Jane, Eric & the Avengers
Part 1: Bruce
Bruce is having a good and relaxing day. His experiments are going well and the Other Guy is sleeping. Also: no villain. A huge bonus!
As he sips his hot Indian tea, perks of living with Tony, his thoughts go back to what he refers as "before": two years ago, had you told him he would be living with Tony Stark and other heroes, free and able to go back to his field expertise, he would have given you a recommendation for the nearest asylum.
His laboratory is huge and very high-tech, well as he said, he is living with Stark. Next to his workshop, are Tony's and Jane's.
Jane being the latest addition to Tony "genius collect"- Tony's words not his.
He remembers how surprised and amused he was when they all saw the Doctor, not even a hundred pounds, barging into their reunion and ripping into the Director and winning! As Tony said it was "a glorious day!"
At this point learning she was also Thor's girlfriend was just a bonus.
The petite and almost frail woman is a force to be reckon with when anger or in her Science mode! She could just as long and as deep as Tony in her quest to "perfection". "Impressionant" as the French say.
There was just something that, still now, eludes Tony, Pepper and himself.
Her first day in the tower – as a working and living guest - she asked JARVIS that should she go for more than a day without eating a decent meal – not her beloved pop-tarts – to play the Pizza hut song to an annoying level till she caves and go eating. And ditto with "shut up and sleep with me" when she go for more than three days without sleeping and showering. Or as she said "acting as a human being".
That certainly gave Pepper some ideas. Now that she is Stark industry CEO, she doesn't have time to take care of Tony as she did when she was his assistant.
Bruce finds it ironic that of all the three of them, he is the more balance and goes back to his quarter each night to eat and sleep.
"Dr. Banner?" JARVIS voice interrupts and Bruce feels awe, still, that Tony manages to create an AI that sound so human.
"Yes JARVIS?"
"I required your assistance, Dr. Foster is…"
The fact that JARVIS hesitates to qualified Jane's behavior alert him.
"Where is she?"
"In her room, Dr. Banner. I felt it prudent to inform you first. You better be quick, Dr. Foster is agitated."
Bruce is already on his way before JARVIS finishes his sentence.
Part 2: Clint, Natasha and Steve
Clint is amusing himself, making journalist comments on the spar between Natasha and Steve below him. The playground Tony created for them to train is truly delightful.
He feels like a kid again when training there.
"Miss Romanoff takes the upper hand with a fantastic kick to the left leg that destabilized her opponent."
He comments with a very energetic and professional voice. Steve is annoyed but Nat is smiling a little.
"Seriously Clint, don't you have something better to do?" Steve is panting while evading yet another punch to his kidney.
And the answer is: no he doesn't! He gives Steve a mocking salute but goes straight back at it, this time more playfully, making Steve lose his concentration.
"Mr. Rogers, Miss Romanoff, Mr. Barton; Dr. Banner requested your presence immediately in Dr. Foster private quarter." JARVIS tells them.
Wow. Bruce is calling for them! They all exchange a look and almost all run towards Jane's room.
'What the fuck did she do?' thinks Clint while running through all the corridors.
When they barge into Jane's room they stop in their tracks. The scene is almost unreal and totally painful. The ordinary very driven and playful doctor is on the ground. Literally. She's on the floor, white as a ghost ans shaking so strongly they can hear it from the door. Tears are running on her cheeks and she's babbling incoherent things under her breath.
Bruce is completely lost and helpless beside her.
Part 3: Pepper and Tony
Pepper is doing her paperwork when JARVIS calls her. Asking her to come to the tower because Dr. Foster is having an attack of some sort and the men and Natasha are useless.
She pauses.
Looks at her phone then asks.
"Where is Tony?"
"In his workshop Ms. Potts, Dr. Banner thought it prudent to let him be till you are there."
"Good, tell Bruce I'm coming. Calls Happy so that he prepares the car please."
After twenty minutes in traffic, she goes straight to Tony, who is very puzzle and weird out.
She is astounded by Dr. Foster condition. The woman is clearly broken. Jane is on the floor, crying and shaking. At least someone put a pillow under her head and a blanket over her.
She approaches her slowly and sits on the floor right next to her.
"Jane? It's Pepper, can you tell me what happened?" she probes gently and so very calmly.
"She...Dar-Darcy… dead…pol…police….dead….Pep…why…dead?" Jane voice breaks at the end.
Pepper is lost, who is Darcy? She looks around, at Tony and Natasha, clearly asking without saying if they know her.
"Her former assistant, best friend." Answer slowly Clint, now in shock himself. "She was there when Thor first came; last I heard she was on a world trip in Europe."
While Clint talks, Natasha is already on the phone with their new handler at Shield to confirm the news.
Part 4: Jane
Something is beeping. Annoyingly loudly, she snuggles back into her pillow.
Beep…beep…beep…
'Of course' she thinks 'when I want to sleep in the Universe takes notice'. She vows that if it isn't important she will chew out the caller. Even if it's Eric or Darcy. Wow Darcy would be proud! She grumbles but finally answers.
"Yeah?"
"Miss Foster?" asks a man with a very strong German accent.
"Yes, who are you?" she answers wearily, Natasha's lessons playing in her mind.
"Officer Wolaff, Miss. I'm part of the Austria police. I'm terribly sorry miss, but I've bad news." He says with in a broken English.
"What?" her voice trembles, weak to her own ears.
"Miss, do you know of miss Darcy Lewis?"
"no..no please..don't…"
"I'm terribly sorry to inform you that Miss Darcy Lewis is dead."
She chokes on her spit. Her eyes fill with tears. Hands trembling.
"No…"
She doesn't even try to listen to what the officer says next. She's breaking. Her ears feel as if they are full off cotton. She takes a hold of herself, even if she really doesn't know where she finds the strength to do so.
"What happened?"
"She was aggressed. I'm very sorry miss. We will contact you later and make sure that all her affairs are delivered to you."
"Alright."
The rest is a blur. She goes to the shower. She does her morning routine. She is in a fog.
Nothing registers in her mind.
She breathes in, breathes out.
She's before the coffee machine.
Breathe in, breathe out.
She is in the living room.
Breathe in, breathe out.
She sees Darcy.
Breathe in.
She crumbles.
Breathe out.
She breaks.
Part 5:
It takes them three days to have Dr. Eric Selvig coming to the Tower.
Bruce, Steve and surprisingly Tony are with Jane, trying to make her eat something or even move out of the couch.
Jane is still in shock, still broken, she hadn't speak since, she just stares at a picture, her fingers lingering on Darcy's smiling face.
Dr. Selvig is tired and his eyes are still haunted when Natasha, Clint and Pepper come to him at the airport. He doesn't react to their presence, he doesn't talk, his fists are clench together, and his gaze is fixed on the window during the journey.
At the tower, he doesn't say hello to anyone, just nod at them and go to Jane.
They watch as the old man put his trembling hands over Jane's.
They watch as his eyes fell upon the picture and water.
They watch as he cries with her.
They keep watching as he embraces fully Jane and whispered something in her ear that made Jane chokes on a sob and laugh a little brokenly.
They watch as they fall apart together and then pull themselves together again.
They watch as Jane and Eric began to talk about Darcy, laughing tearfully.
And they breathe as one as Jane began eating her meal and later goes to sleep (after a shower) using Eric as a pillow and the couch as a bed, the precious picture between them.
Two weeks later, Jane received Darcy's affairs. Among it: an IPod.
Darcy's precious and beloved IPod.