deserves the chance to thank him in private."

Coulson dropped a hand on the archer's shoulder, holding him in place. The agent threw a passive look to Darcy.

"Be careful, Miss Lewis. Loki is even more unpredictable in his current state. If anything goes wrong, scream for us. We will wait here."

She nodded, squaring her shoulder. She really would have liked to have someone to come with her. Though she could get why it was preferable for Thor not to come along. Better to keep Loki in a good mood if it was possible.

She pushed the door open. The room was a dull gray, boring like every other hospital room in existence. Loki was lying on his back on the bed, eyes shut but his body was too tense to be asleep. She calmly walked in the room, eying the man, wary.

His usually sleek back hair had been washed and was curling all over, making his face look less snake-like. Gentler, more human.

It felt weird. Loki was always guarded, mysterious, hiding himself behind his artifice and fake smiles. Seeing him there, in a hospital jacket with his hair all fluffy, he looked terribly vulnerable. Like a mighty knight, stripped of his armor.

He looked so terribly weak now, weaker than Thor had ever been, even at his lowest when he had been cast out from Asgard and stranded on Earth. Loki had nothing. Nothing to protect himself from the rest of the world with. Thor had his love and his courage. Loki had pushed himself forward with his rage and his wit, but now he had nothing left.

He had let go of his anger to help them. He had been stripped of his wit by the drugs. Now he lay bare.

"I feel your pity from here."

Darcy snorted humorlessly, settling herself in the chair next to the bed.

"You seem awfully aware for someone apparently delirious on drugs. And I don't pity you."

He smirked, his eyes still closed.

"Humans are so entertaining when flustered. And everybody pities me at the moment."

She arched her eyebrows.

"I think we determined I'm not everybody the first time we met."

"Indeed."

She waited for more, but it became obvious she wasn't going to get it.

"I have no reason to pity you. Everything you suffered, you brought on yourself."

He finally opened his eyes, turning his head slightly to look at her.

"Is it so horrible to try and better your fate? Was it so horrible for me to try and become Thor's equal?"

His tone was harsh, bitter.

"Yes, when it's done at someone else's expense. When it makes someone else suffer. What would your life had been like if you had let things alone? A prince, living a prince's life. And yet, you killed hundreds of people because you felt wronged. You were the third most powerful person in the Nine Realms, and that wasn't enough for you. You threw it away. Yes, Loki, you brought everything upon yourself."

He looked at her for a long time.

"You hate me."

She shook her head.

"No, I don't. Some of your actions and reasons disgust me though."

He frowned and hissed.

"I saved your life."

She straightened herself.

"You did. And it's the only reason I'm not disgusted by you. There's hope for you yet. Maybe you can become better."

He smiled.

"Help me. You can make me a better man."

She smirked.

"That's bullshit, and you know it. If you change, it's going to be with your own help. I'm not that stupid."

He closed his eyes briefly.

"But with you by my side, it'll be easier."

She rolled her eyes.

"I thought you weren't going to try and lure me to your side, Loki. You were too afraid of the Avengers for that."

He shrugged a bit.

"They can't do anything if you come willingly."

She snorted humorlessly.

"I won't."

He pursed his lips.

"I know. I missed my chance. You were attracted to me."

Darcy knew better than to try and deny that.

"Yes. The glimour of power, of a dark and mysterious man. Of a bad boy. But I'm sorry, Loki, you never had a chance."

He turned on his back, gazing at the ceiling with a derisive grin on his lips.

"The Archer is a lucky man, Miss Lewis. I'm sorry I have lost my appeal."

She shook her head.

"As a man, he is worth so much more than you."

Loki arched an eyebrow, his stare still fixed on the ceiling.

"And as a god?"

She shook her head, sending her dark curls flying around.

"You're not a god. Not anymore. You are nothing more than an especially durable and gifted man. Nothing more than any member of my team."

He pursed his lips but didn't answer.

"One day, I will prove to you in which way I am nothing you've ever seen before."

She snorted.

"Start by accepting you are not the supreme being of the universe, and work up from there."

He finally looked back to her.

"What do I do now?"

He looked honestly lost. She shrugged awkwardly, wondering when she had become the 'Consultant For Slightly Unbalanced Wannabe Gods'.

"You atone for your actions. To us. To Thor. To the rest of your family."

She ignored his grimace at the term family, and went on.

"To the planet. Than you do whatever princes do in their free time."

He smiled wryly.

"You say it like it's easy."

She leaned forward, patting him lightly on the shoulder.

"Simple, Loki. Not easy. Life is never easy. Nor fair. Even when you're a prince."

She stood up and Loki looked slightly displeased.

"Leaving already?"

She cocked her head.

"I don't think I can do much more for you at the moment. You need to think about it by yourself."

Loki pinched his lips, but nodded his acceptance.

"Thank you, Miss Lewis."

She went to walk out, before turning back once more.

"Oh, and by the way. Consider talking to Thor. He is truly distressed. He misses you."

Loki didn't answer, but didn't seem particularly upset, which Darcy chose to take as a good sign.

"Good bye, Loki."

He finally looked at her.

"I'll make you forgive me."

She smiled, shaking her head once more.

"You can't make someone forgive you, Loki. The moment you understand why, I'll forgive you."

And she left.

OOOOOOOOO

"Miss Lewis?"

"Yes, Agent Coulson?"

"Loki disappeared."

"Has he? If I have to say, sir, I'm surprised he stayed this long."

"You and me both, Miss Lewis."

"Good night, sir."

"Likewise."

Chapter 26: Chapter 26

"Do I really have to?"

"Yes."

"Come on, Darcy!"

"Come on, Tony, act like your age, for once."

"Why are we doing this?"

"Because we all need to relax. We've been wound up so tight ever since the attack. We all deserve a break."

"Yeah, but seriously, horseback riding? Why not chess. Chess is relaxing. Chess is cool. Chess doesn't involve getting all soiled by animal shit, mud and dust."

"That's rich coming from the guy who's spent most of his life shoulder deep in motor oil."

Darcy and Tony stood on each end of the kitchen, glaring at each other. Darcy had her fist square on her hips, while Tony had crossed his arms, a disdainful turn on his lips. The rest of the team was seated at the table and appreciating the morning entertainment Darcy and Tony were unwillingly providing.

"Motor oil is different. It's not dirty. It's liquid innovation."

Darcy rolled her eyes.

"Uhu, and horse dung is an excellent fertilizer."

Tony sighed.

"Come on, Darcy, please!"

Darcy smiled, smelling her victory.

"Yes Tony. It'll do you some good to go back to your roots."

Tony pursed his lips.

"My family hadn't been on a farm for generations, Lewis."

Darcy arched an eyebrow.

"And you've suddenly decided to use your father as an example of what you should and shouldn't do? And don't call me Lewis."

Tony winced, but didn't answer her, turning around, to look at the rest of the kitchen's occupants.

"Don't tell me you all agreed to do that?"

Clint shrugged.

"I've done my fair share of riding in the circus. It'll be nice to know just how much I've forgotten."

Thor smiled.

"It has been a while since I had the chance to ride a horse. I have missed it."

Jane smiled at him, and didn't bother to answer. Everyone knew even she would take a break from work if it meant making her boyfriend happy, especially if it didn't involve smashing walls or people.

Natasha shrugged.

"Never know when it's going to come handy."

Tony raised an eyebrow.

"Horseback riding. In 2012."

Bruce shot him an unimpressed look.

"Clearly, Tony, you haven't visited about 70 percent of the planet. Just because you own about twenty usable cars doesn't mean everyone does."

Tony shook his head, as if the concept was disgusting to him.

"So you, Dr. Banner, who is working hard to avoid stressful environments, are going to visit a stable full of stressed animals."

Steve leaned forward.

"Honestly, Tony, I don't see why you're making such a fuss about this. It's only a weekend."

Tony sneered.

"Because we're all going to look like fools. And I don't look like a fool. It would ruin my reputation."

Darcy snorted.

"Yeah, because your pre-Iron Man life was the epitome of respectability and perfection."

Clint smirked.

"Even your post-Iron Man life..."

Tony slapped him on the back of the head.

"Shut up you. Your opinion doesn't count."

Clint looked hurt.

"Why?"

Tony smirked.

"Because you're whipped. Seriously, when was the last time you disagreed with your girlfriend?"

Steve frowned.

"Are you reproaching Clint because he treats his girlfriend with respect?"

Darcy nodded.

"Yes he is. And don't worry, Tony, Clint disagrees with me plenty. And don't pretend we don't all see just how much Pepper has you under her thumb."

Tony pursed his lips once more, but didn't comment. Darcy turned to the others.

"Alright, kids. I want everyone to have their stuff packed by tomorrow evening. We're leaving the day after tomorrow."

She turned around, leaving them behind, just in time to here Tony call out to Bruce.

"Hey, Brucie, is the boyfriend coming?"

And the long suffered sigh.

"Yes, Phil is coming with us."

He had long ago abandoned the idea of convincing Tony he wasn't going out with Phil. Darcy smiled.

OOOOOOOO

They all squeezed into a mini bus Tony bought for the occasion, claiming that if they were going to do a field trip they might as well go all out. Natasha sneered, snarking that Tony never set a foot in a school bus in his life. Tony replied he was doing it for Thor, Natasha, Clint and Steve, who had never experienced the joy and comfort the plastic seats. Darcy took a moment to ponder the fact that the only Avenger with anything resembling a typical education was Bruce.

There was something to be said about that.

Anyway, seeing Thor try to fit himself on a small bench while Phil pursed his lips in distaste at the wrinkles in his suit and Natasha curl up to go to sleep... well it was a sight to behold. She and Clint took turns gathering visual evidence. The archer himself was at ease, thanking his small frame and his training for fitting in the bus. Darcy was simply happy to have succeeded in kidnapping her team for the weekend. The Avengers really needed a break and hadn't gotten one since Loki morphed them back.

Darcy couldn't really go and ask him to change them into children/animals again. First because she had no idea where he was. Second because she still wasn't sure where the God of Mischief stood in the grand scheme of things. Third because she was sure, after the talk they had, that she didn't want to put her boyfriend at his mercy.

So, horseback riding it was. Despite all of Tony's protests. Darcy always liked horseback riding, but her family hadn't had enough money to indulge her regularly so she took weekends now and then. It had been a good while since her last trip, before her internship with Jane, and she had missed it. So when she managed to convince (read: pester him into agreeing) Fury to let take the team away for a few days, she decided she would bring them to share in her fun. Tony's reaction had been a predicted and welcomed bonus. The man could be such a snob some times.

She smiled at Clint, before looking out of the windows. The country side slid past her and she relaxed, feeling some long lasting tension drain out of her shoulders. New York was great, but she was a small town girl herself and she often found herself missing the sandy wilds of New Mexico. She saw Jane smile in a similar way and knew the both of them would have to enjoy the next few days since all the others were city people, needing to be in the center of everything all the time.

Darcy turned around to face Clint, who was sitting on the bench next to hers.

"You know, you'd run into far less trouble if you guys lived around here."

He shot her an amused look, knowing her love for less populated areas.

"Wouldn't be a great super-hero team if we weren't at the center of things. We'd always be late."

Tony piped in, without looking away from his tablet.

"Nothing wrong with being fashionably late."

Steve frowned.

"There is when lives are on the line, Tony."

Tony waved a dismissive hand to him, only to be stabbed in the ribs by one of Pepper's pointy elbows. He yelped, and switched benchs to get closer to the front next to Natasha, who gave him a warning look without even opening her eyes. She was that cool.

Coulson rubbed his eyes with his left hand, muttering something that sounded strangely like "You're all completely insane."

Darcy smiled, and reached for Clint's hand, squeezing it while she drifted to sleep.

OOOOOOO

The stable was clean, middle sized, with about twenty horses, and a handful of ponies. Darcy skipped in, breathing in deeply. She missed that smell. Clint followed, face open and eyes bittersweet like she knew his memories of the circus were.

Natasha kept close to Steve, who looked around in all his Golden Boy wonder. Pepper walked around in brand new equestrian clothes, dragging an overly reluctant Tony behind her. Thor trailed around inspecting the horses.

"These are from fine stock."

"Thank you, sir."

They all turned around to see a man approaching. He was of average height with a cowboy hat on, despite the stable being an English riding one. He smiled a bit.

"I'm Hamilton Slade. I'll help you around here for the next few days."

Darcy smiled, and skipped to him, extending her hand.

"Please to meet you! I'm Darcy Lewis. Thanks for letting us stay here."

He smirked, shaking her hand.

"Well, you pay for it, miss."

She smiled and dragged Clint forward.

"When do we begin?"

Hamilton smiled.

"Right away, Miss. Let's just bring your things to your rooms and we'll be all set."

She nodded, and dragged Clint behind her to the house close to the stable.

"Ow, woman, be gentle!"

"Shut up and take it, fledgling."

She heard Thor's laughter behind her, and the sound of footsteps following them.

It was going to be great!

OOOOOOO

They took about an hour to settle in before regrouping in the stable. Tony had changed in designer horse riding gear as well, probably set up by Pepper. Everyone else had horseback riding pants, also a gift from the CEO, though it had taken quite a bit a of persuasion to convince Phil and Thor to wear them. Everyone else was pretty used to wearing tights. Phil had declared he was only relieved the pants were black, and not bright blue like Steve's, or pink like Tony's.

Pepper could be a vindictive woman, when she had proper encouragement and a good opportunity. The chance to dress up Tony without any input of his own was a freaking great opportunity.

Darcy's pants were a normal beige, though she liked Tony's colour. She bet her ass would be rocking in that, but hey. It wasn't as if she was here to impress anyone. Her boyfriend already knew her ass rocked anyway, and the horse wouldn't really care.

Hamilton was waiting for them inside, hat still in place despite the dim lighting in the building. He smiled at them.

"Alright, folks. I'm going to assign you one horse, and you'll ride and take care of him, or her, for the weekend."

He looked around, smirking slightly.

"If you don't like the ride I give you, we have a few ponies for you to try."

Everyone shot a look at Tony, who turned his nose upward, haughtily ignoring them. Pepper shook her head.

"Thank you mister Slade. I'm sure Tony will be thrilled by your choice."

Tony pursed his lips even more. Natasha and Clint smirked, while Steve and Phil looked a bit weary. They were suffering from grave Tony overdose.

"Good, so we'll begin now. Miss Lewis sent me some descriptions of you all, and I matched you. I'm just going to verify now."

He took a piece of paper from his back pocket, throwing it a brief look.

"Dr. Banner?"

He looked up until Bruce walked forward. The cowboy smiled while he looked him over. Thankfully for him, going by Phil's slight shift, the gaze was more assessing than appreciating.

"Pleased to meet you. You're going to ride Dionysus."

He gesture to a medium grey horse who was sleeping in the back of his box. He looked at the doctor, and turned around slowly, pushing gently into Bruce's hand, requesting almost politely to be petted. Darcy almost cooed.

Hamilton continued.

"Natasha Romanoff?"

Nat took a step forward, cocking her head to the side. He nodded.

"You will have Artemis."

The small Arabian mare was staring at them steadily, looking distinctly unimpressed. She was light and thin, build for speed. Natasha smirked and stood beside the horse without petting her, which seemed to be perfectly alright with the mare.

"Steve Rogers?"

Steve raised his hand. For the first time, Hamilton seemed to doubt, that he made the right choice. He pondered the man for a long time, looking him square in the eyes. Finally, he nodded, still not thoroughly convinced, but willing to risk it nonetheless.

"You're with Ares. Be careful. He can be forceful when you aren't really expecting it."

The big bay horse looked at them, weighting them, a solemn air on his face. Him and Steve gazed at each other for a while before Steve reached out and firmly put his hand on Ares' neck. The horse kept calm.

"Thor?"

Thor beamed at him. Hamilton nodded.

"You will go with Zeus."

Only one word could be used to describe Thor's horse. Humongous. Like seriously enormous. It was at least a foot taller than Darcy at the back, all bulky muscles and palomino fur glistening in the soft lights.

Everyone stared wide eyeed at the creature, not really believing such a horse could exist this side of the Bifrost. Thor beamed even more and walked quickly to the beast who knock his head against Thor's, requesting attention and love while pushing the god in the wall and pressing against it.

Clint and Darcy shared a look and definitely tried not to imagine what Thor could get up to with his mighty stead. Seriously, disturbing thoughts. Disturbing thoughts.

"Philip Coulson?"

Coulson nodded.

"You have Hermes."

The horse was a whitish cream, looking old and weary. Phil cocked his head, assessing the horse, until he shrugged and stood by his side, the horse ignoring him.

"Jane Foster?"

Jane tore her look away from Thor and his monstrosity of a horse to smile at Hamilton.

"You have Athena."

The black mare was glaring at Ares, who didn't seem to have a clue what he was supposed to do with that. Jane nodded, and posted herself beside the mare, who finally looked at her and went happily to get herself petted.

"Pepper Potts?"

Pepper walked forward.

"You have Hera."

The tall white mare was glaring at Zeus at the moment and ignored Pepper completely, which seemed to put off the poor woman. Hamilton shook his head.

"Don't worry, she'll snap out of it."

Pepper nodded but didn't look really reassured.

"Tony Stark?"

Hamilton said the name like he couldn't really believe the billionaire was in his stable, and by the look of it, the billionaire couldn't believe it yet either.

"Yeah?"

"You'll ride Hephaestus."

The small, jumpy paint whirled around when Tony approached, prodding all over him while looking for anything interesting in the human. Tony frowned and tried to push him away to no avail until the horse took on pressing his mouth to Tony's shoulder, drooling on the expensive shirt. Tony looked thoroughly distressed, and Clint, Natasha, Phil and Darcy fished out their cell phones to capture the moment.

"Clint Barton?"

Clint didn't even stop his photo session to throw out an uninterested "Humm?" Hamilton cocked his head.

"You have Apollo."

The horse was currently rounding his neck, snorting to Aphrodite, flirting with all his might. Clint went to pet him, but the horse pushed his hand away, as if to say "Yeah, yeah nice to meet you buddy, but please, I'm busy here."

Clint chuckled, and let the poor horse get ignored on his own. Darcy smiled, and looked at Hamilton, since she was the only one left.

"And, last but not least, Darcy Lewis, you have Hestia."

Hestia was a small isabelline mare, looking at the others with a fond look. She let a sweet little whine when Darcy approached. Darcy fell in love with her kind brown eyes immediately.

Hamilton nodded at them.

"Good, guys, let's get on the saddle."

OOOOOOOO

Clint was brushing his horse, trying to get his attention long enough to push him on the other side. Having been pushed away by Aphrodite, he was now on a little slender mare named Daphné. Not that he wasn't going anywhere on that front either. Clint was wondering why the hell he had gotten stuck with the mares man in the place.

At least he was funny. Steve's horse looked far too serious, as far as Clint was concerned.

"Come on buddy, go over there. No, there! I need to clean your left side as well. Yeah, I swear. You have to be symmetrical."

Finally, the horse complied, moving to the side of the box where Hermes was getting groomed by Phil, both of them desperately straight to business. Clint didn't really know how to react when it appeared that Apollo also considered Hermes as a possible flirting victim.

Clint wondered whether horse shrinks existed. Suddenly, they heard a yelped, and they all saw a bolt of painted lightning zoom past them. Pepper yelled.

"Tony!"

The billionaire appeared, with hay in his hair.

"I didn't do anything! I swear he picked the lock!"

"It's a horse! He can't pick a lock!"

Hamilton came into the stable, leading a strangely smug looking horse inside with him. A horse shouldn't look smug. A horse shouldn't be able to look smug. But Hepheastus managed, covered in mud and grass as he was. Hamilton swatted him lightly on the neck.

"Don't worry about it, Mr. Stark. He has a knack for opening doors, we always considered renaming him Houdini."

Tony shot a Look at Pepper, who looked a bit sheepish for at yelling at Tony for nothing, not that the man didn't deserve it for all the times she didn't yell at him when he did something stupid. He took his horse, and led it back in his box, petting him on the nose.

"You know what, buddy? I think we'll get along just fine."

Phil appeared from behind his horse.

"God save us."

Clint shot Phil a wary look.

"Yeah, boss, you'd have thought we would have managed to find a stable with normal horses."

Phil's mouth twitched.

"I heard normality is overrated, Barton."

Clint smirked and shrugged.

"I wouldn't know, sir."

OOOOOOOO

Bruce took a deep bracing breath before finally climbing on top of his horse. Dionysus was a bit shy, but very joyful and a bit overbearing once you got past that. Bruce simply smiled good naturally, letting the poor beast have his fun. Apparently, it implied poking him repeatedly with his head, snorting into his shoulder, and trying to take a bite out of his boot.

Though the gray horse had had a strange glint in his eyes when Hephaestus ran past them, a mad sparkle that warned the other one not to get close to him, not that the other cared. Bruce had cocked his head to the side.

It figured. Dionysus was the God of Insanity, of course he got the slightly unbalanced horse. But he ultimately shrugged it off for the moment. The horse hadn't been anything but a bit too enthusiastic. If he couldn't give a horse a chance, how could he expect other people to do the same for him.

He tried to settle himself comfortably on the saddle, but he couldn't help but feel out of place. He was too busy trying to find his mark to notice Darcy's approach on her discreet mare.

"Are you alright, Bruce?"

He turned his head, not trusting himself to try and move his horse just yet. Darcy was beside him, looking very at ease on her mount. He shrugged.

"Fine, I guess. I haven't really ever ridden."

She smiled, and leaned over, patting his shoulder. Bruce admired the fact she was ready to put herself in such an unbalanced position. Though, looking at her mare, Bruce could get the point. Hestia looked entirely non-violent.

"Don't sweat it. Everything will be fine."

He nodded, until he was interrupted be a keen whine. They turned around, just in time to see Apollo, who Clint was trying to hold back, do a weird move that could only be described as seducing to Herms while Phil was already in saddle.

They had all laughed for a while now at Apollo's unrequited attempts, but now the move got the Palomino a bit too close to Phil and Hermes, who had done his best to make himself scarce, suddenly lashed out and kicked Apollo straight in the under belly. Apollo screamed and ran away, dragging Clint behind him once more. The archer swore and shouted while trying to regain his footing.

"You stupid animal. What the hell were you thinking! Of course he wasn't going to go after you. Will you stop!"

Darcy burst out laughing, while Bruce turned back to see how Phil fared. He was perfectly fine, still in the saddle, patting the horse's neck soothingly. The horse went back to his unassuming appearance, managing to bring back out his Poor Old Horse persona, like he hadn't kicked a youngster ass.

Clint managed to drag Apollo back, climbing on.

"Sorry, boss."

Phil waved his apologies away. Darcy turned to him.

"Is it just me, or are the horses a bit too similar to us?"

Bruce smiled.

"I think Clint will take offence to that."

Darcy shrugged.

"Nah, he thinks Apollo's funny. What about you, how do you feel about your horse?"

He cocked his head.

"I'm not sure I want to be compared with Dionysus…"

Darcy smiled.

"Why not? He's a good guy, just a bit extreme when angered."

Bruce pursed his lips, but he couldn't really deny that. He shrugged once more.

"We'll see."

Thankfully, Darcy didn't push.

OOOOOOOO

Pepper and Tony rode side by side, the first ones out behind Hamilton since they were the only couple in which neither of them had any experience whatsoever in horseback riding. Their guide himself was riding a jet black horse named Thanatos. Pepper was a bit nervous, though her mare was the perfect picture a regal and serenity, while Tony's own gelding was skittish and jumpy.

Tony was babbling, like he was wont to do when he was nervous, even though he thought he was really smooth about it and it never showed. Pepper smiled fondly, humouring him.

"You know, I think I could upgrade the armor to deploy faster, if I tweaked it a bit. Maybe I could ask Bruce to help me. He as pretty good idea. Bruce do you-"

Pepper elbowed him in the ribs quickly, before he could fully form his sentence. She turned around, and yes, she interfered in time. Bruce was still obliviously taking with Phil, seemingly fully engrossed in their discussion. Phil looked up, meeting her eyes briefly, before turning back to the scientist. Pepper smiled sweetly.

She turned back to Tony, who was looking at her with an affronted look on his face.

"Pepper, it was in the name of science!"

She frowned.

"No science. We're here to relax. And will you leave Bruce and Phil alone!"

Tony rolled his eyes.

"There is nothing going on, according to Bruce. So I'm perfectly entitled to needle him a bit. Anyway seriously, Coulson?"

Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Phil is an amazing man, Tony. And anyway, just because you can jump on someone pretty easily doesn't mean everybody can. So will you leave Bruce to work himself through it alone?"

"Amazing man? He's a glorified pencil push- Wait, work himself through it? Is there something going on? God, you've been talking with Coulson. I want to know."

"I'm not telling you, Mister Stark."

Tony smirked.

"I'm counting this as betrayal, Miss Potts. Choosing your BFF over your boyfriend. You should be ashamed."

Pepper smiled coyly over her shoulder, before turning back toward Hamilton. Tony arched an eyebrow, before kicking his horse to try and go back aside Pepper.

However, the nervous gelding answered a bit too well, jumping forward in his rush to obey his rider without looking and running straight into Hera. Pepper yelped and grabbed her mare's neck while she turned around to snap at Hephaestus, who jumped once again, this time away to escape the older mare's teeth. Hera gave Hephaestus a contemptuous look, not unlike the one a lady would give a young stray that bothered her without threatening her in any real way.

Pepper, regaining her balance, started laughing while Tony managed to calm his own horse enough to convince him to go back beside Hera. Poor little thing kept trying to get away.

Pepper reached out to grab Tony and drew him to her to kiss him chastely on the lips, smiling. Suddenly, Tony was torn away once again, trying to steady himself on his horse's neck once more only to find it had disappeared. He fall forward until he hit it, realizing Hephaestus was grazing. He pulled himself upright once more, looking at Pepper to see she was hiding her laughter behind a classy hand. He huffed, hitting the horse's neck while kicking him into motion once more. Hephaestus obeyed right away, trotting a bit until he reached Hera once more before settling happily with his mouth full of grass.

"Well, I have to say, it's the first time I've been cock blocked by a horse."

Hephaestus snorted.

"It's no laughing matter, you stupid animal."

Pepper raised an eyebrow.

"Tony, be nice with your horse."

Tony stuck his tongue out at her, only to be answered by Hera.

"Pepper, I think these horses are human."

Hamilton laughed in front of them.

OOOOOOOOO

They stopped for lunch, pulling out picnic blankets which Darcy claimed reminded her of her first date with Clint, to which the archer answered by kissing her softly.

Jane was looking at them from far away, smiling softly. For all her ex-intern claimed not to believe in true and immortal love, her relationship with Clint was pretty much as close as it could get for an all human couple. Jane couldn't help but remember their shameless flirting before Clint officially asked Darcy out, and was glad for Phil's interference. Jane had called him after the first day Clint had been at the lab, asking for him to send the agent more in exchange for her cooperation.

Phil did his job perfectly, as he always seemed to do. Not that any of them would admit any interference to the couple, not knowing how they would react. Jane was afraid Darcy's insecurities with love would come back.

In her musing, she didn't notice Thor's approach, which was surprising in itself. As much as she loved Thor, he was never the discreet type. Only when he stood in front of her did she look up into his gorgeous blue eyes. She frowned when she noticed his slightly nervous look. Thor was never nervous, not even when he prepared to fight off an alien invasion. He claimed the last time he had been, it had been the day of his almost coronation. She cocked her head, questioning him with his eyes.

He extended his hand, which she took, and pulled her upright. Thor took a deep breathe.

"Dearest Jane, I wish to speak with you."

Jane opened her mouth, confused, and feeling a rising dread, but settled on nodding at the end. Nodding was safe. Thor looked at her eyes for a bit before speaking again, caressing the back of the hand he still held.

"Jane, I have questioned my friends on the customs of Midgard for this, and I wish for you to forgive me if I am mistaken."

She frowned, lost. Finally, Thor kissed her knuckles, and let her hand go, knelling in front of her. Her heart shot to her throat.

"Thor?"

He took a small square box out of his pocket.

"Jane, I love you and wish to do so for eternity. Will you be my wife?"

He opened the box, showing a thin band with a shining diamond. But Jane didn't even look at it, staring at Thor, she hid her mouth behind her hand, letting out a little happy sob. Everyone was looking at them, frozen. She nodded. Again, and again. Until she found her voice back.

"Yes. Yes, Thor, a thousand times yes!"

Thor beamed, and jumped to his feet, hugging her for all his might. Pepper and Darcy squealed and whisked Jane away as soon as Thor let her go. Clint, Tony and Steve went to clap Thor on the back.

Bruce and Phil stayed a bit behind, exchanging amused and fond looks with Hamilton.

Tony called out.

"Thanks a lot, big guy, now our girlfriends will have expectations!"

Jane's happy laugh reverberated through the meadow.

OOOOOOO

Clint flopped down on the bed, lying spread eagle, freshly washed, while Darcy walked to their trunk gloriously naked.

"I'm so sore! I hurt everywhere. I'm officially not moving for the next week."

Darcy shot him an amused look, taking something out of the suitcase. She walked back to him, and straddled him, wriggling a bit, which drew a rough growl out of him.

He settled his hand on her hips, looking at her with half-lidded eyes. She smiled, bending down to brush her lips across his.

"Not moving for a week?"

She knew she sounded smug, but both of them knew he wasn't going to push her away. He smirked a bit, nibbling at her bottom lip.

"I think I could manage something."

She smirked, rolling against him, enjoying the moan he rewarded her with.

"I thought so."

She dropped the condom beside his head and proceeded to kiss the lights out of him.

Chapter 27: 27

Darcy rolled over in bed. It was their last day at the stable, and Hamilton had planned a day long trek, much to Tony's dismay. The billionaire had come to terms with the idea of horseback riding, but he preferred when they stayed at the stable. More occasions to get up to no good with his horse.

Darcy smiled, as she remembered. She had no idea how Tony managed to teach Hephaestus how to help him in his schemes, but there was no arguing that it worked. The painted horse was brilliant, if a bit twitchy, and their resident billionaire showed him how to pick pockets.

And it freaking worked.

The horse managed to pick Pepper's cell phone out of her pocket yesterday, and if there was something Pepper always noticed, it was the geographical situation of her cell phone. The only ones who noticed were Hermes, Phil, and Natasha, and they don't count because they always notice everything, anyway. The rest of them mere mortals only noticed when the horse gave it back to her, covered in drool. Clint had sworn the horse looked smug. Darcy still thought he was projecting, despite the archer's protest.

Hermes had snorted and headbutted Hephaestus with a fond, exasperated look in his eyes, as if saying: You're an idiot, you know that? Apollo had whinnied, jealous that Hermes would pay attention to someone else and ignore him completely.

Darcy had been to a lot of stables during her life, but never found one where horses seemed so human. It would be slightly disturbing if it wasn't so much fun.

She looked at her boyfriend who was still asleep, mouth open. She smiled fondly, and looked back at the clock. She had time for a shower before she had to wake him up. She rose to her feet, throwing one last look at Clint, taking a moment to ogle his chest left bare by the fallen sheet.

She smiled, letting him sleep in peace.

When she got back he was still sleeping, but was now curled in the warm spot she left behind. Abandonment issues, you said?

She rolled her eyes fondly and raised the cold glass of water she brought from the bathroom. She took a moment to aim, knowing she would never hear the end of it from him if she missed.

When she was pretty sure of her aim, she threw the content of the glass at his face. He bolted upright, dragging the sheets and bedcovers with him, raising his phone threateningly.

Darcy smiled at him, cocking her hips.

"Good morning, fledgling."

Clint relaxed his shoulders, throwing his phone on the bed. One of his hands rubbed his eyes, willing them to awake, while the other tried to brush the water out of his hair.

"Have I told you lately that's harsh?"

Darcy smiled at him, skipping to him and smacking a noisy kiss on his cheek.

"Yep, you have."

He smirked at her. She swatted him lightly on the chest.

"Go shower."

Barton lifted an amused eyebrow.

"Don't you think I'm wet enough as it is?"

She gave him a stern look and he chuckled, heading for the bathroom. The truth was, Clint was usually a really light sleeper, woken by the smallest out of the ordinary noise. It had been bothersome when they started sleeping together, up until his brain recognized her as harmless and stopped waking him up every time she moved.

But here, for some reason, Clint slept like a rock and the only way Darcy had found to wake him up was cold water. It had led to a troublesome situation the first morning, where the closest thing to Clint's hand hadn't been his phone but a gun he hid the day before.

Clint still felt bad about that one, not that anything happened. He had her in his sight for a split second before his head caught up with his body and threw the gun away. He'd sworn while cradling her against his body, convinced he had traumatized her for life. She had burst out laughing, hugged him back, and reminded him she had been kidnapped by an alien. She could handle a slightly paranoid boyfriend.

Clint didn't look any less guilty, but Darcy knew it would fade in time. The archer was usually pretty easy to distract.

Darcy went down to the dining room, checking if she had to go and wake up anyone else. Thor and Jane were already there. The scientist was holding herself weird, sore as she was. Jane, as much as she appreciated the experience, was relieved that they were going back to New York soon. She claimed she needed to lie in bed for the next few weeks to stop her body from aching.

And then stroll all around S.H.I.E.L.D., to show off her ring. Jane was freaking ecstatic about her ring. Well, about the wedding it promised, more so.

Darcy, Natasha and Pepper, who weren't too happy to question everything that happened, tried to determine which one of the Avengers had helped out Thor .

Of course, manly men they all were, no one wanted to admit they gave Thor the tip about proposing during a picnic while they were on vacation. Natasha and Darcy narrowed it down to either Clint, who had displayed a liking for picnic's in the past, and Bruce, who had more sensibility then the others.

The ring was attributed to Phil and Tony. Phil because it was beautiful without being over the top and simple, like only he would understand Jane would want. Tony because someone had to pay for rocks that size.

And the actual proposal could only be attributed to Steve, everyone knowing Thor knew the team too well to actually trust anyone else to actually tell him how the proceed.

Darcy was simply amused by the thought of the Manly Men of the team putting so much effort into a marriage proposal. Romance wasn't dead yet.

When interrogated about it, Tony simply grumbled about Stupid Norse Gods creating expectations. Pepper thought it was hilarious. Natasha too.

Darcy had simply wondered whether or not she was ready for a wedding. From what she could gather from the looks Clint kept giving her over the last few days, he was asking himself the same thing.

Anyhow, Natasha and Steve were also at the table, early bird they were, discussing something in low tones. Darcy cocked her head.

"Anyone heard from Tony and Pepper?"

Natasha looked at her briefly, smiling a bit.

"Pepper just texted me she was currently trying to wake Tony up."

Darcy pursed her lips. Pepper would eventually succeed, but there was no telling whether it would be on time or not. She looked at Steve.

"Their room is on the ground floor, right?"

Steve nodded. Darcy looked around, finally spotting Hamilton who was reading in an armchair nearby.

"Hey Hamilton, just how averse are you to having a horse in the house?"

He looked up, smirked and shrugged.

"As long as you clean up afterward."

"Who's cleaning up?"

Clint was standing at the bottom of the stairs, a puzzled expression playing in his eyes. Darcy gestured him over.

"Come on, fledgling, let's get Hephaestus in here."

Clint followed her, raising an eyebrow.

"Hephaestus, why?"

"To wake Tony up, come on!"

They reached the stables and Darcy went in first, patting Hestia on the nose when the small mare popped her head out. They reached Hephaestus' stall where the painted horse was eying them carefully, his tail twitching like it was wont to do. Darcy smiled, and started to tie him up. the horse crossed his eyes, trying to keep watching her hands and she laughed, petting him briefly on the forehead. Then she handed the rope to Clint, since Hephaestus wouldn't be led by women.

Go figure.

They led the gelding back to the house. It took a good five minutes to convince him to actually go inside.

Steve, Thor and Jane stared at them when they passed through, Natasha merely sporting a little knowing smirk.

Darcy knocked on the door, and waited for the weary "Enter", before opening the door. She popped her head inside.

"Come on Pepper, go take a break. We'll handle it."

The CEO gave them a grateful look and rushed out, only to freeze at the sight of Hephaestus. She looked between the three of them, before sighing and shaking her head while walking towards the kitchen.

"I live in a madhouse."

Darcy cackled, and patted Clint's shoulder.

"The floor is yours, fledgling. I'm going to see how Bruce and Coulson are faring."

The archer nodded and waited for her to be a bit farther away before entering the room. She smiled and skipped up the stairs, knocking on Bruce and Coulson's door. The two men had been set up in the only room with two separate beds, the one usually used for kids. Coulson had arched an eyebrow when Hamilton had commented upon it, but neither he nor Bruce dignified the remark with an answer.

These two should give seminars, they'd become rich. How to be cool as a cucumber, or something like that. Tony would have ideas.

She heard a calm "Come in," and she did so. Phil was sitting in the armchair in the corner, while Bruce was finished buttoning up his shirt. They both nodded to her.

"Hey boys! Sleep well?"

Coulson's mouth quirked up a bit while Bruce rolled his eyes, and went to hug her. She returned it enthusiastically. The vacation made the doctor a bit more touchy freely, which she appreciated a lot. Between that and Clint's improved sleep, the break was well on its way to become her best idea ever.

Phil fished out his phone, slipping it in his pocket as he stood up.

"Is everyone downstairs already?"

Darcy smirked.

"Nope, but it shouldn't be long. We're only missing Tony."

They all heard the high pitched scream that pierced through the house. Darcy beamed.

"Scratch that. Tony's up."

"BARTON! You fucking son of a bitch! What the fucking hell! I'll crush you! No more fucking arrows! Get Hephaestus out of here!"

Then they all heard the sound of a canter out of the door, and Darcy understood that Hephaestus hadn't waited for Clint before seeing himself out. Phil had raised an unimpressed eyebrow and Bruce, while the scientist chuckled with mirth. Phil sighed.

"Sometimes, I worry that you two are amongst the most mature of this Initiative."

Darcy shrugged.

"Hey, that's why we keep the Cap and Tasha around. You and Pepper aren't half bad either."

Phil's mouth twitched once again, and he shook his head as he exited the room. Darcy chuckled once more, bumping her shoulder against Bruce's, only to have the scientist wrap an arm around her waist and kiss her cheek chastely. She looked up, and smirked.

"So, you and Coulson?"

Bruce groaned, and pushed her away lightly.

"Come on, Darce. You're worse than Tony sometimes."

"Hey! I'm wounded."

Bruce arched an eyebrow at her.

"Please Darcy, leave it alone."

She sighed, and waved an accusing finger at him.

"Fine. But you got to remember, Brucy, you're not a monk. Stop trying to live like one."

She turned on her heels and walked away, hearing Bruce sigh in her wake. The doctor caught up pretty quickly, falling into step beside her.

Everyone was seated now, waiting for the both of them. Tony shot her a dirty look. Hm, apparently someone sold her out. By the looks of it, it was probably Thor as the god looked a bit guilty. Or it was Clint, who looked far too pleased with himself.

Tough to tell.

Darcy slid beside Clint, Phil already on the other side. The Agent was talking with Pepper about the possible locations for Jane's and Thor's future wedding. The lovebirds had already, if they ever had it, crossed out the possibility of organizing their own celebration. Between the security S.H.I.E.L.D. would insist upon, the few... hard-heads in the team, and Tony's persistent insistence that he was paying for everything, well, Jane kind of dropped the matter into Tasha's and Pepper's hands.

The two formidable women were more than happy to take the responsibility, claiming it would be a great change and would give Pepper an excuse to escape particularly boring meetings.

"Hey, I've got to go. I have to plan the wedding of the Norse God who spends his time saving the world!"

There was a nice ring to it. Hamilton was discussing with Bruce and Steve about the itinerary for the day. Darcy was about to start a blueberry war with Tony when everyone's phone except Jane's and Pepper's started ringing shrilly.

Darcy groaned. Coulson answered, and gestured to the team to round up their gear. Everyone went back to their rooms, Clint taking a minute to kiss Darcy, and hug her close, knowing how much she had wanted this to go swimmingly.

Phil hung up just when Thor, Clint, Natasha returned. Tony was suiting up and was linked to them already anyway. Steve came in last while Bruce never really left. He didn't have much to gather.

Phil looked at them.

"Doom is attacking Miami. Fury is sending a jet to get us there."

He shot a look at Hamilton, who appeared unfazed by the ordeal.

"We'll send agents to get everything we left here. Thank you for your hospitality, it was appreciated. Darcy, Pepper, Jane, a copter will arrive shortly to bring you three back to the mansion."

Darcy nodded, feeling glum. Jane squeezed her shoulder. They heard the loud rumble of the plane and the team left. Darcy looked around and muttered.

"I'm going to go say goodbye to Hestia."

The other girls nodded and followed her to the stable. They all spent the next few minutes petting their respective horses.

Darcy's mare felt her sadness, and poked her lightly with her nose, nuzzling her face. She chuckled a bit until they heard the copter arrive. They shared a long look before sighing and moving out of the barn.

The pilot motioned them over and, with a last wave at Hamilton, they were gone.

OOOOOOO

The ride back was quiet, Pepper sorting out some business on her phone while Jane started planning the experiment she would start once she got back to her lab.

They also took out a tablet to follow the team's progress. Finally, after fifteen minutes of silence, Pepper exhaled.

"They arrived."

Darcy sighed, but as usual ignored the video feed Jane and Pepper squeezed themselves in front of. At the moment, she would do anything to have Zazu and Flit with her. She didn't really want to delve on the fact she had become slightly dependent on mechanical appliances.

Finally, they landed at S.H.I.E.L.D. where a car was waiting to bring them back to the Mansion. Pepper started to walk that way. Darcy followed until she reached the hallway she knew Coulson's and Fury's offices occupied. She paused, and looked back at the other girls.

"You know what? Go on ahead, I'll follow later."

Pepper raised an eyebrow, and looked at the hallway, visibly recognizing which one it was and guessing what Darcy was about to do. She arched an eyebrow and looked at Jane.

"Didn't you say you'd like to go to your lab for a bit?"

Jane frowned, oblivious at what just happened.

"What? Yes, but wh-"

Pepper grabbed her arm, and started directing the astrophysicist toward the R&D level. She briefly looked over her shoulder to Darcy.

"Come and get us when you're ready to leave."

Darcy smile gratefully at her. She had such great friends. She turned on her heels, walking purposefully toward The Office. When she arrived, the door was half open, signaling Fury is open to visitors. Darcy took a deep breath, and pushed the door fully open without knocking, which she knew the Big Boss didn't like. At all.

He raised his head from the piece of paper he had been reading, leveling a one eyed glare at her. Darcy glared back fisting her hands on her hips.

They spent a few minutes like this, weighting each other and daring the other to stand down first. Finally, Fury opened his mouth to speak slowly, in a carefully forced way.

"Miss Lewis."

She sneered.

"Director Fury."

He pinched his lips.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Darcy leered at him.

"You know perfectly well why I'm here. You promised!"

Fury raised an eyebrow, and lowered his head, returning to his reading, supremely unconcerned about whatever she had to say.

"I'm afraid that you're entertainment has been judged less important than the safety of the country."

Darcy chocked on her saliva.

"Less impor-"

She took two huge strides, banging her fist on the desk about two inches away from the sheet, some kind of report. Fury's head snapped up, startled by the unusual attitude. Not many people stood up to him and Darcy was pretty sure Phil's arguments were more moderated.

"You promised you would leave them alone! For four days! You swore! I have the paper, signed by your own hand, to prove it."

Fury raised an eyebrow.

"I understand your frustrati-"

She through her hands up.

"No you don't! You don't understand, because you don't care!"

She leaned back forward, looking him straight in the eye.

"If your word doesn't mean anything, if your signature doesn't bind you down, than nothing does. Than you're nothing more than a two faced bastard."

Fury frowned, pursing his lips.

"I think you're having difficulty understanding your position in this organization, Miss Lewis."

Darcy smirked, still about a foot away from Fury.

"I think you don't quite get that I'm the girl in charge the Avengers, and that if you lose me, you'll have a fucking hard time keeping them together and functional. You also seem to forget I'm your principal, if not only, liaison with Loki. I don't think now would be a good time to fire one of the only people in here he's willing to contact."

Darcy cocked her head, losing her smirk.

"I know I don't speak with Presidents or Prime Ministers or mob lords, but mark my words Fury, I can make your life pretty difficult if I'm so inclined."

She straightened up, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Luckily for you, I'm pretty cozy on the good side and I'll never put the team in the situation they would have to chose between you or me because no one will win. But don't ever, ever, go back on your word again. I told Coulson once I'd have no qualms giving Tony free reign on your internal network, and I assure you my threat still stands."

Fury looked at her for a moment, weighting her. Assessing her. He cocked his head.

"You would have made a fine agent, Lewis."

Darcy gave him a joyless smile.

"I'm pretty happy where I'm now, sir. And flattery will get you nowhere, especially not out of this mess."

Fury sighed.

"What do you want?"

She exhaled, relaxing her stance a little.

"The team needs a break from time to time. A moment when they know they won't be called, so they can really, truly, relax. I want you to promise me that."

Fury stared at her for a long moment, and really the man was good at wordless gazes. Darcy wasn't half bad either, though. She waited.

"How much time do you want?"

Darcy gathered all her strength to keep herself from smiling.

"Two days a month, which we can accumulate if we don't take it right away."

Fury cocked his head, considering the proposition.

"Fine, but you can't take more than a week at a time, no matter how much you've amassed."

Darcy paused but nodded. That was fair. She extended her hand. He waited for a moment again, before nodding, and shaking it.

"Deal."

"Deal."

She went to go out, before turning back to him.

"I want it all on paper by tomorrow morning, and it will be signed by you, myself and Coulson."

Fury smirked, but nodded.

"You would have made a great agent, Miss Lewis."

She arched an eyebrow.

"Is that a yes?"

Fury lowered his head one last time.

"I'll have agent Coulson bring the paperwork to you as soon as he's free."

Darcy nodded and walked out of the office. As soon as she was out, she took a moment to breath in fully a couple of times.

God, she hated doing that. Name dropping always disgusted her, and using her team as blackmail material even more. But it was necessary. There was no other way she knew of that would get Fury to listen to what she said. Her only asset was her connection to the Avengers.

When she got her nerves back under control, she went down to the level of Jane's lab. Pepper and Jane were still there-she really loved her friends- watching some news channel on the TV. She spared a look and saw a couple of repulsor blasts.

"How is it going?"

Pepper looked at her for a moment, assessing how the meeting had gone. Darcy nodded once, and Pepper smiled at her, before answering.

"Nothing they can't handle."

Darcy nodded, and gestured to the door.

"Ready to go?"

They both nodded, and gathered their things. Jane shot one last concerned look at the TV before leaving the room. Darcy patted her shoulder, not sure what she could do. She never could understand why Jane worried so much about her fiancé, who was virtually invincible, but she had an inkling it had to do with seeing him pretty much dead when the Destroyer came to Puerto Antiguo.

The ride was short, since apparently traffic receded when there was an attack somewhere. As it usually happened in New York, it was the first time Darcy had the chance to test the hypothesis-yes, she maybe was spending too much time with Bruce- and so far the evidence was conclusive of a 'yes'.

Darcy was the first one to enter the mansion, and was automatically charged by two bored appliances. Zazu nuzzled her neck and posted himself there, giving away no intention of ever moving away. Flit flew around, playing a Welcome Song Darcy was pretty sure came from My Little Pony.

Maybe they should have brought them, but none of the resident knew how they would react at being out in the world. So they decided to take the chance to leave them alone at the mansion with JARVIS to make sure they didn't cause too much trouble and/or destroyed anything expansive.

They took up their usual roles up easily: Jane and Pepper settling in the viewing room while Darcy went to her room, lying in her bed with Zazu.

OOOOOOOOO

She didn't realize she fell asleep until Clint shook her awake.

She opened one eye and groaned, turning around to check the clock. It was four in the afternoon. She had been asleep for about five hours.

"Hey."

Clint smiled, and flopped on the bed beside her.

"Hey yourself."

Darcy propped herself on an elbow, getting a good look at him. He was wearing clean clothes and he wasn't covered in dust, blood, or any combination of the two so she guessed he showered at HQ before coming home.

"Already done?"

Clint smirked.

"Yep. Apparently Doom's bots had some kind of bug in their programming and Tony was able to use it to shut them down."

Darcy nodded, and leaning in to kiss him slowly on the mouth, savoring it.

"Good to have you back."

Clint nodded, cocking his head, eyes a bit sad.

"It's just too bad we had to leave the barn for that. I was looking forward to that trek."

Darcy shrugged.

"We'll have other chances."

Clint nodded and started poking her in the ribs, pushing her toward the edge of the bed. She groaned in protest.

"Why do I have to move, exactly?"

Clint kissed her neck, chuckling.

"Because Thor was depressed we missed our last day of vacation, and the only thing we found to brighten him up a bit was to promise a pizza and movie night, at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s expense."

Darcy chuckled, and allowed herself to be led toward the door.

"What are we watching?"

Clint slipped an arm around her waist.

"Lord of the Rings."

Darcy gasped.

"Oh my god! I so totally forgot Thor and Steve hadn't seen that series! How could we let that happen?"

Clint shrugged.

"Because we were never sure we wouldn't get interrupted in the middle of it."

Darcy arched an eyebrow.

"And we are now?"

Clint smirked.

"Nope, but we decided we didn't care since S.H.I.E.L.D. ruined the last day of our break."

Darcy nodded.

OOOOOOO

Watching the Lord of the Rings with the Avengers was certainly an interesting experience. Steve and Thor were drawn into the story from the very beginning of Galadriel's introduction, taking a particular likening to Frodo and Sam. Tony and Clint unsurprisingly cheered for Merry and Pippin, while Natasha, Pepper, Jane and Darcy ogled Aragorn without any shame. Bruce watched them with an amused smile, being partial to Gandalf himself.

At some point, Jane and Darcy got into an argument over Legolas' attractiveness, Jane claiming he was dreamy and Darcy arguing blond really wasn't Orlando Bloom's color. It was concluded by Natasha hitting both of them with a cushion, and settling that Aragorn was much better anyway.

Not that anyone argued, thank you very much.

Surprisingly, they all manage to stay up until the end of the third movie, in the wee hours of the morning. Thor and Steve seemed deeply moved by it. Cap may have shed a tear when Aragorn knelt in front of the hobbits and tried to hide it, something everyone saw but no one remarked on.

As soon as the ending credits began to roll, Darcy relinquished her hold on consciousness, letting herself slip in to sleep, head on Clint's shoulder and feet on Bruce's lap.

OOOOOOOO

They were awoken by Coulson, who was standing in the entrance of the room, his eyes amused even if his face remained unflappable. Darcy took a moment to look around, noticing everyone was still present, most of them still asleep. The only one's that weren't were her, Clint and Natasha.

The movement of the archer under her head when he twisted to look and the agent was what woke her and she swatted him lightly for it. He looked a bit sheepish, but that was the end of it. She smiled at Coulson, and put her feet down, gesturing to him to sit down. He nodded in thanks.

When he was settled, he handed her a file. She frowned at him, questioning. His mouth twitched.

"Your contract with Director Fury."

She smiled, opening it up to make sure the boss hadn't changed any of the terms they agreed to. He apparently hadn't, and Darcy checked for his and Coulson's signature at the bottom of it.

When she looked up, passing the sheets to Clint to see what he thought about it, Coulson was watching her, his expression carefully unreadable.

"You think I'm asking too much?"

The agent shook his head infinitesimally.

"No. I'm surprised you asked for it at all. To Fury directly at the very least."

Coulson knew, and he was the only one, that Darcy went far out of her way to try and have as few contacts with the Director as possible. She much preferred to deal with Coulson.

She knew where Coulson stood and what he worked for: the good of the country, and all that jazz.

She didn't know why Fury did his job, and that unnerved her. That, and his tendency to believe the end justified the means.

She shrugged.

"It was for the team."

Coulson gave her a small smirk and if his hand inched toward Bruce, Darcy wasn't going to tell.

"Everything for the team, Miss Lewis?"

She smiled, squeezing Clint hand, while he read.

"Exactly, sir."

Chapter 28: 28

"No, what I'm saying is that a dragon would make an awesome pet for us!"

"Tony, don't you think you're all enough trouble without adding a fire breathing disproportionate flying lizard in the mix?"

"I apologize, dear Pepper, but I quite agree with the Man of Iron. A dragon would be mighty companion for our household!"

"Great. Now you've corrupted Thor as well."

Darcy laughed, barely restraining herself from snorting through her nose and covering poor Steve in grape juice. Pepper turned around, sending a mild glare at her.

"It's your fault, Darcy. You're the one who made them watch 'How to train your dragon'."

Darcy shook her head, trying to regain her breathing.

"I didn't. I suggested it. Jane and Clint insisted. Blame them."

Pepper pursed her lips.

"Don't worry, I will."

Darcy smiled, and skipped to Thor, patting him lightly on the arm.

"I'm sorry Thor, but dragons don't exist over here."

Tony frowned and waved dismissively at her.

"Psssh. Details. I'm sure I can make one."

Darcy rolled her eyes.

"And what, call him Festus?"

Thor boomed.

"We shall call him Toothless, in honor of this most noble animal."

Tony gave Thor a small, mocking smirk.

"Modern, cultural references are lost on you, aren't they?"

Thor gave Tony a confused look, obviously oblivious as to what Tony was talking about. Steve was as well, but he had long ago decided not to pay attention to things he didn't understand, focusing on reading, listening music, and do whatever he could to patch up the holes in his cultural knowledge.

Pepper sighed.

"None of you will do anything to build or acquire a dragon, are we clear? We have enough pets as things stand with the ones you've already built, Tony."

Tony scrunched his nose.

"Come on! It's only Zazu and Flit! They're nothing compared to a dragon!"

They heard a fast litany of beeps, and a meaty whack, when the remote hit Tony.

"Ow! You psycho! Ow!"

Pepper shook her head.

"See, you can't even handle a flying sentient TV remote, how can you hope to deal with a dragon!"

Tony flailed his arms around, as much to make a point with Pepper as to try and smack Zazu away.

"It's not my fault, he's mad!"

Pepper and Darcy shared another look, and the brunette snorted again. Clint and Natasha entered the room, freshly showered from their morning sparring session. As one, they shot an amused look at Tony, who was cornered by Zazu while Flit looked on and played 'We will rock you'. Natasha went to drop a light peck on Steve's cheek, and ducked into the kitchen to get herself something. Clint seated himself beside Darcy, raising a puzzled eyebrow at her.

"What's all the fuss about?"

Darcy snuggled against him.

"Thor and Tony want a pet dragon. Pepper disapproves. And Tony insulted Zazu and Flit."

Clint sniggered.

"Bold move."

Darcy huffed.

"Stupid move. Especially since Pepper won't help him this time."

Clint shrugged.

"Still. A pet dragon would be bitching."

Darcy cackled at the horrified look Pepper gave him. A dragon would be bitching, but Coulson would never forgive them.

OOOOOO

Darcy and Bruce were in the living room. Some documentary or another was playing on the screen, providing background noise while both of them busied themselves with some paperwork they'd forgotten for a few days too long. Darcy was curled on the couch, typing on her tablet while Bruce did his by hand. Spending the last few years of his life in third world countries gave him a fondness for writing things with a pen, rather than on some form of computer.

Darcy paused to gather her thoughts, and went to write again.

"Well, this is terribly domestic."

They jumped up. None of them had heard that voice for nearly a month, not since he disappeared from the hospital.

Loki was standing in the doorway, face closed and cautious. He was dressed simply, like a human, with dark pants and a forest green button down shirt. Darcy rose to her feet, feeling Bruce do the same behind her, preparing to attack if he had to.

Loki raised his two hands, palms up.

"I came unharmed, and in peace. I wish to speak with you."

He took a deep breath.

"All of you."

Darcy and Bruce shared a look, before she jerked her head toward the stairs.

"Go and gather them up. Don't forget to call Coulson as well."

Bruce nodde, and, with a long assessing look at Loki, he took his leave. Darcy turned back to the god. He looked tired and spread thin, but saner somehow. The mad glint she always glimpsed in his eyes was gone, but he had yet to replace it. She took a bracing breathe.

"Loki. A pleasure to see you again. I hope you have been well?"

Loki let out a small mirthless laugh.

"As well as it could be expected. It is good to see you again, Darcy Lewis."

She smiled a bit.

"I sincerely hope I will be able to return the sentiment, Loki."

They heard heavy footsteps in the staircase.

"Darcy, are you well? Bruce has told me you desired to see me!"

Thor entered the room, all smiles until he saw Loki, then he froze.

Loki's face made a weird little twitch Darcy didn't know how to interpret, before he spoke quietly.

"Thor."

Thor took a hesitant step forward, reaching out unconsciously with his hand.

"Loki? Brother?"

When Loki swallowed, but didn't answer nor flinched away, Thor took the last three steps separating them, and wrapped the God of Mischief in his best bear hug. Loki's eyes popped open, surprised that his brother was still so earnest in his affections with him despite everything that happened.

Steve and Tony were next, arguing all the way into the room. Tony passed through the door, completely oblivious as he threw a "Anyone else want coffee?" over his shoulder. Steve stood there, looking between Thor and Loki, Darcy who stood by their side, and Tony who had disappeared into the kitchen.

Darcy went to him, and dragged him toward Loki, who had finally been released by Thor. Thor still kept an arm around the younger god's shoulder, which didn't kept his brother from looking terribly awkward. Darcy smiled at him.

"Steve, Loki. Loki, Steve."

Steve gave him an awkward wave. Bruce chose that moment to come back, slipping his phone back in his pants.

"Clint and Natasha are with Phil, he is bringing them in now."

Darcy nodded and smiled at him.

"Thank you Bruce."

She turned back to the occupants of the room. She clapped her hands once, feeling terribly awkward.

"Uuhhh, what about, I don't know, sitting down?"

Thor led Loki toward the couch and Darcy took the seat beside them. Steve and Bruce each claimed a love seat. Tony came back, a cup of coffee in one hand, munching a piece of bread with the other.

"All right, Darcy, I'm ready. What's going o-"

He took one good look at Loki, before flopping himself on Steve's loveseat.

"So, are you here to surrender to our undeniable awesomeness?"

Loki frowned and pursed his lips.

"I do not surrender. I simply desire to make peace, and cease this feud that is not to any of our advantage."

Tony frowned, not having consumed enough coffee yet to decipher the meaning. Steve came to his aid.

"He wants a truce."

Loki nodded, and looked around, daring one of them to challenge him. Darcy beamed.

"That's great! Coulson'll be here shortly, and you'll be able to discuss this with him."

Loki shook his head.

"I do not wish to speak with S.H.I.E.L.D., even though it seems necessary. My truce will be first and foremost with the Avengers. They are the ones who fought me. Without them, Earth would have been mine a long time ago."

Tony looked smug at that, while Steve was flattered. Thor beamed at his brother, squeezing his shoulder in what must be a painful manner. Loki didn't complain. Surprisingly, even if his expression indicated he was nearing the end of his patience with his brother's physical affection, good intentions or not.

Darcy shook her head, not really knowing how to handle this situation. Dealing with Loki was hard enough as it was without the God doing a one eighty all the time, throwing them all out of the loop and expecting her to hang on somehow.

"So, Loki, what are you going to do when S.H.I.E.L.D. will have signed the truce? Join them?"

She didn't even bother hiding the hopeful note in her voice. Having Loki as an official ally of S.H.I.E.L.D. would definitely help him atone himself in the world's eyes. And it would make it far more easier to keep an eye on him.

However, Loki didn't seem to approve of the idea. He pursed his lips in disgust.

"I do not think such work would suit my tastes."

Tony snorted, taking a big gulp of coffee.

"So what, you're going to go sightseeing?"

Loki turned to look at him, cocking his head to the sight.

"Maybe. I thought I could gain from learning about your planet. We have obviously been misinformed about it, and its inhabitants."

Darcy pinched her lips, sue her. She didn't really appreciate the idea of Loki free in the world. It would be a bit too easy for him to raise an army.

The god turned sharply to her, eyes serious.

"I will respect my truce with S.H.I.E.L.D. I will not attack the Earth again."

Tony snorted again, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You know, being the Trickster God and the God of Lies, your word's value is pretty low."

Loki turned, a smirk ghosting over his lips.

"Says the man who works for a man who can't even keep his word about giving a few days of rest to his best team."

Darcy frowned, and punched him on the shoulder.

"Leave Fury out of this, you said yourself you wanted to deal with the Avengers, not S. .L.D. Anyway, you shouldn't comfort yourself by telling yourself there's people worst than you, but push yourself by knowing there's people better."

Loki pinched his lips, but didn't comment further. Steve leaned in, having kept mostly silent since the beginning of the discussion.

"We could use you on the team, Loki."

Loki gazed at him for a long time.

"Why do you propose this?"

Steve gave him a small, wry smile.

"Long ago a good man gave me a chance when no one else would. And I've been told it didn't turn out to bad. I'm offering you the same. You took the first step, to ask for forgiveness. I'm taking the second by giving it."

Loki seemed to be lost for a moment.

"You do. But the rest of the world does not. And I suspect they won't take kindly to having me as a member of your team. Your reputation is ambiguous, at best, Captain. Do not waste it on me."

Bruce cleared his throat.

"They won't hate you anymore than they already hate me."

Tony cackled.

"Yep, like that we'll have two monsters on the team!"

Loki looked at Bruce, surprised the man didn't seem to be insulted or shocked by the comment. Bruce caught his eyes, and shrugged.

"You get used to it."

Loki sighed, pursing his lips. He did that a lot. Darcy was kind of worried he'd stay stuck that way.

"I do not intend to."

Darcy decided to push the matter a bit more.

"So, no Avengers?"

"I'm afraid that's neither your or his decision, Miss Lewis."

They all turned around, to see Coulson standing in the doorway, face completely void of emotion, which made Darcy to realize how transparent Phil's face had been lately. Clint and Natasha were standing beside him. Clint and Darcy shared a long look, during which Darcy pleaded him to be a bit cooperative. He relented, striding in to flop himself in the armchair closest to her, his gaze daring the god to do something.

Natasha shadowed Phil as the agent walked calmly into the room. He chose the last armchair, as Natasha went to curl herself beside Steve, still ready to jump into action at a moment notice. Loki looked between them, before nodding at Clint.

"Clint Barton. A pleasure to see you again."

Clint nodded in answer.

"Loki."

Loki then turned to Coulson and Natasha.

"The Black Widow and Agent Coulson. I have heard a lot about you."

They nodded, but encouraged him to talk with their eyes.

"As I just told your companions, I wish to sign a truce with the Avengers."

The way Natasha's eyebrow crept upward indicated she didn't miss the fact that he didn't mention S.H.I.E.L.D., and no one was stupid enough to believe Phil missed in either. The agent leaned forward, looking at Tony.

"How come he was able to enter the mansion?"

Tony rolled his eyes at the agent.

"Come on Coulson, he's not a vampire. You're not a vampire, right?"

Loki's only answer was to an arched eyebrow.

"Okay, well, he doesn't need to be invited to enter somewhere. And my system isn't magic proof, sadly."

Coulson didn't react, but Darcy felt he was irritated. He looked back to Loki.

"We will have to discuss the terms of the treaty."

Loki gave him an indulgent grin, the one you would give a child trying to act like grownup.

"I promise not to attack the Earth ever again, and you promise not to attack me in return. I do not believe any more discussion is necessary."

Natasha and Clint huffed, while Coulson's mouth twitched.

"Loki, I am sorry, but we need to make it more official than that."

Loki smiled, getting up. He smiled again at Coulson.

"Write the treaty, I will come to sign it."

He twirled his hand in the air, and a card appeared. He handed it to Coulson.

"Here is my telephone number. Call me when you are ready."

Darcy went to Coulson, inspecting the card. It was black, with gold writing and a green snake on the verso. She smiled at him.

"Cool card."

"Thank you, Darcy."

He brushed some dirty off his pants, and prepared himself to leave, before he paused and looked up.

"Ah yes, I almostforgot. As a testiment of my good will." He waved his hand, and something scaly and silver the size of a terrier dog appeared on the table of the living room. Everyone stared at it, until Steve slowly walked to it and softly prodded the thing with his finger. The small ball moved, and unfolded itself, to reveal, yes, a dragon. It looked at Steve with wide green eyes, and started to nuzzle his hand. Darcy gasped.

"You gave us a drag-"

She stopped when she realized Loki was gone. She gaped.

"Loki! You can't leave us with a dragon! We have to clue how to-"

There was pop and a book appeared next to the dragon, which squealed and jumped into the arms of Steve who caught out of sheer reflex. Tony sauntered over to the book and picked it up. He started laughing hysterically, showing it to Darcy.

'Dragon Raising for Dummies'.

"Thanks a fucking lot, Loki!"

There was no answer this time. Tony was now rolling on the floor.

"Pepper is going to kill him! He's a fucking dead man!"

The small dragon was now purring into Steve's arm. Natasha was watching it closely.

"Anyone have any idea how to raise a dragon?"

Everyone looked at Coulson, because really, Coulson knew everything. The agent rolled his eyes.

"No, dragon handling is not amongst my list of skills."

Tony sighed.

"Well, it can't be worst than dealing with Zazu. By the way, don't you think we should introduce them?"

Bruce and Darcy shared a look, and the doctor called the remote and the stereo out. They hovered in, Zazu first then Flit, who started playing the 'How to train your dragon' main theme song when he saw the beast. Zazu poked it and the dragon automatically started nuzzling him as well. The remote beeped happily. Phil sighed.

"Well, I guess he's adopted."

Tony beamed at him.

"Not going to tell us it's irresponsible and against the regulation to have a dragon at the mansion."

Phil shrugged.

"It's a gift of a possible ally, it would be ill advised to refuse it."

Tony smiled again.

"Just for that, you get to name him."

Phil raised an eyebrow, and drawled slowly.

"Ancalagon."

Everyone frowned, except Bruce, who simply raised an eyebrow.

"Wasn't Ancalagon a bad dragon?"

Phil nodded.

"He was created by a dark lord to fight his enemy."

Steve looked between the both of them.

"What are you talking about?"

They answered at the same time.

"Lord of the rings."

He opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again, and finally spoke.

"There weren't any named dragons in the movies."

Darcy shook her head.

"Must be in the books. Don't worry about it. No one understands anyway."

He frowned at her.

"But they do?"

Darcy shrugged.

"They're geeks, but we love them anyway."

They both shot her unimpressed looks and Tony decided it was the right time to cut in.

"Okay, so Ancalagon and Lago for short. Any objections?"

Thor was still looking at the spot where Loki had disappeared. Darcy pinched her lips, and went to him, patting his arm.

"Hey big guy. He came back. He wants to make peace."

Thor finally tore his gaze away to look at her, his eyes so happy it hurt a bit to look at them, a bit like the sun.

Steve called him.

"Thor, have you ever seen a dragon before?"

The God answered, voice even louder than usual.

"No, Steve, I haven't, but I have been told many tales about them. Ancalagon shall be the greatest of them."

Clint laughed.

"Here, here."

Coulson and Natasha looked dubious, but Darcy decided to roll with it. She decided against doing a head count of the being living in the mansion, because it was beginning to be very weird.

To think it started with her, Natasha, Pepper and Tony.

OOOOOOOO

"YOU WHAT!"

Tony winced, raising his hand in a traditional, don't shoot me stance.

"We kinda took in a dragon... "

"TONY! I told you, you weren't allowed to!"

Tony raised an eyebrow.

"First, Pepper, as much as I love you, this is still my house. Second, you said we weren't allowed to create one. We didn't. We accepted it."

Pepper pinched her lips.

"Accepted it."

"Yeah. It was a gift."

Tony looked hopeful at the calm tone Pepper was using.

"A gift."

"Yeah."

"From who?"

Tony winced in advance.

"Loki."

Pepper turned red.

"YOU ACCEPTED A DRAGON COMING FROM LOKI!"

OOOOOOOOO

Darcy, Coulson, Fury and the entire Avengers' team was gathered in the main living room of the Mansion, waiting for Loki to show up. She looked around, pausing with a bit of sick pleasure on Fury's displeased face.

The director hadn't been happy that Loki insisted in meeting at the Mansion rather than HQ. And he had been displeased that no one informed him of the treaty until Coulson was done writing it, that Loki hadn't wanted to deal with him, and the whole matter would have gone without his signature if Loki could have pulled it off. And finally, he wasn't hapy that he had nothing whatsoever to do with the entrance of a known terrorist onto the side of light and owed most of it to a twenty-four year old Political Science graduate. All in all, Fury wasn't happy with the situation at all, but couldn't do much about it since it would be hard to explain to the council he aborted peace treaty with Loki because he threw a hissy fit.

Darcy saw Tony was looking at Fury with a smug smirk as well, and knew the billionaire was having similar thoughts. Steve himself had been happy, because it had showed S.H.I.E.L.D. that the Avengers were independent in every way save on paper and they didn't need or would accept any other interference than Coulson, who was an honorary Avenger anyway.

Darcy loved her job.

Lago was lounging in the sun patch on the floor, curled around Flit and Zazu. He had grown a lot in the past two weeks, nearly reaching the height of a small lab. From what they gathered from the book, he would be about the size of a horse when full grown, be able to fly, and would breathe fire. Tony was already renovating the second floor of the mansion to suit his needs as well as the staircases and doorways.

Pepper was coming through, helped by the fact Lago was the sweetest thing ever. The only time he ever demonstrated any kind of aggressiveness was when Fury entered the mansion earlier, feeling the slight anger of the man toward the team. It probably didn't help that he yelled at Lago's mum-Steve.

"You treated him well."

Suddenly, Loki was there, watching Lago, who opened one eye, assessed Loki, and turned around, stretching his legs.

Steve nodded.

"Loki. We're doing our best, thank you."

Loki gave him a small smirk.

"And the Avenger's best is not insignificant."

Fury sneered.

"If you're done with your pleasantries, I have other places to be."

Loki turned to him.

"Other places? My poor man, what would you do if I decided to take my time? Leave? Without signing the treaty that will keep the Earth from being destroyed by my fighting with the Avengers?"

Fury's forehead vein looked ready to burst from repressed anger and frustration but the Director kept quiet, glaring at the God. Loki smirked even more, moving to the table and picking up the treaty before seating himself gracefully to go over it. He read carefully, taking time to understand each line.

They all waited in silence, watching him, hoping.

Finally he smiled, nodding at them. He conjured a pen, signing with flourish. He then handed it to Coulson with a grin, and watched as everyone signed, Fury going last. The Director went to leave, but Loki stopped him.

"Director, Miss Lewis didn't sign."

Now Darcy was convinced Fury would explode. His movements were nearly robotic when he forced himself back, to hand the pen and paper to Darcy. She took it, and signed, more because Loki asked than because she taught she ought to.

Loki nodded, satisfied.

"May the peace between us live long and prosper."

Fury nodded tersely, and left quickly, before anyone could stop him again. Loki smirked again. Darcy jumped to her feet.

"Finally! Anyone want a drink?"

Loki rose as well, shaking his head.

"I will take my leave, Miss Lewis. As Mister Stark put it, I have a lot of sightseeing to do."

Darcy nodded, and turned to the kitchen. Suddenly Loki was in front of her. Directly in front of her. Like, she ran into him. He wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her. She tried to push away, but his arm kept her there. She saw him throw a quick, mischievous look over her shoulder, before he looked back at her, and slowly lifted his other hand to softly caress her cheek with the back of his fingers.

It took a few seconds for Darcy to shake her daze away. She frowned, and slapped Loki's hand away, glaring at him all the while.

The god simply smiled, and smirked over her shoulder.

"You are a lucky man, archer."

And he disappeared, leaving no trace of ever being there, apart from a signature on the document Fury left with.

In a matter of moments, Clint was beside her looking everywhere to make sure she was unharmed. Darcy shook her head at him.

"I'm fine, Clint. He's just doing it to get a rise out of you."

The archer raised a sceptic eyebrow, but Thor piped in.

"Do not fret, my friend. If Loki was half as much in love as you are with Darcy, we would have many more problems than we already do."

Clint looked at him, waiting for some kind of explanation.

"Loki tends to take whatever he wants."

Tony snorted.

"Well, that runs in the family, right?"

Natasha hit him on the shoulder.

"You're in no position to talk."

Clint glared at them some more, and turned around to kiss Darcy. She intercepted his face just an inch away from hers, cupping his cheeks and looking him straight in the eyes.

"I'm not leaving you."

He smiled, and kissed her for real.

Chapter 29: 29

Darcy trudged into the kitchen, still sleepy. She vaguely waved to the human form she could distinguish out of the corner of her eyes, and went straight to the coffee maker. It wasn't one of these days, she was simply exhausted. Ever since Loki signed the treaty with S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury insisted that she meet every day with a specialist team to inform them of everything she knew about the god.

Which wasn't much, but the agents insisted on looking into every single sentence her and the god ever exchanged, and remembering that far back was wearing her thin. She knew the director was drawing some sort of sick pleasure out of ordering her to do this.

She also knew the only reason she had a day off today was because Coulson went to him to request it.

She liked the agent more and more each day.

She inhaled her first cup of coffee, and finally looked properly at her surroundings. Bruce was seated at the table, calmly eating his cereal, a small amused smile on his face. She smiled back and went to seat beside him, leaning to put her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes, and sipped on her second cup, enjoying it properly. Bruce chuckled, and patted her lightly on the shoulder. She stuck her tongue at him, without looking.

"Hey man, I'm seriously considering being jealous right now."

Darcy opened her eyes a bit only to see her boyfriend standing in the doorway, smirking in a way that should have been illegal at this time of the morning. Darcy sighed and closed her eyes again but stayed put.

"Shut up fledgling, we were having a moment."

Clint sighed dramatically, and Darcy felt the clap he gave Bruce.

"You know, man, if you brought Coulson home once in a while, you wouldn't have to play cock block to the other guys in the house."

Bruce carefully swallowed his mouthful, before answering.

"Cock block?"

Darcy turned her head to watch Clint shrug.

"Without you, Darcy and I could be having hot, steamy sex on the table right now."

Darcy chuckled, knowing perfectly her boyfriend would never ask her to have sex with him in her state. He smiled at her and went to her to kiss her forehead sweetly. Bruce began to eat again as Tony entered the kitchen, covered in grease and other unidentifiable substances.

"Kids, no sex in the kitchen. It makes Steve sick."

Clint huffed.

"God forbid we scar Captain America."

Darcy poked him sharply in the ribs, making him yelp. Tony raised his hands, to appease them.

"Easy there, children, play nice."

Bruce, Clint and Darcy looked at him for a moment before Darcy spoke.

"Tony, if you don't go to sleep now, we are going to force you to."

The billionaire put on his 'petulant billionaire look' and pouted at them.

"I don't want to."

Darcy sighed, and went to talk. Of course, that was the moment when the alarm chose to ring.

Freaking alarm. Bruce sighed, and bumped her head softly with his shoulder until she straightened. He, Clint and Tony left the kitchen, but not before the archer gave her her customary kiss. And without the billionaire running around, screaming: "I don't have to go to bed!"

Lago walked into the room, accompanied by Zazu and Flit. She petted the dragon, who had probably been sent by Steve, and the appliances went back to the living room to watch the screens.

She started to look around, seeing if she would need to go grocery shopping for the dinner. Jane and Pepper weren't there, even if she knew the scientist was probably already on her way.

Darcy decided she had enough to make a mean pasta, and closed the fridge. Lago was once again lying in the sun patch on the floor. Darcy rolled her eyes. Seriously, if the dragon didn't go every morning on a run with Steve, he'd be obese by now. All he ever did in the mansion was eat and sleep.

She heard a loud thump, and Jane's customary, "I'm home!" The scientist was lucky most of her work took place outside, and that she could bring her calculations pretty much anywhere she wanted, otherwise she'd be seriously behind schedule. Her assistants could nail her at her actual lab for two days in the week. Otherwise, she was out doing some test or another, or at the mansion doing calculation with JARVIS-she still refused to work with Tony and Bruce. It was driving said assistants mad.

Darcy casually walked to the small private sitting room Tony built a few weeks back. He knew she didn't want to watch the news live, but felt her room was a bit too far, so he built this little room, complete with sound proofing, where she could wait. Lago joined her after a moment, and curled on the mat she designated for him in a corner of the room. Soon he wouldn't fit anymore, and she would miss him.

If it meant she could fly on his back, it's be worth it though. She'd look badass flying around on a dragon. She took a book, proud that she was now able to busy herself when Clint and the team were out, and waited.

"Darcy Lewis."

Darcy startled at the noise and whirled around, throwing her book at the intruder. Loki caught it deftly, with no more reaction than a raised eyebrow. She tried to calm her breathing, staring at him until he told her why he interrupted her.

He cocked his head, confused in the face of her agitation.

"I am sorry if I scared you, Darcy. I merely wished to speak with my b-with Thor."

Darcy decided to ignore his slip for the moment, and arched an eyebrow.

"Why have you come to see me than?"

Loki shrugged.

"I couldn't feel his energy in the mansion, at the moment. I meant to ask you where he went."

Darcy straightened herself, fidgeting at the hem of her shirt. She was pretty sure everyone in the world knew about the Avenger's fights before the Avengers themselves. How could Loki, who was as omniscient as one could be, not know about it?

"Thor is out fighting...something, I'm not exactly sure what. He's not really available to talk."

Loki sighed, and rubbed his forehead.

"Well that is most unfortunate."

Darcy nodded, and looked intently at him.

"Yeah, well, you can come back later, he'll be over the moon."

Loki frowned.

"I sure hope he won't be, as discussions in outer space are most uncomfortable."

Darcy felt her eye widen, and chose not to dig into this one.

"It's an expression, Loki. Anyway, I'd thought you'd know everything about the Avengers' fights..."

Loki's face was carefully blank as he spoke slowly.

"I retreated into solitude, so that I could think in peace. I came here directly after."

Darcy wondered whether or not she should ask what decision prompted so hasty a return, but Loki didn't give her the chance, turning around and throwing a "It was a pleasure, Darcy." over his shoulder before he disappeared.

She let herself fall back into her armchair a bit puzzled, but as usual with Loki, decided not to give it too much thought in fear of getting a headache.

Loki induced headaches were particularly vicious and violent.

Darcy sighed, and Lago went to his feet to sniff the spot where Loki stood. Darcy considered calling him over, when Jane shouted.

"Darcy! DARCY! Come here!"

The brunette jumped to her feet, and ran to the living room.

"Jane! Jane, is everything alright?"

The scientist was pointing excitedly at the screen.

"It's Loki! Loki's there, he's helping them!"

Darcy stood there, disbelievingly. Loki was indeed there, in full armor regalia and his blue, glowing scepter. He tripped, stabbed and fooled the enemies, which appeared to be some kind of bionic marmots today. Jane looked at Darcy.

"Did you know he was coming? I thought he didn't want to associate with the Avengers?"

Darcy frowned.

"He doesn't. And I didn't know, he just left me!"

Jane turned sharply to her.

"He just left you? In your sitting room? What were you two doing in there?"

Darcy bristled at the implications in Jane's tone. She glared at the scientist until the woman had the grace to look ashamed. She spoke, her tone ice cold.

"He was looking for Thor, if you have to know. I told him he was fighting and he left, apparently to join said fight. Now, if you were to ask me for a hypothesis as to why he did, I'd say it's because whatever he has to say to your boyfriend he thinks to be urgent and wishes to fight to be over as soon as possible."

Jane bit her lips, and sighed.

"I'm sorry Darcy."

Darcy gave her one sharp nod, before going back to the sitting room. She let herself fall on her armchair, rubbing her face with both her hands, hoping it'd help make sense of the situation.

Loki was helping the Avengers. Loki, who had been intent on fighting them and enslaving Earth not that long ago. And from the brief glimpse she got of the screen, he seemed to fit in quite nicely.

Ah hell, if she was going to consider the mess that was her life, might as well throw the rest in.

She was living in an honest to god mansion, in which the most normal individuals, excluding her, were one of the world's most brilliant astrophysicist's and the CEO of Stark Industries. She played babysitter to a group of super heros who could send her to hell without even realizing it and yet listened to her most of the time. She slept with one of them, the world's best marksman. She hadn't seen her parents since she arrived here and barely spoke to them because, honestly, even if she was allowed to talk about her life, she wouldn't. It would scare them too much.

She also was able to discuss/pester/blackmail the head of one of the most secret and powerful agency's on the planet.

Last but not least, she lived with a pet dragon (Lago's ownership was still under discussion).

She sighed.

How the hell was this her life?

How the hell had it become her life?

How could she have reached that point, without pausing to consider it? Ever since Thor fell into her life, she always rolled with it, never taking time to ask herself where she was going, if it was safe, if it was what she wanted.

When she entered college, she told herself she'd go with whatever happened at the end of it. And she had. Not that she ever finished college, but that was beside the point.

The point was, she ran head first into this crazy life without ever thinking about it.

She started laughing. Because there was no way she would have continued if she had thought about anything.

No way she'd have met Tony Stark, and have a picture of him getting drooled on by horse as her desktop.

No way she'd had gotten to be the girl that explained to Captain America how to use a microwave.

No way she'd have had sparring lessons with Natasha to learn how to kick alien's ass with a dictionary.

No way she'd have seen Thor, as a golden rhino running around with a red cape because Tony was a mean four year old.

No way she'd have even met the marvelous man that was Bruce Banner.

Or Coulson, or Pepper.

She let herself fall back on the chair, still laughing. She didn't know why. She just did. She heard Jane's intrigued "Darcy?", but couldn't bring herself to answer. She didn't have an answer anyway.

"I just realized how much a reckless, foolhardy idiot I have been, but otherwise I'm fine!" didn't sound too great, especially to Jane who always thought over everything. As long as it wasn't shaped as a Norse God of Thunder that is.

Lago came, and poked her lightly with his nose, wondering what had gotten her in such a good mood. She smiled and dragged him into a fierce hug. The dragon didn't answer, surprised, but was as compliant as he always was and soon began arching into the embrace.

She thought about Loki. She had no idea where the God stood. Never did, and probably wouldn't for a while, if ever. But he was fighting for the good side, in action if not in valor.

Maybe at some point he'd realized he was wrong.

Maybe he hadn't.

It was out of her hands now, the best she could do was help him if he needed it. That was what she was paid for, after all. Making sure everyone was cared for.

Maybe Coulson was right when he hired her. There's just some things you can't learn in school.

"Darcy?"

Jane was knocking at the door. The intern answered, still cradling Lago in her arms.

"It's open."

Jane popped her head in, paused at the sight of Darcy and Lago tangled, and smiled sweetly.

"They're done."

Darcy cocked her head.

"Already?"

Jane shrugged.

"They'd gotten rid of the brunt of it by the time Loki arrived and he helped dispose of the rest, so yeah. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s responsible of the cleanup, so they're coming back."

Darcy nodded. No one asked the Avengers to clean up anymore, since the Incident. Let's just say everyone learned they didn't only caused immense damage when fighting monsters. It also apparently extended to getting rid of said monsters.

Figures.

Anyway, Darcy nodded and let Lago go, soothing his little sound of protest with a pet between the eyes. Jane seemed to hesitate.

"I think they're bringing Loki in."

Darcy nodded, snorting.

"They're not bringing him in. He decided to follow them."

Jane nodded, looking unsure how to approach Darcy and the ex-intern didn't see any point in hiding the fact. Jane's remark hurt her, she had no qualms in admitting it. She leaned forward, looking her friend straight in the eyes.

"I would never, ever cheat on Clint. Are we clear on this?"

Jane swallowed, and nodded.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- Well, I don't know, I just don't like him."

Darcy nodded. Jane witnessed first hand the suffering Loki caused his brother, and it's always easier to forget a wrong done to you than the one done one your loved ones. The brunette awkwardly patted the scientist's shoulder trying to indicate they were cool without actually saying it. She wasn't sure she succeeded, but oh well.

By the time she truly left her sitting room, she already heard the tale tell signs that the first members of the team had arrived. Thor bounded down the stairs, followed by Loki, who rolled his eyes at his brother's exuberance. Natasha slipped in, while Tony barged, ordering JARVIS to command food and booze, they were partying tonight. Darcy chided.

"Be more polite with him, Tony."

The billionaire waved his hand.

"He's used to it."

"That's not a reason. He has feelings, you know. Treat him better."

"Thank you, Miss Lewis."

"Anytime JARVIS."

Tony rolled his eyes and mumbled on his way into the kitchen, like he was wont to do when one of his creation's sided with someone else-mainly Darcy. Steve, Clint and Coulson would have stayed behind, to wait for Bruce to become human again.

"Ow! OW! Darcy! Come here and control your remote!"

Darcy rolled her eyes, going for the kitchen, where Tony was once again fighting with Zazu.

"Technically, Tony, it's yours."

"It's not mine! My things don't work against me!"

"Then you don't own much anymore in this place."

"Alcohol! Alcohol doesn't work against me!"

Darcy sighed.

"Yeah. Yeah, it does."

OOOOOOOOO

Bruce, Steve, Clint and Coulson arrived an hour after everyone else, and by that time Tony had set up food everywhere in the living room and the bar was stocked full. Natasha had snatched a bottle of vodka and was curled beside a salmon dish, eating between swigs. Tony was running around while Thor and Loki were apart on one of the balcony's.

Darcy couldn't hear what they said, but it probably had more to do with one of Loki's spells than with Thor using his inside voice for the first time in his life. Clint went directly to her, kissing her softly.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"A lot, thanks."

Clint shot a brief look at the Asgardians.

"Looks like you've brought the bad guy to the side of light..."

Darcy smiled.

"I wouldn't go that far yet, but he's on the right track."

She shot him an inquiring look. He smiled, gesturing to himself.

"Top shape, not even a scratch."

She nodded approvingly. His grin turned a little filthy.

"Don't I get a reward for that?"

She swatted his chest.

"Later Agent Barton."

She looked into his beautiful eyes.

If she had thought before she acted, there was no way she would be dating the man of her dreams now.

He cocked his head, curious, but she shook hers. She'd explain later. Probably.

He nodded and left her to go see Natasha, to talk about whatever Master Assassins talk when they have some downtime and a bottle of vodka handy.

"Darcy Lewis?"

She turned around and Loki was standing there. She shot a quick look to the balcony, and Thor was alone, looking into the distance. She looked back to the Trickster God.

"Loki?"

He looked very serious, almost grave.

"I come to take my leave from you, and say my farewells."

Darcy frowned. It sounded foreboding.

"Well, let me thank you for your help today before you go. It was very appreciated."

Loki nodded.

"And I wish to thank you for everything you did for me. I will not forget."

She nodded, smiling a bit.

"It has been a pleasure Loki. You will be welcome amongst us as long as you keep your word."

The god nodded and smiled back. It was the first true smile she ever saw.

"Goodbye, Miss Lewis."

And with that, he was gone. She stared at the place he stood for a few moments, before shaking herself and walking out to Thor.

"Hey Big Guy."

She leaned on the railing beside him. He spared a brief look before staring back forward.

"He has spoken to you. He said he would."

"He did."

She waited for Thor to answer, but it became clear he wouldn't.

"Will we ever see him again?"

"I surely will. Our paths will cross again, some day. Life is long for someone who won't die of old age."

He looked back at her, bright, clear blue eyes piercing through her.

"'I do not know if you will see him again. Loki on occasion becomes submersed in his thoughts and forgets all else. You may already have passed on before he returns again.''

Darcy nodded. She wasn't sure how she felt. She hoped Loki's departure meant he was going back to Asgard. But she for all she knew, it could mean he was off trying to enslave another planet. She put a soothing hand on Thor's arm, not knowing what to say.

Tony called from inside the house.

"Hey guys! There's some cake with your name on it here!"

They shared a look and turned back to enter the room. Jane slipped into Thor's arms, while Darcy elbowed Clint into giving her space between him and Bruce.

Tony proceeded to give a grand speech about the team's exploit, going on and on while cutting a piece of the promised cake. He rambled, until out of nowhere, he squashed it on Steve's face.

Natasha was quick to retaliate, sending a juicy piece of salmon straight between his eyes.

It all went downhill from there, food smearing all the room.

By the time the chaos died down, Lago was licking some kind of meat that had fallen on the floor, Tony was covered in strawberry pudding, Coulson had some lettuce in his hair which Bruce removed, and Thor looked distinctly happier.

Which must have been the whole point.

Don't let the asshole facade fool you. Tony is able to be a decent human being once in a while, even though his version of it implied expensive food being spilled on the floor of his mansion.

To each his own.

And while she looked at them, Darcy had one more item to her list.

If she had paused to think, if she had considered what her choices may imply, if she had been able to foresee these past crazy months, well, there was no way she would have been this happy, ever in her life.

Chapter 30: Chapter 30

Darcy turned around once again, restless. The team had been away for two weeks and had just returned, Clint, surprisingly unharmed for such a long mission, with them. The problem was, long missions like these ones created a bored Darcy, and a bored Darcy got far more sleep than she actually needed.

So Clint was back, and was enjoying what was probably his first good night sleep ever since he left, while she couldn't get herself comfortable enough to even think about doing the same. She turned on her side once more, taking the opportunity to admire her boyfriend. She didn't do that often nowadays, knowing him by heart.

The archer was on his back, one hand unconsciously reaching for her while the other was settled on his belly. His chest heaved gently with his breathing, the moonlight filtering through the blind they had forgotten to close tinting it silver. She let her eyes follow the familiar scars, up and down his muscles, crossing his strong arms.

She cocked her head, and slowly leaned forward to blow softly to his neck. When he didn't react, she continued down until she reached his belly button.

"Enjoying yourself?"

She looked back up. As if she could do anything else. She remembered the few times he had asked her the very same thing, and couldn't think of one time she couldn't answer in the affirmative. She smiled, and moved back up, to kiss him. They made small talk, but it didn't matter. They didn't say anything important, nothing they haven't said before.

What mattered to her was the ease in which they fell back onto old habits, how simple it was to be with each other. He cuddled softly against her neck, breathing her in. She smiled, petting his hair. He nuzzled the warm skin.

"I love you."

She smiled once more, and bent down slightly to kiss his soft hair. She felt him sigh against her, his warm breath rolling down to her breasts. She tightened her arms around him one last time, finally feeling sleep creeping up on her. She relaxed, letting it come, just gathering enough will to whisper into the stillness of the night.

"I love you too."

The End