"Loki, how rude of you not to take her coat." Mrs. Rhyder chided at her Grandson.
"No, it's fine." Darcy pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders. She felt weird being so close to such a famous man. She thought she would feel nervous, but she had a fluttering in her stomach that wasn't unwelcome at all. He wasn't threatening, his height was negated by the look in his eyes. He looked sad, like his stardom was a curse. Darcy felt like snorting at this sad celebrity, that was an oxymoron right? Celebrities never had need to be sad with all the money they made. His Grandmother was ok, just a crack in her pelvis. It wasn't like anyone was dying. She would be out of the hospital in a week. Darcy regretted not reading more of the gossip magazines Jane left lying about. Maybe something bad had happened to him recently. Usually Darcy didn't care about other people's personal lives. People could do whatever they wanted to, no use stopping them. Suddenly there was a huge crash in the hallway breaking her train if thought. Loki peeked out of the room and Darcy watched him from behind. It definitely couldn't be relationship problems. Not with a butt like that. She had to flick her eyes up quickly as he turned around, his face blanched of color.
"Grandmother, I am so sorry, but it seems the tyrants have invaded our fortress." Mrs. Rhyder smiled at his joke and gave him a kiss goodbye. "And to you Ms. Lewis, farewell." He shook her hand again before running out of the room, his legs carrying him down the long hallway. As if on cue, a rush of photographers ran by the door, their eyes set ahead as their target left the building. Some gave up and walked back the way they came, sparring a glance in the room he had been in. Their eyes lit up and were able to take a few shots of a thoroughly confused Darcy before being shooed off by the security.
"Oh dear." Mrs. Rhyder laughed. "I hope you're excited about being on the front page."
Darcy arrived back at work just as her mobile phone vibrated in her pocket. She picked it up and she got a disgruntled Tony on the other end.
"Yeah, so when are you going to tell me why the entire porch it loaded with photographers? It's like a zombie apocalypse over here. When did you become famous?" Darcy explained the earlier situation and Tony sighed. It wasn't in his character to get so frustrated.
"Long day?" Darcy asked, loading a pile of classics into a display case on the second floor of the cramped shop.
"Steve got in a fight with a customer over me." She could hear Tony shove the paparazzi aside and their clamoring.
"Steve? The man with the garden and a pet kitten named Button?" Darcy smiled at the thought of him fighting.
"Some guy complained about the food and apparently I was too sarcastic for his liking. Steve came out when the guy pushed me and broke the man's nose. We had to go to the station downtown and give our statements. It was pretty stressful and we had to leave the restaurant in Clint's hands."
"I would say that was romantic if you didn't sound so pissed." Darcy heard the jingle of a customer downstairs.
"The man had the balls to press charges so we had to sort it all out. But come to think of it, it was sort of cute watching my man's fist connect with that douche bags nose." Darcy could tell he was smiling and the background voices of the reporters faded. "Anyway, I'm inside. See you tonight." Tony hung up and Darcy slipped her mobile phone back into her pocket. She looked over the banister curiously at the customer below. Her eyes widened, how was he here? That unmistakable head of raven-colored hair could only belong to one person. Loki was a sneaky bastard. Suddenly she was nervous, the bold Darcy Lewis was nervous to greet her boss' Grandson.
"Hello?" His voice carried up to her ears and she mustered the courage to descend the stairs.
"Hey, Mr. Odinson." She smiled down at him.
"Please, call me Loki." He grinned. Darcy noticed the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled. Damn, she was falling for this author hook line and sinker.
"Well, Loki, how can I help you?" She met him at the bottom of the stairs.
"I'm helping out for the rest of the week, if you don't mind." He gave her a polite nod. "With Gran out, I thought I would step in.
"Not at all, maybe I could learn a few things from such an amazing writer as yourself."
"You've read my books?"
"No," She blurted out the truth before thinking about how rude it would sound. "B-but I started one of them a few days ago." She gave an apologetic smile.
"You may be the only woman I know who hasn't read any of my books." He looked intrigued instead of offended. "Would you like to go out for coffee?" He asked out of the blue.
Darcy could only nod as she was speechless for a few seconds. "I would love to."
"Great!" He grinned again. "How about I pick you up tomorrow before work?"
"Actually," Darcy bit her lip and she watched Loki's eyes follow. "The house is surrounded by reporters since the hospital incident."
"I'm truly sorry, Darcy." His expression faded to a frown. "I have come to learn a few things about evading them. Would you call in a sighting for me?" He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a sleek black phone and handed it to her. "Speed dial the second number and make a lie up about seeing me." He smiled. "Let's say the other side of the city."
Darcy Smiled back at him and he leaned on the back desk while she dialed. "Hello?" She said into the phone. "Yes, I have information. I saw Loki Odinson touring beside the Thames. Oh my god, you should have seen him he looked so cute in a suit. He may have been on his way to a date." Loki had to cover his mouth from laughing. "Yah, it was an hour ago. If you see him get me an autograph, my name is Michelle Warbler." The name came off the top of her head. "Yeah, thanks, goodbye." She closed the phone and handed it back to him.
"You're an awfully good liar." He commented. "I'm remembering that."
The two spent the rest of the night talking about their favorite books and shows until closing time. A few older customers came in, but didn't seem to notice the celebrity in their midst. One said they were a cute couple and Darcy blushed and Loki just thanked them. He was a lot more fun than she expected. He gave off the exterior of a proper Englishman with charm and poise. But a few hours with him and they were discussing their favorite Doctors. His was David Tennant while hers was Christopher Eccleston. They played some hang-man and generally just hung out. "You know, I've never just spent time with a girl like this." He brought up at one point.
"What you didn't have girlfriends in high school?"
"If you mean girls who are friends then no. I went to an all boys school with my brother." He looked up from the puzzle they were working on.
"Must have been hell, with all those hormones." Darcy immediately regretted bringing up such an awkward subject.
Loki repressed a grin. "I was brought up in a very catholic family, I wasn't allowed to date until I was 16 anyway, even then nobody was interested. Whose attracted to the lonely pale gent with black hair? So I went to college and before you ask, no sex was not my major objective. I finished in three years and began writing in my small loft getting by working in this very shop for two more years until my first book was published."
"Let me get this straight." Darcy clasped her hands on the table. "You have never been in a long-term relationship?"
He looked down in embarrassment. "I always meant to find someone once my career was stable. Now it seems even harder."
"Why?" Darcy asked.
"I'm almost done with a new book and they've been hounding me for a release date, it's like my books are my girlfriends."
"So nobody has ever had the nerve to ask you out?" Darcy was astounded.
"Well, it happened a few time in college, but I was never interested. And since I'm some sort of a celebrity now, how am I supposed to know who likes me for being me. However corny that sounds." He gave a lifeless smile.
"You know, you're pretty outgoing once you get talking." Darcy smiled, stretching out her arms as she stood up.
"I don't really just talk anymore." He stood up as well as Darcy began putting off the lights. They walked to the door together and locked up. The streets we're quiet, except for an occasional couple exploring the outskirts of the city. It was chilly and Darcy was full of excitement. Here she was, walking with a man instead of alone.
"So, coffee tomorrow? He asked, pulling on the flaps to his black fleece coat.
"Oh sure," she pulled a receipt out of her pocket and luckily he had a pen. She wrote down her address and mobile number. "Here ya' go." She handed it to him and he smiled.
"We'll it's been a pleasure talking to you." He shook her hand. Even thought her mittens she could feel his warmth.
"See you tomorrow." He turned around and she began walking rest of the way home. It wasn't very far, and it was smarter leaving her bike so she would have means to get home tomorrow night. The walk was calming, until she reached the pub a few blocks down. There was a slew of drunken men standing outside laughing boorishly. She would have avoided them, but being the stubborn person she was, decided not to. Her phone was gripped in her pocked when it started vibrating. She flipped it open, it was an unknown call. "Hello?" She asked into it.
"Hi Darcy." Loki's voice filled her with ease. "Sorry for calling so soon, but I think you gave me your pen when you handed me the number." Darcy apologized and said to just keep it.
"Hey bitch." One of the drunken men had noticed her coming towards them.
"Uhoh." Darcy murmured into the phone.
"Is something wrong?" Loki asked.
"No, just some drunk guys out front of Daley's pub." Darcy answered.
"Bitch! Come over here." They yelled louder.
"Darcy?" Loki had heard it loud and clear. "Turn around, go back to the shop, I'll take you home."
"No, it's absolutely fine." Darcy gulped, the last thing she wanted to do was trouble Loki.
"Daley Pub?" Loki asked and Darcy murmured a yes.
Meanwhile, the men had moved from their roost beside the pub to move towards her. She wasn't going to deal with these assholes. She stashed her phone in her purse, and turned around.
"Bitch, where ya goin'?" One of them yelled.
"Come back and play." Another put in.
Darcy heard the footsteps gaining on her, and she began walking faster. Shit, she had forgotten her tazer at home. A rough arm grabbed her out of nowhere and pushed her against a brick store front.
"Shouldn't have run, that just makes us want you more." The skinhead laughed. Their breath stank of alcohol. There were about three of them. Darcy tried to punch one, but her fist was caught. "Why ya' wearin' so many layers?" One chuckled as he began pulling off her coat. They roughly shooed her into a small alley way and continued their assault. Darcy squirmed and yelled, but nobody came. When they had shucked off her jacket the cold hit her hard and she began shivering. "Ain't that cute, she's cold." The man's eyes dropped to her breasts. "You got quite the handful there." He smiled ever larger, like he had hit the jackpot. "Skip, you wanna feel them?" The leader called on the youngest one, who hadn't seemed very savvy with what they were doing.
"Fuck, Marcus, we can't just do this." He tried to tug "Marcus" away.
"You're a bloody pansy, watch." Marcus pulled out a switchblade and laid it against Darcy's blouse. Her shallow breathing hitched in her throat and she squirmed even harder than before. "Hold still, don't want me to hurt ya, do you?" He cut open her blouse in one swift movement and shucked it off, leaving her in a dark green lacy bra.
"Screw you!" She yelled, pushing one of them. This time the switchblade landed on her throat.
"Later, baby, have some patience." Marcus' eyes slid down to her breasts. "Fuck, look at these watermelons." He reached down, about to grab a handful when suddenly a car screeched to a halt beside them.
"Step away from her." Said the tall figure who stepped out of the car. He was nearly a foot taller than the rest of them, and towered above. When he came into the street light Darcy recognized those green eyes.
"Who the fuck are you?" Marcus laughed. "Fuckin pretty boy want a piece of our claim?"
Loki's eyes connected with Darcy's and she almost wanted to cry. His eyes were pained and she hated him seeing her like this. His expression changed suddenly, as he kicked Marcus right in his stomach. The skinhead doubled over, the switchblade falling out of his hand. Darcy kicked the knife away to be safe. Skip took the chance to run away, and the other man tried, but Loki pulled him back and punched him square in the face. Marcus tried to take a grab at Loki's legs while on the ground, but Darcy stomped on his hand. It gave her a horrible satisfaction to hear him scream. With the two molesters on the ground wailing, Loki ushered Darcy into his car. He picked up her ruined blouse and coat. When they had settled down, he took off his coat and laid it over her. She thanked him and zipped it up over her bra. He didn't watch out of courtesy. Loki turned up the heat and drove the car away. He put her address in his GPS and began taking her home. He dialed the police and reported the men, then snapped the phone shut.
"Are you alright, they didn't…" He asked a few minutes later.
"No, they only took off my shirt." She felt disgusting, but Loki took on hand off the wheel to rub his hand comfortingly on her arm.
"I'm so sorry, I should have driven you home in the first place."
Darcy managed to make a throaty laugh and his expression became even more pained. "I wouldn't have accepted, I wouldn't have wanted to trouble you."
"Don't be silly, I'm not going to let you go through that ever again." He spoke in a hard voice. She didn't think he could look any angrier.
They pulled up to her house a few minutes later. "Want to come in?" She asked. Darcy was a fighter, but after that experience she had lost some self confidence. All she wanted was to be hugged and surrounded by friends.
"If you want me to." He was being very careful.
She got out and he locked the car, following her. She grabbed at his waist while they made it up the stairs and he held on to her as she unlocked the door. He could see a few tears make their way down her face and he wiped them away with his thumb.
"Darcy?!" She heard Steve's voice from upstairs. He came down the stairs and saw her crying. His face froze and he ran down. "Are you ok? Who the hell is this guy?" He started barking out questions.
"Stop, Steve." She murmured against Loki's shirt.
"Some drunks assaulted her." Loki explained. "I came to help her when I heard them over the phone."
Steve was dumbstruck for a moment, his face frozen in disgust. "Take her to the kitchen, I'll make some tea.
"She lost her shirt." Loki added.
"Her room's up the stairs, the one with the green painted door." Steve told him. Darcy let go of Loki so he could go get her shirt. Steve held her as they went to the kitchen. He sat her down at the table and got to work making her some chai tea with whipped cream, the way she liked it.
Loki came downstairs with one of Darcy's over-sized sleep shirts and handed it to her. She unzipped his jacket and handed it to him. He politely kept his eyes away. She put on the shirt and wiped her eyes with the sleeve. She noticed the side of Loki's shirt was wet with her tears. They looked at each other in silence. His expression was an open book of worry. His anger seemed to have faded off. She scooted her chair over to his and she settled against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and she stayed awake long enough to drink her tea while he held her. Steve left them alone and dimmed the lights. She fell asleep like that, on the creaky wooden chair nestled in Loki's arms.