Hi it's me Hybridlovelies! Yes I've changed my name!
I talked about why a little bit on my tumblr, so if you wanna know go there. But I'm "marvelouskatie" across the board now, so if you're trying to find me on tumblr, FF, twitter, wherever...that's me!
Thank you Ashley for helping to beta this!
Also please excuse my not amazing grasp of science and physics :)
PART XII
A sharp, feminine shout came from Jane's tiny office. Darcy leaned her body over, trying to get a look at Jane and Steve. One of the lab rats passing by in the hallway poked her head into the door, with a questioning look. Darcy winced at the scientist.
"Everything's fine," she chuckled, pushing the woman out and shutting the door to their main lab.
When Darcy saw Captain America's bulky frame darkening their lab doorway that morning, her brain immediately went to Bucky. Clearly, the Captain was there to give her a stern lecture about keeping it in her pants and not trying to kiss his mentally unstable, but hot and amazing friend.
She breathed a sigh of relief when he offered her a hello and asked where Jane was, passing her when she pointed in the direction of her boss's office.
Through the tiny window, Darcy could see Jane's red face, as she argued with the Captain, whose head was shaking back and forth. His arms were crossed over his chest and Darcy could see that whatever they were at odds about, Rogers wasn't going to budge. A few more minutes of muffled arguing passed, before Rogers turned and opened the door.
Jane rushed out after him. "I'm not done, Captain Rogers."
"I am," the man said, rounding on her friend. Jane was about a third of his size, but she didn't back down. "This matter isn't up for discussion. You're confined to the tower for your own safety on orders of S.H.I.E.L.D., orders that at this juncture, I don't disagree with."
"House arrest?" Darcy exclaimed, quickly catching up with what the two had been yelling about.
Rogers silenced her with a stern look, warning her to not get involved with the argument. Darcy snapped her lips shut, knowing that if Jane wasn't convincing him, her added insubordinance probably wouldn't help. He turned back to Jane.
"I'll let you know when the confinement has been lifted."
"Yeah, thanks a lot."
Jane followed him to the door and slammed it behind him with all her strength, turning around and letting out an angry exhale.
"Okay, spill. Why are we on house arrest?"
"Because," Jane said. "There have been more threats that have fallen onto S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar regarding my life. They think it's 'wise' if I stay within the safety of the tower ,until their agents can assess what is real and what is just crazy people talking out of their asses."
"But we don't work for SHIELD."
"No shit," Jane snapped. Darcy pressed her lips together at yet another harsh word spilling from her friend's lips. "That doesn't mean that it stops them from barging in and taking over. Just like in New Mexico." Jane dropped into the lab stool across from Darcy, her heading falling into her hands. "Maybe living here was a mistake."
"The lab equipment is pretty sweet, though."
"Yeah, but I don't know if it's worth giving up our personal freedom."
Darcy winced. "I think personal freedom has been an illusion for you and I since a certain god dropped out of a weird cloud and you hit him with your car."
It was a terrifying truth that Darcy tried her best not to think about, but she wasn't naïve to the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. could intervene in their lives at any moment.
"We have to see Erik, he's still not answering my calls. Everything just goes to voicemail," Jane lowered her voice.
Darcy agreed. House arrest was going to make things more difficult but not impossible. Captain Rogers would know they were gone only after they had left. "Leave it to me," Darcy grinned. "Sneaking out of the house after your parents grounded you happens to be one of my specialties."
.
.
.
.
.
Darcy knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. would be thorough. She was no super hero spy assassin, but she had learned a thing or two about covering her tracks. First thing first, was to set a false trail.
She had Jane gave it an hour, just to be safe, and started looking up flights to alternate locations. Jane checked out New Mexico and Darcy went for Virginia. They debated each buying a ticket to New Mexico and Virginia, but decided their bank accounts couldn't take the hit, considering they'd both be purchasing extremely last minute tickets to London.
The biggest question about it all remained.
"How are we getting past-" Jane circled her finger in the air to signal JARVIS.
Even if the omniscient AI didn't have his computer-y gaze locked on the two of them at all times, he was certainly keeping a vigilant eye on every security camera by the exits.
"Leave it to me," Darcy assured her. "Lucky for us, Stark likes to brag. A lot. Especially when he's full of beer. Meet in the stairwell, between floors, midnight."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Bucky smirked at Steve's report of Foster's reaction to her house arrest. It went about as well as could be expected. After everything Darcy had told him about Jane not wanting to be S.H.I.E.L.D.'s scientific prisoner, he was sure this would push her over the edge.
Stark wasn't any happier with the news when he arrived at the tower and Steve filled him in.
"Since when does S.H.I.E.L.D. have a say over when my employees can or can't leave the place where they live and work? Last time I checked, this is a free country."
The three men walked down the hallway together, toward Tony's workshop. Steve offered to be present as Tony worked on Bucky's arm that evening and Bucky didn't decline. He still felt an awkwardness at being near Stark.
Steve let out a tired breath. "Whether or not Dr. Foster is your employee, she's still a valuable asset to S.H.I.E.L.D. Her life is in danger and it's our job to protect it."
"Did you even think about this Steve? Or are you just bending over and taking orders?"
"Hey!" Steve snapped back. "In case you forgot, she's also someone important to someone we call a friend, doesn't that also grant her some degree of protection. What if it were Pepper? Wouldn't you want me to do anything I could to keep her safe if you weren't around?"
Tony rolled his tongue over his teeth. "Alright, you win, caveman. I mean, Captain." Bucky smirked at Stark's jab as the elevator carried them to Stark's floor. Instead of the main labs, Stark insisted on examining Bucky in his own workshop. Bucky wasn't sure if he was supposed to be flattered or not, but Stark seemed to think it was some kind of honor.
"What about Lewis? Is she grounded, too?"
"Her name hasn't come up on any of the threats, so no one specified. I figured she goes were Foster goes, so it was implied."
"Well, if there is no official order, I'm busting her out of jail tonight. Pep's birthday is coming up and I'm enlisting her party planning assistance. Also, gift shopping. I'm terrible at getting things for other people."
"That's not a shock," Steve muttered under his breath as the elevator doors slid open.
The three men walked down the short hallway and around the corner to the workshop, stopping when they saw an unexpected presence hovering between the robots and tools.
Tony was the first to step forward.
"Hey Lewis, ears burning?"
Bucky watched Darcy spin around, her expression wide with surprise as she took in each of them. His breath caught when her gaze landed on his and quickly flicked away, back to Tony.
"What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here? In my workshop?" Tony looked at her over the sunglasses he had yet to remove since entering the building.
"Stealing tools?" Darcy answered with a saccharine smile. "Some of Jane's homemade equipment need some tune ups. Duct-tape ain't cuttin' it this time."
Tony walked around the large table and removed his jacket and glasses. "State of the art facility and she's still using that junk?"
"Don't let her catch you saying that."
The banter stalled and Darcy's eyes slid back in the direction of Bucky and Steve. She smiled politely at the two of them. "Um, I guess I'll go now."
"Hey, plans tonight? I've got a very important mission with your name on it. That also includes a steak dinner."
Darcy patted her stomach. "Oh man, you know how I love red meat, but I can't. I'm super, hungover and working late and I…just…can't. Sorry. Maybe tomorrow."
"I'm free tonight. I'm a slave to the technological summit."
"Sorry, T-man. Next time." She passed another unreadbale glance at Bucky and then ducked out of the workshop.
Tony pointed in the her vacant direction. "That girl is hiding something. I've never known her to pass up a free meal."
"She didn't take any tools," Bucky added, both men cocked their heads at him. "She said she was here to steal tools, but she didn't take any with her."
Tony's mouth curved. "Excellent observation my dear, Bucky. JARVIS?"
"Yes sir?"
"What did our lovely Miss Lewis take from the shop?"
"I believe Miss Lewis commandeered the Calypso, Mark II. The devices that you mentioned to her during your last visit."
"Me and my drunken brags."
"What's the Calypso?" Steve asked.
Tony gestured Bucky toward the stool in front of him. "Some new tech I've been working on for the team. It's still in its testing phase."
"Sir, I should also note that S.H.I.E.L.D. has recently flagged both Dr. Foster's and Miss Lewis's computers and have made note of travel searches to both New Mexico and Virginia."
Tony smirked at Steve over his shoulder. "Sounds like your charges are flight risks."
"This Calypso thing, should we maybe go get it back?"
Tony pulled a grin that would impress even the god of mischief. "I think not. Darcy can be our new test subject."
"Is it dangerous?" Bucky asked, propped his arm up for Tony to see.
"Depends on how you use it," Tony replied. Bucky scowled. "She'll be fine. JARVIS? Keep an eye on her. Let us know when the show begins."
.
.
.
.
.
Steve's day wasn't getting much better. Between Foster's arguing, S.H.I.E.L.D. breathing down his neck, and Stark's taunts he was in no mood. Tony refused to tell him anything more about Calypso and Steve tried to brush it off with the fact that whatever it was, he would know soon enough. He trusted the man to not put the young assistant in harm's way with unsanctioned technology. He seemed to have a soft spot for the girl.
He was brooding on his couch, trying and failing to focus on one of the films from his long list of pop-culture catch ups, when a knock interrupted.
Natasha stood in his doorway, in her usual black attire, having just returned from Washington and a monthly debrief with S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ.
"Hey Cap, long day?"
Steve sighed. He'd dealt with Nazi soldiers, Red Skull, Zola, and countless other monsters and enemies, but dealing with wrathful women always remained his least favorite of adversaries.
"Why do I feel like it's about to get longer?"
Natasha snorted and walked into the apartment. She had the tendency to occupy any space as if it belonged to her, heading straight to his kitchen and opening his fridge. The redhead chose a beer and popped it open.
"Help yourself," Steve remarked. "How was Washington?"
"The usual," Natasha replied. "Still no sign of Fury, Pierce claims he's doing everything he can to find the people who murdered him."
"He's officially dead?"
Natasha's eyes darkened a shade. Fury had been somewhat of a father figure to her. Though she did a fairly decent job of hiding it, Steve could see that their director's MIA status weighed on her.
"Not officially," she replied. "And in this line of work, if I don't see a body, then I don't count anyone as gone. Even then, it's sometimes up for debate." She took a large swig of the beer and set it down. "We've got other problems to worry about."
"What problems?"
"Bucky."
Steve tensed. "What about him?"
"Pierce wants him to report. If he's going to be a part of the team, taking assignments, then the guys at the top want to know who they're dealing with."
Steve's brows knit together. "Why wasn't it discussed with me?"
"It's personal for you, Steve. They know you're not going to hand over your friend."
His ears hung on to her choice of words. Turn him over . "What are you trying to say Natasha?"
"I'm saying that I was ordered to bring The Winter Soldier to Washington for a debrief. He's technically an enemy of the state. He's wanted for war crimes."
Steve clenched his fist to keep himself from slamming it into the marble counter top. "Bucky was brainwashed by Hydra, he wasn't himself! He can't be blamed—"
"Cool it, you don't have to give me the speech," Natasha said. "I can only stall for so long. Plus, they had their eyes on the Samaritan. I needed something to deflect."
Steve cursed. "So you decided to distract them with my friend to save your own?"
The cool and careless lift of her shoulder made him want to throw her through the wall. "I did what I had to do to protect my friend. Sorry Cap, but this time, mine trumped yours. You'll do what you need to to protect Bucky. My advice, stall for as long as you can. You'll think of something."
"And if I escort him to Washington myself?"
Natasha paused, licking her lips before she responded. "I wouldn't."
He examined her again, noticing again the shadows under her eyes, the hint of secrets between her words. He was never good at duplicity and she always made a point to tell him so. But Natasha wanted him to figure something out. She was letting him see the chinks in her armor for a reason.
Would there ever be a time in their lives when she would be direct with him?
"Captain Rogers, Agent Romanoff," Jarvis's voice came through the speakers above. "I apologize for the interruption. Mr. Stark has asked me to alert you that the 'show is about to begin.'"
Steve's eyes flicked to the clock on the wall. It was 11:55pm.
Natasha's brow flicked up. "Show?"
"Tony's been about as direct as you have today," he grumbled. "Come on, whatever it is, I'm sure it's something you'll want to see, too."
Intrigued, Natasha finished her beer and followed him out of the apartment.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Still no sign of Jane at 12:02 am. It was a good thing their escape plan wasn't time sensitive. Darcy let out an irritated breath, remembering her friend's difficulty with punctuality. She shifted the backpack on her shoulders, thinking she should have told her to meet at 11:45, then she would have actually been there at midnight.
It had been a struggle for Darcy to fit her possessions in a small backpack. Considering that they were sneaking out, they couldn't exactly carry a bunch of suitcases with them. Darcy wasn't sure what she would need when they reached London. Nerves seized her, as she realized she wasn't even sure what they would find in London.
Would Erik be there? Would he be okay? Would he be having another crazy relapse or worse, would some new enemy reveal themselves, having kidnapped their friend?
Her nerves, naturally, made her think of Bucky. It felt a little anti-feminist to wish for some extra protection from some dude—especially since she could more than handle herself—but another part of her told her it would just be practical.
Her mind flipped back to just twenty four hours before. She and Bucky had been at the bar, she'd been on maybe her fourth shot of the night. They'd been laughing together. Then she'd tried to kiss him.
Ugh.
She wished she'd gotten a chance to talk to him before she left. She wasn't sure how long she'd be gone and wasn't sure where they stood. It was difficult to get a read on him for the brief few minutes they had crossed paths in Tony's workshop, and at the time she was a little distracted by trying to explain why she'd been caught where she wasn't supposed to be.
The door to the stairwell squeaked open at 12:06 and Jane appeared, a small messenger bag hanging off her. Jane of course, always travelled light. She tended to outfit repeat.
Darcy mimicked pointing to a watch that she didn't wear. "Um, hello? I said midnight."
"Sorry, sneaking around isn't really my forte," Jane explained. "What are you wearing?"
Jane was in her usual flannel, t-shirt, and jeans. Darcy however, was dressed head-to-toe in black. Black leggings, black long sleeve t-shirt, and black beanie covering a practical French braid.
Darcy pushed at her frames. "I was going for stealth."
"Didn't you say Tony's devices would make us invisible anyways?"
At that moment, Darcy reached into the front pocket of her bag and pulled out two wristband looking device. Each one was silver, about an inch thick, with a green button in the center.
Tony had explained his Calypso project to her drunkenly one night. Darcy wasn't great at the science or tech speak, but the idea behind it was, once activated, the device would deflect particles of light away from the wearer. If something isn't reflecting light, then it couldn't be seen.
Darcy tried to get him to rename it to something referencing the invisibility cloak from Harry Potter. He said he would save that for when he figured out how to make a device that didn't only hide someone's image from a camera, but also in real life.
"Give me your wrist," Darcy said to Jane, slapping one of the Calypso bands around her friends tiny arm. "Green means ready, blue means activated."
"This isn't going to blow me up if I press it?" Jane asked.
"I'm not sure. Why do you think I'm making you go first?"
Darcy smirked and Jane gave her a little shove. With a deep breath, she stood back and pressed her finger against the green button. It turned blue.
"Feel anything?"
"It sort of tingles," Jane answered.
"Now let's see if it works," Darcy pulled her cell out of her pack and held the camera up towards Jane. "Whoa. Holy shit. You're like a ghost."
With her eyes, Darcy could see Jane plain as day, but with the camera view Jane was completely nonexistent.
Darcy put on her device and Jane performed a similar test to make sure it worked.
"Okay, so remember the escape plan?" Jane nodded. "Let's go."
The two women split up. Knowing that someone possibly saw them on security cameras, and could follow the random opening and closing of doors, they each took a separate path, doubling back to confuse anyone attempting to track them.
Darcy followed her preplanned map on her phone, knowing that the entire journey would take about ten minutes. She would meet Jane downstairs near a fire exit and would make their final escape.
She hiked up five floors of the stairs, cursing herself for forcing so much exercise into the plan. It was the last leg of her journey. A sprint across her apartment's floor, into the elevator, and down all the way to the garage level before she ran to meet Jane.
Darcy gripped the door handle of the stairwell when she paused, peering through the window, seeing Bucky standing at her apartment door. His arms were braced on either side of the doorframe, his lips moving.
Regret and embarrassment warred within her again as she watched him. A few minutes later, he gave up, and Darcy jumped when she realized he was headed in her direction.
Breathless, she moved to the next stairwell, hoping that he was just going up to his apartment. She held her breath as she listened to the door open and closed her eyes in relief when she heard his footsteps move up, rather than down. When the second door closed, she made her move.
She'd lost time and Jane would be wondering where she was, hopefully, she was well hidden in the garage.
Darcy tapped her foot impatiently as the elevator descended, at last announcing the garage level.
Making up for lost time, she sprinted around the corner, hoping Jane was there, hoping that she got out without running into anyone. She wanted to yell but couldn't risk it.
She rounded the corner of another level, knowing she was feet away from freedom and stopped short when she saw Jane.
Only Jane wasn't alone.
Jane was flanked by a smirking Tony Stark, a stone faced Natasha Romanoff, an irritated looking Steve Rogers, and of course, Bucky.
.
.
.
.
.
Darcy and Dr. Foster sat on one side of a large conference table, while Steve glared down at them, arms crossed. Bucky stood on one of the table, allowing himself a good vantage point for both parties. Romanoff positioned herself behind the two women, her stance on guard, like they were any other hostile prisoner that might make a dash for the door.
Stark retrieved his stolen tech from Darcy, thanking her for testing it out, not bothering to hide his proud grin. Steve of course, reprimanded the billionaire's praise with a sharp look. The implied compliment was going to dampen the seriousness of the tongue-lashing they were about to receive.
Both Darcy and Dr. Foster look annoyed and perturbed at being caught, the latter once again arguing that the house arrest was ridiculous and overprotective.
"Since neither of you are teenage girls," they might not be teenage girls, but Steve certainly sounded like an irritated father. "I'm going to assume that there was a good reason for all this sneaking around, and not just simple rebellion."
Bucky's sharp eye caught the look that passed between the two female friends. They were hiding something and debating on if they should come clean. It was Darcy who ended up taking the lead.
"We got a message from Erik that was weird."
"Erik Selvig?" Steve asked, Darcy nodded. "What kind of message?"
Darcy looked to Foster and the older woman slid her phone from the pocket of her jeans. She tapped her fingers on the screen and pulled up the voicemail
" Hello Jane ! I know you're due out here in a few days for the usual visit, but I'm very busy, so I'm afraid we'll reschedule this time. I'm very sorry. We'll speak soon !"
Steve stared at the phone and Bucky watch his face trying to figure out what was so weird about the message.
"I don't understand," Romanoff admitted.
"We didn't have plans to visit him any time soon," Darcy explained. "Yet he called to cancel and imaginary plan we had to visit."
"We haven't been able to get ahold of him, either," Jane added. "We were going to check on him."
Steve's eyes finally flicked away from the phone. "Did it occur to you that he could be in some kind of danger and trying to warn you off?"
"Yes," Darcy answered, without remorse or fear.
Steve bit down on his lip, a gesture that Bucky recognized as his friend trying not to lose his temper. He moved closer to Steve's side of the table, hovering behind his shoulder. "Did it also occur to you that perhaps you should have one of the agents or myself check in on the matter?"
It was Jane who answered this time. "Erik doesn't want to be involved with S.H.I.E.L.D. any longer. I'm not sending one of their agents knocking on his door."
"If his safety is on the line—"
"It could be nothing," Darcy interjected. "He could just be having another bout of PTSD."
Bucky saw another look pass between the women. There was still something else they weren't saying. Another reason why they undertook the task of checking on their friend's safety without getting any of them involved. It was reckless and stupid and while Bucky didn't doubt that Darcy was the first of those things, she definitely wasn't the second.
"I'll go," Bucky heard himself say before he'd even fully made the decision. "I'll go to London and check on Dr. Selvig. I'm not an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. He won't recognize me as one."
"Buck-"
"That's perfect," Romanoff remarked, ignoring Steve's reprimanding look. "Steve, you need a reason to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. away from Bucky. We can report that he went out on assignment this evening and won't be back for at least a week. It will buy you both some time."
Bucky turned a questioning look in Steve's direction. His friend looked guilty. "Didn't get a chance to fill you in yet, but S.H.I.E.L.D. wants you to report in."
His nostrils flared. "I don't belong to S.H.I.E.L.D."
"I'm not saying you do. I—"
"Maybe you two can have your tiff a little later," Stark interjected from the opposite end of the table where he'd been silent for the past ten minutes. He nodded his head at the women sitting across from them.
Both Bucky and Steve fell back.
"Lewis can go with him to London," Natasha said again.
Darcy shouted "yes" and the same time Steve responded with "absolutely not."
"It makes sense," Romanoff continued. "She's familiar with Selvig. She's someone he trusts. If she shows up, we're more likely to figure out the meaning behind the message and if he really is in danger. If Selvig is fine, he's not likely to open his door to someone looking like Barnes. No offense." She turned her attention to Darcy, placing her hand on the back of Darcy's chair. "If he's in London, you'll have to approach him. It's possible that he could have been coerced into a trap to lure Dr. Foster to London."
Darcy gulped. "A trap?"
"Now do you understand why it was stupid of you to try and do this on your own?" Stark chimed in.
Darcy scowled at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yes, dad."
Bucky saw Tony cringe. "Please don't ever call me that again."
"I don't like the idea of sending a civilian into a possibly hostile situation," Steve argued.
"I can look out for her," Bucky said. He didn't particularly want to drag her into a dangerous situation, either. But Romanoff was right. He'd never get to Selvig the way she or Jane could. From afar he would be able to determine his safety, but only up close would they be one-hundred percent sure that he wasn't under enemy control. There was some hidden message in Selvig's warning and just getting a visual on the man wouldn't explain much.
"Then it's settled," Natasha concluded. "You two will take one of the Quinjets to London tonight. I'll report in to S.H.I.E.L.D. that Sergeant Barnes is on an assignment and it will be a few days before he can report in."
Bucky still bulked at the idea of reporting to the agency, but he and Steve could figure that out later. For now, he had a mission.
Without further debate, Romanoff offered to escort Jane back to her quarters. Darcy left with them, mentioning packing a real bag, and Tony followed them all out.
"What's the point in being the leader, when no one listens to what I say?" Steve muttered.
Bucky turned to his friend. "What does S.H.I.E.L.D. want with me?"
"I'm not sure."
"You're a bad liar, punk."
"Jerk," Steve replied, with a small grin. "Natasha says Pierce wants to meet you."
Bucky knew the name Alexander Pierce, mentioned by Steve a few times. The man had become the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. since Bucky tried to assassinate Fury he'd disappeared.
"Does this have to do with the intel The Samaritan recovered and my involvement with Fury's disappearance?"
Steve shook his head. "I don't think they've been privy to the information from the Samaritan. Natasha…she doesn't say much. Well, she does, but she makes you figure it out for yourself."
"And Fury?"
"You don't remember your orders or who gave them. Pierce knows that. There isn't much left to discuss." Bucky wanted to argue but held back. Steve wasn't that naive that he would believe his involvement with Fury's death or disappearance went away because Captain America chose to sweep it under the rug. Steve stood and carefully pushed in the chair he'd been using. "Are you sure about this mission?"
"I'm sure," Bucky replied. "And like you said. It will keep S.H.I.E.L.D. off both our backs for the time being, without it looking like I'm going AWOL."
Steve nodded. "Take care of yourself."
"You too," Bucky returned.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Forty minutes after Darcy had left the conference room, Natasha showed up at her front door.
"Did Captain America change his mind? Did he send his best assassin here to kill me for stepping out of line?" Darcy was only half joking.
The red head's mouth twitched. "Not this time. I came to walk you to the launch pad."
"Cool, let me just get my bag."
Darcy noticed that Natasha used the word "walk" instead of "escort" which seemed a lot more friendly to her. She mentally patted herself on the back for noticing the small detail. She had the Black Widow weren't the best of friends-they didn't get together for slumber parties or to paint each other's hair-but Darcy always liked the brief interactions she had with the woman. Natasha seemed like she needed some female companionship and Darcy was happy to oblige.
The duffle Darcy carried was larger than the bookbag she'd previously packed, but still small enough to be sensible and quick to grab. Natasha looked at it with approval and held the door for her as they walked out of her apartment.
"I never got to say thank you for what you did for Clint," Natasha began as they walked together. "You saved a life, you know."
Darcy felt heat rise to her cheeks. She wasn't so great with compliments. "It was sort of by lucky coincidence."
"I don't believe in coincidence," Natasha replied.
"What about luck?"
"Luck has kept me alive more than a few times," she grinned, memories flitting over her features, before she became serious again. "The Samaritan told me what was in those files, that was brave of you to face the truth about Barnes."
"Bucky is my friend."
It felt weird to state what felt like the obvious and the confused look Natasha passed on to Darcy was equally as weird.
The lift stopped and opened on the launch pad level. The Quinjet set at the end of the thrust floor of the level, a team of engineers making final checks. Bucky saw them and walked over. He wore civilian clothes, which made Darcy feel a little silly still dressed her her fake tactical gear.
The worst part was the look on his face. If she thought Steve had looked angry, Bucky could level a building with the amount of anger he was throwing in her direction. She had to fight not to flinch, when he reach toward her, then she realized he was going for the strap on her shoulder.
"I'll load this up for you," he clipped, taking the bag and striding away to the plane.
"Er-thanks." Natasha snorted at her side. "What?"
"Nothing, I just remember something," she reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a small, slim box. "This is from Clint. He wanted you to have it as a thank you."
Darcy took the box. "What is it?"
"I'm not sure. He said to tell you that when things get stuff, it will always lead you home."
That was cryptic. Darcy shrugged and folded it into her palm. "Is it weird giving secret presents from your boyfriend to other women?"
One of Natasha's brows flicked up. "Caught that, huh?"
"Kinda hard to miss."
"It's not a secret, but we don't like to advertise."
"I get it," Darcy replied.
"I bet you do," Natasha replied. Darcy followed the woman's gaze over her shoulder, to where Bucky was standing on the ramp, waiting for her. "Be safe, Lewis."
Darcy smirked at the spy's cryptic reply and jogged to the ramp to board the Quinjet.
She strapped herself into the co-pilot seat, not that she was going to be much help and watched Bucky flip switches and twist knobs as the plane lifted off the launch pad and disappear into the cloudy night sky over Manhattan.
As the wings of the plane whirled outside, she took out the box and opened up Clint's gift. Inside was a strap, big enough for her wrist, and Darcy realized it was a bracelet. The leather was soft and purple and in the center was a tiny, arrow the color of burnt gold. She recognized it as similar to the arrow necklace Natasha often wore around her throat.
Darcy wrapped the strap twice around her wrist and snapped it closed. The leather on her wrist warmed her heart. She decided she would wear the bracelet always.
Bucky was staring out the windshield, focused on flying. She wondered when he learned to fly the Quinjet, but recalled his proficiency for learning by observing. He'd been out on missions with Hawkeye more than a few times. She figured he'd probably learned to fly the machine like an expert in less than one mission.
"So—"
"Might want to wait until we're above cruising altitude, doll."
Darcy snapped her lips shut and wondered if the no cell phone rule applied to small, stealth mode jets. She could certainly use a distraction for the moment.
Bucky flew them high above the clouds, until the world below was obscured by nothing but gray and fluff. The view was all black and stars. It had been ages since Darcy had any decent look at the vast world over their heads. The desert had always provided an exceptional front row seat to see all of the wonders of the sky. New York, with its skyscrapers and smog, tended to block out all that existed above and beyond.
Once they reached a preferred altitude, Bucky had Jarvis take over and unclipped his belt, shooting up and rounding on her.
"What in the hell were you thinking?" He demanded in a raised voice.
"Whoa," Darcy unsnapped her seat belt and shot to her feet, wanting to level the playing field. "I expected the lecture from Captain Tightpants but not from you."
"Steve had a point. You have no idea the situation you could be walking into. For all you know, it's a giant trap." Apparently when Bucky was mad, his Brooklyn accent became more pronounced. It would have been incredibly charming, except for the fact that he was direct all of his thunder at her for the ment.
Darcy took a deep breath, hoping to keep the situation from spiraling. "Look, I can explain. There's more going on here than just a check up visit."
Bucky gave her a tight nod, mollified for the moment and signaling that he was willing to listen.
Darcy recapped her newfound knowledge in light of Hodges's secret message and the revealing conversation with Jane. As she talked, she realized in the back of her head that a lot had gone down in the past twenty-four hours, including a hangover. After months of quiet sciencing in Stark tower, she was now neck deep in another adventure. Really, it was only a matter of time.
"When did you find the message?"
"Jarvis found it last night before we…went out."
The V shape between his brows deepened. "When were you planning on sharing?"
"Today. I didn't want to ruin the night with spy talk," she explained. "And then I didn't really have time today between plotting Jane's and my escape and…"
Her words trailed off as did her gaze. She folded her hands together as her eyes flicked absently over the various controls around the pilot's chair, trying to look natural and failing.
"Darce, I—"
"Look I was drunk, okay? I'm sorry. I know I was way, way out of bounds. Like so out of bounds I was practically playing ball from Asgard. I didn't mean to freak you out."
"It's not that." He pulled a hand through his hair. Bucky was also having trouble meeting her eyes, but he did, and the sadness she saw within them made her heart twist. "I care about you. I don't want to hurt your feelings. But…you and me…"
"I get it, you don't have to say it."
"You do?"
Darcy nodded, her fingers playing with her new bracelet. "It was a big mistake, it won't happen again. I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize. I'm the one who should be apologizing." Bucky shoved his hands into his pockets. It made him look like such a normal, nervous guy that she wanted to giggle. "For what's it worth, doll, you're important to me."
Darcy managed a small smile. "That's worth a lot."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," Darcy said, trying to blink away the shine in her eyes. "Like worth more than all the bagels in New York."
Bucky grinned. "That's a lot."
"Yeah it is," she said, hoping the thickness of her voice wasn't too obvious. "I think I'm gonna go catch some Z's," she told him, thumbing back in the direction of the barracks. "I haven't really slept much and was nursing a pretty wicked hangover this morning."
"I'll wake you when we land."
Safe to say Darcy and Bucky aren't at all on the same page. It was a little hard for me to convey Bucky's point of view and the fact that he just doesn't think he's capable of feeling love for someone. He's still unsure of what emotions he will ever be able to know, and he's trying to be a good friend, and protect Darcy from that. He doesn't want her to have feelings for someone who might never be able to have them back.
And Darcy is kind of just having an insecure moment. We all have them when we're crushing haha
So the plot for this story is kind of developing into alternate canon for me. Basically I've decided on planning that it takes place between TWS and AoU. It's also been a fun challenge to combine Captain America movies-which are largely action, thrillers-with Thor type movies-which are mostly sci-fi. We'll get to see Bucky's involvement with Team Science a bit more...who knows, that could be a good place for him eventually? ;)
Also, just a note, if Darcy's escape plan seems very terrible, it's because it is. I went over and over again in my head trying to come up with something that would be flawless and could actually work when I realized, it was okay to be bad. She's a civilian and while she may be smart, she wouldn't necessarily know how to make a decent escape plan haha
Kudos to the people who catch the Firefly reference hiding in there.
