Quite a long chapter! I wanted to include some holiday stuff so I hope it's not too long for your taste. I hope you all have had and continue to have a wonderful Holiday season and a fantastic New Year, whatever you celebrate!

Do enjoy.

Don't wanna live in fear and loathing
I wanna feel like I am floating
Instead of constantly exploding

On the nights she couldn't sleep, Darcy tried to to picture different scenarios to help her focus on something in particular, instead of letting her thoughts pound over her like over-pressurized shower spray. Sometimes it was what she'd buy on an Ikea shopping spree; others it was where she was going when Tony, out of the goodness of his heart, lent her one of his private jets, complete with personal chef and butler. And there were the very ordinary fantasies, like calorie-free carrot cake (with thick cream cheese frosting like the bakery on Fourth Street made from scratch every morning), or free pizza (unlimited toppings, of course, and stuffed crust was a must) for life.

Tonight, though, it was much less vague than all that. Tonight, under the glittering midnight sky, she was thinking about Loki. If she lived in even a semi-normal world anymore, proper decorum would dictate a proper date with the proper amenities. Obviously semi-normal wasn't even a pipe dream for her anymore, but hey, the point was a girl could dream.

Darcy could picture it, a restaurant in a luxury high-rise, the food five-star and the champagne costing more than she made in a month. And Loki was smiling at her from across the candle lit table, his smirk alluring and mischievous at the same time. He was dressed- Darcy paused, wondering just what she preferred him in. For he was breathtakingly handsome in full Asgardian wear, or in a finely tailored suit.

Yes, a fine dining restaurant would suit Loki, she decided. Past villainy aside, he was a born gentleman, definitely somebody who enjoyed the finer things the world- whichever one he was currently on- had to offer. She too enjoyed those rare nights out when somebody else (usually Tony) was treating them all to a nice dinner. Darcy wouldn't call herself a foodie exactly, she ate way too much delivery and TV dinners for that, but she could definitely appreciate a top notch meal.

Though, she could totally imagine them strolling through Central Park, fingers entwined, maybe, if she could locate some gonads and reach out for his hand. They'd stop at a hot dog cart (mustard and relish for her, no condiments for Loki) and find a bench under a tree that still had brilliant red or gold leaves clinging to its branches. Then maybe she'd show him The Met- it was one of her most favorite places in the entire world, a place she could get lost in for hours on end. There was so much to see and to truly experience there, and she had a feeling that even Loki would find it fascinating. Then it'd be a stop at her favorite coffee shop, a place ran by a rowdy family of Italian immigrants who made the absolute best espresso she'd ever had.

Those thoughts were nice- great, actually- but they weren't exactly scratching her itch. Well, that was obvious. What she really wanted, what would really rock her socks, was Loki here, with her. He'd hold her, her back to his chest, and they'd look up at the sky together. They wouldn't have to say much, if anything, at all. A large part of their relationship, dare she say chemistry, was that so much was understood without a lot of words.

"Loki?!" Whoa. She was either tripping (now that she thought about it, the barbecue sauce at dinner had been a little too spicy) or her daydreaming game was on point.

Speak of the devil! Holy shit, here he was! Flesh and blood and- what the hell was going on around here? Loki gazed thoughtfully at her, from across the fire pit, where he had seemed to appear out of thin air. "Where is this?"

Darcy swallowed, not sure if she'd be able to get over her shock and form a coherent sentence."Area 86. According to SHIELD, anyway."

Loki frowned. "And why are you in a radiation soaked wasteland?"

"Wait, you know about Area 86?"

Loki shrugged. "I have been running here and there, doing Fury's grunt work. He has had me researching gamma radiation, though I do not know why it was not a chore given to one of his many underlings. Are not minions for that very purpose?"

"I think you're a dream." Darcy said in disbelief. "And if so, then it's my dream and I can do whatever I want."

Loki raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Then dream Darcy and reality Darcy are not terribly different, are they?"

Darcy mock-glared at him. "And dream Loki and reality Loki are both really annoying. Now get over here."

It was him obeying, and almost instantly, that let Darcy know yep, she'd fallen asleep, and hard, too. Not that she was complaining! She stood and motioned for him to sit where she had been, and was awed at how regal he could manage to still look, reclining in a camping chair. She plopped down into his lap, her legs stretched over his, pulling his long arms around her. "There. That's better."

Loki let out a low breath of amusement that she felt reverberate through her body. "You say you are dreaming this. Then you must have been thinking of me."

Darcy nodded. "Yep. Course, I usually am. Sorry, dream-Loki."

"I assure you," Loki said quietly, and Darcy shivered as his words hit the back of her neck, "your apology is quite unnecessary."

"Yeah well it's not really my fault. I'm merely human, after all."

"I would not say you are merely anything, Darcy. What were you thinking of, if you do not mind the question?"

Darcy shrugged. "Taking you to a museum. I mean, it's not just a museum. But it's something I wish I could show you."

"Ah, well, the last time I ventured to one, it did not go so well for me. Stark still will not shut up about his apparently epic capture."

Darcy laughed- only with Loki would she feel like it was okay to laugh about the past. So okay, gouging out somebody's eye and using the scepter as a blunt object wasn't something she should probably be laughing about, but this was her dream, dammit. She'd laugh at whatever she damn well pleased.

"Well there were other things, too. A nice restaurant. On Tony's dime, of course. The least he could do after calling you Reindeer Games."

"As if he is one to comment on anybody's choices of armor..." Loki muttered, and she couldn't hold back a grin. Who, she wondered, had the biggest ego? That was probably a question best left unanswered.

"Or we could go to Central Park. It's actually a really beautiful place. A kind of oasis in the middle of urbania. Plus, can't beat the vendors. Junk food like you don't even have on Asgard."

"Are you sure of that?" His tone was teasing; he lifted his hand and she felt his fingers sliding gently through her hair, caressing her locks with the same softness as when he was bandaging her cut, or distracting her to give her a tetanus shot. It seemed so ordinary, him touching her. Like he always had, like it was a matter of course.

"Loki, I'm not sure of...well, pretty much anything. Except you." Darcy wondered if she'd ever have the courage to say this to his face, in real life- it couldn't be that far off, really, not with her inability to keep her big fat mouth shut. Her feelings for Loki seemed to be growing by the day. Something about this being a dream, about them being by themselves, out in the open air, made it all too easy to spill her guts to him.

He heaved a sigh, but said nothing.

Oh no, her dream Loki would so not be like reality Loki, all cryptic and quiet, never revealing too much, or anything at all.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I wonder, are all humans this problematic?" Loki murmured, splaying his hand over hers.

"Rude much?" Darcy sniffed, elbowing him lightly in the stomach. "Stop being a Debby Downer. My dream, remember?"

"Of course. Where are my manners." There was that slightly sarcastic edge that she loved to hate.

"It's beautiful, right?" Darcy tipped her head back to the sky, and she felt Loki follow suit.

"Quite."

"Where's Asgard? It's gotta be up there somewhere..."

Her hand still in his, Loki raised them both towards the sky, scanning the millions of stars, searching. "Ah, there, I should think." He pointed and made a small circle.

"Do you miss it?" Darcy asked quietly. Thor did; though he considered his home to be anywhere Jane was, she knew that he missed his mom and the palace where he'd grown up.

Loki sighed again. "Perhaps not as it stands. What I wish will never come to pass, and that makes it easier to leave behind."

Darcy nodded. "You miss what you want it to be more than the actual place. I totally get you. I feel the same way about my family."

"Do you?" Loki sounded interested. Well who, aside from Jane, had ever cared about her past? Certainly nobody at SHIELD, though Fury probably had an entire file drawer dedicated to her dirty laundry.

"Yeah, my mom's a psycho, my dad isn't far behind her. They don't get along very well, or even like each other that much. I think they stay married just to drive me batshit crazy and let me tell you, it's working."

"Do you think they love you?" Loki asked quietly. Ugh, really? Why was he getting all, introspective?

"I...yeah. Maybe. Maybe it's like you and Asgard...I think they love the idea of me more than the actual me. They thought I'd go off to college and be some great lawyer, or something as equally shitty, or get hitched and start popping out kids. They nearly disowned me when I majored in Political Science. Dad threatened to cut me off, which shows how delusional he really is because I'd already been killing myself at a dive bar to make ends meet. I stopped depending on them years ago."

Gah. Word vomit! She couldn't stop rambling. He was probably so bored. Not to mention thinking she was pathetic. Loki had real family troubles, like, not even Jerry Springer could help that dysfunction. Though Darcy's dad could be an ass, and usually was, he at least hadn't raised her to hate what she was, or hid her true lineage from her.

"It shows. That you are self-reliant, I mean. It is a rare trait in humans, I have come to find." Was he complimenting her? Well, now that was more suitable for her dream than chit chatting about her fucked up family.

"Is it still customary to wish upon a shooting star?" Loki asked after a moment of silence. Darcy looked up just in time to see the white trail of a star disappearing into velvet black.

"Sure is."

"Go on, then."

Darcy readjusted herself so that she was on her side now, ear pressed against Loki's chest. She could hear the soothing rhythm of his heartbeat, and his nimble fingers were again toying with the tendrils of her hair.

"Well? What shall it be?"

"I wish...that dreams could come true."

oooo

Loki blinked up at the ceiling, wondering what sort of lunacy he had wandered into. His dreams of late had not been unpleasant, but they had certainly never been that corporeal.

The chill of the evening, the heat of Darcy against him, her hand beneath his...surely it had all been a delusional fantasy, driven by his boredom, by her absence.

And yet...her raven hair, with just a hint of campfire smell to it, had felt like silk running through his fingers. The solidity of it, the realness had been maddening. How desperately he wished it had been true! To hold her, to be the one she thought of, to discover more about her...

He rolled over, now staring out the plate glass wall of his bedroom. It was dark still, the middle of the night, city lights twinkling at him. A sight to be sure, but nothing compared to the gorgeous one he had just left.

What was he to do? His desires toward Darcy were something he seemed unable to control. It would be better off for her if he could regard her as he did most humans; stupid creatures that were below him, beings that he had no particular care for.

Darcy, however...Darcy, with fire in her eyes, with an open heart and a quick mind...Darcy, with the capacity to forgive, to see past what others refused to...Darcy, who made him feel worth something, who needed him, wanted him, as nobody and nothing else had ever done before...

He was not lying when he had questioned if most humans were as problematic as her. She was an enigma to him, a strategy game dying to be solved. Loki, of course, was more than willing, provided he had the time here to attempt understanding her. Caring for her was easy, it came naturally, a thing he knew he should oppose, but did not want to. Why should he? Did Darcy not also care for him? He could not be entirely sure, but certainly he had not forced her hand in any of it. She had sought him out several times, and seemed to genuinely like his company. Was he not as deserving of companionship as anybody? He was here, was he not, attempting at atonement, trying to make right with Thor.

Should he not have some happiness of his own?

oooo

At some point in the night, Darcy jolted herself awake, expecting to find Loki still there, or at least wishing it. He was gone, obviously, as soon as she opened her eyes. Duh. Dream and all.

She pulled out her cell phone, and seeing that it was only three in the morning, decided to get back to her tent and catch a few hours of sleep before they had to be up and doing whatever it was Jane wanted them to do.

Sleeping bag trailing behind her, she found her way back to her cot and fell into a doze, wistfully remembering how Loki's arms had felt around her.

oooo

Everyone knew that Darcy wasn't a morning person. An eternal caffeine addict, she was almost unapproachable until she'd had her morning buzz. Whether in the form of a Big Gulp, a tall thermos of coffee, or her personal guilty pleasure, a seasonal latte from Starbucks, those who were around her on a normal basis usually kept their distance until around ten AM.

But today, Darcy awoke with energy, with purpose, and again with a big, goofy ass smile on her face. It was definitely going to become the norm if she kept having dreams like that.

"Eggs over easy, double bacon, and ketchup on the hash browns." Jane announced, setting a plate in front of Darcy. They were congregating at the picnic tables, bleary eyed agents and scientists. Maria had announced that they would only have one more night here, so they needed to gather what data they could before heading back to the city.

Darcy was glad to hear it. She'd been replaying last night over and over in her mind, and every time she relived it, it felt more tangible. It made her giddy and happy, but also made her miss Loki even more.

"You know me so well." Darcy lifted a steaming mug towards Jane, who was turning the pages in a notebook while eating a scone and nursing her own coffee.

"I wish I didn't have a time limit." Jane said, checking her watch. "I mean, you can't really put a constraint on thorough research, can you?"

Darcy shrugged; easy for Jane to say, she could spend forever out here, in the middle of nowhere, mobile lab at the ready. In a way, she was jealous of her; Jane had found her passion, her purpose, and she was bloody amazing at it. Would Darcy ever find hers? There had to be something she could rock at, aside from being an all-around amazing person and even more amazing friend. Would she ever find a talent of her own? Did she even have one?

Whoa. Too much thinking before protein. Darcy chided herself, then dug into her breakfast.

Thor approached the table, arms laden down with plates of food, and Darcy looked up expectantly at him. Jane's left hand was still very much ring-less, meaning the big lug hadn't popped the question yet. She could've surmised as much, as there had been no shrieks of surprise in the night or early morning. Thor looked helplessly back at her. Okay, it was obviously time to step in here. God, would they all just die without her? Probably.

"Hey, while everybody is...doing whatever it is they do around here, why don't we take a hike? Get a feel for the land?" Darcy suggested. Heading up the mountain would be a perfect opportunity to pop the question. Beautiful surroundings, nobody else around, and she could easily slip off to give her friends some privacy.

Relief washed over Thor's face as he followed Darcy's train of thought. Oh, they so owed her.

"That's actually a really good idea," Jane said, draining her coffee cup. "Could help us get some perspective, you know?"

Thor sat down beside Jane, and Darcy counted no less than six eggs, four huge pancakes, a plate entirely made up of sausage links and bacon strips, and three large muffins. Well, those kind of muscles did need some fuel, she supposed. She'd never seen Loki eat that much, though he did have a heartier appetite than you'd expect just by looking at him. Just one more surprise about him. You really couldn't judge a book by its cover, could you?

"Well, shall we?" Jane asked a moment later when Thor and Darcy's plates had been cleared.

"I'll get some waters," Darcy said, pushing away from the table.

"Great, I'll grab Bruce- he'll want to join us." Jane said and Darcy's face fell.

"Oh, but don't you think-" Darcy called after her, but she was already gone. "Ugh," She rolled her eyes, "Jane and her science bros."

Thor chuckled. "It is no problem. I can easily sneak off with Jane for a moment alone. She is right, Banner is needed for this research. If it is important to Jane, it is important to me."

Darcy beamed. "You'll make a great husband, Thor. Are you sure you're ready for this? Won't it mean staying here, like, permanently?"

"My home is where Jane is. Should she wish to go to Asgard, then we shall. I am content to go, or to stay, where she does. I foresee no changes in our assignments...Jane will always be dedicated to her work, as she should be, and I will always be an Avenger, as I should be. Our lives will not be shifted too much."

Darcy could only hope that some day, somehow, she found somebody who was as loving and supportive as Thor. She tried to push Loki's face from her mind, but as had happened recently every time she attempted that, she failed miserably.

oooo

"Damn this is such a pretty place. Can't beat that view, can you?" Darcy looked down on the valley below them, the branches of trees bare. Winter wasn't far off outside of Area 86, which was just a few hundred yards ahead of them.

"Definitely." Jane said, checking the map in one of her notebooks. "Well, shall we?" Jane wasn't exactly one to stand in awe of the scenery. Too bad, really, but Darcy supposed it was just one of those things that made Jane, Jane.

"Um, actually, I'm gonna head back to that stream we passed- get a sample, you know?" Darcy held up her empty water bottle.

"Good idea. I know Maria said her team was gathering physical data, but I want my own to analyze later."

Darcy nodded. "Totally. Bruce, a hand?" Darcy called to Bruce, who was leaning against a tree, also surveying the terrain below.

"Oh, sure."

Darcy looked pointedly at Thor, who took a deep breath. "Let us go on, Jane. They will catch up."

When Jane and Thor had disappeared, Darcy let out a breath. "It's about time! God Banner, how clueless are you?!"

Bruce's eyes were wide. "Wha- what? I'm not sure-"

"I've been trying to get Thor and Jane alone, but you and Jane don't shut about, science this and science that!"

"We don't just say "science", Darcy. And why do they need to be alone? They're-"

A shriek erupted somewhere ahead of them, and Bruce turned wildly around, but Darcy grabbed his arm before he could run towards it.

"What are you doing?" Bruce hissed, "I think that was a cry for help!"

Darcy shook her head. "Nope. That was a "holy shit Thor just asked me to marry him" cry. And about fricken time, too."

Comprehension dawned on him. "Oh. Oh, okay. Yeah, that's why...okay."

They waited in silence for a few minutes, but when Jane and Thor didn't come back, Darcy's lip curled in disgust. "Ugh, they're literally worse than cheap porn! Does Jane not realize you can get ticks from doing it outside?"

Bruce swallowed. "Um, maybe we should head in a different direction. I don't...I don't want to be around when Thor..."

Darcy nodded vigorously. "Let's get these filled," she pushed a bottle into his hand, "and skedaddle"

They were halfway up the side of a hill in the opposite direction when they heard a large crack of thunder, and then Thor and Jane appeared in front of them, dropping down from the sky, Thor holding Mjolnir aloft.

"Let's see it!" Darcy ran to Jane, who held out her hand- the meteorite ring was a perfect fit on her slender finger. "Gorgeous." Darcy declared.

Jane gazed down at the ring, a giddy smile on her face. "Isn't it?"

"Not the jewel befitting you, of course," Thor, who was shaking hands with Bruce, said, "but a worthy memento nonetheless."

"Holy shit," Darcy said, stepping back to look at Jane.

"What? What is it?" Jane asked, brow furrowed.

"Jane, oh my god! You're going to be a fricken princess!"

"Holy shit," Jane replied, in awed agreement.

oooo

Bruce and Darcy lead the way, now, as Jane and Thor hung back, murmuring quietly together. Darcy was sure Jane's face had to be killing her, as she hadn't stopped smiling all morning. Thor of course was as happy and blustery as ever, but that was normal for him. Jane was usually reserved and entrenched in her work, but right now, just now, she was only thinking (and rightly so, in Darcy's opinion) about her wedding.

"Ugh, I shouldn't have worn this," Darcy said, shedding her jacket. They had crossed over into the weather anomaly and damn it was weird to be feeling the heat of summer again, when she had hoped to leave it behind. She was definitely looking forward to the weeks ahead of colder weather and snow.

"Yeah, it's-" Bruce stopped, staring at her.

"What? Am I a sweaty mess or something?" Darcy pulled her hair off her neck, wishing she'd thought to bring a hair tie.

"Darcy," Jane's voice had shifted from giggly school girl to serious Doctor Foster.

"What is up with you two?" Darcy lowered her hands and then she saw it, out of the corner of her eye.

"Jane," She said slowly, hoping she was losing her mind, "is my hand blue."

"Yes."

"Fuck."

"Yeah..."

"What the hell is this?" Darcy's palm was a glowing blue circle. She was trying to keep a cool head about it, but fuck, it wasn't every day your hand glowed fucking blue for no damn reason.

"I've seen it before," Bruce said, and Thor nodded.

"As have I. This is the exact blue of Loki's scepter."

"Wow, okay, thanks for clearing that up." Darcy said testily, as Jane took her hand, squinting at it.

"But she hasn't been around the scepter, of course. Nobody has- that's the whole point, right? Of us being here?" Bruce said.

"She has not been around the scepter, but she has been around Loki," Thor said, tilting his head, as though trying to figure something out.

"So what, you're saying that Loki messed with me?" Not a chance. She would trust Loki with her life at this point. Probably a really stupid thing to do, yeah, but he'd had so many chances to use her or hurt her, and he hadn't yet. As the old saying went, if he was going to shoot her, he would've done it already.

Thor shook his head. "No, no. But I think this has to do with Loki's magic."

Darcy worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "Like, he voodoed me up or something?"

Again, Thor shook his head. "I am supposing it was done by accident. Had Loki imparted his magic on you purposely, it would have been much more obvious and much more powerful. Of that I am certain." Thor sounded pretty sure, and Darcy had to agree. Loki had kept himself in check where his magic was concerned.

"If it wasn't on purpose, then-"

"I think," Thor squinted at Darcy's hand, and Jane turned it over again, the blue circle now fading slightly, "that Loki was not able to control it. In moments of heightened...emotions, let us say, he is not always able to restrain himself."

Well, shit. She knew his self-control was as lacking as hers first-hand. His apartment had been ripped to shreds the night they last saw each other, and though Loki was physically strong, it should've been obvious that he'd used some kind of supernatural power to reach that level of destruction, whether he was aware of it or not. She hoped Fury never found out...

Thor gave Darcy a long look- he didn't mention out loud that probably for Loki to transfer some of his magic to her, or whatever the hell had happened, he would have had to touch her, but he was connecting the dots. She gave him a look in reply that seemed to say um, my intentions towards your brother are pure? but she wasn't sure the message was received.

"The scepter." Bruce mumbled, and all three of them turned to him. "It's reason I was even brought to SHIELD in the first place."

"Yeah, and?" Darcy asked, holding back a roll of her eyes. This was so old news.

"When we had it on the helicarrier, it reacted to us. It fed off us. It makes sense that Loki handling it, well, like Clint said. Doors open from both sides. The tesseract and the scepter actually weren't, or aren't, so different."

Jane was nodding, scribbling notes as fast as she could. "So the scepter put itself into Loki, but Loki also put some of his own magic back into it?"

"Not purposely, I'm sure. Just like this," Bruce gestured to Darcy's hand, "it wasn't something Loki knowingly did. The scepter takes things from people. Their heart, their loyalty. The things that matter the most to them." Darcy followed this easily enough- for Loki that was, or at least at the time had been, his magic.

"Then why am I reacting to this? Unless you're saying the scepter is here," Darcy turned around, her arms in a wide sweeping gesture, "then what the hell does this even mean?"

"No, that would be too easy, wouldn't it? The scepter definitely isn't here. But I think it was." Bruce said, and he and Thor glanced at each other. Darcy felt a chill running through her. "It makes sense, actually. It explains why everything is so odd here, why it's all off the charts. You're reacting to the traces of radiation left behind, but only because of Loki's magic." Bruce turned to to smile at her. "Just think, if you hadn't come along, maybe we would have never fit this piece into the puzzle."

"Ah well, everybody has their uses. Not a jigsaw puzzle, though. Too boring."

Bruce was nodding like he was agreeing with her, but about more than puzzles just being blasé. "You're right. Puzzles are just kind of there, once they're finished. There's no sense of competition, nothing to conquer. Nothing to take. This is more like," Bruce spun slowly, drinking in the whole panoramic view below him, "a game of chess. Which makes me wonder," Bruce glanced at Darcy, then rested his eyes on Thor, but it was Jane who finished his sentence.

"What piece Darcy is."

oooo

Bruce had never trusted SHIELD, though he did trust the Avengers. He and Thor were determined to keep those two separate entities. Darcy gathered that a lot of the higher ups in SHIELD thought they had the Avengers at their disposal, which was a pretty dangerous thing to assume. Bruce promised Jane to keep quiet about what they'd discovered, and they all decided that until anything of real use had been found, it should remain between to the four of them, though Thor did say he would have to tell some of it, at least, to Loki. Jane readily concurred. there was no point in keeping him out of the loop, not when he was probably their only key to finding out what was really going on.

When they hiked back to the camp, it was late afternoon, and Maria pulled Jane into the equipment tent. Darcy put her stuff down, washed up, and went over to the mess tent, busying herself with helping prepare dinner. It would be their last night here, and she couldn't wait to get home. Thor and Sam went off for more perimeter checks, leaving Steve and Bruce to keep an eye on things on the ground.

While she helped shape meat balls and chop onions and peppers for the spaghetti sauce, Darcy contemplated the fact that Loki had somehow passed his magic onto her. Of course she should have assumed so...she had felt his essence running through her whole body yesterday. It made sense. She wasn't sure how she should feel about it...honestly, she was just grateful that whatever he had done had been so much help to her.

The rest of the afternoon and evening passed in a haze; all around them cheers erupted when news of Thor and Jane's engagement spread, people eager to join them in celebration. Jane didn't like being the center of attention much, and had seemed happiest when it was just her, Thor, and their truly close friends- Steve, Darcy, Sam, and Bruce, offering their congratulations.

Tonight, Darcy didn't wander out under the stars- no way was she chancing coming up on Thor and Jane doing god knew what. While Thor's spontaneity was good for Jane, Darcy wondered if he wasn't becoming too much of a bad influence on her. Surely the pre-Thor Jane would never have had so much public sex.

Not what you want to be thinking when you're trying to sleep, Darce. So once again, she closed her eyes to the dark of her tent, pulled the sleeping bag tight around her, and drifted off to a place where it was all green gazes and (only slightly) arrogant smirks.

oooo

Maria Hill was, if anything, efficient. She was a hard ass, but Darcy admired that about her. She got shit done, and she got it done right and ahead of schedule. The entire camp was packed and heading out by six the next morning, not a trace of them left behind.

Darcy slept the whole drive back to the city, and when she was dropped off at her apartment for a quick shower and change of clothes, she skipped through the front door, pecked Esau on the cheek, and hurried upstairs to get ready.

She stood in front of her closet, unsure of what she ought to wear. True, Loki never seemed to notice her clothes, and she always preferred comfort over appeal. Wearing something fancy would just make her nervous and she really didn't want to make a fool out of herself today. In the end she settled on her favorite pair of black lace up boots, gray leggings, and a long-sleeved purple shirt.

"Ms. Lewis," Esua buzzed her through the intercom just as she was grabbing a scarf and her bag, "your car is here."

"Be right down." She responded, and dashed out the door.

oooo

Loki tapped the eraser of the pencil against the yellow notebook paper, his eyes straying, more than once, to the clock above the door. Darcy and Jane were nowhere to be seen, and it was rounding on ten-thirty in the morning. He would expect this from Darcy, certainly, but not Jane. Thor was not around either, though that was not unusual. He was often off on whatever errands the Avengers or Fury saw fit to send him on.

Of course there was the slight chance that Darcy was where ever Loki had dreamt her- the open country somewhere? Near the mountains? He scoffed at himself. Impossible, improbable, insane. Probably they were in a briefing somewhere, or perhaps they too had been sent off on silly "business" for Fury.

These were perfectly logical explanations, and his increasing worry was bothersome and unnecessary. Darcy was an adult and it was completely within her right to be as early or late to work as she was inclined to be.

Still, his shoulders lightened and he could feel himself wanting to smile when he glanced up for the eight thousandth time and saw Darcy and Jane at the doors. He stood, and immediately Darcy's eyes snapped to his.

"Hey Loki," Jane said, marching to her desk. "Darce, I've got loads of notes I need to be put into memos. Here's the ones we need sent out to to the other departments," Jane reached into her bag and pulled out notebook pages stapled together, "I'll make the official one to Nick myself. And then these," she now handed Darcy two spiral notebooks, "are for my own file. I know it's a lot, but there's no time to waste. Do you think you can have that done by say, lunch?"

Darcy sighed but nodded. "Hey, as long as you promise it'll be full of trans fats, I can get anything done by lunch."

Jane beamed. "Thanks. I'm thinking something breaded and deep fried?"

"Bingo!" Darcy said, dropping the papers on her own desk.

"Great. I have a meeting with the department from Argentina in like ten minutes, so I'm out. See ya in a few."

Jane scrambled out as quickly as she'd come in, and Darcy spun in her chair to face Loki.

"So, you look like you've had a super productive morning." She eyed his empty notepad and the closed book in his hand.

"Your hair," Loki frowned, "it smells of..."

Darcy wasn't surprised that he could smell her from where he was. Thor had increased senses, it seemed, so it made sense that Loki should as well. "Smoke, right? It usually takes a few days to wash the campfire smell out." Darcy held her bag in her hands, to have something to do with them. She had missed him so much- to her very core. It was all she could do not to rush to him, to press her hands to his firm chest, to feel the melodious heartbeat that had been under her ear two nights ago.

Jesus Christ, she had it bad.

Loki was looking at her now, and she'd never seen that look on his face before- in fact, she would've said it was impossible, but here he was, completely dumbfounded.

"What, don't they camp on Asgard?" Darcy had often wondered what they did for fun in other realms, and had asked Thor for some details, but the guy was such a happy lug that it was hard to get a typical (if there could be such a thing when talking about other fricken worlds) rundown of things like recreation. To Thor, everything was to be enjoyed. It was something Darcy really liked about him; Jane needed somebody like that in her life.

Loki nodded. "Quite."

"Well, lucky me, I got to go camping with Jane, and Thor, and Maria Hill and about fifty other people, out in the middle of basically nowhere."

"Sounds thrilling."

"Just a perk of the job. And now," Darcy waved Jane's papers around, "I get to spend the rest of the day trying to read Jane's horrific handwriting because she's obviously from the 1600s and can't dictate her notes into the app I downloaded on her phone like, three years ago."

"How lucky she is to have you, then." Loki said, his lips pulled up in a half-smirk.

"Oh my god, I know. You all are."

Loki said nothing, but he watched her as she spun back to her computer, put in her ear buds, and started to get to work. His mood had exponentially increased with just her presence, with just her being in the same room.

Energized, he picked up the pencil and began writing down passages from memory, from the books he had been pouring through the past two days.

oooo

Two hours later, declaring to need a break from the world of science lingo and bad cursive, Darcy made them both coffee, though Loki rarely drank it. They were standing at the back, sipping from their mugs in thoughtful silence, when Jane walked in. She motioned for Darcy and Loki to follow her. "It's not deep fried, but Thor's ordered pizza if either of you want any."

Darcy nodded vigorously. "I'm going to wither away if I don't get some carbs like, stat. So I'm in."

Loki gave both girls a long look, then nodded once. Darcy smiled, and Jane looked taken aback, but she too grinned. "Great. I'll just grab a few things from here and meet you up there."

Darcy and Loki walked out the door, side by side, and when they were in the hallway, which was deserted in the lunch-time rush, Darcy grabbed his sleeve. "There's something I have to know. It's really no big deal- okay I mean it is, it's a huge deal, but I don't..." She checked over both their shoulders, and seeming satisfied that they were in fact alone, she pulled him down so she could whisper in his ear. "I don't want you to get in trouble. Did you shoot me up with some of your mojo?"

Loki pulled away so he could look at her, his expression blatant bewilderment. Darcy rolled her eyes, then held out her palm, hoping he'd take the hint. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she gave a frustrated growl. "The other night, when we were having dinner. And you, you know, touched me?" She held up her palm again, and Loki nodded slowly. Darcy felt like she was trying to explain simple addition to a kindergartner, "did you put some of your magic into me?"

Loki's eyes widened, and she knew he was, for the first time since she'd met him, completely clueless.

"I didn't think so," Darcy didn't know whether to feel relieved or not. So okay, Loki hadn't done anything to her without her permission, but she'd gotten some bit of comfort (however perverted it was) at the idea that Loki had put some of his magic, his essence, as Thor had described it, purposely inside of her. Like, way to skip all three bases!

"What in Hel's name are you speaking of?" Loki demanded, loathing what he didn't understand. Well, he could just join the club.

"Guys, wait up!" Jane called from down the hall, and Loki stiffened. Darcy waved her wand dismissively; "Jane's got all the 411. We can talk, but not here, maybe?"

Loki nodded and Darcy linked her arm through Jane's, following her to the elevator.

oooo

Darcy shut the door firmly behind them all. She was unsure where to start, but Loki spoke first.

"Perhaps we ought to discuss what I have been, ah, up to, while you apparently were away. I was put to an errand- a rather droll one, but somewhat enlightening all the same. I have been-"

"Researching gamma for Fury." Darcy mumbled, and Loki sharply turned to her, meeting her eyes. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he was as shocked as she was that she had the answer. Well, he'd told her himself, hadn't he? Then...he really was with her the other night. However the fuck that was possible, Loki had been there, Loki had held her, had perfectly fucking unhinged her. What in the hell was going on around here?!

"Yes," Loki said, and he tore his gaze aware from Darcy to look at Jane. "And while it would seem fascinating, it is quite the opposite. Oh, surely it is amusing to read up on human discovery of these things, of nuclear weapons and the experiments and conclusions of radiation damage and the scrambling for control...however I think I know why Fury, and SHIELD, is so desperate for the information."

Jane nodded solemnly. "And more so, why you weren't allowed to come with us. Your...incarceration aside, of course."

Loki seemed amused by that, and a half-smile crossed his face. "Yes. They do not want it known that they suspect the scepter is still here."

"And they don't want us to know that they're looking for it." Jane said hotly. "How am I supposed to do my job if they're keeping stuff from me? What, they think I'm a security threat? They practically begged me to take this job!"

"Probs not you, boss. But Loki and Thor..." Darcy trailed off.

"Most assuredly you as well," Loki disagreed, "as you are and Thor are now considered one and the same." Loki raised a palm towards Jane's ring.

"So what, I'm the only one who isn't a threat?!" Darcy seemed offended by that. She could be a badass rebel too!

"No offense Darce, but you have a big mouth. If it weren't for Tony debugging our places, who knows what SHIELD would have on all of us." Jane was teasing, but Darcy was alarmed to learn that there had been bugs in the first place. In Thor and Jane's apartment? Where they lived and showered and had sex?! SHIELD was seriously sick!

"Loki's too. Tony sweeps them every few days while we're at work. So far it was just the one time, but we can't be too careful. Anyway, let's get on with it. So this thing happened on the mountain back there, in Area 86," Darcy tuned out as Jane explained everything to Loki- Darcy's reaction, Bruce's initial findings bringing them there in the first place. What if Tony had missed some mics or cameras, and they had picked up Loki's escapade the other night? Surely they hadn't, or else Fury would've had him caged up long before now...

"And we just aren't sure of anything at this point, which is the most frustrating thing of all. Thor and Bruce don't trust SHIELD, and let's face it, if they stole my work once before..." Jane shrugged, as though that settled the matter in her mind.

Darcy fell onto Jane's sofa, exhausted. Camping took it out of her, but this was more than just physical exhaustion. Jane walked away, into the kitchen, and Loki came over to her, holding his hand out. "May I see?" He asked, and she looked up at him, wondering if, like her, he had thought that night had just been a dream. But if so, he'd dreamed it, too- holding her and looking up at the stars with her, teasing her. That was a good thing, right?

Darcy wordlessly held out her hand, Loki's nimble fingers turning it over, tracing the same pattern on her palm he had that night that now seemed so long ago. It was all she could do not to let her eyes flutter shut, not to let a satisfied moan escape her lips. She hadn't realized it until now, hadn't really been able to identify it, but Loki's touch was like the cold water over a burn, soothing her, putting an irritation that had been buzzing at the back of her mind to rest.

"You feel it, do you not?" Loki murmured, in a voice too quiet for Jane, who was in the kitchen getting down plates and cups, to hear. "The thril."

Darcy let out the breath she was holding. "Do you?"

Loki moved to sit next to her. "More than you can possibly know." He looked to make sure Jane was still busy, then slipped a small black bottle out of his pocket. He pushed it into her hand, his eyes widening slightly when the blue circle that Darcy hadn't stopped thinking about appeared on her palm.

Pocketing the bottle again, (Darcy didn't even want to know where he got it or what it even was- the less she knew, the less she could implicate herself) Loki turned her hand over, studying the back of it, his index finger gliding smoothly over her knuckles. She didn't say anything, as he seemed to be deep in thought, and truth be told it felt so amazing to have him touching her again, she almost held her breath to keep still.

"Intriguing to say the least." He muttered at last.

"Loki," Dacy said slowly, looking up into his green eyes, "what does this mean?"

Loki sighed, curling his fingers over hers, closing their hands over the fading light. "Nothing good, I think."

Darcy swallowed thickly, trying to keep her breathing steady. "Should I be scared?" Nobody had told her how she fit into all of this- oh sure, there were speculations, and anyway Darcy wasn't worried about herself- she knew she was low on the totem pole and that it all- the reaction, her being near Area 86 in the first place, etc- was a big coincidence. No, she was truly worried for her friends, for the Avengers, for Jane, for the world as a whole. Fury was often saying that trouble would come around, no matter when or how. It seemed he was right.

She licked her lips and closed her eyes, letting the solidity of Loki's hand around hers ground her, keep her from slipping into full-blown panic mode. She'd been on the verge of it ever since her hand had gone all Avatar, but she'd managed to push it back, keep it at bay, thus far. She planned on continuing that trend.

As if knowing her train of thought, Loki's hand tightened around hers. She opened her eyes to find that Loki was looking a her like he never had, and she was pretty sure they'd been through the run of emotions- anger, annoyance, humor, desire, fascination, intensity. It took her a moment to place it, but she'd seen Thor look at Jane so many times like that...Loki was staring at her protectively.

"As of yet, there is nothing to fear. If there were, however, I think you will find you are in precisely the right company to dissuade anything that comes your way." Was he talking about SHIELD? The Avengers? Himself? She'd take door number three, thanks.

"Thor said you did this by accident."

Loki nodded slowly.

"There was a moment back there, on the mountain. When I felt you through me. It helped me so much...like you were really there with me."

"It...helped you?" Loki asked, his tone disbelieving. Darcy's heart squeezed in her chest; Loki truly had no idea how good he could be. That he was so flabbergasted that he was helping instead of hurting said so much about how he saw himself.

"Like, a ton. I thought you did it without me knowing."

Loki shook his head. "To some I would use it without their consent, true. Mostly for...not so pleasant means. However, you, Darcy..." He lifted a hand, running a lock of her hair through his thumb and index finger, "no, not you. Although for it to have to passed to you, you must have been perceptive to it. You must have wanted it." The must have wanted me was very much implied in his tone, but he didn't say the words out loud. Maybe he couldn't bring himself to. But why? Was it not crystal fricken clear how she felt about him? She all but handed her heart to him two nights ago, under the stars. But...if Loki saw himself so negatively, it would be almost impossible for him to think anybody would care about him in such an intimate way. Or at least without a lot of convincing. Simply put, he was afraid of rejection.

Darcy nodded. "Isn't that obvious?"

Loki tilted his head, his eyes searching hers, like he was trying to find the truth. Well, there it was! She'd never much liked keeping her feelings to herself. Darcy lived life at full force, or at least tried to, and that meant no regrets because she never held anything back. Dammit, he'd never doubt that she liked him, nope, not on her watch.

There was a banging knock at the door, causing Darcy to jump.

"Get that will ya Darce?" Jane called from the bedroom. "It's the food."

Darcy stood, but Loki pulled her back to the couch. "Sit." He said, and went to the door himself.

Loki brought in the pizza boxes, having slammed the door shut on the pizza delivery boy, and Jane had plates ready for them. Thor showed up a few minutes later, devouring an entire large deep dish meat lovers, washing it down with a liter of root beer. Jane watched him tenderly, and Darcy could only think that damn, that must be true love. Watching Thor stuff his face was enough to make even the strongest of stomachs churn.

oooo

The days and weeks seemed to pass in a blur to Darcy. Jane, and Erik (occasionally with Thor in tow) took off for varying places around the world, the Area 86 puzzle remaining at the forefront of all their minds, but Jane having a lot of other work to attend to.

As time went on, Darcy began to feel less stressed about it all. With being gone, Jane had entrusted more of the lab's functions to Darcy, so she was as busy as she'd ever been. More time in the lab meant more time with Loki, and she considered this the best perk of her job.

Here, with usually just the two of them (Bruce and Tony came and went as they pleased, as usual), Darcy felt that Loki was getting more and more comfortable with her. She often went to his apartment after work for dinner, and they always spent their lunch and coffee breaks together. So maybe they weren't dating, officially anyway, but Darcy spent more time with Loki than she did anybody else and she was as content as she could ever remember being.

It was a bit frustrating, however, as Loki didn't seem inclined to push things along. There were still the long looks, the touches- they'd fallen into a rhythm of light intimacy (Darcy could never bring herself to think of it as "cuddling"- cuddling and Loki just didn't seem to mesh well)- she'd lay her head on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her, or he'd toy with the ends of her hair while they watched a movie, or talked after work. When she had to leave and head home, he'd brush his knuckles down her jaw, or sweep his thumb across her lips. Electricity spiked through her whenever they were close, whenever he touched her. The blue circle on her hand only showed occasionally, when Loki took out the the small black bottle. He was attempting his own research on the matter, but from his frustrated grunts and large amounts of eye rolling, Darcy gathered he wasn't getting very far.

Still, Darcy couldn't complain. Her life was as peaceful and happy as she could remember it being, and she woke up one day to find the city outside blanketed in snow, and with a jolt she realized that it was merely a few days before Christmas. Whoa, had that much time really passed?!

Arriving at the lab, she was dismayed to see she was alone; Loki wasn't there yet, which usually meant he was off doing this that or the other for Fury, and typically she didn't see him on those days. While he was doing better than ever with his manners where the rest of SHIELD and the Avengers were concerned, Darcy had realized that on days when he'd been dealing with them instead of just her, he needed his space and time alone. Damn. And there was the whole trifecta of Christmas movies on TV tonight she'd wanted to show him. How could she call herself a decent person if she didn't make Loki watch Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, and Home Alone? She'd just have to find them on DVD. As long as they squeezed them in before New Year's Day, they'd be alright.

Darcy put her stuff down at her desk, then went into to the back to switch on the coffee maker.

"Oh my god!" Darcy abruptly turned, shielding her eyes. Jane and Thor were there, hidden by the cupboards, and from the looks of it, trying to climb each other. Jane was sitting on the counter, her legs wrapped around Thor's waist. Thor had one hand lost in Jane's hair, the other up her shirt, and Darcy was pretty sure the Chitauri could be attacking again and they wouldn't have noticed a damn thing. As gross as it was to see her best friend's tongue in Thor's mouth, she had to admit it was pretty cute how into each other they were. Yep, they definitely needed to get hitched.

"Okay, enough! Don't make me get the hose!" Darcy yelled, and both seemed to realize that they weren't alone anymore.

"Oh my gosh, Darcy!" Jane cried breathlessly, dropping her legs and wiping her mouth. Thor tried to smooth Jane's hair down, and he yanked his hand out from under her shirt.

"Yeah, hi, welcome back to earth. So for future reference, if you want to bone in here, hang a tie on the door knob A, and B, Clorox wipes are under the sink so please, for the love of god, clean up after yourselves."

Thor and Jane glanced at each other. "Our apologies, Darcy. We...were unaware that you would be here this early."

Darcy raised an eyebrow. "Early? It's nine-fifteen. I'm actually late, and you two need to get a room. That's not anywhere near me."

"I must go," Thor frowned, helping Jane off the counter, "I have a meeting of sorts. Jane," Thor raised Jane's hand to his lips. "I shall return as soon as I am able." Jane nodded, still breathless. Darcy had to admit, she was a bit jealous. If only her Asgardian prince was as touchy feely...

"Darcy." He nodded at her and gave her a roguish wink.

Darcy rolled her eyes, but she was laughing. "Good to see you too, big guy."

They waited for the coffee in silence, then Jane poured them both a mug, and went over to the window, Darcy following. Snow was falling, and on street posts were wreaths, tied with bells and big red bows. On the sidewalks people were bundled up in boots and heavy coats, carrying shopping bags.

"Isn't it beautiful? The city at Christmas, with snow...it doesn't get any better, does it?" Jane asked, her smile wide and her eyes bright. Of course, everything was more amazing to Jane now, what with her getting to marry her soul mate and all, but Darcy had to agree with her. Jane went to her desk, Darcy trailing behind her.

Was Loki watching the snow, she wondered? She assumed that where Thor was going, Loki was there, too.

"What's your favorite thing about this time of year?" Jane asked, taking a pencil from a drawer and jotting something down on a post-it.

"Hard to pick, I guess." Darcy murmured, her thoughts still with Loki. There were so many things she wished she could show him! The tree at Rockefeller Center, the caroling troupe of Santa Clauses back in New Mexcio that had once raised ten thousand dollars for a new homeless shelter, a carriage ride through the huge lights display at the city park... she was so bummed that he'd never get to experience those things, that he couldn't be a part of the festivities, of the spirit of the season. Darcy wouldn't call herself religious by any means, but for her, the holidays weren't about that. They were about love and laughter and charity and eggnog (double the booze) and listening to her grandpa complain about how much everybody else in the family complained.

It was-

Oh. Oh!

She knew exactly how to answer Jane's question, and she knew exactly how to have Loki be a part of it.

Darcy pulled out her phone, grinning ear to ear, almost unable to contain herself as she sent off the text message. A split-second later her phone buzzed, and she opened the reply message, punching her fist in the air in a triumphant gesture.

oooo

A few weeks before, Darcy had indeed gotten the promised check in the mail from Tony. It didn't come alone, though. It was a check for three thousand dollars, a small bonus (as was written on the memo line), and Darcy's mind had immediately gone into overdrive, thinking of all the things she could do with 3k.

And along with the check was a slim piece of card stock, where Tony had handwritten:

1 IOU. You can cash one, not both. Choose well.

-Anthony Edward Stark

Darcy was no fool. She wasn't so broke that she would discard a personal favor from Tony flipping Stark for something as common as money. How many people could say they had Iron Man ready and willing to do something for them?!

So now, Darcy knew exactly what she wanted to use this for, and it was something that really only Tony could have pulled off anyway. Beanie in place, Darcy pulled her gloves on, wrapped her scarf around her neck, and made her way to the roof.

oooo

There was a rapt knock on the door, and Fury turned, obviously annoyed. "Nobody's here." He replied, wondering what use a guarded door was if the guards weren't doing their damn job.

"Oh Nick," Tony flung the door open, shaking his head. "I thought were past all that. We're besties now."

"What do you want, Stark."

"How much time have you got?"

"We're in a meeting here," Nick indicated Thor and Loki, who were both watching their exchange with amusement.

"Yeah, I see that. Hey, hi. Whatever. Foster sent me and I need-"

"Jane? Is something the matter?" Thor stood abruptly.

"No worries, big guy. I'm not here for you. I'm here for the not-as-big-guy." Tony waved his hand flippantly at Loki.

"What exactly is the problem?" Nick asked, and Tony shrugged.

"I didn't ask for details- too boring. Let's go Lokes, time is money." Tony said, but Loki remained seated.

"Look I'm not a delivery boy, okay? But Jane and Darcy need your help so here I am. If you want to come great, if not, deal with them."

"You had best see to it, brother. I shall finish here with Fury." Thor urged Loki on. Loki stood, and Tony applauded.

"It does move! Fantastic. This way." Tony gestured for Loki to walk out of the room first.

They silently got on the elevator, and Tony mashed the button for the top floor. Loki looked pointedly at him, wondering what he was doing- his ankle bracelet would not allow the elevator to go higher than the lab and his apartment.

From his inner jacket pocket, Tony pulled out a small device that looked like the USB cards Darcy and Jane were always using at their computers. Locating the nearly invisible port above the elevator buttons, Tony slipped the device in. "Override security, protocol B."

"Access granted, sir." Loki recognized the voice of JARVIS, and he raised an eyebrow at Tony, who only winked back at him.

"Show the readout back into the lab."

"Done, sir."

"Thanks pal. Here we are." The elevator opened onto the top floor. It was abandoned, the hallway quiet. Tony pushed open a glass door that led onto the outdoor patio. There was a set of stairs leading down to a lower level with benches and a grill, and a set of stairs leading up to the helipad, where two SHIELD helicopters sat idle.

"You have," Tony shook his sleeve up, revealing a rather gaudy, diamond encrusted timepiece. "Half an hour. Nothing off the roof, understand, and any damage will come out of your allowance, young man."

Loki raised an eyebrow, but Tony was all self-assured smirks, his joke amusing to himself. He walked back to the door. "Oh, and Lokes?" Loki could feel an eye twitch beginning to form, but he turned back to Tony anyway. "Duck."

oooo

He heard the cry first- a sort of war cry, he supposed, but then he should have really known better. If ever there was somebody on this planet capable of such a screech, it was definitely Darcy.

Then the snowball smacked him upside the head, cold and wet splattering all over him.

"Batter up!" He whirled around towards her voice, and saw Darcy hunching by a bench, one arm cradling half a dozen snow balls, the other arched, ready for another toss.

She pelted him with two, one right after the other, the first hitting him in the chest, the second his knee.

The war cry again. "Strike two! One more and you're out!"

All the pieces fell into place- Darcy putting Tony up to getting him from his time-out with Fury, Tony disabling the security band for a time, a silly snow fight on the roof. Yes, this was all perfectly Darcy. And once again, here he was, able to bask in her madness.

"You are dealing with a warrior, Darcy- are you sure you want to bait me?"

Darcy narrowed her eyes at him, mashed her remaining snowballs into a giant one and lobbed it with all her strength over at him. He stepped back and it hit the ground, breaking around his feet, but her challenge was received. "Bring it, Laufeyson." She said, then ran, sliding in the snow, towards the trash can, where Loki saw she'd built up another arsenal of snowballs.

Unable to stop a grin, he ducked down, gathering his own snow in a pile.

oooo

"What?! You're literally in so much denial you should be air dropped into Egypt." Darcy said incredulously, hands on her hips.

Loki spread his arms out in front of him, a haughty smirk on his face. "Dearest Darcy, I cannot help it if you are incapable of matching my speed and skill. Such is the fate of all mortals."

Darcy tried to glare at him, but she broke out into a chortle. "Yeah yeah whatever. Anyway," She grabbed his hand and lead him over to a large, flat pile of snow. "It's time for the best part." She closed her eyes and fell, back first, onto the ground.

Loki looked down at her as though she'd lost her mind- typically how he looked at her, if she thought about it.

"Ugh, come on!" She sat up and tugged on his arm.

"Are you serious?"

"Deadly."

Loki heaved a dramatic sigh, and he too sat, but Darcy shook her head.

"No no no. You have to fall. Like I did. Arms out, like a T, okay? And then straight back."

"Darcy, I-"

"Quit your bellyaching Loki. It's fun!"

Another sigh, but Loki did as instructed, and landed with a thom beside her.

"And now?" He asked, as though he failed to see the joy in laying in a pile of freezing snow

"Like this." Darcy said, and she flung her arms and legs out, moving them slowly. "See?" She stood, showing off her handiwork. "A perfect snow angel."

"You are asking me, Loki of Asgard, heir to the throne of not one but two kingdoms, bringer of destruction, destroyer of worlds, to make a snow angel?"

Darcy rolled her eyes. "Wow, what a mouthful. Now zip it and get with the angel making."

Knowing there was no use in arguing, Loki finished and also stood. His angel was slightly messier than Darcy's, a bit awkward, but Darcy beamed at him like he'd just created a true piece of art.

"Mind-blowing, right?" Darcy said, and Loki looked down at her, her raven hair tangled with snow, her cheeks pink from the cold, her smile so bright. What was it about this girl, about this human, that could drive him to do such things? He, Loki! Loki Laufeyson who created plans of mass conquer in his dreams, who had driven an irrevocable wedge between himself and Odin, who was here, at the mercy of SHIELD and Thor's Avengers.

Mind-blowing indeed, that she should have pushed down his barriers, that she had taken the time and put forth the effort- often at the risk of injury- to get to know him, to try to understand him. She had befriended him, she had shown him affection, had taught him more about earth than Thor ever had.

"This was my favorite thing, you know." Darcy's voice was quiet, low with reminiscing, as she gazed at their creations. "We'd go visit my grandma over Christmas- she lived in Wyoming. They always get a butt load of snow, right. Me and my cousins would go nuts, playing outside all day, then we'd come in for dinner, and while the adults got smashed on grandma's eggnog, we'd play Monopoly or Clue or Scattegories, all of which I dominated at, by the way. I think that's what I miss about home. Not where I grew up...that will never be home to me. Grandma's was, though. Christmas at grandma's, playing in the snow, and gorging myself on leftover ham."

Darcy's smile was a large as ever as she looked up at Loki. He stared back at her, a hunger in his eyes she knew all too well, having seen it in the mirror many times, usually after she'd gotten home from his place.

"Merry Christmas, Loki." Darcy murmured, as Loki wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to him.

He lifted her chin with his finger, and Darcy was pretty sure she'd stopped breathing as he leaned closer to her, his lips now only centimeters away- oh Christ, finally, he was going to kiss her, finally she could stop wondering what those lips felt like, what they tasted like...

"Aaand that's a wrap kids. Sorry, but your time is up!" Tony, spectacularly clad in his Iron Man armor, jumped down from the top of the stairs and started clanging towards them.

Darcy and Loki sprang apart, Darcy rounding angrily on Tony. "It's a damn good thing you're in that thing," She seethed, stomping past him. At the door she paused, turning back to see that Loki's eyes were still on her. She smiled at him, then disappeared inside.

"I am glad I'm wearing this. Word of advice, Lewis is prone to violent outbursts. Not good news for the male anatomy. So, you're a thing now?" Tony asked Loki, who ignored him and followed Darcy's footsteps up the stairs and through the door.

In the elevator he punched the button for his floor, and once it stopped and the doors opened, he removed from the port the card Tony had put in on the way up, then swept to his apartment. His ankle brace acted as his key, and the door swung open.

He strode to his kitchen, opened his refrigerator, and took stock of its contents as the wheels began to turn in his mind.

oooo

"No, mom, we're not eloping." Jane looked at the ceiling, hoping the Universe would do her a favor and it would collapse in on her. What was she thinking, even calling her mom to let them know about her and Thor's engagement? The one time they'd met was nothing short of disastrous. As usual, Thor had been ridiculously charming, handsome as hell in his jeans, scuffed leather boots and flannel shirt. Her no-nonsense mother hadn't taken to his boisterous personality, and after a few traded insults about "foreigners", Jane and Thor had left as quickly as possible. But, well, Thor had been guilt-tripping her for weeks, telling her that her mom had a right to now her daughter was to be married. Jane secretly felt that Thor was transferring some of his guilt onto her; he hadn't asked her mother for her hand as proper decorum dictated.

Her mom babbled on about guest lists while Jane walked the length of her and Thor's apartment, trying to keep pace with the conversation but really just thinking about what needed to get done on the back of her and Erik's most recent trip.

There was a sharp rapt on the door and Jane, seizing the opportunity, interrupted her mom, who was now on a tangent about rented dresses versus buying your own. "Yeah sounds great mom. Look, I gotta go, I'll call you later. Love you." Without waiting for her mom to argue, Jane hung up and opened the door, almost dropping her cell in surprise when she saw who it was.

"Loki? Hi! Is everything okay?"

Loki nodded, and Jane still hadn't quite adjusted to seeing him wear regular clothes. He did it with as much grace as he could, she had to admit.

"I was wondering," He began, a grimace on his face, as though he had no idea how to say what he wanted to, "if you and Thor would, ah, be so good as to join me this evening. I will be cooking."

Loki had often eaten with them, Thor making it a point to invite him over all the time. He had not, though, ever returned the invitation.

"Uh, sure, wow. That'd be great. Can we bring something?"

Loki, again looking pained, handed her a slip of paper where a list was scrawled. "If you have in your possession these...any of them, or something similar, will do."

"Sure, I'll see what I can scrounge up." Jane said, trying not to show too much curiosity at the items he needed.

Loki's lips curled in a disgusted way over the words, but he managed a tight-lipped "Thank you". She went to close the door, but he added, "and belated congratulations, Jane. You make Thor-" Loki stopped and took a breath, "you make my brother very happy." And with a single nod he strode away, back to his own apartment.

It was the first time he'd said it to her, that he'd acknowledged her and Thor's upcoming marriage. Thor had told her that Loki had actually been the one to suggest a ring, in and of itself a massive astonishment. Jane was always sure that Loki despised her. She didn't take it too personally, or at least tried not to, as he seemed to feel that way about most everybody. So this was a huge deal to her, and she felt light-hearted as she dug through the hall closet, searching for the items on Loki's list.

oooo

Darcy had her earbuds in, angry rock music blaring as she slammed her frustrations at Tony out on the keyboard. She was inputting more of Jane's data and notes, and it was getting late, most of the SHIELD employees having left much sooner as Christmas was quickly approaching. On a regular day even, the halls and offices and cubicles were usually cleared out by five, and as it was pushing six thirty, Darcy wasn't surprised to see zero foot traffic out the lab doors.

Tony was an ass. Yeah, okay, so he'd come through with the IOU, and he hadn't asked any questions, he'd just done what Darcy had asked, helped her work out an elaborate plan that, if it had gone awry, could've gotten her arrested, probably sent to the hole (whatever that really meant), and Loki, well, he could just kiss Midgard goodbye- he'd be on the next Bifrost to Odin before she could say bilgesnipe.

But how would Tony like it if she interrupted such a goddamn ideal moment for him and Pepper? She'd been dreaming about Loki kissing her since- well, since the night of that cocktail party, so long ago.

Well, there wasn't anything she could do about it now. She'd gotten what really mattered out of it. She had wanted to give Loki a small getaway, to get him to let loose for a while, to have fun. Darcy couldn't say if he really had, but the complaining had been minimal. She'd discovered that if he didn't harp too much on what he didn't like about a movie or TV show, that meant he'd enjoyed it. Same went for snowball fights and snow angels, it seemed.

Darcy pushed herself away from the computer, stretching her arms. She needed a coffee refill, and then she'd be able to plow through these last few pages of work before heading home. She took her mug back to the coffee pot and made a mental note to bring more of her vanilla creamer from home. Steaming mug in hand, Darcy dredged her way back to her computer, giving a jolt (and nearly spilling coffee all over the floor) when she saw the hot pink post-it stuck to the middle of her computer monitor. It definitely hadn't been there before.

7. Do be on time.

Okay, then. Maybe not heading home just yet.

oooo

Promptly at seven, and a titch annoyed that Loki would dare insinuate that she was ever anything but on time, she knocked on his door, wondering what, exactly, he would have in store.

The door opened. "7:02. It shall have to do." Loki said by way of greeting, letting Darcy step past him.

"I don't know what you're-" Darcy stopped in her tracks. Loki's apartment was decked out like she'd never seen it before. Around the windows were strings of colored Christmas lights, and in the corner of the room was a six foot artificial evergreen tree, silver and gold ornaments and tinsel glinting at her. Wreaths hung on the walls, and the TV screen was tuned to a screen saver of a cackling fire, giving the whole room a cozy glow.

"I did not say it earlier," Loki's voice was almost a whisper, "I thought showing you would be better. It is more tangible this way. Merry Christmas, Darcy."

Darcy glanced around, incredulous. Jane and Thor were on the sofa, chuckling together, setting up a Scrabble board. On the end table was a bowl of what she could only assume was eggnog. The kitchen table held a beautifully scored ham, complete with pineapple rings- just like her grandma used to make. Quiet music poured from the surround sound, a soft jazz compilation of Christmas songs.

"This is wonderful," Darcy mumbled, visibly moved.

"I do not get a lot of shopping opportunities." Loki said, his trademark smirk on his face. "I wanted to give you some of what you described earlier...some of the home you miss."

Oh shit, she was going to cry! How sweet was this? Like, did it get any better? She may have wished earlier that Loki was as forward as Thor, but really, this was exactly what she wanted. Did it matter that Loki wasn't as over the top with the PDA as his bro when he was showing, as he had so much in the recent past, that he actually listened and understood her? Thor was exactly what Jane needed, and Loki was exactly what she herself needed.

"I am sorry that we do not have, what was it? Monopoly? And of course none of your relations are here."

Darcy shook her head vigorously. "This is better. Much. You guys...you guys are my family now." Darcy grabbed his hand, threading her fingers through his. "Thank you, Loki."

"Oh Darce, hey, I didn't know you were-" Jane and Thor finally realized they weren't alone, and Jane looked over at her, her eyes nearly disappearing into her hairline when she saw her and Loki's hands entwined, "-coming." "Wait a minute," Jane stood, squinting, something she did when she was trying to work through a problem. She scanned the table- the four places neatly set, the bottle of champagne beside the ham, the game she and Thor had just set up on the coffee table, then Darcy and Loki again. "This...this is a double date!"

Darcy waited for Loki to vehemently deny it. To toss Jane's comment aside with ridicule and make some deprecating remark about humans. But he just stood there, not confirming or denying. His silence seemed to say it all.

"This is a most surprising turn of events, brother." Thor said, though not as shocked as Jane. He had long hoped that Darcy meant something more to Loki than a casual acquaintance, and had, especially since the field research trip, suspected Darcy felt the same.

"Let it never be said that I stopped surprising you." Loki replied, but there was less sarcasm in his words than usual.

Darcy pulled Loki towards the coffee table. "Time to get destroyed, bitches! I own at Scrabble."

oooo

The evening passed as nicely as Darcy- or Loki- could have hoped. After a few rounds of Scrabble (which Darcy lost each time, despite how big a game she talked), they ate dinner, and between the four of them, easily finished off the bowl of eggnog and the bottle of champagne.

Jane and Thor were getting ready to leave when Thor clasped Loki's shoulder.

"You have changed, Loki. This is what I had been hoping for when I decided against fath- Odin's- orders. You have shown great growth, great transformation. You are my brother once again, and I think it only fair to request from Fury that you stay on Midgard. Permanently."

Darcy rushed to Thor, throwing her arms around his middle. He would stay? Loki would stay, as in forever? She could kiss the god in front of her! Well, better leave that to Jane, Darcy released Thor and turned to Loki, clapping excitedly. He regarded her with an unreadable expression.

"What say you, brother?" Thor pulled Loki's gaze away from Darcy.

Loki let out a small breath. "It would not be a terrible thing to at least ask, I suppose."

Darcy's face lit up, and Loki thought it was almost worth humbling himself before Fury for her to smile like that.

He was only agreeing to this ridiculous plan for his brother's sake. But if it made Darcy Lewis look at him like he wasn't from the very depths of a nightmare, well, so be it.

Lyrics used from Fear and Loathing by Marina and the Diamonds. So, a few things:

-Darcy and Loki haven't discussed the "dream", because they are both unsure of what it means for their relationship, and what it means period. Basically they're both chicken shit.

-Area 86 will definitely be coming back into play- think of this as the calm before storm. Yay.

-I too am chicken shit because I could never write a decent Jane/Thor proposal. So it kind of had to happen off-screen. Sorry about that.

-I'm shutting up I promise :) I just want to thank all of you for your feedback of this story. I know updates are few and far between, but you really help motivate me and push me to get this fic out into the world instead of just in my head. Heart eyes at each and every one of you.