A/N: Hey guys! So, this is my first time writing a fanfic for something that isn't anime-related, and the first time I've written in present-tense, haha. This is kind of based on a prompt, but I suppose I completely went against what it was supposed to be, so instead, you have this! I hope you guys enjoy it, and please let me know what you think!

Keep in mind that this is an AU. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or any characters within the Marvel universe (if I did, I wouldn't work at a grocery store . . .). This is not for profit, merely entertainment purposes!

In which Darcy drags Jane to a Masquerade Ball that happens to have some very interesting guests attending.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

"I don't understand why that would be. You know you let me talk you into everything," Darcy grins, glancing at her friend over the rack of costume clothing she's currently perusing. "Besides, if it weren't for me, you'd never have any fun at all! You should be thankful, really—and give me a raise."

"I don't pay you, Darcy, you're an intern," Jane retorts, eyeing a bright yellow outfit skeptically as she does so. She sighs heavily. "Be thankful I even feed you at this point."

"Hey, I feed myself sometimes, too!" Darcy states defensively, before gasping with joy as she pulls out a black dress. "What do you think?"

Jane stares at the garment with a frown, "for you, or for me?"

"Me, duh." Darcy rolls her eyes, tucking the item under her armpit along with the other clothes she's found. "I know you don't like wearing a lot of black stuff. Don't worry, though, we'll find you something!"

Jane nods absentmindedly as she continues to examine the selection before her. She's questioned her sanity a lot by this point, but never more than the moment right after she'd agreed to attend a Masquerade ball that Darcy had been invited to. Jane still isn't sure how Darcy always manages to get these things, but she's long since given up on seeking the answer. There are some things even science can't answer (although she'll never admit this out loud.)

They continue to look in silence for a long while before they both have enough clothing gathered to try on. Darcy huffs as Jane refuses to allow her into the same dressing room, arguing that they've changed in front of each other plenty of times at home, but the latter ignores her anyway. After an excessively long endeavor to find an outfit that fits and Darcy is satisfied with letting her out into public with, Jane is stuck waiting for her intern to pick out something for herself (she absolutely refuses to get Jane's opinion because her clothing is 'suited for the "forever alone" crowd').

Finally, Darcy emerges with a large, satisfied grin and the pair heads to the mask section, which Jane groans at upon seeing the selection. "We're never going to get out of here."

Darcy laughs, and Jane is pretty sure it sounds maniacal. "Sure we will! We have to, or we'll miss the party."

"Right," Jane sighs, "because what a shame that would be."

xXxXxXx

"I'm telling you, it would go a lot smoother if you just let me do it," Darcy states, glancing at Jane's reflection in the mirror. The latter attempts to scowl at her friend while still applying mascara, a feat that she feels she should be congratulated for.

"Look, just because I don't usually wear makeup doesn't mean that I never have," Jane grumbles, wincing as she nearly pokes herself in the eye. She sighs, setting the applier down. "Besides, why do I need to wear makeup, anyway? We're going to be wearing masks."

"Oh my god, Jane, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Darcy scolds, turning to her friend. "You should always wear makeup when going out. What if you meet someone incredible? You wanna look your best—just trust me. Now give me that, before you hurt yourself."

Jane sighs, handing over the offending object. She only pouts mildly as her intern applies the amount of makeup that she deems satisfactory, and when she's done, even Jane has to admit that she's done a good job. Her eyes are popping, and the shade of red lipstick that Darcy picked out makes her lips look less like she's part albino. She sighs (again). "Thanks."

"It's what best friends are for," Darcy shrugs, before finishing up the last few touches on her own makeup. "Although I don't know what you ever did before you found me."

"Studied a lot and didn't have any distractions," Jane mutters under her breath, watching the woman as she set her own makeup items down.

"Good, putting our faces on is done," Darcy chirps, before suddenly grabbing Jane by the arm, not giving her an option as she pushes her down onto the closed toilet seat, picking up a curling iron Jane hadn't realized she'd turned on. Darcy grins at her friend, clacking the object menacingly. "Now, time for an appropriate hairdo."

xXxXxXx

Jane examines herself in the body-length mirror that Darcy had brought with her when she'd moved in, not quite recognizing herself. A long, elegant green dress adorns her figure, lined with gold and white patterns. It has a very distinct Victorian appearance to it, and she can't help but smile a little to herself. As much of a science geek as she'd been in her youth, and admittedly, her present, a little bit of her fascination with the Victorian era has still managed to stick around. She's also pleased with the fact that they were able to find a mask that goes perfectly with the dress. It's a beautiful green mask with gold trim and swirls, and a large white feather adorns the top of it, but isn't obnoxious enough to take away from her curly updo, which twin tendrils fall from to frame her face. She nods, satisfied with her appearance. At least, if nothing else, she's presentable.

Darcy emerges from the bathroom a moment later, fully clad in a black and silver Victorian-style dress, her hair pinned up as well. She beams brightly at Jane from behind her black mask, doing a twirl. "What do you think?"

"You look great," Jane smiles, chuckling softly. "I didn't realize you could be such a girlie-girl."

"Hey, we're hiding behind masks," Darcy laughs. "No one will ever know that it's me, so I can let my bad-girl reputation slide a little bit."

"I'm sure that's what it is," Jane smirks, rolling her eyes before a loud honk distracts her. "Looks like your friend's shown up."

"Awesome!" Darcy practically runs to the door (how someone does that in heels, Jane will never know), while Jane concentrates on following after her without falling over in her own heels. She never will understand the point of having impractical shoes.

Jane seems to be in more shock than Darcy when they step outside to a waiting limo. A beautiful blonde woman waves at them from the side of it, a huge smile on her face. "Darcy! You and your friend look great!"

"Ha! Thanks!" Darcy replies, before grabbing Jane and practically dragging her to the limo. "Jane, meet Anna, and vice-versa. Anna's the one who's getting us into the party. This is gonna be great!"

"Nice to meet you," Anna smiles, laughing softly. "It's a high society party, so I'm just really glad I don't have to go alone."

"High society?" Jane repeats, looking at Darcy skeptically. She wasn't told about this part. Darcy smiles sheepishly. "Yeah, I may have forgotten to mention that part. But it's fine! There's an open bar, and we're just going to have fun and see what kind of hotties are gonna be there."

Jane ignores the woman's waggling eyebrows, turning back to Anna. "What kind of high society?"

"Just some business owners," she replies, as if it were no big deal. "Don't worry about it! You guys are going to fit in fine, and I'm only going to represent my CEO. He told me to bring a guest or two so the company looked better."

"Right," Jane says, although she feels far from not worrying about. Still, as she's ushered into the limo by her intern, she decides that maybe, for once, she could try not to be the over-analytical astrophysicist.

xXxXxXx

They've been at the party for a half an hour now, and Jane has decided that she's never not going to be the over-analytical astrophysicist, and she's never following one of Darcy's random schemes again.

She lost Darcy as soon as the first guy asked her intern to dance. Anna had disappeared earlier than that, having needed to mingle with some people for her boss. Jane understood, she really did, but as the college student who never went to parties, Jane is beginning to feel ridiculously out of place. She's managed to bump into several people already, and after apologizing profusely, now finds herself leaning against the wall near the bar, some girly drink that Darcy shoved into her hand first thing clutched fairly close to her chest, only half-empty. She sighs, wishing that she'd driven herself so she could just leave instead of being forced to hang around at a party she doesn't feel comfortable at.

"If I didn't know better, I would assume that the drink you are clinging to is a form of life support," states a voice to Jane's left, and she nearly jumps three feet in the air in response. Her head snaps towards the sound, eyes landing on a tall stranger leaning against the wall who she could swear was not there a moment ago. "E-excuse me?"

Emerald eyes gaze back at her, hidden behind a simple black mask. A smirk stretches across thin lips, and the man chuckles lightly. "You are clinging to your drink as though it is the last hope for survival," he responds, voice as smooth as silk and dripping with a British accent. Jane stiffens, trying to ignore the fact that she's sure her face is burning like a wildfire.

"Oh, um, no," Jane mutters, looking down at her drink self consciously. "I just, well . . . I don't really know anyone here, and the people I came with have disappeared on me."

"I'm fairly confident that the point of a masquerade ball is to make sure that no one knows who anyone else is," the man responds thoughtfully, looking out at the party. "Although, I must say that this isn't particularly my kind of event, either."

Jane smiles a little bit, thankful that at least she isn't alone in that. She glances up at her companion, looking him over a bit better while he isn't facing her. He's wearing a black tuxedo, which stands out in comparison to everyone else's less modern style for the party, and his lengthy black hair is slicked back. Jane is impressed that it doesn't look oily, which is more than she can say for any of her past friends who have attempted the look. She quickly turns back to the crowd as he shifts to look at her again.

"So, if this isn't your cup of tea," he muses, "why are you here? Certainly it can't just be because you moonlight as a wallflower."

Jane emits a quiet laugh. "The last part depends on who you ask, actually . . . And I'm here because my friend dragged me along with her."

"Ah, so you make it a habit to allow your friends to take you places you don't wish to go?"

"My friend is very persuasive," Jane sighs. "She's hard to say no to."

"I see," the man states, another smirk playing on his lips.

Jane nods, feeling a little uncomfortable as silence fell on them. After a moment of building courage up, she glances at the man once more. "So, if this isn't your cup of tea, why are you here?"

"Hm, business is probably the most accurate response," he states slowly. "I was asked to attend so that the heir to the company doesn't make a mockery of it with his dimwitted knowledge, but seeing as everyone here seems to be more interested in drinking and telling stories of their youthful college days than actually discussing business, my need for being here has been relinquished."

"Oh," Jane frowns. This man is definitely better-spoken than anyone she's ever talked to before. "That sounds unfortunate."

"Yes, and no," he states with a haphazard shrug that seems like it should be out of character for him. "I don't actually mind not having to babysit a fully-grown man, but I do tend to get bored inside the walls of this building. I would rather be away from the loud music and less than intelligent guests. You're the first person I've spoken to who hasn't slurred half of their words, actually."

Jane isn't quite sure if that's a compliment, but she decides she'll take it as one. "Well, thank you. I'm not a large drinker, especially when I have no real idea where I am."

"Most people are not so cautious," he smirks, before standing fully and turning to face her. She suddenly feels ridiculously tiny, as he'd apparently been slouching while leaning against the wall. She unconsciously stands at her full height, too, but still comes up ridiculously short. He raises a brow behind his mask for a moment before he looks around. "So, if you are not interested in anything going on here, would you perhaps accompany me outside? I could use the fresh air, and I'm fairly certain the music is getting worse."

Jane eyes him suspiciously for a moment, and his smirk appears to widen. "No funny business, I assure you."

Jane glances around at the party once more, not seeing a trace of Darcy or Anna, and finally sighs softly. "Sure, why not? I suppose it can't be any worse than being a wallflower."

"Oh, I assure you it will not be," he chuckles, before holding out his arm towards her. Jane stares at it in confusion for a moment, before it dawns on her that he's offering it to her and she takes it. She allows him to lead her through the crowd, surprised at the wide break they're being offered by the other guests. She'd had to practically fight her way through to get to the bar earlier.

As they exit the doors of the large building (Jane assumes that it is a home, as the gates at the front of the property were opened and she was fairly certain there was a mailbox when they'd pulled in earlier), her companion turns to the right. Jane makes small mental notes about the area around them, just in case she needs to get back in a rush, should anything unusual take place.

They walk in silence for a few minutes, and Jane is thankful for the cooler evening air. She's never been a fan of how hot a party can get, and her dress isn't making her feel any more comfortable in the building. She looks up at the man out of the corner of her eyes, but he is staring straight ahead. Turning her gaze back ahead of them as well, her eyes widen.

Lining the concrete pathway that the man has led them down are rows of flowers that look silver bathed in the moonlight. As they reach the end, Jane realizes that the ground has turned into gravelly dirt, and she has to be careful not to lose her footing. Her companion seems to be rather patient with her, which she's thankful for. Once she's confident with walking on the new surface, she looks around a little more, gasping at the sight of multiple kinds of flowers, each a muted—but beautiful—version of their usual color because of the moon. In the middle of the garden sits a white bench. Jane smiles. "Did you know this place was here?"

"Of course," he replies smoothly. "I do help take care of it, after all."

Jane's brow furrows. "You do? Do you work here at the house?"

"No," he chortles, "I live here. Most of the time, anyway."

"Oh," Jane replies, caught off guard. "So, then, the party . . ."

"Let us not speak of the party, as we're no longer a part of it currently, and we did come out here to escape it," he says teasingly, and Jane finds herself unable to question him further on it as he leads them over to the bench, allowing her to sit down before taking a seat for himself. Jane looks around, her gaze lingering on each of the flowers as she sets her drink down next to her. "The flowers are beautiful."

"Yes, they were chosen by myself and Frigga, the woman of the house," he states calmly. "But I'm glad that you like them. They make for a nice calm place to come and think. That, and the view of the sky is wonderful out here."

Jane's eyes immediately shoot skyward, and not for the first time this evening she's shocked. He's right—the view of the stars is absolutely breathtaking from where they're sitting. "Wow, that's impressive . . ." I really wish I had my telescope!

"I specifically asked that there not be any artificial light sources placed out here, as it would merely take away from the sky," he says quietly, his own eyes searching the heavens. "Something about the evening sky is calming."

"I agree," Jane smiles, and sighs contently for the first time that day. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so."

"As am I," he replies, and both of them grow silent as they stare up at the stars. It isn't long before Jane's hand shoots up and she's pointing at the sky. "Did you see that?"

"The shooting star? Of course," he smirks, "I'm not blind, you know."

Jane's face burns bright red again, "Right. I'm just not used to anyone else looking up with me . . . I don't get to see clear skies like this at home. Too many city lights."

"That's unfortunate. Everyone should take a moment every once in a while to appreciate more than what's right in front of them," he states, before smirking. "There's another one."

"Yeah, that doesn't happen very often," she says, her smile returning. "Thank you for bringing me out here, by the way."

"My pleasure," he responds. He looks back down, eyes scanning the garden before he turns to her. "It seems as though the music has followed us out here."

Jane's head tilts down and she realizes he's right; she can hear the music playing, albeit faintly, in the distance from the house. How had she missed that? "You're right."

"Of course I am," he teases. "However, I happen to actually like this song. Could I perhaps interest you in a dance?"

Jane turns to him and nearly jumps again as she realizes he's already standing. He's really quick. "I'm not exactly the best dancer, especially in heels."

"Hm, well, if that's the case, we could dance slowly. This particular number doesn't ask for a fast dance, anyway," he says, extending his hand to her. Jane looks up at him, her heart racing against her will, but she concedes and grabs his hand, allowing him to pull her up to him. He places one hand on her waist, keeping her other one enclosed in his. Jane places her free hand on his shoulder, hoping that she's not making a fool of herself as she begins to sway with him to the rhythm of the music.

"You aren't nearly as bad as you made yourself out to be. I was expecting to wake up in the morning with blisters on my feet," he taunts, clearly entertained with himself. "So, with whom, if I might ask, am I dancing with?"

Jane's pretty sure that her face is as red as it can possibly get at this point, and has never been more thankful that it's dark outside. Towards his question, she smiles softly. "I'm Jane. What about you? Who do I have the pleasure of not stepping on the toes of?"

He snickers a bit. "My name is Loki."

"That's a unique name," Jane replies thoughtfully. "It suits you, though."

"Oh? You don't even know what I look like," he smirks.

"Yes, well, you don't know what I look like, either," she retorts, smirking for herself. "It's just as well, though. After all, that's what a masquerade ball is for, as someone once told me."

"Oh, is that so? This person sounds unequivocally wise," he responds, before twirling them a bit in time with the song. Jane giggles a little, both from amusement and because she was genuinely enjoying his company. She couldn't remember being this content in a man's presence—and a stranger's, no less.

"I hope your evening has livened up a little bit," Loki states suddenly, looking down at her. Jane is stunned at how vibrant his eyes look, even in the moonlight. She smiles up at him. "It has, actually. I hope yours has, too."

"Your company has been significantly more enjoyable than anyone's in that awful room," he states, his tone light.

Jane smiles, "I'm glad to hear it."

The two grow silent, although the silence doesn't bother Jane for once. They continue dancing to the song, and neither of them bothers mentioning when the song changes to a different one, or when that one fades into the next.

A/N: Okay! That's the end of chapter one. Hope you liked it! Things will progress a bit slow at the beginning, but expect for lots more Lokane in the future, but not always as fluffy, muahaha. Jane has no idea what just meeting someone can do to throw off a paved path!

Please Review! It keeps my motivation up!