Disclaimer: I own nothing. This is why I'm sad.
Pairings: Darcy/Loki, Thor/Jane, mentions of Steve Rogers/Darcy. Others mentioned and alluded to.
Summary: AU. Kind of. In the eyes of everybody and in the grand scheme of things, Darcy Lewis is a nobody. She's not important. She has no place in the grand design of things. That is, in the eyes of everybody except for Frigga, who knew that Darcy Lewis would be quite important in the years to come.
A/N: So…this is AU. Kind of. In that Darcy is actually Asgardian during the events in Thor. Hopefully it makes more sense as you read it. Mostly background for now but hopefully you all like it! Reviews are greatly appreciated!
Twist of Fate
Prologue
In the grand scheme of things, Darcy Lewis is a nobody. She's not important. She has no place in the grand design of things. She is the girl who does not belong.
Her mother for all intents and purposes was a woman of Asgard. She was the daughter of a scholar and although they had no status, they were respected citizens. Despite the interest of several high-ranking men, the daughter of the scholar's interests was in another world. Midgard.
With blessing from Odin, the daughter of the scholar left the golden city behind to explore Midgard. She fell in love on Midgard. She found herself pregnant on Midgard. In the middle of the night, with her heart heavy and body weary, she turned in the arms of the man who would hand her the world if given the chance, gave him a kiss on the forehead and left their small dwelling quietly.
When she first came to Midgard she landed in a small city. The sun shining brilliantly and for the first time, she felt free. Despite her research on Midgardian customs, she was still the odd young woman who had literally dropped into the city without anyone knowing how. She met a man at the local market, who by appearances was a few years older than her. His bright blue eyes studying her inquisitively behind spectacles. His black hair wild with curls. He held out his hand and said with a shrug that he could show her around.
Without hesitation, she took his hand and promptly blushed when a spark ignited her very being. They were inseparable from then. He was an artist who saw the world through colors of paint on a canvas. She fell in love quickly. It was hard not to be. He was different than anyone she had ever met and he made her laugh outrageously loud and made her forget about her manners and Asgard. She stayed on Midgard for three years when she found herself pregnant.
He was ecstatic. Love and devotion brimming out of him. This made her love him even more. And then one day, she felt something was wrong. Something was wrong with her. Even though he insisted that she go to Midgardian healers, she knew that the only healers she trusted were in Asgard.
So, she left her mortal companion in bed and she walked deep into the desert, letting her eyes flit over everything she has come to know and love. He would be heartbroken when he woke, she knew this but she resolved to come back as soon as everything was deemed fine. She would come back to him and they would be a family and she would be happy.
She took a deep breath and called out to Heimdall. "Please." She begged. "I fear for the life of my child. Heimdall, please. I need to see an Asgardian healer." Within moments the Bifrost appeared and she walked into the home she abandoned years ago.
The journey between worlds proved to be too much and by the time she reached Asgard she collapsed in pain. Her father rushed to her side. "Father," she cried out. "It hurts. It hurts so much."
Frigga met her halfway, her eyes sad and her smile warm. She knew instantly what was happening. She gripped her father's arms. "Save her." She said through clenched teeth, "save her and name her Darcy Lewis. Do not question me." Another wave of pain flowed through her body and let out a loud scream. "Please."
In the end, the young woman who was born and raised in Asgard, who left a life she loved behind in Midgard, died in the golden city, the last thing she heard were the loud heart-wrenching cries of a newborn babe. A daughter. Darcy Lewis.
In the eyes of everybody and in the grand scheme of things, Darcy Lewis is a nobody. She's not important. She has no place in the grand design of things.
That is, in the eyes of everybody except for Frigga, who knew that Darcy Lewis would be quite important in the years to come.
She is four when she first meets him. He is easily seven years older than her. She knows who he is the first time she sees him. He barrels into her grandfather's study, a large book (much larger than he) in his hands. She sits cross-legged on her grandfather's chair a book about Midgard open in front of her.
He opens his mouth to speak but he stops short at the sight of her. "Who are you?"
"Darcy Lewis." She says proudly. ("You are different my dear Darcy." Her grandfather would always say, "you must be proud of who you are. Your mother would have wanted it so.") Her grandfather never talks about her mother; it always makes him so sad.
"Darcy Lewis." He repeats the name and he frowns. "What an odd name. Where is the Scholar?"
"He's busy. Why?"
"None of your concern. Is that a book on Midgard? Why in the name of Odin would you want to read that?"
"I like it."
He narrows his eyes and snatches the book from her grasps. Her eyes prick with tears and she jumps off the chair. "No!"
"It's nonsense. Complete and utter drivel."
"You're…you're a cow!" Darcy spits at him. She gasps as soon as the word slips from her mouth and she covers it with a hand. He's royalty. He's the youngest Prince of Asgard and she just called him a cow. She may be young, but Darcy is smart beyond her years and she hears everything, especially about the teasing jests between the two brothers. She falls to her knees and starts sobbing. "Don't kill me!"
"Loki!"
Darcy looks up to see the Queen in all her glory standing in the doorway. She looks down at Darcy on her knees and sobbing and then at her son. "What is the meaning of this?"
"I called him a cow." Darcy blubbers before anyone is able to say anything, "please don't kill me!"
The Queen lets out a soft smile and gathers Darcy in her arms. She sets her on her feet and wipes her face with a cloth. "Darcy Lewis. I knew your mother once."
Darcy sniffles. "You did?"
She nods. "She loved you very much." She turns to look at Loki and she frowns at the book in his hand. "Loki, I did not know you were interested in Midgard."
He makes a face. "I'm not. It's hers."
She glances at Darcy and her eyes widen. "Oh, well, you truly well are your mother's daughter."
Darcy beams and then glances at Loki. "I'm sorry for calling you a cow."
"You should be." Loki retorts. He clears his throat at the look his mother throws him. "I apologize for stealing your book and calling it complete and utter drivel, even though it is."
"S'okay." She struggles to wrap her arms around him in a hug.
He tenses and awkwardly pats her head. He twists out of her embrace and runs out the door. The Queen follows but pauses and then looks at Darcy. "You are very important Darcy. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise, understand?"
"I understand."
(She doesn't. Not really.)
She sees him every now and then but it isn't until she is ten that she actually has another conversation with him. The Queen for some reason has allowed her all but free reign in the Palace but the place Darcy visits most often is the library. She scours books about different worlds but she will always, always find her way back to the books on Midgard. She's eager to read more today and so she bounds into the library with excitement igniting her very soul.
Then she stops when she sees a tall black-haired Prince. She stands awkwardly and then turns to leave.
"My mother warned me you would visit." He points to the direction of her collection of books. "I assume that atrocious mess is yours. Leave me be and I will permit you in here while I study."
She narrows her eyes at him at the thinly veiled insult. "However may I thank you?" She says sarcastically.
"By not talking." He replies.
Hours fly by and she is engrossed in texts about Midgard and sometimes texts about the history of Asgard. "Why do you hate Midgard so much?" She asks him.
He looks up at her and narrows his eyes. "It is a world full of mortals who know nothing about anything. You are wasting your time and energy pouring over those books. Father should have had them burned years ago."
She stares at the book in her hands. "I think it's beautiful."
"Then you are a bigger fool than I once thought."
She bites her tongue and doesn't say anything.
She still goes to the library and he's still there, studying. She once asks him why he's always in the library and not with his brother and others.
"Why would I want to waste my time with them when I can study?"
One day he asks her why she's in the library and not with anyone her age.
She answers him truthfully. "I don't have any friends."
Throughout the years, they strike up an odd friendship. She is no longer a child but rather a growing woman who tends to yield sarcasm as a weapon and is still obsessive of all things Midgardian. He is still the youngest Prince of Asgard who still scoffs at her fantasies of Midgard but they reach a common ground.
As the years fly by, Darcy finds herself edging closer and closer to his table in the library until suddenly, they are sharing a table and he is regaling her with tales of his brother.
She smiles and laughs and she ignores the fluttering of her heart.
She will not allow herself to fall in love with him. Because despite what the Queen ("Frigga, Darcy. You may call me Frigga.") tells her, Darcy is a nobody. She's no one important and Loki is the youngest Prince of Asgard, which means he's someone important.
She is sixteen and had just fended off Fandral's incessant flirting. She's attending a ball in honor of Loki's birthday and Frigga all but demanded that she attend. She wasn't planning on attending but that afternoon in the library, Loki, quietly told her that he'd enjoy seeing her that evening.
She felt as though her heart would stop beating and all she managed was a nod.
She wore a deep red dress that used to be her mother's and made her grandfather promptly burst into tears.
She had to deal with her fair share of comments and leers but Fandral was the worst. When she turned to leave him stewing after her rejection, he grabbed her wrist in a powerful grip and spun her around and kissed her soundly on the lips. His teeth clashed against her lips and the pain that radiated made her gasp and she almost retched at the taste of blood. She pushed him violently off of her and slapped him soundly. Her palm stinging, she turned her face against the jeers and fled.
She didn't know where she was going until she got to the library. Sighing, she picked up a well-used book on Midgard and started reading.
Not even five minutes later, the door opened and Loki entered. "Fandral is being dealt with."
She sighs. "Oh, Loki." She's long since dropped the Prince and he's never reprimanded her otherwise. "It's fine." She runs her tongue over her bruised and cut lip. She fails to see Loki's eyes following her movement. "I dealt with him in my own way."
"Yes, but now he will deal with it my way."
"You should be at your party. I'm certain the women will be falling over their feet to dance with you."
"It's boring and tedious." He replies. "Besides, why would I waste my time with them when I can study?"
"People are going to talk." She informs him.
He gives her a look as if to say 'I dare them.' She giggles and goes back to reading.
There is talk of unrest and war and even her grandfather is worried. Odin takes Loki with him to initiate peace between the realms. Darcy is sleeping in her bed when she hears his voice. "Darcy…Darcy…please come." She awakens immediately and runs out the house. It's dark but Darcy knows the path like she knows the books on Midgard.
She comes skidding to a halt at the Palace doors and the guards won't let her in. "You must. Please."
"Let her pass." The Queen says. She looks at her, worry etching her face. "He's in his room. Come, I will show you."
She follows the Queen quickly and comes to a stop in front of two large doors. There are healers coming in and out and Odin is pacing the length of the hallway with Thor, the Warriors Three and Sif waiting anxiously.
When Odin sees them he pauses and stares at her with his one good eye. "What are you doing here?"
"Loki called for her." The Queen answered and she turned her stare to her husband. "And I'm giving her permission to enter." She looks at her and her eyes soften. "Through the doors. He's hurt badly, but he will survive."
She nods and without a second glance at anyone else she slips into the room. The smell of blood assaults her senses but she reaches the large bed and stares down at the man on it. He's pale. Much paler than usual and she slides her hand into his, intertwining their fingers. "Darcy." He groans softly.
"I'm here." She whispers into his ear gently. "I'm here Loki."
"You're here?" He opens his green eyes and stares at her wildly. "You're here. You came."
"Always. Always Loki."
(She promises him always and it terrifies her how much she actually means it.)
After that night, they become inseparable. She is the keeper of his secrets. He is her best and only friend. She listens to everything he says. She listens him to rage about Sigyn and Sif and she wonders if he cares about the heartbreak he causes her. She doesn't say anything. She just runs her fingers through his hair and hopes that one day he will look at her the same way he looks at other women.
He makes her promise him over and over to never leave him and she does, without hesitation, she repeats that shewill never leave him.
I love you, she wants to scream. I will love you forever and always.
She doesn't say anything. She never says anything.
She learns the truth that she is half Midgardian far too late in her life. She stares at her grandfather in shock and watches as he weeps about his failure. "Your mother loved you so much. I love you so much. Oh my Darcy, please forgive me."
"There is nothing to forgive. You have given me everything I have ever needed and wanted." Suddenly, everything makes sense. Her fascination with Midgard suddenly makes sense. "Grandfather, please…allow me…I want to see Midgard."
"You are your mother's child. Promise me, you will return to me. I cannot bear to lose you."
Her stomach is fluttering. "I promise."
Loki is gone with Thor fighting in a war that Darcy has no part in when her grandfather tells her. She leaves for Midgard the next day. Her grandfather sees her off and oddly the Queen is there. She is wringing her hands and staring at Darcy with a sense of urgency. "Are you certain you want to go to Midgard?"
Darcy nods. "Yes. I will be back. I made a promise to my grandfather."
"Oh Darcy, I…" She falters.
"Tell Loki I will be back." Darcy whispers. Then she hugs her grandfather and nods to Heimdall. The Bifrost opens and she walks along a kaleidoscope of colors.
The year is 1942 and Midgard is in chaos. She is dropped in a large city with automobiles, telephones, electricity and…everything. She's in shock as she looks around with wide eyes. She's not looking where she's going and she steps out onto the street only to be pulled back roughly. She lets out a scream as an automobile honks by and she's suddenly staring into a pair of blue eyes.
He's smaller and much scrawnier than other males his age but his eyes are warm and they look worried. "Miss." He says, "you should really watch where you're going."
"I apologize." She says. "I didn't…I'm…I'm lost." She looks around. "Where am I?"
He frowns. "Miss, did you hit your head? Do you need to see a doctor? What's your name?"
She blinks. "Oh no, I'm fine, Truly. I just…this is all so fascinating. I've only ever read about it but to see it. Oh, it puts books to shame. My name is Darcy Lewis. May I ask yours?"
He grins and outstretches his hand, "Steve Rogers, Miss."
Her hand in his and the bustling city overwhelming her senses, Darcy doesn't hear the voice inside her head calling her. "Darcy…Darcy…please come."
She stays with Steve and his mother once they find out she has nowhere to go. She meets his best friend James "Bucky" Barnes and the two of them show her around. They tell her stories and make her laugh. The two are so different from one another; she almost wonders how they are best friends. Despite his plethora of health issues, Steve Rogers is incredibly loyal and Bucky is the same.
Steve attempts several times to enlist for the War but keeps getting denied. On his first attempt Bucky is accepted.
On her last night on Midgard, she climbs up the stairs to the roof where she knows Steve always likes to visit and sits down next to him. She grabs his hand and holds on tight. "War…is not what everyone makes it out to be. It is awful and I would hate to see you become so…jaded." She thinks of the warriors back home and knows that some, if not most, come out changed men. Sometimes not for the better.
"I want to do something good." He admits to her, his voice soft. "I want to be someone. I want to be anyone but me."
"You are perfect the way you are." She says truthfully. She has never, in her entire life, known someone so selfless, so utterly genuine as he is. "And you are someone. You are Steve Rogers and one day, the entire world will know your name and will know that you are a very rare breed."
He lets out a laugh. "What do you mean?"
She lets out a small smile and kisses his cheek. "You are pure goodness in a world that is falling apart."
He gets up and holds his hand to help her up. She smiles at him softly. "I'm leaving tonight, Steve."
"Why?"
"I promised someone that I would go home. I cannot break my promise."
"Will I ever see you again?"
"I hope so." She says earnestly. She is not surprised by how much she means it. She bites her lip and boldly leans forward to brush her lips against his in a soft sweet kiss. "Never forget me Steve Rogers."
"Never, Darcy Lewis."
He leaves the roof but she stays there until the sky turns black and then she calls for Heimdall.
She is exhausted but exhilarated as she greets her grandfather. She still feels the tingling sensation on her lips and she smiles brilliantly. She falls asleep as soon as she lays her head on her pillow.
The next day she goes to the library, fully intending to write about her own interactions on Midgard. Loki is there and he is furious when he sees her.
"I called for you."
"I didn't hear you." She tells him, her heart beating faster.
"You went to Midgard. You went to Midgard?!" His voice shakes the foundation of the room and his eyes are full with rage and fury. "Did you have fun?" He spits the word at her. "Was it everything you thought it would be? Completely dull and full of mere mortals who dare pretend to be something more?"
She thinks of Bucky who is off fighting a war. She thinks of Steve and his full caring heart and despite his small stature, he means and does so much more than anyone else she has ever met. "They don't dare to pretend. They believe that they can be something more. You are so caught up in your hatred, you don't see the beauty of Midgard and the people who made me laugh until I cried and who held my hand and who let me kiss-" She trails off.
"Kiss?" His voice is cold and detached. "You've fallen for a mortal."
"I've not fallen for anyone. He is a friend. One who saved me and who took care of me and showed me kindness."
"And I suppose I mean nothing to you. I suppose I've never saved you? I've never taken care of you? I never showed you kindness? I have been with you every day and you left me! You broke your promise!"
"I love you!" She shrieks at him. "I have loved you for so long Loki and yes, I was tired of waiting and then my grandfather told me of my father. My Midgardian father I wanted to see it. I wanted to experience rather than read it and you weren't here. I wept for you but this is something I needed to do. But don't you dare ever tell me that I've broken my promise to you, because if anything, you broke it first."
He storms out of the library and Darcy sinks to the floor, silent tears streaming down her cheeks.
(She longs for Midgard.)
Loki doesn't speak to her for quite some time. She spends more and more time at Heimdall's side.
"Heimdall…" She approaches him hesitantly.
"He has been accepted to fight along side his brothers in war." Heimdall tells her, his voice deep.
Darcy's breath hitches.
She keeps going back to get information about him.
One day she stops by the library before she goes to see Heimdall and stares at Loki as he waits in the middle of the room. "I don't wish to fight with you." She says.
"Nor I with you."
"I will not apologize for going to Midgard."
"I assumed you wouldn't."
"What do you want?"
He's silent. "I…Thor and his merry band of utter idiots are annoying and no where near my intelligence level. They vex me so."
She hears the words he doesn't say: I miss you. I'm sorry. I'm a fool.
She launches forward and hugs him tightly. "I've missed you too."
He wraps his arms around her and her entire body feels like it's exploding.
That night Heimdall tells her that Steve has undergone a dangerous experiment and he has changed.
She doesn't waste anytime and tells him to open the Bifrost.
She leaves Loki and everyone else behind without a word.
Steve has changed. Physically. But he's still the same Steve and when he sees her waiting for him in his room, he nearly yelps in surprise. Then he grabs her around the waist and crushes her body to his.
She hugs him tightly and breathes in his familiar scent.
"How are you even here?"
She leans forward and kisses him lightly on the lips. "I'm only here for a little bit." She sits down on his bed and holds out her hand for him to take. Her heart is beating fast and her blood is pumping through her veins. "Sit with me a little while?"
He sinks down next to her and Darcy leans forward until they're sharing the same breath and she doesn't know where he begins and she ends.
She slips out of his bed, kisses his forehead and adjusts her clothes.
She quickly goes up to the roof and calls Heimdall.
When she gets back to Asgard, Loki is waiting for her. His body tense and his eyes glowing.
He takes one look at her and bites back a snarl. "I thought you said you haven't fallen for anyone."
She can hear what he doesn't say: I thought you said you love me.
He leaves before she can say anything.
"We didn't do anything." She tells him. Not that she owes him any explanations. "He is a friend. A very good friend and Heimdall told me he underwent an experiment. I was worried. We kissed. We slept. That is all."
"You didn't tell me you were leaving."
"I came back. I'll always come back. I promise."
(This, she admits, is a promise she broke first).
Heimdall tells her that Steve Rogers, Captain America, is dead.
Darcy weeps. Loki runs his fingers through her hair.
They have sex the week after. It's late and they're in the library, surrounded by books. It feels wonderful. It's painful but he holds her and tells her that she's beautiful.
She has never loved anyone as much as she loves Loki.
(This will prove to be her downfall.)
Her grandfather dies. Darcy is alone. She wants to go back to Midgard. She wants to attend University. She wants to live like a mortal. She wants to see things the way they do.
Loki does not understand. They yell. Words are said that will never be taken back.
"You're just like your mother, an Asgardian just waiting to spread her legs for a mortal-" She slaps him hard enough to sting and hard enough for him to bleed.
She stares at him with hatred. "You are a monster and I regret ever loving you at all."
His face falls and her heart hurts at the lie that comes so easily from her mouth. Isn't he supposed to be the God of Mischief and Lies? She wonders idly. "I am leaving and I hope I never see you again." She turns around and leaves. She doesn't let him see the tears that fall down.
The Queen, Frigga, is with her when she leaves.
"I'm not important." Darcy tells her. "You once told me I am. I'm not."
She cups Darcy's cheeks in her hand and smiles sadly. "Oh my dear Darcy, you have no idea how important you are going to be." She kisses her forehead. "Do not forget us."
"Never." She bows her head and steps out of the embrace.
She nods at Heimdall and takes one last look at Frigga. There is a figure in the distance. Tall, pale, with black hair and green and gold armor, he's looking at her. His bright green eyes watching her every move. She knows what he wants. He wants he to call this entire thing off. She won't. She can't.
She walks on a kaleidoscope of colors and doesn't look back.
In the eyes of everybody and in the grand scheme of things, Darcy Lewis is a nobody. She's not important. She has no place in the grand design of things.
That is, in the eyes of everybody except for Frigga, who still sees the integral part Darcy Lewis will play in saving her son from complete and total darkness.
Holy this is long. Necessary for the background but long. Hopefully you've all enjoyed it! Thank you all for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated!
Thanks again and much love,