Astrid

Stephen was everywhere. Running around his library like a hyperactive jumping... thing!

''I find this extremely entertaining. We should make this a regular thing,'' Loki said, smirking. He wasn't smirking when he nearly got knocked off his feet as the sorcerer rushed by in his caffeinated frenzy.

''No. This was a bad idea and we should probably keep him contained so he doesn't break anything.'' Astrid made for the door but Strange was too quick. At her words he'd bolted for the door and had run out, laughing as though he'd been transformed into Jack the Ripper.

''Shit!'' Astrid exclaimed, running after her psychopath boyfriend. Then she reappeared just as suddenly. ''YOU TWO!'' She stabbed a finger in their direction.

Loki pointed at himself questioningly.

''GET YOUR SORRY ASSES OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!''

Darcy followed Astrid's orders very quickly and joined the young woman outside. Loki was slower to follow, but at some point he too was out there in the near empty hallway with the two women.

''Okay, let's try to find him..." Astrid glanced around a bit hopelessly. She bit her lip and turned back to her friends. "No getting separated. And you've GOT to listen to me. I don't know what he'll be like with Red Bull running through his veins... but so far it doesn't look good. Got it?''

''Got it!'' Darcy said. They chose a random direction and ran down the hallway, presumably after the hyped-up sorcerer.

It proved to be harder than they thought to find Stephen. The group found that they had gotten themselves lost in the extensive mansion.

''Where the hell is he?" Loki seethed, frustration evident in his voice.

''Darcy...? Where did she go?" Astrid looked around for her brown-haired friend. The spunky woman was nowhere to be seen. Loki and Astrid shared a tense look as they realized they had lost one of their own while running after a caffeine-high man with severely high testosterone levels.

''We lost my girlfriend?" Loki hissed. ''Darcy?" He disappeared down one of the hallways, still calling her name. "Darcy!"

Astrid grumbled and followed after him. Who knew, maybe they'd find Stephen asleep... and Darcy just making herself some coffee while watching Gone With the Wind. Not likely.

Astrid heard a crash and looked behind her. Nothing stirred and eerily she felt like she was being watched. This was stupid. An intoxicated man wasn't that dangerous... Especially when he's just drunk on caffeine... Or maybe she felt this way for a reason. Dont be silly, Loki's here, right? ...And Loki was gone. He'd vanished somehow in this intricate maze that was Stephen's home. Now Astrid was completely alone.


Loki

''Dammit,'' Loki muttered under his breath. Astrid had been with him only a moment ago. Now she too was gone.

''Darcy? Astrid? Darcy? ...Wong?'' He was entirely lost in Stephen's labyrinthine hallways. Deep down, Loki knew that he didn't want to be found by the sorcerer if the man himself happened to be angry. Correction: very angry.

An eerie feeling swept over him. His mouth went dry as his nerves got the better of him. Loki whipped around, sending a blast of energy that knocked over a large pile of furniture. Other than that, he was alone. Or so it seemed...

''Getting jumpy... Laufeyson?'' Stephen's voice mocked from behind him.

Loki took a deep breath and turned around. No one was there.

''Enough games Strange. Come out,'' Loki said aloud. His eyes swept every corner of the hallway. The ominous feeling of dread made him regret that they'd ever pranked Strange in the first place.

''Or are you just... Frigid?'' The words hissed in Loki's ear. It struck home.

''ENOUGH!'' Loki blasted the walls, hitting everything. He slumped down, resting his back against the wall. He created a luminescent shield about him to guard against any unwarranted attacks.

''You can't keep me from getting in with that simple charm. I'm much more advanced...'' Stephen said, walking into Loki's little circle of protection.

''How...?"

''I don't find what you found so funny about giving me caffeine. I didn't laugh one bit. I only laughed at my thoughts of revenge...'' Stephen sounded a little too wacked out.

Loki stood, ''Stephen.''

''Yes?"

''What are you going to do?"

Stephen smiled, then frowned, his expression going dead serious. Loki gulped. He knew exactly what the sorcerer had planned. And unfortunately Loki wasn't very good at this game.


Darcy

Darcy shivered. Where were they?

''Darcy.''

She whipped around. No, no, no. This wasn't who she wanted to find her!

She heard a low laugh. There Stephen stood. Calm and serene, almost as if the caffeine had worn off already.

''Stephen?" She asked tentatively. She had to admit that the man was imposing and freaking her out way more than a little bit. Caffeine made the dude scary.

''I'm very disappointed in you. I expected you to be a good house guest.'' The man clasped his hands behind his back, his tone somehow both mocking and reprimanding. He slowly advanced on her.

''Astrid came up with..." The treacherous words died on her tongue. Damn him. It was Darcy's fault about the coffee, and he knew it.

He smiled and stepped forward, then disappeared.

''Stephen! Stop it!'' Darcy yelled, furious with the dipstick. She whirled about, keeping her eyes peeled for when the sorcerer would next appear. The suspense was killing her. Darcy hated surprises.

Then suddenly he was right in front of her, pouring liquid onto her that sizzled and popped. It made a sickening burning noise on her skin and hair. Sickly sweet-smelling liquid dripped from her hair and into her eyes. Darcy blinked away the stinging sensation.

What? She opened her eyes and gaped at the sorcerer. Stephen was laughing, two cans of opened Red Bull held in either hand. "Wish I had a camera!" Stephen said between fits of laughter.

''You ass!'' Darcy shoved him away, angry and yet laughing herself. She was such an idiot. Strange had obviously stolen the Red Bull from her bedroom, where she kept a stash of it for when she needed an afternoon pick-me-up. Her diabolical prank had come back to haunt her.

And so the irony continued.


Loki

He held his black eye, trying not to whimper. It hurt and he cursed himself for not learning self-defense. Captain America was easy to fight. The man in the stars and stripes was sooo predictable. Especially when Loki had the Tesseract enhancing his skills. But Stephen Strange had magic at his disposal, very advanced and powerful magic. And he was quite learned in martial arts as well. Two points against Loki.

Loki bit his bloodied lip and tensed at the sound of high-pitched squealing. Darcy!

He hated the sorcerer so much. The man was so fun to play pranks on but always his revenge was swift to follow. Very practical, very disarming revenge. Loki bared his teeth in a grimace, gently massaging his right ankle. His damn leg hurt and he only prayed that he'd be able stand on it.

''If he broke my leg in that wrestling match I swear... I'll...'' Loki left the sentence unfinished, the unspoken vow just hanging from his lips, desperate to be spoken and fulfilled. What sweet revenge that would be! Loki shook the cobwebs from his mind, rising and clinging to the wall for support.

''Bastard,'' The Asgardian let out a small whimper when he stood up. His leg wasn't broken but it was most assuredly damaged. Probably sprained.

Loki's pulse beat a fast rhythm of ill-disguised panic when he heard another shriek from Darcy's lips. He hobbled along as fast as he could, until at last he rounded a corner and found the woman laughing, cursing, and pissed off all at once.

''You ass!'' she screamed at the magician, who had promptly disappeared upon Loki's entrance.

Loki smiled in relief. He truly did love Darcy. At least she didn't get beat up, he thought. But of course she wouldn't. Stephen Strange was nothing if not a gentleman towards the ladies. It was only the men that Strange was hostile towards. Darcy spotted Loki and ran up to him.

''Oh my gosh! What happened?'' She stroked his face tenderly.

''Well... let's just say Stephen has punished me..." Loki sighed dramatically. He glanced over Darcy's wet and sticky form. "What on earth is all over you?" He asked, looking at the liquid on her shirt and hair.

''Strange got a sense of humor and poured Red Bull all over me,'' Darcy replied, gently touching the bruises on her lover's face. "Wow, we need to get you taken care of," she said, biting her lip in worry.

Hmm... Maybe getting into trouble wasn't such a bad idea... Loki thought mischievously.


Stephen

The man chuckled darkly as he left Darcy. She was still fuming, angry at the justified prank that he had pulled on her. Darcy was much easier to handle than Astrid. Astrid was wily, a trickster at good times. She'd know he'd be coming for her next.

What should my revenge be upon her? He thought of all the possibilities. Not that he really wanted to harm her. Far from it actually. Stephen just had to make it clear that if people thought it funny to pull a joke on him, then they'd soon find their tricks turned against them. As Stephen mused a devilish smile lit upon his lips. One thought stuck out clearly and he knew with a certainty of what the next step was.

''Next we conquer Astrid...'' Stephen whispered to himself.


A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this update! One more chapter coming. Please read and review! :)