Author's Note – this actually was inspired by a reviewer, indynerdgirl. The plot bunny grew teeth and claws and well, here we go. Also, special note – people have been complaining about Winter Shock, so I'll be combining it into one soon.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Coulson?"
Darcy quit frowning at her charts and glanced up. "What's up, JARVIS?"
"Agent Coulson has requested your presence in the main family room." The AI managed to sound somewhat bemused. The fact that Tony somehow managed to infuse a sense of emotion into JARVIS both astonished and amused Darcy most of the time. Sometimes she wondered if Tony really understood just how much he surrounded himself with the same type of personalities. She'd talked to him about it once, but he probably put it out of his mind to avoid thinking about it. Still…Pepper, JARVIS, Phil…it was a pattern.
She stood up, stretched, and headed for the elevator. The request had not been urgent, but Phil didn't usually come home so early on a workday. That made things unusual if nothing else.
"This is kind of a weird time of day to come home, don't you think?" she started asking even before she actually walked through the doors of the family room. "It's really not like you to just drop everything and come home early. Usually you're calling me about working late." Her lips curved into an affectionate, if confused smile as she spotted him sitting on the table facing the couch. Phil glanced up to meet her gaze and the look on his face stopped her. It held the strangest mix of bewilderment, exasperation, and unhappiness. "What?" she demanded, taking another step, worry lancing through her. "What happened?"
Before he could answer a small head popped over the back of the couch. A towheaded boy peered at her, his hazel blue eyes suspicious. "Who is she?" he demanded, looking at Phil.
Two more heads suddenly came into view. The first belonged to a tiny redheaded girl next to the first boy who stared at her though serious green eyes before giving Phil an equally skeptical look. Another boy craned his neck around the side of the couch, gray blue eyes curious under his mop of dark hair.
Darcy's gaze moved from one child to the next, not quite believing what her brain started to shout at her, before finally shifting to settle on her husband. He sighed, nodding at her silent demand for an answer. "It's them."
"How-?!" She could not even articulate her question. Her hand flailed slightly as she gestured towards the three kids who, only this morning, had been three of the most dangerous individuals on the planet.
Phil raised a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Loki managed to slip his prison cell-"
"Again?" she muttered, but fell silent as he gave her a look.
"And he attempted some trouble in Central Park. They managed to stop him, but he decided, and I quote, 'Since you seem determined to meddle in things which are none of your business, perhaps you should relearn the lesson on sharing.' Then he did something and the area turned smoky. When everything cleared…" His voice trailed off.
"Hello second childhood?" she finished. Her mind flickered through various ideas and thoughts, but she forced them back and tried to focus. "How old are they?"
"We're not sure," he explained. "We think they're around four or five. So far Clint," he nodded as the blond boy looked up at him, "seems to trust me and the others followed him. Natasha and Bucky aren't quite so sure."
"Do they remember…," Darcy lifted her hands in a shrug. "Do they remember themselves even?"
He opened his mouth to reply, but stopped as the dark-haired boy came around the end of the couch and walked over to Darcy. She blinked at Phil, but then crouched down. Bucky studied her for a moment. He gave her a small smile. "I'm Bucky."
"Hey," she smiled back. "I'm Darcy." He nodded, but didn't say anything. She took a breath as she tried to come up with something to say. "Are you hungry or anything?" If all else fails, go for food. It was practically a Lewis family motto.
He shrugged. "A little."
"What do you like?" she encouraged, trying to draw him out. She knew to keep her voice calm but interested. Sometimes she really blessed her family for being seriously fertile. With all of the nieces, nephews, and cousins, she actually had some practice at this.
"Chicken and rice."
Darcy nodded. "I think we can do that." His smile grew a little wider, and she glanced over at the others. "Any other requests?"
Clint looked up at Phil, and when the man nodded at him, he gave her a careful look. "Macaroni and cheese and a hot dog."
"Do you want the hot dog cut up in the macaroni or on the side?"
"Cut up," he said; his tiny face cute with its serious expression.
"And for you, Natasha?" Phil asked the little girl. She stared at him, eyes shifting from him to Darcy and back again, but she stayed quiet. Phil perched on the arm of the couch. "There must be something you would like," he encouraged.
She folded her arms in front of her and bit her bottom lip. Darcy forced herself not to coo or laugh. The look did not fit the tiny fairy-type child, but it screamed Natasha. Some things must have stayed even if the children could not verbalize them. Finally Natasha huffed and her chin went up. "I want some pelmeni," she stated firmly.
Darcy blinked, and the girl pouted. JARVIS spoke up at that point. "If I may, Mrs. Coulson, pelmeni are pastry dumplings usually filled with some form of meatballs. I have several recipes available depending on what form Agent..." The AI paused and then continued, "Miss Romanova may desire."
Natasha tilted her head. "I can choose?" she asked softly, an indefinable expression filling her eyes.
"Of course," Phil agreed immediately. "What is your favorite?"
"Lamb," came the soft reply.
"Right," Darcy nodded, standing up. "So, chicken and rice for Bucky, macaroni and cheese with hot dogs for Clint, and lamb pelmeni for Natasha." Her eyebrows went up as she looked at Phil.
"I'll have a little of everything," he responded smoothly. "We'll wait in the media room next to the kitchen if that will work?"
"Sounds good," Darcy agreed. She glanced towards one of the cameras. "JARVIS, do I have everything I need in the kitchen?"
"Yes, Mrs. Coulson."
She rubbed her hands together. "Right then, let me get started." Bucky reached out and took her hand. She smiled at him and noticed Clint climbing off the couch to grab Phil's, but Natasha frowned. Darcy opened her mouth, but Phil shook his head.
"Natasha?" Phil's voice remained steady and serious. "Would you like to lead?" After a long thoughtful moment, the little girl nodded and Phil gave her an approving smile. "Go ahead then," he gestured towards the door. "JARVIS will light the way."
A line of lights immediately began tracking along the baseboard. Natasha crawled off the couch and edge around everyone to get to the door. Phil and Clint followed her with Darcy and Bucky bringing up the rear. Phil glanced back over his shoulder. "Fury has reassigned me for the time being. I'll be working out of the local area until they're back to normal. He plans to keep the helicarrier nearby as well."
"Go figure," Darcy shook her head. "Thor and Steve have most of the Brain Trust in Asgard of all places while Tony and Pepper are on vacation. If I was Fury and Loki was popping up, I'd keep near the city as well." Her lips twisted. "I like Sue and Ben well enough, and can stand Richards and Storm for short periods of time, but there's only so much the Fantastic Four can do against Loki." She rolled her eyes. "Not that I think we'll manage much better, but at least SHIELD's got enough experience not to be stupid and cocky over it."
"True," he nodded as he followed Natasha into the media room. "We'll need to move into one of the family apartments for now," he pointed out. "Our suite isn't big enough for us and three children."
"I expected that," she replied. She directed Bucky over to the couch. "Would you put on a movie of some kind, JARVIS?" she asked. "Kid-friendly…low on violence."
"Of course, Mrs. Coulson," JARVIS agreed. "Would Toy Story be appropriate?"
"That should work," Darcy approved. She ruffled Bucky's hair and smiled at the other two. "Enjoy the movie. I'm going to work on dinner." Her eyes met Phil's. "What about the apartment on the same floor as our suite? It's got four bedrooms."
His sigh was heavy with both concern and acceptance. "We have to plan long term," he noted. "We've got no idea how long this will last and Loki is unlikely to lift it before his plan, whatever it is, plays out." Rubbing his forehead with one hand for a moment, he acquiesced. "That will help keep them busy anyway," he told her, his gaze flickering to the children. "They can plan out how they would like to decorate their rooms."
Darcy bit her lip. She'd only been thinking of space, not the future. "What if-" she started, but interrupted herself. Resolutely pushing the thought to the back of her mind, she straightened her shoulders. "Right, hope for short term, prep for long term, and take it as it comes. We can do this." There was a moment of silence before she looked up at him with a worried expression. "We can do this, right?"
Phil reached out and pulled her into his arms. He rested his chin on top of her head. "We can do this," he affirmed in his quiet way. "We can and we will." Her arms crept around his waist, her anxiety clear in the clench of her hands. He rubbed his cheek against her hair. "We'll get them back. It may take a little time, but we will get them back."
"Yes, okay," she spoke softly, pulling back to meet his gaze. She gave him a tremulous smile. "In the meantime, you have a movie to watch and I need to make dinner."
He smiled down at her. Catching her chin in one hand, he pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "Call out if you need something."
Darcy headed towards the kitchen, pausing at the doorway to look back. Phil sat in an armchair, ostensibly watching the movie even though she knew the majority of his attention was focused on the children. A small shiver ran down her spine, but she forced it away. Focus on the small stuff, she told herself. Dinner for now. The rest will just have to follow and it will get better.
She hoped.