Author's Note – Still not mine!
Darcy stared at her computer screen. She should have been catching up on Jane's data entry, but her mind would not stay focused. Actually…that wasn't quite correct. Her mind focused fine – just not on the data. Instead it wandered away from stars and numbers to center itself on dark, shadowed, and mysterious.
Bucky fell into their company as though made for it. He might not be quite as good at handling Jane as Darcy, but he was better than anybody else had been, even Erik. Mostly though, he excelled at giving them a sense of safety. The suits didn't like it, but the women didn't care. He would prowl around the building and check in on them at random intervals. Unlike the SHIELD visits, he didn't get in the way or ask questions. He would simply look in, verify everything was good, and then move on.
He didn't understand Jane's science and never tried to pretend otherwise, but he would let her point things out to him, a half-smile resting on his lips as he took in her enthusiasm. Darcy would find her coffee or water refilled when she surfaced from trying to compile Jane's data into a readable spreadsheet or report. It probably should have unnerved her at how he could move around without her noticing. There was a reason she carried a taser as opposed to pepper spray after all. Still…she felt safe. He took care of them, protected them.
The only problem? Bucky wasn't very good about taking care of himself.
He slept, but not at night and not deeply even when he managed. He spent his whole night defending the keep basically, moving through and around the building where they slept. The shadows under his eyes grew deeper. He would catch a catnap in the lab as long as both she and Jane were both there. If one of them left, he would wander between them, watching over both as best he could. He prowled really…like a wolf guarding its pack. He refused any comfort or form of rest if either woman under his protection seemed vulnerable in any way.
And they still hadn't managed to pursue their interrupted 'discussion' any further!
"That doesn't look like my stuff."
Darcy almost came out of her seat as Jane suddenly appeared at her shoulder. "Sheesh!" she exclaimed. "Heart attack!" Collapsing back into her chair, she gave Jane a dirty look as the scientist started laughing. "Very funny," she grumbled. "There are easier ways to kill me, you know."
"You're the one lost in a screensaver," Jane pointed out, nodding at the animated thunderstorm flickering across Darcy's laptop.
"I was thinking," she insisted, chin going up.
"Uh, huh," her friend replied. "Thinking about a particular someone who you've been stuck on since we brought him home." Jane leaned back against the desk and stared down at Darcy. "He's on the roof right now."
"What is it with everyone I know and rooftops?" Darcy demanded, trying to shift subjects. "You, Barton, Bucky….all of you go right for the roofs."
"Astrophysicist," Jane replied, pointing at herself. "Overprotective guardian angel type," she continued, pointing towards the ceiling above them. "Barton?" One eyebrow went up. "Which one was Barton?"
"Jack-booted thug with a bow and arrow fetish."
The scientist's eyes narrowed in consideration before brightening with understanding. "Oh, right, the guy with the eyes and the butt." Darcy smothered a laugh and Jane shrugged. "What? Just because I've got…whatever I've got with Thor, I'm supposed to be blind?"
The laugh escaped. "That's going to be exactly what's running through my head if I ever see him again. 'Hey, Barton, great to see you again! Do you know Jane thinks you've got a great ass?'" Darcy laughed again, the sound filling the room.
"Don't you dare!" Jane made a swipe at the brunette, but Darcy ducked and danced out of reach. The scientist began stalking her assistant, a teasing glitter in her amber eyes.
"Is everything okay down here?" Bucky's voice drew their attention. Something lurked in his eyes – a shadow of repressed longing flickered as he stared at the two women.
All of the sudden it occurred to Darcy that she saw the exact same shadow every time she and Jane acted more like sisters than coworkers. He had family. That's what he was missing when he watched the two of them – the closeness only a sibling, by blood or by choice, can bring. Somewhere out there he had a brother or a sister…someone he protected. Jane shifted beside her. Glancing over, Darcy caught an expression mingling understanding, compassion, and the hint of mischief.
"Bucky!" the other woman exclaimed and rushed forward. "Tell Darcy I'm right!"
He blinked at her as confusion subtly stole into his gaze, pushing out the shadow. "Right about…what?"
"No, no, no," Jane shook her head as she latched onto his arm. "Just agree with me."
Darcy stuck her tongue out at the other woman and then pointed at him. "Don't even," she said firmly. "I'm right. It's funny and would be a blast."
"It would be mean," Jane shot back before making a face at her.
"Oh, please," Darcy rolled her eyes. "Only if you're going to be stuffy about it."
"I'm not stuffy!"
Darcy opened her mouth to reply, but Bucky hurriedly broke in. "That's enough, both of you." His eyes moved from one to the other. "Don't know what you're going on about, and I kind of think I don't want to," he continued, "not seeing as how you've both got trouble-maker written all over your faces." A touch of sardonic humor hovered on his lips, riveting Darcy's attention on the hint of 'rascal' lightening his expression. "I'm going to find out this is payback for something, aren't I?" The two women glanced at each other before turning back to him with identical expressions of wide-eyed innocence.
He laughed. The two women blinked in surprise before it became catching and they began giggling in return. This wasn't his crooked grin, rusty chuckle, or amused scoff…this was an honest-to-goodness laugh.
And it tripped Darcy from intrigued, interested into full-blown attraction.
The phone rang and Jane smothered her amusement in order to rush across the room. Her companions watched as she straightened, grew serious, and began nodding. Their eyes met before flickering back to her. She said a few final words and hung up.
"We're going home," she said quietly as she rejoined them. "Someone from SHIELD will be here in three days to pick us up."
"About time," Darcy muttered and then broke off as Bucky seemed to stiffen. She turned to see his remote mask beginning to reform. "Oh, hey, no," she insisted, reaching out to poke him. "We just got through that whole ice statue thing. You are not backsliding now."
"You're going home with us," Jane announced matter-of-factly as she started looking around the lab. "I hate packing."
He folded his arms over his chest. "They may not allow-"
"Whatever," Darcy scoffed. His wounded gaze met her stubborn one. "Just let them try. For starters? Jane can totally kill them with her brain."
"No more Firefly for you for a few months," Jane huffed.
Darcy waved that off. "Secondly? You have kept us safe and free during the entire time they've left us with the dregs of their agent pool." He opened his mouth to argue and she shook her head. "Don't argue with me." His jaws snapped closed and she nodded in approval. "And finally, I've got a taser and an attitude, and I'm not afraid to use either."
"She'll do it too," Jane chimed in, solemn assurance in every line of her face.
He looked from one to another and then his shoulders minutely relaxed. It was only a small, barely discernable shift, but Darcy would take what she could get. Clearing his throat, his eyes roamed the chaotic organization of the lab. "So…we need to pack?"
"Yep!" Darcy chirped, her tone loud and cheerful. "Basically it's a matter of start anywhere but leave the machines for last. They're the delicate bit." The three of them began digging out boxes and piling papers. Work progressed slowly for a few minutes before Darcy called out. "Hey, Bucky?"
He looked at her, wary but trusting.
She gave him a quick smile. "You're one of us, you know."
His answering smile might have been slow, but it was no less real.
"Now that we know we're a team," Jane called out, "can we please get packed before SHIELD does it and gets everything disorganzied again?"
"There's organization now?" he asked under his breath.
Darcy nudged him. "It's organized a la Foster."
Both of them snickered as Jane's voice echoed through the lab.
"I heard that!"