A/N: A fast update, huzzah! After the wait I put you guys through last time, it's only fitting you get this chapter early. Thanks once again for all your lovely reviews, I couldn't imagine writing this without your support (like, literally, I need to be coaxed and sweet-talked in order to move my butt and get to work). To the anonymous reviewers/people I can't PM: Lokispeaks (you're welcome, and I'm glad!), Guest1 (I'm glad you liked it, and "apprehend" can also mean to understand or to grasp mentally, so Loki understood/figured out that she was no longer in danger), Silmaril666 (aww, sorry to keep you from your beauty sleep, but I am also glad you read the whole thing, haha. Thank you for your kind words, I'm flattered!) Keiki (haha, I'm glad you liked the Tasertricks namedrop! I'd always wanted to incorporate that aspect in a story, so yey :) Thanks for sticking with this fic throughout the summer), Guest2 (thanks and you're welcome!), Guest 88 (aww, then I think you'll be glad for this update too!), Isi (thanks a lot!), extracutegurl9 (I'm glad it was funny too, thanks!), Guest3 (*blushes* nooo, but thank you!), Guest4 (thank you!), Tasertricks (I see what you did there, and thanks!).

Okay, this chapter deals with the aftermath of the Gala and how our heroes are slowly getting back to "normal". Of course, normal is always overrated.

I actually had to split this chapter in two, because too much stuff is going on and while I love writing super-long chapters, this one would have been ridiculously long, so I hope this will do, but I promise the next update will be soonish! (*hopes I can deliver*) Also, if you're wondering about certain characters that aren't mentioned in this chapter, no worries, they'll come up in the story pretty soon (it's just that, economically, not everyone can be included in each installment, you get how it is).

Enjoy!


Chapter 28: I'll be there, um, this evening


"Well, it's not trending on Twitter or anything, but it's certainly become the word of the day around here."

Jin Ae passed her the steaming mug of tea as she sat down next to her friend for a well-deserved video game session. Darcy took a sip of the brew and settled her back against Jin's comfy pillows.

"Don't even get me started. Some douche made sure to write it over my name on the attendance boards in almost every class. And worst off, some of the professors think I did it. Me! Why would I go around advertising that?"

Jin Ae bit her lip. "Well, you've never been…ashamed of being associated with Laufeyson before."

Darcy blinked. "Of course not, but this is totally different. It's embarrassing. We sound like some Saturday morning cartoon characters."

Jin Ae giggled. "Actually, you sound more like a cereal brand. Ooh, it'd be even better if you added an "x" to the name. Tasertrix! For a healthy and taser-tastic breakfast!"

"Hilarious. What are you doing here, wasting your comedic potential as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent?" Darcy drawled.

"Oh, come on. It's a little bit funny."

"That's the problem, it's not supposed to be funny!"

"No, no, I meant it in a good way. People have always been afraid of him, but now that he's part of a gimmick, he's less of a threat, you know? He's been humanized."

Darcy considered the idea. "Don't think Loki would be glad to hear that. But I'll give you this one silver lining."

Jin Ae rested her chin in the palm of her hand. "It still feels strange that you call him by his first name. But I guess I have to get used to it. With you two being friends."

Darcy looked away in discomfort. "You make it sound like we braid each other's hair on a regular basis."

Jin raised herself a little and turned towards the console. "I just thought you and I were close enough that you would tell me more about this…budding friendship of yours."

"There's no budding friendship, we just get along –"

"I get why you won't tell me more about the Gala. I know Maria Hill and the rest made you keep that information classified, but this is not work-related. This is personal stuff."

Darcy chose her words carefully. "That's just it. The work and the personal are kind of mixed together and I can't separate them."

Jin Ae made a face. "It seems pretty distinct to me when a rookie agent risks her life for an alien. You're one of his supervisors, sure. But you were the only one who put herself into ludicrous amounts of danger just to reach him. So forgive me if this doesn't qualify as "work"."

"You weren't there," Darcy protested, trying to justify herself. "If you had been, you would've gotten the same bad feeling I did. You would've had the same suspicions about the Gala and you would've tried to help."

"Maybe," Jin replied with a degree of softness in her voice, "but I wouldn't have ignored my superiors and gone on a mad chase for just anyone. I would've only done it for family and friends. So, to you, he qualifies as that. And you didn't think to tell me."

Darcy made no reply. She waited for the game to start in silence. She knew she should say something, but she didn't trust herself to clarify things for Jin. She feared she might make it worse. After all, if she revealed to her friend that she had been invited to the Gala as bait, Jin would naturally ask why S.H.I.E.L.D thought Darcy Lewis had any emotional sway on Loki to begin with. And that opened a whole other can of worms. The truth was, she wasn't ready to tell her that she had been connecting with the god for far longer than her friend suspected. Jin had no idea how much Darcy being an agent had to do with Loki. And she wanted to keep it that way. She wanted to be taken seriously, outside of the God of Mischief. And she would only accomplish that by sticking to the work, not the personal.

But she deserves to know how I feel, doesn't she? Darcy wondered.

And how she felt was...confusing. On the one hand, she could safely say she liked Loki as a friend and a teammate. He was someone you could trust during a crisis and she cared about him. Jin was pretty much right about that. On the other hand, their time in the labyrinth had shifted something between them. Two weeks had passed since the Gala and Darcy had been forced to go over every detail in the interrogation room repeatedly. She'd had to swallow her pride and recount the numerous ways Loki and her had depended on each other during those hellish hours. And she had come out of it feeling drained and exhausted, but also unnerved.

At the time, when they were fighting for a way out, she hadn't cared about the consequences; she had simply acted according to what felt right in her gut. Yet, revisiting the night under the scrutinizing gaze of a panel of S.H.I.E.L.D executive directors made her rethink her actions. Maybe Jin was right. Maybe there was something weird about her jumping into danger at the drop of a hat. Jin and Thomas had certainly been explicit about it when she had returned to the base.

"You're mad, absolutely mad! You could've died! Do you realize you could've died?"

"More insane is the fact that our badges can actually stop bullets! Nice thinking, Darcy! Ouch…" Thomas hissed, when he received a painful nudge from Jin Ae. "…I mean, mad, yes. You were mad."

While Maria Hill hadn't called her "mad" per se, she could bet that several other words had sprung to mind. Foolish, reckless, disorderly.

She had settled on a more diplomatic approach, however.

"I won't say I condone what you did, Darcy. It's a classic beginner's mistake, thinking you can take on more than you're prepared for. You endangered not only yourself but fellow agents, and you disobeyed direct orders, as well as damaged S.H.I.E.L.D and Stark property."

Darcy had not argued with any of that. She was aware that she had gone after Loki on a hunch. It had all been intuition and gut more than anything.

"Not to mention that," Hill continued sternly, "if the mission hadn't been compromised from the start, you could have interfered with our plans and gotten Loki captured instead of saved."

Darcy hadn't had time to take that into consideration. What would have happened if there had been no traitor? Loki wouldn't have needed her in the labyrinth. And she would have been another person to save, instead of someone who could help.

"That's the thin line we walk in this field. One flip of a coin, and some well-intentioned rescue turns into a fiasco. There's no way of knowing, sometimes, if you're on the right side. Some of our best agents have ruined entire missions because a single choice undid all their hard work."

"Then, how can anyone ever get it right?" Darcy had asked, somewhat frustrated.

To her shock, Maria Hill had smiled. "That's a good question to start with. You got it right, Darcy. You know why? You didn't go up there to save Loki, or take down the enemy and play the hero. You didn't know what was in store for you. You went up there because you had a job to do. You're a supervisor and you followed that responsibility. You couldn't leave Laufeyson alone. Sometimes, it's as simple as that."

Simple, but she couldn't very well tell this to Jin Ae, could she?

No, she couldn't.


"I don't know what possible reason you could have to smirk at me, Hill. We've been attacked by goddamn Nazis and we don't know how many of our agents have already switched sides."

Nick Fury threw some reports on the table and leaned back in his chair with impatience. His right-hand woman was acting like she'd accomplished something and he didn't like it.

"I know. The situation is dire."

"We can't keep it a secret for much longer. Our agents will find out eventually that HYDRA's back. And then we'll be in for a shit storm of trouble."

"I agree. I am doing what I can to keep the information sealed."

"Then why the hell are you giving me that look?"

Maria shrugged, leaning against the window sill. "I don't know what look you're talking about, Sir."

Fury's gaze narrowed.

"If you think it warms me any bit that this god of ours didn't betray –"

"He wasn't in any position to betray us, Sir. Physically, intellectually or emotionally."

Fury raised an eyebrow. "Careful, Hill. I think you're putting too much stock on one sheep."

"But I was right," she replied triumphantly, eyes gleaming. "I was right about them."

Fury sighed, chewing out the words with distaste.

"What's that stupid name again? I can't seem to hear anything else, these days."

"Tasertricks. Has a ring to it, actually. It's a good distraction. Or would you rather the agents talked about Nazis instead?"

"Don't start," he warned her. "I still think you're counting too much on this… bond."

She folded her arms with superiority. "Who says it's just a bond? I've been following them since the beginning. You don't do the things they did unless you're highly invested, Sir."

Fury drummed his fingers on the table. "Just because he's invested in her doesn't mean he has the same good feelings for us."

"Maybe not, but Lewis has good feelings for us. That's what counts."


HYDRA.

The name awoke a plethora of images in his head: archaic seven-headed snakes that breathed poison and feasted on blood, dragons of the ancient world which the gods rode into battle and red constellations in the night sky.

Fitful name for a terrorist group.

But were they simply that, or was their history as rich as Agent Torres had hinted at? Did they play with chaos, or did they strike with care? To judge from their latest attack, it would seem the former.

Yet, their chosen appellative led him to believe they cared about their reputation. There was a bigger game afoot. Gods sometimes used chaos as diversion, but they could afford to do it, because chaos rarely affected the divine. Could humans discipline themselves in this manner? Could they operate with pandemonium without becoming part of it?

And so, did HYDRA fail on purpose?

He groaned and rose from the bath with regret. It had been quite pleasant to lie underwater and let himself forget his surroundings.

For all his esteemed "cooperation", a hot bath - instead of the usual cold - was all he was going to receive as compensation. He climbed the steps out of the tub and dried himself up with a towel. Eyes watched him from all corners, but he had been stark naked in front of them so many times, he had lost the ability to feel shame. They had prodded him incessantly for days now, anyway. They had wanted to make sure his body was free of any poisons or foreign substances the HYDRA soldiers might have injected him with.

Yes, the poison you serve me freely every day, he thought bitterly.

The adamantium circles still graced his wrists, without exception.

What was the actual reward for his troubles?

A ridiculous portmanteau name. Tasertricks. Of course, because he only ever performed tricks, and Darcy was only ever good at wielding a compressed electrical device. It utterly underestimated the both of them, and yet, Steele and the rest of his horde kept repeating it like parrots.

Suppose he shouldn't have minded much that Darcy was relegated to a mere human weapon, but he did, because she was more than that; she had shown brains and composure in the face of potential disaster.

If she hadn't been there –

With all the commotion, he had simply accepted her presence. When the labyrinth had closed shut behind them, he had taken it for granted that she would be there for him. Perhaps it had been selfish, the easy manner with which his own needs had outweighed hers. He had preferred that she be inside with him, than for him to withstand the danger all alone.

It was…exactly like him, and yet nothing like him at all. To use people - yes, to depend on them - never.

Another thing that hardly suited him was giving thanks.

He was afraid he would have to do it soon, otherwise his conscience would never give him peace. But how could he look her in the eye and thank her without feeling like an utter fool?

She would see it. She would see the horrid need in his eyes. And she would never understand it. She would never understand what he wanted from her.

Oh, Gods. I sound like an idiot. I am an idiot.


Darcy gagged on her own breath. Holy...

She would skin the person who had done this. No, she'd set them on fire.

Her hand shook on the piece of paper. She crumpled it angrily and stuffed it into her bag.

Someone had drawn a sketch of her and Loki. And it made her stomach turn. It was the kind of thing you saw on some thirteen-year old's desktop.

She marched out of the classroom and struck every person on the hallway with a deadly glare. She was pretty sure the culprit was still around, if she could just catch him.

She knew it was a 'he', because her breasts were not that big.

So, who looks guilty enough?

Most of the agents shuffled away with some meaningful glances, except for one cocky-looking guy who rested his back against the lockers and smirked at her in a lewd way.

Not guilty, huh?

She walked up to him with a small smile playing on her lips. She'd enjoy tearing into him.

"Agent Darcy," he mouthed, raising his eyebrows. Perhaps he had not expected a confrontation.

"Agent whose name I don't know," she acknowledged sweetly.

He chuckled, but his jaw clicked. "Bradley."

"You got a real gift with the pencil, Bradley. An extension of your ego, I'm sure."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said smugly, grabbing a pile of books from his locker. She was sure he had done it on purpose, just so she could see the large sketching pad in the back. It was the same kind of paper.

Darcy's knuckles were tingling. She could just punch the living Jesus out of him and all his books would go flying.

She was itching to do it, just to get his nose bloody. But he had a pair of muscles on him that she couldn't ignore and was several years older than her. Not only that, but if she got in a fight in the middle of the hallway, they'd punish her, and he'd get off the hook.

Na-ah. Not on my turf.

"I don't really have an eye for art, but maybe if I show it to the right people, they'll appreciate it more than me," she threatened.

His mouth broadened stupidly. "Oh, but it's a sincere homage, Darcy. To your skills and moxie."

Oh, man, you're so begging for a punch.

But she had better plans. She had graduated from the Laufeyson school of mind-play, after all. She leaned forward, until her mouth was right next to his ear.

"You just got one thing wrong. The missionary position? No, no. I'm the one who's always on top. Loki loves it when I ride him."

Bradley visibly flinched. His eyes widened against his will.

Darcy smirked. "I know. You haven't lived till a god is screaming your name during climax."

By now, he was showing a sickly pallor.

"Next time we…have an engagement, we'll be sure to call you over to capture us in real time. Loki would be delighted."

His books clattered to the ground.

Darcy stepped back. She was beginning to think Loki's methods were much more satisfying than fighting.

Of course, as she walked away from Bradley, she realized she might've sunk herself deeper in the pit of gossip.

Whatever. They'll never stop talking trash. And like the wise Taylor Swift once said: I'll shake it off, just shake it off.


There were perks to being an 'item', too. Now, when she followed Loki around, the agents accompanying them always took a step back, giving them some respectful space. Well, except Daniel Steele who enjoyed getting right up in their face.

"My two star pupils! How are we doing today, Tasertricks? Ready to get back to work?" he bellowed right in their ear. He squeezed their shoulders, almost knocking their heads together in the process.

"He made me bite my tongue," Darcy complained when he was out of earshot.

Loki pulled back his hair. "One day, someone will rip his tongue out."

"That someone being you."

"Precisely."

"I don't know…I think you're sort of fond of him," Darcy teased as they walked towards Mother Two. Loki was going to practice his magic on some light reassembling of subatomic particles. As she understood it, this was supposed to be calming work. The agents were careful with him. Security was even tighter than post-Philadelphia, but people no longer put much stock in that. After all, HYDRA turncoats walked among them. Any one of them could be a ticking bomb.

"I'd much sooner be fond of a pit of tar, and I have visited a few of those," he replied, throwing her a side glance.

"Vacation spot?"

"Something like that."

Darcy breathed a sigh of relief. They were joking around, talking like normal. There was nothing different about their present interaction. Except for the weird tension in the air, but that was probably her imagination. It's not like their repartee was an excuse to ignore bigger issues. Nope.

Are we gonna talk about the labyrinth? Probably not. No…we shouldn't. I mean, what's the point? Hey, Loki, remember when you carried me around and we reenacted a scene from Princess Bride?

"…did you hear what I said?"

"Huh?"

She stepped onto the elevator alongside him.

Loki sighed, but it was not a sigh of frustration. His profile looked cut in stone, but he was fidgeting with the frays of his uniform, which was unlike him.

"I asked you if you would pay me a visit this evening."

Darcy's eyes widened. She looked over her shoulder. The two guards and three agents behind them had obviously heard him.

She stumbled for words. "Oh, uh, I – pay you a visit?"

"My cell is –"

"I know where your cell is," she cut him off quickly. "I'll be there, um, this evening."

"Thank you."

Darcy couldn't believe what just happened. He'd asked her to come see him and then thanked her for agreeing. Oh, God, those HYDRA soldiers really did do something to him, didn't they?

No one dared speak a word until they arrived at their destination, but she could feel some curious stares on her back.

She had told Bradley she was sleeping with Loki, and now the god's invitation made the whole thing seem suspiciously legit.

Shit. Does he realize what he's done?


It was always a little bit of fun, taking Darcy by surprise. Her flabbergasted face had been rather delicious. He had noticed her looking at the agents in horror. He chuckled to himself, darting his eyes towards the ceiling. They can't come up with something worse than Tasertricks, so let them talk.

He liked how one innocuous act could turn people's imaginations on fire. Simple-minded humans and their need for gossip. He only wanted to thank her, after all.

He closed his eyes, allowing himself a short rest until her arrival.

Soon, he was tossing and turning in bed, in the grip of a terrible dream. But it didn't look or feel like a dream. It was a message, sent from Asgard. Whenever he had been away in a different galaxy, his mother had used to send him such lovely missives to follow him on his journey away from home.

Her voice, this time, rang sweetly sad in the emptiness around him.

My dearest Loki…

I have tried to contact you several times, but could not find easy access to where you were. The walls around you are not very kind to me. There's not much time for me to tell you everything I want to say. I'm not feeling very well. I fear that when this message reaches you, if it ever does, it will be too late. I prayed that you would be here with me at the end, that your father would allow you – but you must not judge him harshly, please. Enough strife has been reaped in this family. Your brother misses you dearly. I know you won't believe me, but he does. And I…well, I hope you are reunited with them one day. If I am not there with you when you are, know that I will always watch over you.

.

.

.

My son,

The wound inflicted by the Dark Elves has not healed. My powers will not hold out much longer. I love you. Please, look after your father and Thor after I'm gone. Forgive me and forgive yourself.

He saw her face, one last time. She was sending him a kiss, smiling a tremulous smile. Her eyes were bathed in tears.

He woke up with a terrifying cry.

"Mother!"