Surprise! A fast update since I've got the day off (happy Canada Day, fellow canucks!) Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 1!
Darcy had most definitely not found the infirmary.
She had found Odin's chambers and the Allfather himself was currently fast asleep right in front of her. Just her luck that out of the entire gigantic palace, she had to wander into the king's bedroom.
"Oh Shit. Awkward..." Darcy cringed, her fingers flying up to covering her eyes on the off chance that Odin liked to sleep au naturel.
She starting to back away slowly but stopped when a strange shimmer of light caught her attention. It looked like Odin was in some kind of capsule or bubble. She hadn't noticed it before, but now Darcy could see a thin, shining layer of gold light covering his entire body.
"The fuck?" She muttered, carefully stepping forward until she was at Odin's side. She lifted her hand, sticking out her index finger and slowly bringing it closer to the bubble. Closer...closer...
"What are you doing in here?" A loud, authoritative voice rang out behind her, spooking Darcy.
Heart hammering, she whirled around to find Odin wearing a disapproving scowl.
"The fuck?" She repeated. Darcy looked over her shoulder, making sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. Sure enough, another Odin was still asleep under the weird light bubble behind her.
Two Odins?
Her night just kept getting weirder.
"Well, this presents a bit of a problem." Odin Two spoke, strolling into the room and shutting the door behind him in a way that was a little too ominous for Darcy's liking.
"How so?" Darcy asked, relieved that her voice didn't waver and reveal any of her growing nervousness.
Odin Two gave her a cynical look, "Surely you know that only one Allfather truly exists." he said dryly, "I cannot have you running off to alert the golden son."
Golden son...Thor, Darcy realized as a drop of icy cold dread trailed down her spine, making her shiver. She suddenly had a very clear idea of who stood before her.
"Loki?" She whispered.
Odin Two's eyes snapped up to meet hers and a slow, menacing smile spread across his face. "Quite perceptive for a mortal." He practically sneered the word.
"Quit hiding behind your father's face." Darcy couldn't resist provoking him. Call it payback for the mortal comment, or just plain stupidness. "Show me what you really look like." She challenged bravely.
"If the lady insists," he said, bending at the waist to bow at her mockingly.
A trail of light started at his feet, working its way up his torso and across his shoulders. When he straightened back up to his full height, Darcy found herself looking at the real Loki.
He was tall and lean, a combination that her hormonal lady bits highly approved of. Darcy frowned, quickly chasing that thought away.
His hair was dark and long-ish, stopping just above his shoulders. It was smoothed back, the ends resting behind his ears and curling at the base of his neck. His face was handsome though at the moment it was set in a hard, pensive frown. That's when Darcy realized that he was trying to decide what to do about his problem: her.
"Are you going to kill me?" Darcy asked, trying to sound calm despite the fact that her insides were a jumbled ball of nerves.
"That would be the simple solution." Loki rubbed his jaw thoughtfully as he watched her with dark, unreadable eyes.
"You can't," Darcy said quickly, scrambling for an excuse, "Thor will notice I'm gone and that'll raise a lot of red flags."
Loki gave a derisive snort, shaking his head, "That's a minor issue I can solve quite easily."
"He'd never know the difference between you and me." A female voice sounded behind Darcy, making her jump. She turned to see an exact duplicate of herself blinking back at her.
"What the hell is that?!" She backed away from her clone, forgetting that Loki stood just a few short feet away from her. When her back bumped against his chest, she looked up to see him smile darkly at her.
"A useful trick, isn't it?" He said, rather pleased with himself.
His smug pride was the final straw for Darcy, causing her anger to boil over.
"You stupid assface!" she ranted, planting her hands on her hips. "Is your brain broken? You can't solve everything with death! God, with you it's either kill or be fake killed because you don't have the balls to face your problems. You know what I think? You're a coward."
Loki's arrogant smile dropped, his face quickly transforming with rage. "You dare to speak to me like that?" He grabbed her wrist roughly, fingers digging into her flesh.
"Go ahead," Darcy's breath came out in pants, a mixture of anger and fear, "kill me now. You'll just be proving my point. Afraid the little mortal girl will ruin your plans so you off her."
Loki growled low in his throat and released her wrist, turning away from her sharply. "Insolent wench." He muttered under his breath.
Darcy took the opportunity to edge past him, trying to work her way towards the door before her mouth managed to get her into any more trouble. She had nearly succeeded when Loki materialized in front of her. He didn't touch her this time, but his eyes pinned her down with such intense fire that Darcy couldn't have moved if she tried.
"Know this," he spoke lowly, each word loaded with intent, "if you speak a word of this to Thor, I will kill you. Slowly and painfully until you are begging me for the sweet release of death."
Darcy swallowed roughly, her throat suddenly dry. "Slow and painful. Gotcha." She gave a fake salute.
Loki stepped aside, clearing her path to the door and Darcy gratefully took the chance to escape.
When she figured she had run far enough away, she slowed to a walk and tried to catch her breath. "Oh man, oh man, oh man..." she ran a hand through her tangled hair. "Way to almost get yourself killed, Lewis."
She fumbled in her pocket for her light ball, cupping it in her palms so it lit up the dark corridor. It took her close to half an hour to find her way to her room, then another ten minutes to work up the courage to go back into the space now knowing that Loki was still very much alive and kicking.
She eyed the bed, entertaining the idea of sleeping on the floor instead, but her weariness won out and she kicked off her shoes, crawling under the soft sheets.
This time, she didn't open her eyes until morning.
Someone was pounding on her door.
Darcy groaned and shoved her face into her pillow, mentally willing her visitor to go the hell away.
"Lady Darcy?" An unfamiliar voice came through the door, "Brunch is being served and Thor requests your presence."
Darcy's stomach growled at the mention of food. With an exaggerated sigh, she pushed herself out of bed and padded to the door, opening it to see a petite, well-dressed servant with her hands clasped primly in front of her. The girl's eyes widened slightly as she took in Darcy's disheveled appearance.
"Yeah, be right there. Thanks." Darcy rubbed the sleep from her eyes and shut the door, retreating to the ensuite bathroom to tackle the rat nest that was currently her hair.
After a bath and thorough combing of her hair, she felt much more human. Tossing her crumpled, slept-in shirt aside, Darcy opened the doors of the impressive looking wardrobe, rooting around for anything that didn't resemble one of the long formal dresses most of the palace women wore. So not her style.
She pulled out a simple black tunic, the material soft and fine between her fingers. Approving of her choice, Darcy pulled it over her head. It was a bit over-sized but not bad. She tucked some of the loose material into the waistband of her jeans, slipped her feet back into her Converse, and went to meet Thor.
"Good morning, Darcy." Thor greeted as she walked into the dining hall.
"Hey dude." Darcy slid into the empty seat to his right and eagerly started filling a plate with food. In all of the commotion of yesterday, she has never eaten dinner and now she was starving. As she dug into the fresh fruit, bread and something that looked like ham (she really hoped it was ham), Thor filled her in on the progress of Jane's condition, or rather, the lack of progress.
"Nothing has changed." He said sadly, stabbing his fork into a sausage link. "The healers have managed to stabilize her condition so she does not grow worse, but no progress has been made to reverse the damage that has already been done."
Darcy frowned, chewing her bread, "Are they out of options?" She asked worriedly.
"Aye," Thor confirmed, staring down at his plate morosely.
The food in Darcy's mouth suddenly tasted like ash. She pushed her plate away, all traces of hunger gone as Thor's sad affirmation settled like a lead weight in her belly.
After breakfast, Darcy spent some time with the still-unconscious Jane before wandering aimlessly through the hallways, killing time before lunch. She was sick of being cooped up inside and decided it was time she set out to find an exit that would get her away from these stony walls for a while.
Up ahead, she saw a wide, curved archway that seemed to lead into an outdoor courtyard. Excited, she started towards it only to be yanked hard in the opposite direction.
"What-" A hand over her mouth cut off her exclamation as she was pulled into a small alcove in the corner of the hall.
When the hand finally lifted, she turned around to face her captor.
"Ugh, I should have known." She said, rolling her eyes at Loki.
The god in front of her stared down at her unblinkingly, his eyes wide with shock.
"What?" Darcy questioned him irritably, "You're the one who grabbed me. Now you've got nothing to say for yourself?"
"You're wearing my shirt." Loki stated plainly.
"Oh, yeah. Found it in your closet." Darcy plucked at the material of the tunic with her fingers.
"You were in my closet?" He asked, surprise written on his face.
Darcy rolled her eyes again. "Well, yeah. I am staying in your room after all."
"You're staying in my room?"
"Yes." Darcy huffed, "God. I got it from your closet in your room where I'm sleeping in your bed. Pay attention, dude."
"My bed?" Loki rubbed his hand over his eyes, suppressing a groan.
"Now are you gonna tell me why you practically kidnapped me?" Darcy crossed her arms over her chest, looking at him expectantly.
"I had to ensure that you have not told Thor of me." He responded, matching her grumpy tone with one of his own.
"I kept my word," Darcy assured him, "but I really think you should...hey!"
In a flash of yellow light, Loki vanished right in front of her.
"Asshole." She grumbled.
A second later, Thor's voice called out from around the corner, "Darcy?"
Darcy peeked out from the alcove she still stood in. "Hey, Thor."
Thor frowned, "I thought I heard voices. What are you doing in there?"
"Um, just looking around." Darcy hedged, "And the voice you heard was probably just me talking to myself. Out loud. I do that sometimes." She cringed at the awful lie. Damn, Loki owed her big-time.
"Ah, very well." Confusion was plainly written on Thor's face but he dropped the subject. "Fayne is about to provide me with an update on Jane's condition. I thought you might like to come along."
The prognosis was not good, according to Fayne.
Darcy rubbed her throbbing temples. She was tired of hearing the same bad news over and over again.
"Our magic is already severely depleted and it is barely doing Lady Jane any good." Fayne explained, using her hands to pull up various charts and graphs on her hologram screen which she showed to Thor.
"So she's basically a vegetable." Darcy said bluntly.
Both Thor and Fayne looked at her confusedly.
"It means she's alive but she'll never wake up, never really be herself again." Darcy tried to explain.
Fayne nodded, "That is an apt description. I am sorry to have to give you such news. I will give you both some time alone." She briefly touched Thor's arm in a gesture of sympathy before quietly exiting the room.
"What now?" Darcy asked as she and Thor stood over Jane's prone form.
Thor didn't answer for a long time.
"I do not know." He finally admitted, sounding defeated. "If only my brother were here." His expression was full of sad nostalgia, "Loki held the most powerful magic I have ever seen. Surely he could save Jane."
"Yeah, if only..." Darcy bit her lip, trying to keep her face expressionless while her mind went into overdrive, a plan quickly falling into place. It was rash, it was dangerous, it was quite possible the stupidest thing she had ever done in her life.
But it might be their only hope.
It was well past midnight when Darcy snuck into the king's chambers.
When she entered the room, she wandered past the sleeping form of the real Odin and found Loki sitting in front of a fireplace in the corner, a large tome open in his lap.
"You're not wearing your disguise," She commented, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms casually.
"I saw no need. I knew it was you outside my door." Loki barely spared her a glance, his fingers sliding over the aging paper of the book to flip its pages, "You are far louder and much less graceful than any Aesir."
Darcy snorted, "Wow, thanks. So I take it you know why I'm here, right?"
"Indeed I do," Loki snapped the book shut and set it aside. He stretched in his chair languidly, legs open and a smirk playing at his lips, "and my answer is no."
Darcy's eyes unintentionally drifted down to his crotch before she quickly snapped them back up to focus on his face. He was purposely trying to distract her and much to her annoyance, it was working.
Loki noticed her eyes straying and his smirk grew wider. "Tell me, Darcy," her name rolled off his tongue as sweet as honey, "did you truly expect me to aid in your little crusade? If so, you're far stupider than I first thought."
"Hey!" Darcy cried, "It's one thing to call me loud and ungraceful - cause that's all kind of true - but I'm not stupid!"
"Alright then," Loki settled back in his chair looking amused, "do tell: why should I agree to help you?"
"Because you would be doing something nice for Thor, and frankly dude, you could use the karma points. I mean, your brother grieved over your supposed death twice and now you're secretly impersonating your father who's in some freaky-ass sleep coma." She stopped to take a breath, "Also, you nearly killed me and Jane with your giant robot of doom in New Mexico. You totally owe us a favor." Darcy finished.
"That's it? Those are your reasons?" Loki looked at her with mild disgust, "You thought that sentiment," he spat the word as if it left a foul taste on his tongue, "would influence me?"
"Oops, almost forgot I've got one more reason," Darcy ignored his comment, walking closer to his chair and looking him straight in the eye, "If you don't help us, I'll start screaming for Thor right now. Not only will he find out you're alive, but he'll find me in your bedroom in the middle of the night, screaming bloody murder. Obviously that doesn't look good for you. It'll probably be a quick trip to the dungeons after that, assuming, of course, that they don't just execute you for the whole 'impersonating the king' thing."
Loki stood, advancing on her slowly like a panther stalking its prey, "Blackmail? I'm impressed," he purred, "but you think you could alert Thor before I silence you?"
Darcy held her ground, raising her chin defiantly, "Are you willing to risk me trying?"
Loki held her gaze for a long time and Darcy had to ball her hands into fists to hide the fact that they were shaking.
"Please," she said, her voice breaking softly as she stared up at him, "Jane's my friend and I don't want her to die. You're the only one who can fix her. Do you want me to beg? Because I'll beg."
She was willing to do anything at this point. Loki was Jane's only hope and if he wouldn't heal her...
Darcy swallowed hard, not wanting to finish that train of thought.
Finally Loki looked away, being the first to break their eye contact. "Fine," he spat, "but under the condition that you do not tell Thor. I will reveal myself to him as I see fit."
Darcy felt her shoulders sag with relief. "Okay."
"There is just one last detail." Loki added with a menacing smile that made Darcy's blood run cold, "My services are not free. If I am to help you, I expect something in return."
"Um, what's that?" Darcy asked hesitantly.
"A life for a life, Darcy Lewis. If I save your Foster woman, you must vow to remain on Asgard as my...companion." He smiled widely, flashing his teeth.
"Your what-now?" Darcy choked out, desperately hoping that she'd misheard him.
"It can be quite dull masquerading as Odin," Loki explained, that damned grin still in place, "I could use a new play thing."
"Play thing?!" Darcy's voice was a whole octave higher than normal. The words 'fuck off' were on the tip of her tongue but she forced them down painfully when she thought of Jane laying pale and still in the infirmary.
"Of course, there is a chance that my magic will not be enough to undo the damage already done to her body." Loki continued casually, "In that case, should Miss Foster die, you will be freed from our contract."
Darcy chewed her lip, her mind racing as she considered Loki's proposal. To say yes would essentially be signing her death sentence. To say no would leave her riddled with guilt for the rest of her life, knowing that she had the means to help Jane but she didn't do it.
God, was she really considering saying yes? Had she hit her head crossing that psychedelic rainbow bridge with Thor? She must have. A concussion would explain why she was acting even more banana-balls than Erik.
"Deal." She stuck out her hand.
Loki stared at her outstretched arm before finally grasping her hand for a quick shake. His grip was warm and solid, though his touch was far softer than Darcy had expected. A spark of energy seemed to pass between them, like a static shock. Darcy jumped a little in surprise, looking down at their joined hands.
"Our agreement has been sealed with magic." Loki explained, "There is no backing out now. If I succeed in healing the Foster woman, you will physically be unable to leave Asgard."
As Loki pulled his hand away, the pads of his fingers slid over her knuckles almost like a caress. Darcy suppressed a shiver.
"Until tomorrow, Darcy." He inclined his head in a brief nod.
Realizing that she'd been dismissed, and not eager to spend any more time alone with him, Darcy retreated to the door. As she pulled it open, she looked back over her shoulder to find Loki watching her intently with dark eyes.
"Um, 'night." She called out before slipping out of the room and pulling her trusty light orb out of her pocket. She used it to navigate the series of hallways and stairwells that led back to her chambers, her heart pounding the whole time as she wondered just what the hell she had gotten herself into.
Once inside her room, Darcy threw herself down onto the bed. All her earlier adrenaline was gone, leaving her mentally and physically exhausted.
Despite her tiredness, she couldn't sleep. Not after making that deal.
She lay on her side with her knees drawn up to her chest, cradling her light ball in her hands and watching it pulse with soothing pale light.
"What did I do?" she whispered to the silent room. Loki's room.
Unsurprisingly, she received no answer.
