In Your Arms

It didn't register in his mind what had happened before it was too late, the sceptre piercing her stomach and being left there as a man all too familiar to the Avengers walked away slowly, disappearing into nothingness as if nothing had happened, leaving behind maniacal laughter that echoed in everyone's ears.

"Darcy, no!" Thor's loud roar of despair broke through the musty air like a knife and it snapped Bruce out of his thoughts as Darcy's legs buckled beneath her, she let out a bloodcurdling scream and he raced forward, catching her as she fell.

"B-Bruce?" she coughed, tears falling down her face as she looked around her, her vision fading and she found it hard to move from the pain.

Bruce's vision blurred as tears stung at his eyes and he felt sick as he lowered himself to the ground, his fiancée in his arms and he was careful not to knock the sceptre that was embedded in her, he watched as the blood spread across her wedding dress and he could hear 'The Other Guy' in the back of his mind roaring, ready to be set free at any moment.

"D-Darcy, stay with me. Stay with me…please." he begged, trembling as he cupped her face with one hand.

"Bruce?" she asked weakly, giving off a soft smile. How the hell she could smile in a time like this, they didn't know.

"I'm here Darcy, I'm here." He wanted to say she looked beautiful in her gown but he couldn't, what once was white silk was now crimson-red and wet.

"Can you get this out of me?" she looked at him pleadingly and he burst into tears.

"We can't Darcy, not yet. Please stay with me."

Darcy's breath grew rapid as she looked at Bruce, caressing his face softly and wiping away the tears, she looked at all the other Avengers who were close by and they too were struggling to keep their emotions at bay.

"I don't…regret…a thing…" she breathed as she blinded herself with tears once more "I am so proud of you all and you need to carry on without me."

Darcy was addressing all of the Avengers but she could only hear Bruce as the others were too lost for words.

"I can't go on without you Darce." his voice broke and Darcy began to realise she didn't have much time left on Earth.

"Robert…Bruce…Banner, I have and always will love you. I am so proud of you but don't forget me and don't ever give up. You have to be strong now, okay?"

Bruce still held Darcy in his arms, tight and strong but emotionally, he was not. He tried to look away but the feeling of Darcy's hand against his face made him turn back. She closed her eyes and kissed him, he leaned into it. He wanted it to last but she had a smirk on her face for some reason…

Then, she screamed one final, long-blood-curdling painful scream which died almost instantly.

Darcy had pulled the sceptre out of herself, using the kiss as a distraction.

"Darcy? Darcy!" Bruce tried to comfort her and he left the bloodied sceptre next to her broken body and with one final breath, she looked at him and said "I will always love you…"

And with that, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and Darcy Lewis was no more