Sparked by a comment from katdemon18 which was left on Genius Adventures 3 a few months ago. I played with this idea and little, then debated when to post this, but figured the spoilers weren't bad enough to actually not post this one. However, if you don't want any spoilers related to Danya (that's the only one), then don't read this. Alternatively, most of you know who Danya is by now. If you don't, take a look at Steve Meets Mayhem and you'll figure it out pretty quickly, especially if you've read Mischief Loves Company. Anyway, on with the story. Like I said, if you don't want any spoilers, save this one until I finish Mischief Loves a Challenge.

For everyone who chooses to keep going, enjoy!

- Illusinia

Coulson felt a little uneasy as he looked at Darcy from the other end of the conference table. Normally, he wouldn't care about what he was going to do, but after the little stunt she pulled with Fury, well, it seemed prudent to maintain a healthy wariness when dealing with the brunette lab assistant. Well, now she was more a member of the engineering staff. The paperwork had just gone through that morning to hire her on under Stark's engineering division par his request. Apparently, her skills with electricity were sufficient to draw attention.

Assuming she didn't quit on the spot after he gave her the envelope in his hands.

Natasha cleared her throat beside him, drawing his attention back to the room at large and the group gathered there-in. All of the Avengers plus Darcy, Jane, and an uneasy Loki stared back at him. Her high school friend, Dani, had been ordered to show as well, but between her research and her marked dislike of him, it was unknown if she would actually show. Still, Darcy was her friend so it was hopeful that she would actually appear.

Regardless, he had to get this meeting over with, in part because the Avengers were getting antsy and in part because he frankly wanted to get this off his plate. Fury hadn't wanted to tell the girl any of this, but Coulson had continually felt that she should know and, after the chaos of the last revelation that was made to her, he felt the sooner this was done the better. Otherwise there was the risk she'd find out on her own, and that could only end in disaster.

"Thank you all for coming today," opened Coulson. "As many of you know, this meeting pertains primarily to Miss Lewis, but I asked all of you here to support her should she need it." The various looks of 'why' and 'we care because...?' weren't a surprise. "I'm aware how close all of you have become to Miss Lewis, and for those of you who try to deny that, let me remind you that all of you are under almost constant surveillance when in Headquarters or at the Mansion."

The looks disappeared rapidly, being replaced with looks of worry or sheepishness. Coulson offered a chilly 'I have you now' smile before turning to face Darcy again and finding his tongue more than a little tied. Really, how does someone deliver news like this? He cleared his throat uneasily. "Miss Lewis, I'm afraid I have some news that will perhaps be a bit shocking to yo-"

"If you're trying to tell me I'm adopted, I know," commented Darcy mildly. "I've known since I was ten, so you can stop looking constipated. Really, you attempting to show compassion is a bit disturbing Coulson."

Coulson chuckled dryly, but couldn't help note the similarities in humor or sarcasm. It wasn't hard to believe the test results in his hand when they were so much the same. "Well, I'll stop attempting to be gentle then and simply give you this." He waved the envelope a little before sliding it across the table to Darcy.

It stopped in front of her and she just stared at it. "I don't want to know who I'm related to."

"How do you know its a DNA test?" asked Coulson mildly. "It could contain any other piece of information." Of course, the envelop really did contain the results of the S.H.I.E.L.D. run DNA test, but he wasn't going to let her know she was right without her looking at the results first. Though her reaction was unpredictable, resistance to know was one of the possible outcomes.

She gave him a 'you're bullshit won't fly with me' look, even as she turned the envelop around on the table several times. "I don't really care where I come from Coulson. My biological mom gave me up for whatever reason and it was her choice. I don't see how knowing who she is will make any difference."

"You're mother isn't listed in there, Miss Lewis," explained Coulson with a faint smile. "It turns out you happen to have relations within S.H.I.E.L.D. itself."

Both of Stark's eyebrows flew up. "She's related to a S.H.I.E.L.D. croon?"

"Jack-booted thug is probably more like it," muttered Jane, even as she lay a reassuring hand on Darcy's shoulder. On Darcy's other side, Loki cocked his head at her curiously. He made no move to touch her.

Thor was giving his brother a look of disapproval, even as he spoke to Darcy. "Lady Darcy, perhaps understanding to whom you are related would not be so bad?"

Loki snorted but said nothing. Darcy gave him a worried look, which he responded to with a tight, grim smile.

"You okay Loki?" asked Darcy, brow furrowed. Her eyes told him that she knew this was a touchy subject for him.

"Fine," assured Loki, even as he nodded at the envelop. "Do you wish to know now, Darcy? For a short period of time, you did."

Darcy sighed and shrugged. "I was curious, once upon a time. But, I mean, after the shit hit the fan with the Finches, I kinda stopped caring."

"Who are the Finches?" asked Clint with a raised eyebrow. "You're last name is Lewis."

She shot him a 'no shit Sherlock' look and sighed. "The Finches are my adopted parents, but I stopped talking to them after that mess with Dani apparently fake-dieing in the chem lab." Darcy considered something for a second before continuing. "They didn't like my decision to drop out of bioengineering, kept insisting that Dani would have wanted me to continue and to 'think about what a great career it was' and 'how I was already on my way to being a lead in the field, just after Tony Stark'. Oh, and my favorite: 'if you play your cards right, maybe you could work with Stark some day'. Course, that one came true, but it was still the way they went about it, with no consideration for why I was switching majors that made me break away from them."

Tony scoffed some and shook his head. "Sound like a pair of real winners to me. I mean, yeah, I wouldn't be happy if it was my kid pursuing Political Science instead of engineering if they had a knack for it, but your reasoning wasn't really flawed."

Steve shot Tony a raised eyebrow, causing the billionaire to shrug. "Hey, I know how bad losing someone you care about can be. It fucks with your head and your heart, so I like to think I'd show at least some compassion or understanding. Though, I'd probably encourage the kid to take time off school rather than drop out of the major completely."

"I considered that," admitted Darcy. "But, really, it was partially frustration that drove me too. Dani shouldn't have been in that class to begin with. It was well below her level of understanding and she was only in it because the school wouldn't let her test out despite recruiting her because she was considered a protege in her field. That's part of the reason I chose poli sci, it would put me in a position where I could help pass legislation to make sure an accident like Dani's didn't happen again."

"Which is why I told Fury the only way I'd come work for S.H.I.E.L.D. was if he told you I was okay," pointed out Danya from the doorway. She looked a little rushed, but otherwise completely put together. Steve stood immediately and offered her his chair, which she pushed him back into, then promptly sat in his lap.

Natasha shot her a raised eyebrow. "Danya? What are you doing at S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Danya grinned at Natasha and shrugged. "Hey Tasha. Guess Mom didn't tell you cause she didn't know, but I work for them."

"You work for S.H.I.E.L.D?" asked Natasha.

Tony looked more than a little surprised. "You know Natasha?"

"They're cousins," supplied Darcy and Loki simultaneously.

"Yep," confirmed Danya with a shrug as she turned towards Darcy in Steve's lap. "So, what's Coulson calling us all together for this time."

Darcy took a moment to admire the various shocked and awed looks that pretty much everyone in the room was giving Danya before she shrugged and addressed her friend's question. "Apparently he just wanted to tell me I'm adopted."

"So, repetitious information," sighed Danya, her head coming back to lean on the blushing Steve's shoulder. "Figures."

Coulson sniffed a little, apparently no longer in shock, which surprised everyone except Darcy, Loki, and Steve. Danya had informed them how much she loathed Coulson. Repeatedly. "I also wanted to present Miss Lewis with the results of a DNA test we ran on her when she came into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s employment."

Danya's head shot up and she glared at Coulson. "And you ran this DNA test, how? Because, last I checked, I'm responsible for running all DNA tests in addition to my research. And I'd definitely remember running Darcy's DNA."

"Except Darcy is using a different surname now," pointed out Loki mildly. "There is a good possibility that you ran the DNA test without realizing you had."

Danya waved away the suggestion easily. "No, Darcy changed her last name when she turned 18. I was there and saw her do it." A grin spread over her face. "I was also the one who drew the last name."

"Drew?" questioned Tony with a raised eyebrow.

Darcy shrugged. "Would you believe that I chose my new last name by putting slips of paper in a hat with all the most common last names on them and drew one at random?"

"Actually, yeah, I would," admitted Tony with a grin. "Easiest way."

"Yep," agreed Darcy with a grin.

Coulson cleared his throat. "Miss Lewis, could you please open the envelop?"

Darcy sighed and returned her gaze to Coulson. "Why? So I can know the names of a bunch of people who I have no connection with? Please, Jane, Pepper, Loki, Dani, and the Avengers are practically family to me. Why do I need to know any more?"

"I think the results may surprise you," suggested Coulson calmly.

She just laughed. "Yeah, now I really don't want to know."

Beside her, Loki reached out and picked up the envelop, examining it before giving Darcy a raised eyebrow. She nodded at him and he flipped open the top, sliding out and examining the paper inside. Both of his eyebrows shot up. "Darcy, I do believe you will want to see this."

Danya raised an eyebrow and stood, moving to read the paper over Loki's shoulder. Her jaw dropped. "Seriously? Darce, you've got to see this."

Finally, with a sigh, Darcy held out her hand for the paper. Calmly, Loki passed the letter to her and she flipped it open. Not a moment passed before she shrugged and dropped the paper with a sigh, muttering something about the rule of 'six degrees of separation' and standing. "Whatever, as I said, it doesn't matter what the results say. Look, I'm done with this. Coulson, if you have a problem with that, shove it. I have stuff to do."

With that, she walked calmly from the room, waving at everyone over her shoulder. Loki and Danya exchanged concerned looks, but neither moved. Everyone was staring at them both expectantly, and they just stared right back.

"Uh, are either of you going after her?" asked Clint uneasily.

Danya snorted. "No. Its a bad idea to bother Darcy when she's pissed."

"She will come to us when she wishes to speak," assured Loki calmly.

From behind Loki, Tony snatched the paper off the table. "Who's she related to anyway?"

Neither Loki or Danya tried to stop him as he looked over the piece of paper and his jaw practically hit the floor. "What the hell?"

Jane peered over his shoulder and her own shocked gasp filled the room. "I don't believe this. There has to be a mistake."

Clint snorted and motioned for the paper. "It can't be that surprising."

When neither Jane nor Tony moved, apparently too shocked to respond, Danya spoke up. "Apparently, Darcy is related to both Tony and Jane, Tony paternally and Jane through a cousin."

The room fell silent for a moment before Steve cleared his throat uneasily. "How-?"

"I'd guess she's Tony's due to a one-night stand and that Jane's cousin was the one Tony slept with," offered Danya mildly. "At least, that's the only way I can think of that she'd be related to both of them. Well, unless Tony's dad had a tendency to pick up random wome-"

"Hell no!" shouted Tony. "My dad was completely devoted to Mom. He wouldn't have cheated on her."

Coulson nodded. "The results don't refute that. According to the degree of relation, Miss Romanov's assessment of the results would be correct."

Danya sneered at Coulson and said something rude along with a comment about Romanov not being her last name thank-you-very-much but no one except Coulson was really paying any attention to her any more. Especially not Tony and Jane who were still staring at the results in shock.

Jane was the first to speak, though it was slowly as if she was trying to piece everything together. "I remember there was a cousin of mine who died when I was very young. I asked about it once, and mother wouldn't say anything. It was on her death certificate though, which was public record. The slip said 'Exsanguination due to child birth'. I didn't have another cousin though, so I always thought the baby died with her."

"I can't believe I have a daughter," muttered Tony as he finally moved, dropping into a chair heavily. "Especially one I never knew about."

"I can't believe I had a cousin and my Aunt and Uncle just gave her away," replied Jane.

Coulson looked at both individuals for a moment, feeling bad that such information had to be delivered so harshly. Perhaps though, he noted as Thor came to stand beside Jane and Pepper wrapped her arms around Tony, perhaps things had turned out just right. Darcy wasn't a stranger to either Jane or Tony and both of them were fully aware how intelligent and resourceful the iPod loving brunette was. Her reaction to the news was troubling, but expected. Hopefully though, everyone could accept this and move on. After all, he'd given them the news with the intention of providing full disclosure, so surely the universe couldn't be so messed up as to actually punish anyone for this. Right?

Honestly, I might do a follow up to this, but I haven't decided yet. Anyone think this is too much insanity? Alternatively, if anyone's interested, I actually toyed with making Clint her father, rather than Tony. Would that have been better or worse? As usual, feed back is welcome!