Wow. So awkward. My computer bit the dust and I am so sorry for keeping you waiting. My husband and I just moved, the second time in less than two years, so there wasn't a ton of money around to fix the damn thing. I have it up and running now. I wish I could have typed it up somewhere but my husband doesn't know what I write about, and I have a feeling he'd just laugh at me. I mean, he's a nerd too, but he thinks Fan Fiction is lame.

Shows what he knows. :P

I love you guys for sticking through and waiting. You guys rock.

This contains a whole synopsis of Avengers. Just cause it is relevant to the story line, and I added a little spice to the untold parts of the story, like what really pushed Loki to do what he did and whatnot.

So please please please enjoy.

And thank you for your patience.

-Amanda


Loki lay on his bed staring out his window. His room was sterile. Like the guest quarters at home. Part of him wanted to make it his own, but there was no way they would let him get comfortable. He knew it. They wouldn't treat him fairly. They were just unsure of him now. Once they realize he is HONESTLY no threat, they'll convince Thor to lock him away and Thor will get on with his life. The thought depressed him, took him even lower than he already was. And he was at rock bottom. He sighed and stood. He walked to the window. The room was stifling. He threw open the window and the room started to ring. He heard numerous footsteps heading down the hall toward him.

"Don't move or I'll shoot." Natasha rolled in the room and had a gun aimed directly at him; right between the eyes. And he knew she never would miss this shot if she had the chance. Behind her all the Avengers, including Thor, looked ready to attack.

Loki broke. This was it. His limit. He fell to his knees, head in his hands. "I was just hot. Its so hot here. I'm sorry. I'm not comfortable in my own skin anymore. You don't understand." He looked up, a pitiful sight. He was near tears.

Darcy walked in. She raised her hand, "Hi I'm Darcy Lewis, and I can understand not being comfortable in your own skin." She rounded on the rest of them, "At least stand down, how rude are you?" She flung the words at them violently. "Have some sympathy. He had his world rocked!" She turned back to him, smiling softly.

"Yeah, so he tried to take over ours. That's a real normal reaction." Tony shot back sarcastically, rolling his eyes, but also visibly relaxing out of his defensive mode.

"Brother of Iron," Thor started, "That is a normal reaction for many worlds other than yours and mine. Loki's homeland is a place of warring people. Its in his nature."

"Yeah, so why did Odin punish him?" Clint spoke up. His eyes were on Loki, but all his attention was truly on Darcy. Using his trained peripherals, he saw she actually looked remarkably beautiful. Her hair was just over an inch long at the top, and combed to the side. It was still the beautiful chocolate brown. She had put a beaded headband on it and the bangs were short on her forehead, but it showed her gorgeous face off.

"I did not say it was okay. I said it was of his nature. It is a normal reaction for a Jotunn." Thor looked at them like they should know these things.

"Whats Jotunn?" Darcy looked at Thor and then to Loki, eyeing up his blue skin and reddish eyes. She was willing to look past it. Hell, she probably looked odd to him too. She tasered a God, she got used to things pretty quick.

"They are a race of people from Jotunheim. Ice giants. They used to be a strong enemy for us. Our father defeated Laufey, Loki's father, when I was just over one. While he was in the hall at Jotunheim making a treaty he noticed a small infant, remarkably small for a Jotunn. He adopted him when he realized the infant was left to die because it was different. Most Jotunn have marking on their arms, for their brute strength. But, Loki's are around his heart. Where his magic centers from." Thor recited what his father had told him just before he spoke to Loki as they left. They looked at Loki for confirmation of what Thor was saying, but Loki's mind was no longer focused on the others. All he saw was the woman he assumed was Darcy, based on her short hair. She was looking at him like she was curious. He felt an energy emanating from her. She eminated warmth. Not the dry desert heat. A comfort.

"If we are done with your family history, we probably should leave him alone. We did agree to treat him humanely." Bruce looked at each of them and walked out the door.

"Dr. Banner is correct. He is here as punishment, we should acknowledge that as enough. We should not make it worse." Steve looked at Natasha and then Clint. Him being the supersoldier/natural leader, they followed him out the door.

"Whatever. Look, Thor. You just make sure that he plays nice with us too." Tony grabbed Pepper's elbow and urged her through the door.

"Darcy, you coming?" Jane was at Thor's side, looking at her expectantly.

Darcy saw something new in Jane's eyes when she looked at her. Pity; her stomach sank. She finally knew. Damn, her history is just that. Hers. Clint had no right to tell her. She looked at Thor; FUCK! he knew too! They all did.

Loki looked at the girl who seemed lost in her own thought. He saw her ears redden. She was mad. And it scared him, quite a bit if he was honest. That is one thing he has learned from Sif, and even his Mother; angry women are more dangerous than any beast he could conjure up.

He walked quickly to his desk and sat down, facing away from the other persons. Not wanting to be included in any more drama; he picked up another book. He heard Darcy collect herself, and eyed her over his shoulder as she rushed past the other two still standing in his door. He opened the tough old cover of the book in his hands, Titus Andronicus.


"Darcy! Please! Just talk to me!" Jane rushed down the hallway after her. Jane looked over her shoulder and Thor was following behind, slowly. "Thor! Can you not see I'm trying to talk to Darcy? Help me? Please?"

"Jane, dear Jane. Has it occurred to you that maybe Lady Darcy does not want to discuss this. At least right now?" Thor stopped and began walking away. He loved Jane but she can be overbearing, he knew that very well. As soon as Jane got Thor alone today, rather than spending time to just be with each other, she spent the afternoon grilling him about how he feels about Loki, and his parents, and everything that was going through his head about everything.

Darcy stopped rushing through the maze of a house. She turned slowly, "Yeah, Jane...why hasn't it occurred to you that maybe I don't want to discuss this right now? Or ever for that matter. Except for this one question, how much did my ex-friend Clint tell you?"

"Clint didn't. I did." Natasha walked around the corner Darcy was just about to turn through. "I had to come and tell you I told them. I got mad. And Jane thought she knew you better. And you're the first girl best friend I've ever had. I'm sorry. I've never had anyone close to me like this. Some brilliant spy/agent I am if I can't even keep it cool about my friends." Natasha had tears in her eyes. "Darcy, I want to be your friend. I'm sorry. I want to protect you from your past, and the assholes in your present."

"Darcy, you need to talk to me about this. I am your friend too!" Jane walked up and pulled her towards her in a hug.

Darcy wiggled out of Jane's grasp and walked over to Thor, "Thor buddy! Show me around. I kinda want to find my friends Tony and Bruce. Since I have a feeling Steve is on the roof, like he always was in New York. To the workshop!"

"Of course. I agree. You've been through enough. Lets get away from this." Thor gave a very stern glare to both Natasha and Jane. And to Jane he said, "I will see you tomorrow. After I show Darcy to the workshop, I will check on my brother and then I am going to rest for the night."


"Hey Tony, hey Bruce." Darcy slid on a stool to sit at the bar surrounding the room. It was covered with dozens of confusing looking instruments.

Tony looked up from the suit laying on a table. He had the chest open and was tinkering around inside. He raised a very singed eyebrow and asked, "And to what do we owe this wonderful pleasure?"

"I clearly need to avoid a few people around the building. So I figured I hang out with you and Mr. Anti-Social." Darcy pulled her iphone out of her pocket and snapped a picture of Bruce's frustrated face he made after the anti-social comment.

"Hey, I've been better lately. I was at dinner tonight and YOU weren't. Hell, even Loki made it." Bruce countered and smiled. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Look, Darc, ignore the Doc. Clint is an idiot. Don't worry too much about it. He'll realize how important it is to not let what happens in the warzone affect what happens at home. I'm still learning this with Pepper myself." Tony hit a button on the suit and it closed up. He walked over to Darcy and reached under the counter to the fridge at her knee. Pulling out two beers and a bottle of water. "Its not easy. Especially after what he went through. I am lucky my reactor saved me from that."

Tony tossed the water to Bruce and turned back to Darcy, opening the top of her bottle for her. "What do you mean 'what he went through.' You all fought in New York and you aren't super angry like Clint about Loki being here."

Tony sputtered his beer a bit, his fault for trying to cut in while drinking, " He didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Darcy looked between Bruce and Tony.

"Maybe Brucie here can explain it better. I'm a mechanic, I don't tell stories." Tony pulled a stool over and then pulled himself up to settle on the counter. Bruce sighed and came over and sat down next to Darcy, he took a long drink from his water.

He sighed once more and looked at Darcy, "Do you know what happened? With the Avengers and New York? Not many actually do. I know Jane doesn't."

"No. Well, Clint told me he got brainwashed, but I didn't take him terribly seriously. No one told me anything else though and I didn't ask. I had a cousin who fought in Kuwait and theres things you just don't ask about. War and fighting is one of them." Darcy looked at him steadily. "Do we maybe want to inform me of the terror somewhere where the rest of the household isn't within earshot? I don't want any PTSD moments."

"Alright fine. Let's go out the garage and take a walk. We can go to Doc's serenity garden. JARVIS doesn't even connect there. Which is dumb, might I add." Tony slide down and held out a hand to Darcy, who stood and looped her arm through Tony's and put her other arm out to Bruce, who complied and they headed toward the garage.

"Oh, and Tony, don't mock my garden. Just because I don't feel the need to have myself connected to technology all the time doesn't mean you can pick on me." Bruce walked up to the gate and pulled out his key. He opened the gate slowly and Darcy let out a moan. Bruce and Tony both looked at her eyebrows raised.

"I have always wanted a place to go to like this. Oh, how lucky you are Bruce. Can I join you here sometimes?" Darcy looked at him with puppy eyes.

"Better yet, I'll make you a copy of my key. After hearing your history girl, you need a place to be alone with your thoughts. I can teach you meditation and yoga." Bruce looked at her fondly with a brotherly smile.

"Yuck, all this zen is making me want to go and fix an engine." Tony looked disgusted with the thought of yoga.

"Yes, go ahead and fix a machine that does nothing but pollute. Brilliance is your mark Tony." Bruce looked at him, shaking his head.

"Boys! We are here for story time." Darcy walked through the gate and smiled. There was even a pond with a little gazebo in the middle. She ran to the path for it, "Lets go sit there!"

Bruce and Tony complied. Both figuring in their minds that with the tale to be told, a pretty place is a good place to be in. Bruce went and lit three lanterns and handed one to Tony.

As they gathered in the Gazebo, sitting on the wooden floor, with a lantern between each of them Bruce looked at Tony and Darcy, "You ready?"

"I can handle anything." Darcy said.

"I was there, so begin the story." Tony said with a smile.

Bruce looked at the knot in the wood in front of him and began to trace it, "Look, remember how Eric went off to work on that classified project. He was working firsthand with the Tesseract. That glowing cube." Darcy nodded. "Now Loki encountered the Other, the leader of an extraterrestrial race, the Chitauri. In exchange for retrieving the Tesseract, the Other promised Loki a Chitauri army with which he could subjugate the Earth. Loki was also threatened with death if he did not join in to this scheme. Essentially it was either get the Tesseract for us and rule the Earth with us watching over or die; that was Loki's choices." Darcy nodded again, a bit put off. "Well, the whole story involving Clint started one day at the research facility where Eric was working. They had to evacuate the building because the Tesseract was radiating unusual energy. Clint explained to Fury the reason for evacuation; the Tesseract was essentially a door to other dimensions, and doors open from both sides." More nodding. "Well, the Tesseract activated and opened a wormhole, allowing Loki to reach Earth. Loki took the Tesseract and used his scepter to enslave Eric, and some agents; including Clint." Darcy gasped quietly. When he had said brainwashed, she thought he was referring to S.H.I.E.L.D. work. She looked down and Bruce paused. She looked back up and nodded again. "That was when the Avengers Initiative was activated. Agent Romanoff was sent to find me in Calcutta to trace the Tesseract through its gamma radiation emissions. Coulson went to Tony to have him review Selvig's research, and Fury approached Steve with an assignment to retrieve the Tesseract; something Steve had a lot of knowledge from back in the 40s. Barton stole iridium needed to stabilize the Tesseract's power. Loki caused this big distraction for Clint in Stuttgart leading to a confrontation with Rogers, Tony, and Romanoff. It ended with Loki's surrender." Darcy raised her eyebrows impressed that he surrendered to them before. Wondering how he had gotten free. "While Loki was being escorted to S.H.I.E.L.D., Thor arrived and freed Loki hoping to convince him to abandon his plans and return to Asgard. Tony and Steve convinced Thor to allow them to take Loki to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarrier. There he was imprisoned, while Tony and I attempted to locate the Tesseract. We became divided, both over how to approach Loki and the revelation that S.H.I.E.L.D. planned to harness the Tesseract's power to develop weapons as a deterrent against hostile extraterrestrials. As we argued, Clint, who was still possessed after a whole week, and Loki and a bunch of others that Loki ensnared, attacked the Helicarrier, using Clint's knowledge. They disabled engines in flight and caused me to transform into that other guy no one really likes." Bruce paused for a second and Darcy smiled at him fondly, she didn't care what his alter-ego did. He was a good man. "Tony and Steve went and restarted the damaged engine, and Thor was sent to stop...me." Bruce looked ashamed, but Tony had an unimpressed look on his face. "Natasha fought Clint, and knocked him unconscious, breaking the hold Loki had." Darcy looked a little shocked that it took a blow to the head to free him but nodded to Bruce. "Loki escaped after killing Phil and ejecting Thor from the ship, and Hulk fell trying to jump on a fighter jet. You know, he really isn't that bright." Bruce attempted to make a joke, but he knew it was kinda true. "Fury used Coulson's death to motivate the Avengers to work as a team. Tony and Steve realized that simply defeating them would not be enough for Loki. That Loki wanted to overpower them publicly to validate himself as ruler of the Earth. Loki used the Tesseract, in conjunction with a device that Eric built, to open a wormhole above Stark Tower to the Chitauri fleet in space, launching an invasion. We rallied in defense of the city. We were quite overwhelmed though as wave after wave of Chitauri descended upon us. I transformed into the Hulk, and we all together tried to fight and evacuate the civilians. I went after Loki and beat him to a pulp." Tony grinned at this. "Natasha made her way to the wormhole, where Eric, who had hit his head and was free of Loki's control, revealed that Loki's scepter could close to wormhole. Meanwhile, Fury's superiors attempted to end the invasion by sending a nuclear missile at Manhattan. Tony intercepted the missile and took it through the wormhole toward the Chitauri fleet off in space. The missile detonated and destroyed the whole fleet and since their power came from the mothership the aliens on Earth collapsed, disabled due to their inability to survive in Earth's atmosphere without their suits. Tony's suit ran out of power and he came back through just in time, as Natasha closed the wormhole. Thor and Loki returned the next day to Asgard, with the Tesseract. And then we went to eat shawarma."

"Wow. So wait, Tony, you were willing to sacrifice yourself?" Darcy looked at him for more details.

"The whole story on that is one I still can't even tell Pepper. I'm not ready for that yet. But anyways, do you see what Clint went through too?" Tony brushed off her questioning and looked at her for her answer.

"Yeah, I see it. Like I said, he mentioned it in passing, the whole brainwashing thing, and I didn't realize what it truly was." Darcy looked at them. "I should go talk to him shouldn't I?

They both looked at each other, and nodded.

"You have to remember that relationships aren't one way streets sweetie. You need to be there for each other." Bruce stood. Tony as well.

"Uhm, could one of you do me a favor? Could you send Clint down here? I kinda want to talk to him on neutral territory. If thats okay Bruce." Darcy looked up at them.

"Perfectly fine with me. I'm heading to bed anyways. I'll get him." Bruce bent over putting a kiss on top of her head. "By the way sweetie, you look beautiful with short hair. I wonder why you had it so long in the first place."

"Well, if my dad hit me I'd be able to cover it up easier at school." Darcy said shrugging. They knew now her history. Why not be honest.

Tony and Bruce blanched at the blatant statement. Tony pulled her up and hugged her tightly. "I love you Darcy. You're kinda like a sister to me. Remember that. And if things don't go well with him tonight. I can kick his ass for you."

Darcy gripped him tightly back. "Thanks for the offer. Very...sweet of you. I love you guys. I have a family now." She had a bright smile on her face now. She sat down as the boys walked away. She lay back on the floor with the lanterns around her and hummed a song she remembered from her childhood. Way back when her mom treated her like a princess. Before things got bad. She stopped for a moment, adjusted her positioning and sighed deeply. And for the first time ever, Darcy Lewis was meditating.


I am sorry I left you hanging without Clint and Darcy making up and things being better, but I have to keep you coming back for something.

Oh, and btw, the whole relationship with Darcy and Loki is slow going. This is because I don't want this to be a slam-bam-thank you ma'am quickie story. I want you to really fall in love with these characters like I have.

Whoever did the casting for the Marvel movies, minus The Incredible Hulk(2008) sorry I was NOT a fan of that one, is utterly brilliant. I am a firm believer that yes the directors and the story-writers have something to do with it, but the actor breathes life into the character. And I love each actor in the Avengers. They are just so freaking good at what they do.

Now, I must get to writing Chapter 8 for you!