This is completely a product of my own mind, with characters borrowed from Marvel. I may or may not stick to canon (doubtful, tbph). This is more of a "Hey, I need more side Avengers stories than Marvel will probably ever give us, so here ya go." thing...
Enjoy!
Chapter One
Darcy Lewis was going to murder her best friend. Jane (Foster, brilliant scientist, true love to a thunder god, and worst boss ever) had accepted a top secret mission with the Avengers and freaking left Darcy behind.
All of which Darcy had found out through Tony Stark's AI Friday when she couldn't find her bestie/boss, or most of the team, anywhere in the Tower. The only one left behind besides her was Dr. Banner. Apparently they didn't anticipate a "Code Green", something Bruce seemed profoundly grateful for. He'd taken one look at Darcy's red face and balled up fists when she'd tracked him down, and hustled her out for Thai food and ice cream.
Three hours later, much more mellow and completely stuffed, Darcy dropped onto the long couch in the common room with a huge sigh.
"How'd you know shoveling delicious food in my mouth would keep me from freaking out?"
Bruce smiled as he sat down and handed her the TV remote. "Works for me."
Darcy grinned, and flicked through channels until she found some garbage reality show. Maybe next time the team took Bruce out in the field, she should hide some Snickers bars in Nat's weapons bag. A hangry Hulk could do hella amount of damage.
"Is it going to get you angry again if I ask why you were so upset at being left here?" Bruce propped his feet on the coffee table, slouching down into the deep cushions. "I hate going, but sometimes they need me, I get it. But the bullets, the chaos... the Big Guy coming out to destroy everything he can get his hands on. I hate it."
"Yeah, I can see why that would be, um, stressful. But it's not like that for me," Darcy said, furrowing her brow as she watched one of the women on the show literally flip over a table in a restaurant and scream at her dining companions. Talk about Hulking out. "See, I mostly stay back at base of Op, but at least I'm there. Jane's not just my boss, or even just my friend. She's like my sister. I guess I just feel a little protective of her going off where I can't take care of her."
Bruce looked surprised, then hesitated as if considering his words. Darcy's mouth twisted to one side as she waved a hand at him.
"I don't mean protect her from danger. That's not my department. But once she gets in from the field, I take over. Who do you think keeps her on schedule, reminds her to eat, to sleep? To surface every once and while, and not burn herself out? Jane cares so much about helping others that she forgets to take care of herself. That's my job."
And she couldn't do her job when she was shut out and left behind.
Shrugging her shoulders in a restless motion, she turned back to the TV. "I guess I'm just feeling sort of useless right now."
Bruce patted her knee in brotherly gesture, making her glance over.
"Well, if you want to sub in one hopelessly-inept-at-life scientist for another while she's gone, I wouldn't mind you checking in on me sometime." He sighed and raked a hand through his already messy curls. "Tony left me with a... puzzle. When you barreled into the lab with smoke coming from your ears, I'd been working for, uhh, I think eighteen hours. Straight. I think I'd had a cold cup of coffee in there at some point, but I can't be positive."
"Oh, for Christ's—" Darcy rolled her eyes and popped up from the couch. She glared down at him with her hands on her hips. "And when was the last time you've actually slept, Banner?"
His sheepish expression was all she needed to herd him toward the door, down the hall, into the elevator, up a floor, and to the door of his room. Ignoring all protests, she got Friday to unlock the door and shoved Bruce in inside. Raising her finger in a threatening manner, she stared him down.
"If Friday tells me you stuck one foot outside this door before 6am, you'll have to bring out your big green buddy to save your ass, Banner. I'm not joking, even a little."
"But—"
"The puzzle Tony left you can wait." She shook her head, cutting him off. "If you don't sleep, you won't be at your best. If you're not at your best, you're letting down the entire team."
"Low blow, Darcy."
Her smile was almost gleefully evil to be called a smirk. "Now you know what you asked for. Get some rest, Doc. See ya in the morning!" And she pulled the door shut in his face, dusted off her hands, and walked away whistling. She wasn't a superhero or master assassin, or mad scientist. Her job was people herding and she was damn good at it.
Back in business, and it felt good.
The mission kept Jane and the team away for longer than any of them had anticipated. Maria had finally shared with Darcy and Bruce that one of Tony's many contacts had tracked down the Winter Soldier and so the entire team had gone to "collect" him. Bruce had agreed that maybe it was better for him to wait to meet Steve's former best friend, considering.
"I don't get it." Darcy's blew on her hot chocolate and took a cautious sip. The scalding liquid that burned the roof of her mouth told her she hadn't been quite cautious enough. Story of her life. "Why Jane? I mean, she's not exactly a fighter, let's be honest."
Ha! Jane's idea of an attack was running someone over with her car, or maybe braining them with a frying pan. Actually, that wasn't such a bad idea.
"I think Tony felt having her there might be helpful, her being a doctor and all."
"She's not a psychiatrist! Or even the kind that wraps up booboos."
"Yeah, that's pretty much what she said to Tony, but have you ever tried arguing with him? It was easier to just go."
Darcy rubbed fingers over her forehead, attempting to smooth away the headache brewing. Tony could be such a pain in the ass sometimes. She sat in silence through the rest of Maria's explanation, that while the team's plan had worked, they'd lost and found James Barnes three time since the original capture. Apparently he was the Houdini of prisoners and kept escaping. The upside is that they think he might have shaken off at least some of his HYDRA compulsion, since he left behind a trail of incapacitated bodies rather than dead ones.
"Oh, hooray," said Darcy sourly when Maria finished. Leaning forward, she narrowed her eyes. "So what now? I mean, they've got him in custody again and are keeping him sedated until... what?"
Maria avoided her eyes. "He's being transported back to the Tower, where we've been preparing a special room for him. Similar to the Box, at SHIELD's base."
"You're bringing him here?!"
"Oh, now that doesn't sound like a good idea," Bruce added, rubbing the back of his neck, looking anxious.
Maria sighed and spread her hands. She looked tired for a moment, then rallied, her usual unreadable expression returning.
"It's the best one we've got at the moment, and I promise you it'll be safe. He needs... help. We need information. To get all that, he needs to be close to hand." She stood, shuffling her files back together and stepping away from the table. "You won't even know he's here."
After she left, Darcy and Bruce just sat at the table for a long moment.
"Somehow—" Darcy shoved back her chair and stood, frowning at the empty doorway. "I kinda doubt that."