Author's note: Set just under a year after Avengers. The tesseract has been used to open a temporary useful portal between Asgard and Earth. Thor has asked Nick Fury to send Jane Foster and Erik Selvig to come to Asgard. Loki is under house arrest and has been stripped of his magic by Odin. Darcy is still PA to Jane and being paid by Shield, so she of course invites herself to accompany Jane and Erik to Asgard. This is straight up romance; smut will be confined to innuendo and behind closed doors. Not much conflict outside the feelings of my OTP. Of course I don't own any of these characters, but it's all for love, not money.

Darcy was used to all the Shield staff milling around looking very stressed out, but the activity near the portal was at a whole new level. Jane had mentioned earlier that Nick Fury was not completely on board with this diplomatic visit to Asgard. He felt it was much safer for Thor to come to Earth instead. She really didn't care about his concerns; she was very interested in getting to the place that Thor had come from, and those warriors who looked like they came from a Renaissance Fair but fought like gods. She was easily bored and figured this would be a perfect change from the dull basement labs she'd been stuck in for almost a year after Loki's defeat and capture. She just sat back in her chair, duffel bag at her feet, watching Jane's face, which was much happier now that she was perhaps minutes away from seeing Thor, concentrate on the Stark super computer calculations currently going on by the tesseract portal. Erik also seemed eager to get to Asgard, to see the world he'd learned about as a child, full of people from myth and legend.

"It's time, Darcy, grab your bag." Jane called out. "Come over to the platform and stand next to me."

"Is this going to hurt?" Darcy wanted to know. She really had a low tolerance for pain. She had carefully tucked Shocky in her jacket pocket, just in case.

Erik smiled. "Darcy, don't worry. We'll be right beside you. The translation should be almost instantaneous. "He offered his hand, and she gratefully took it, happy to have him next to her.

An automated voice began a countdown: "T minus 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Engaging Portal." There was a brief flash, and then bottom of her mind dropped out of her toes and then screamed back up and back down again, all at the same time. Her whole world was a light blue glow, then orange, then green, then every color of the rainbow. The next second she was in a beautifully decorated room. It seemed that even basement labs on Asgard were tastefully appointed. There were fine wooden tables and richly colored fabrics draped on the walls. It only took a minute or so to become stable on her feet, but by that time she had an Asgardian guard holding her up by the waist.

She carefully detached herself from him and looked around. Jane squealed and ran across the room toward a big man. Thor had come to meet them, of course. Darcy felt a warm glow and glanced over to Erik, who also had a smile on his face. Erik's next expression was one of awe. She followed his gaze to an older, grey bearded and distinguished looking man, richly dressed, with a golden eye patch. This must be Odin, one eyed Allfather of Asgard. She'd been studying.

"Welcome to Asgard. I am Odin, King and Allfather. I am happy to open this portal to Midgard and to begin diplomatic and scientific relations with Earth. Please come and feast with us after you have rested. Thor, I'm sure you wish to do the honors."

Thor smiled and walked over to Erik and Darcy. "So good to see you again. Please follow me." Thor grabbed Erik's proffered hand and then pulled him in for a bear hug. Darcy was next and was left breathless by his massive clutch.

"Whoa, there buddy. I'm getting lightheaded... Jane, call off your boyfriend." Darcy laughed as Jane blushed at "boyfriend."

The group left and walked what seemed like a mile towards a large structure. Darcy was amazed at the beauty of Asgard. For such a technologically advanced culture, there was an extreme emphasis on aesthetically superfluous details. Her Political Science grad school background suddenly kicked in and she started a sociological analysis in her mind. She might even turn this into her dissertation if she could get security clearance.

Of course the rooms they were given were beautiful, comfortable and quiet. Too quiet for Darcy. With an hour until the feast, she was restless. She'd changed into her one good dress, a black jersey wrap dress from Macy's (on sale) and some strappy sandals, she'd also put on some lipstick and taken her glasses and stowed them into her small bag. She really only needed them for driving anyway, she told herself. She was ready to explore a wee bit before the feast.

She paused outside Jane's door. She could hear faint conversation, and was that... giggling? No way would she interrupt at this point. She wandered down the hall, breathing in the scent of flowers. She saw a guard at a branch in the corridor. She paused and then, seeing no reason to be shy, since after all she was an honored guest, marched right up to the guard.

"Hello, uh, sir guard. I'm planning to do some research during our visit. Is there a library or other, um, repository of knowledge or history within this building?" She felt very odd, but when the guard snapped to and pointed down the corridor, she was relieved.

"Yes, my lady. The library is just three doors down on the right. Anything else that you require will be brought right way."

"Thanks very much, um, guard person. I will get back to you on what else I need." Darcy kept on down the hall and approached the indicated door and pushed it open with both hands, considering that it was heavy polished wood. She stopped in her tracks when she saw someone was already in the library.

He sat next to the fire in an armchair, book open on his lap, face down, reading intently. He had dark hair, pale skin and prominent cheekbones and a strong jawline. He was half smiling when he noticed her presence. His half smile disappeared instantly. His aquamarine eyes locked onto hers and reflected the fire light.

"Uh, um, hello, uh, I'll come back later." Darcy stammered and backed toward the door.

"There's no need to leave. The library is very large. Plenty of room for two." He indicated the vast room, lined with shelves and thousands of books. There were comfy chairs and couches with fluffy cushions and writing tables, desks and chairs interspersed with academic precision. It was like the most awesome university library reading room she'd ever seen, and she gasped a little in appreciation.

His half smile came back."I am Loki." He added quickly when she froze, "I can do you no harm. Odin has made sure of that, so do not be alarmed or afraid. Part of my penance and punishment is to ensure that our Midgardian visitors are afforded every courtesy and consideration. How can I help you, Darcy?"

"How did you know my name?" Darcy tilted her head at him.

His eyes crinkled as he smiled at her. "I was told the names of our visitors, and since you're not a man nor are you in Thor's arms right now, you must be Darcy Lewis, scholar of government, societies and culture."

Darcy blushed a little at the thought of being in Thor's arms, but she decided to stand her ground and look around the room and see what the collection was like. She took a deep breath and pulled her glasses out of her bag and put them on. She started walking and reading titles along the wall shelves, feeling the hair on the back of her neck rise as she felt his jade eyes following her. She screamed a tiny scream inside. This was the guy, THE GUY, the one who she saw on CNN last year. She remembered holding Jane's hand as they sat together, eyes glued to the screen as they watched the aliens emerge from the hole ripped into the sky above Stark tower in Manhattan. They had shown footage of him taken in Germany as well, where he had killed a scientist and then tried to subjugate a crowd of wealthy art patrons. He looked the same, but his expression was mild now, almost but not quite meek. Was this the result of his punishment?

"The feast is due to begin in a few minutes, my lady. Perhaps you should begin to make your way to the great hall. It's down the corridor past the main entrance on the left, you can't miss it. If you get lost, just ask a guard to escort you." Loki broke into her thoughts, his voice purring behind her.

"You're not coming to the feast?" she asked, confused.

"No, of course not. I'm not welcome at social gatherings anymore. For obvious reasons." He lightly took her elbow and walked her to the door, holding it open for her. "I am at your service."

"Uh, okay, then, um. Bye?" The door shut in her face.