Magic Trick
Chapter 1 – On Purpose
Darcy Lewis found herself thinking about several things a lot over the last few months. One was how she really should just resign as Jane Foster's assistant. She had picked up on a lot of the scientist stuff over the years despite her major not being in the same area but she had met, at social events similar to the one she was at now, many people who would have been much more helpful. Another thing was how she should change majors although she doubted any university on the planet had a class that specialized in Asgardian culture, history and politics. The closest thing that would come to that would be Norse mythology and Darcy had a certain doubt that some of the stories were true if not exaggerated. Even so, she had still spent a good portion of time trying to figure out how to bring up the question of "so, did you really change yourself into a mare and give birth to a horse" in conversation with Loki.
That was another thing she had been mulling over. Loki, Odin's son, ex-villain and rehabilitated madman, the last one debatable according to most people Darcy spoke to. Three months ago she had ditched a social gathering to spend the night with the Norse god. She had spent a good deal of time trying to forget that night but knew she should have damn well expected it. A god of mischief would have to retire his title if he would pass up such a brilliant chance to throw a girl's brain into chaos. Her snarky side wanted to say congratulations and she was definitely getting him back for that next time she got the chance.
"Huh?" she spoke up when she realised Jane and the old man she had been talking to were staring at her. Obviously they had opted to ask for her input in spite of her obvious lack of knowledge on whatever their current conversation had been. Her clueless expression earned a frown from Foster who apologised to the man before excusing the women from the small circle of conversation, taking her a little away from the crowds that consisted mostly of science types.
"Darcy, this is a very important function for me. We're staying here and I need you to focus." Jane scolded regretting having brought her young friend. Erik would have been a much better choice as her plus one. The younger woman knew Jane probably would have taken him too if it wasn't for the fact he was halfway around the world helping Banner with something.
"Yeah, well if I'm going to stay here any longer I'm going to need tequila or for something to randomly change into ice-cream. That will alert me to the fact Loki and Thor can now make house calls and I can actually have a good time again." Darcy commented believing that if one more scientist stared at her when she asked what "quantam-whatsy-whos-it" meant she just might spill her drink on them. Jane rolled her eyes and gave her the same look she'd been receiving for the past three months whenever she complained about the lack of Asgardian visits. Darcy just shot a look back that clearly stated "you can't talk". Jane had a career dedicated to creating a Bifrost on Earth or even just going to Asgard through the Tesseract and learning the portal science stuff from them.
"What happened between you and Loki that night?" Jane inquired after a quiet moment causing Darcy to blush in alarm. She had told no one of course and the hidden agents weren't exactly inclined to gossip. Hell, the only reason Jane knew Loki had been there was mention from a drunk Tony Stark to her about her intern sneaking out the back with a man considered evil.
"He left me with a great many questions." Darcy huffed deciding to tell the truth in a way that also avoided it. In fact it pretty much summed up why she had been so distracted and full of want. It wasn't the result of shyness, the woman was far too confident in herself for such things. She may be considered ignorant on a lot of subjects but knowing where she stood wasn't one of them. That was what frustrated her. Relationships involved someone else's standing and well, Loki wasn't exactly the most stable of guys. It was even harder to get a read on him when he lived light-years away. So in short, yes. She did want to punch him.
All in one instant she was thrown from her revenge on the god of mischief plotting however. An explosion of sound caused everyone in the room to duck and scream, Jane and Darcy quickly hiding behind one of the tables for the provided food. Cautiously they both peeked over the surface to watch as the smoke cleared and amongst the rubble stood several men and women in a strange costume.
"You will bring Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis before us." The obvious leader called out in a scratchy voice. He had a scar running across the left side of his face that only added to the aggressive look he gave. "If you do not hand over the false god's chosen ones we will begin killing you." He added after a moment, nodding to one of his comrades who quickly shot an old man to prove their point. Everyone screamed in horror. Before Jane and Darcy could act however, S.H.I.E.L.D agents came crashing through. Darcy had no idea how they'd gotten wind of the danger so quickly but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. They moved like clockwork, hindering the obvious cultists and escorting the civilians out at the same time. It wasn't entirely smooth as the enemies fought back and suddenly the girls had to run from a gun fight.
It was times like these Darcy really missed having Smurf around but that didn't stop her from pulling her old school taser out of her purse glad she always felt an urge to keep it nearby. She was thankful it wasn't a ball gowns type gathering and more a cocktail party as her and Jane stuck to the walls, ducking out one of the side doors. It would have been much harder to move around in a long dress.
The cultists and the S.H.I.E.L.D agents were already everywhere forcing the women to keep low. They made it out another side door that led to outside where the silence was unsettling in contrast with the chaos from inside. This was only more disconcerting when they heard hushed voices bickering on the other side of an artistic fancy wall that separated them from open lawns.
"Okay. I think there are only two of them. On three I'll jump out and tase the first one and I'll need you to do that move I taught you the other day." Darcy commanded having been teaching Jane some of the martial arts she had learnt after considering the danger they had both been in over the years. It had become her personal opinion that they needed to better protect themselves since they had a knack for facing off against the enemies of superheros. Darcy felt oddly accomplished yet concerned when she realised not only was she taking charge but she was much calmer in the situation than Jane who was obviously near freaking out. She had really grown as a person and she was proud of that. She wouldn't always have to be Jane's little sister like assistant She couldn't help but humour herself with the thought that if her boss had something science to focus on she'd probably completely forget about the fact she was in danger and be calm as well.
They both took a deep breath, the women focusing on each other as Darcy counted to three. They jumped out in sync, the younger woman firing quicker than her eyes caught on. She watched in silent surprise, frustration and slight humour as Thor fell down, taking the shock of her taser for the second time in his life. He groaned on the ground, obviously having his powers back and Mjolnir in his hand helping him be a little less affected by the electricity but still enough to think Darcy needed to have that weapon taken off her to stop these instances from happening.
"God damn it! You guys do this on purpose." Darcy accused as Jane ran over to check on Thor as he sat up. Loki was standing just behind his brother and once the astonishment had left his face it had taken an expression of brotherly amusement as he grinned at the situation.
"Are you sure that's not how you greet men?" he asked in a teasing tone. Thor and Jane shot him irritated looks for jesting while Darcy raised her eyebrows.
"Do you want me to shoot you again?" she offered and with an easy smile still on his face, he held up his hands in submission. The intern apologised to the god of thunder as Jane helped him up, receiving an understanding nod in reply.
"My brother and I were…dropping in for a visit. We'd only just arrived when we heard gunfire and screams." Thor began explaining, glancing to Loki who finally took on a serious expression.
"We were trying to decide if Thor's break in and smash everyone that isn't a friend method was preferable to, sneak in and assess." He expanded, standing with his hands behind his back almost like a soldier reporting for duty. It was off put by the look he shot Thor which suggested their discussion over tactics was more of an argument. Darcy dropped considering this when she spotted a very familiar old friend run out from the darkness passed Loki and over to her.
"Smurf!" she called out cheerfully, dropping to her knees to pet the large dog sized, metal creature. There was no using him as a wrist guard anymore. His ten legs were pretty much an arm each themselves and the head with its single jewel eye was closer to the size of a short bow instead of mimicking a crossbow. Darcy glanced mischievously to Loki as she scratched the metal creature which chirped happily. "I see dropping in means sneaking out the window." She teased. She was hoping for a blush but Loki seemed to have prepared himself for such jibes. The smile he responded with was decidedly smug. Darcy didn't like it.
"We can catch up later. I think the agents might need your help cleaning house." Jane cut in, the look she gave Darcy clearly stating she was picking up on the heavy undertones of her exchange with Loki. Thor was also eyeing his brother with curiosity.
"Right. Well the situation involves crazy cultists and fighting everywhere." Darcy began explaining. The brother's listened as her and Jane retold what had unfolded and what little they knew. Needless to say the Norse gods seemed a little off put if not the tiniest bit angry that someone was out to get the women because of their association with "false gods".
"I think we'll just have to show them how "false" we are." Thor muttered in irritation as he and Loki prepared to go inside. As the two men ducked into the building, Darcy and Jane stepped further back into the shadows, Smurf staying with them like a guard dog, an oddly comforting feeling in the back of the younger woman's mind accompanied by the chime of a bell that was no doubt connected to the creature.
"Loki kissed you didn't he?" Jane commented the minute the brother's were gone. Darcy's surprise as she shouted a loud "what" caused an instinctual and instant denial that trailed to useless mumbles when her boss raised an eyebrow at her. It was kind of irritating to be honest. Jane was meant to be unobservant of such things. Unfortunately for Darcy, this time she wasn't. That or Loki must have stuck a "yes, I went there" sign on her back while she wasn't looking. Either way she was forced to have an awkward conversation about what had been bothering her. Loki was definitely going to pay for it later.
He actually found it somewhat refreshing when after all the cultists had been dealt with, that he had not been treated with hostility. He wasn't thanked like his brother but he wasn't immediately cuffed and taken into S.H.I.E.L.D custody either. He glanced to Thor uncertainly however when he saw one person who might ruin the good start to his visit to Midgard.
"Thank you for your assistance." The attractive woman offered, nodding to Thor. The look she shot Loki could have frozen the sun. Part of him admitted that he deserved it. Natasha Romanoff had every reason to mistrust and dislike him. Then again the other half of him was saying she couldn't talk. The fact that her ledger was red wasn't a lie.
"It is no problem. But I fear I must ask. Who are these people? Why do they have hatred for Asgardians and why were they after Jane and Darcy for knowing us?" Thor responded getting to the point as quick as possible. Loki understood his insistence. It was concerning. Loki observed the Black Widow closely knowing she was even better at manipulation than he was. She took a deep breath displaying that she was concerned by what she was about to say.
"We don't know." She answered. Loki's eyes twitched in suspicion but after a moment he concluded that if she was lying it wouldn't come to harm them. "Directory Fury already has people looking into it but I'm pretty sure you're aware that takes time." She continued, glancing to the two girls that were walking into the building from their hiding spot outside. They looked around curiously before bee lining for the two familiar men.
"And during that time Jane and Darcy are at risk of further attacks." Thor concluded, knowing where Natasha was going with the conversation. The girls looked up at mention of their names, eyes wide with concern.
"We can have them placed under protective custody." Natasha offered as Loki once again, eyed her. She was fishing for a suggestion though for what purpose he didn't know. He glanced to the other two women, Darcy obviously seconds away from protesting. He knew her well enough to know she wouldn't like being stuck somewhere "safe" until everything was sorted which could take anywhere from days to months.
"There is the possibility of bringing them to Asgard." Loki proposed earning everyone's gaze and the stunned silence of his human friend. He glanced to his brother who while eager to bring Jane to their golden city, knew just as well as Loki that it wasn't up to them. "They would be in no danger there and have more freedom than one location can offer." He continued, ignoring mention of the difficulties of setting such a plan in motion. His brother wasn't going to let that pass however.
"Our father has not given permission for this brother. I don't know his reasons but I know him well enough to understand that he will be difficult to persuade." Thor spoke up. Loki nodded solemnly to indicate he knew this.
"It won't be easy but I think I can convince father that it is necessary." He offered already dreading the task but true in his conviction to do such a thing. Natasha eyed him for a moment with a mixture of mistrust and respect before curtly nodding her head and leaving the group to themselves.
Darcy narrowed her eyes at Loki, wondering if he was playing at something. Unlike him she hadn't picked up on the silent hints from Romanoff. She crossed her arms, feeling she needed to be on guard. It didn't help her relax any that the entire time since the brothers had arrived, Loki had remained rigid, standing like some soldier. She was starting to wonder if he was doing it deliberately.
"This isn't going to be fun." Thor muttered with a sigh only to smile when Jane came over and embraced him. He glanced to his brother with a level of uncertainty, obviously wondering if his silver tongue would work.
"It won't be so bad…once the hard part is over." Loki reassured as he glanced up already trying to plan what to say in his head. Odin wasn't easy to manipulate and it didn't help that their relationship was still awkward and unnatural at times. While Loki was doing much better in the redemption apartment and had gotten a good deal of his lighter side back there was still an air about his interactions that spoke of how no one had really forgotten what he had done. That was one of the reasons he was so glad to see Darcy. She was the only person who seemed to have completely disregarded his past whether that was actual effort on her part or just her ignorant nature. It didn't matter really. He just looked forward to spending time with her. The sneaky part of him also looked forward to playing with her. He had chosen to be deliberately formal, not letting the slightest of hints get through. It was in his nature after all to be roguish. He also couldn't deny that he found Darcy's frustration cute.
"We're also going to have to explain how we got here." Thor spoke up, interrupting Loki's thoughts. He frowned at that one. That meant no more random visits to Midgard. He had been glad that Heimdall had told no one of what he had surely observed. Like Thor had pointed out, Odin would have reasons for why he kept his sons from visiting the planet freely. He wouldn't be happy that his sons had snuck onto it.
"We should head back pretty soon then." Loki remarked glancing to Thor who smiled warmly at Jane, embracing her one last time before the brothers offered quick goodbyes, Smurf transporting them back to Asgard. Darcy stared at the spot where the faint blue mist was wisping away.
"You know…I know it's horrible for another cult to spring up and for our lives to be in danger and all." Darcy began, moving her gaze slowly to Jane who was also barely containing a grin. The excitement in her intern's voice didn't help her keep her calm façade. "But we're about to go to Asgard." Darcy finished, turning the last word into an energized squeal and giggle as her and Jane grabbed a hold of each other, shouting in their eagerness to travel to the place they had heard so much about.
"Oh, god. We need to go home and pack." Jane pointed out, Darcy knowing the thoughtful look crossing her face not being one of what outfits to pack but what equipment she could fit into a suitcase. She rolled her eyes, leading her boss who followed almost absently as they made their way toward the hotel they had been staying at. One red haired woman followed them from the shadows just in case, reporting to the director that the operation was running smoothly.
((A/N: Hey everyone. Finally back with the sequel. Thank you all so much for the reviews for the last one. I'm sticking to my short story pattern so don't expect a great deal of length but hopefully this one will satisfy the requests for romance. ;) As usual, constructive criticism is cherished.))