Chapter Seven: A Very Different Battle

Darcy half-woke to the feeling of arms slipping under her body and lifting her from the couch. "Whuzzat?" she mumbled, sleepily. Someone hushed her and she yawned, turning her head into their chest. She felt herself being lowered onto a bed and blankets tucked up around her. "G'night," she breathed. She felt an answering kiss to her forehead and then she fell back into slumber.

When she woke in the morning, Darcy was confused to find herself in her old bedroom, sprawled out on her bed. She could have sworn she fell asleep on the couch. Then she remembered that vague dream of being carried and realized it must not have been a dream. "Thor," she said, a mixture of exasperation and fondness coloring her voice. Her fingers ghosted over her forehead and then she shook herself of silly notions.

By the time she had dressed and emerged from her room, Erik was sitting at the table while Thor and Jane stood side-by-side cooking breakfast. Darcy watched them moving in tandem with each other and felt…empty. Then immediately felt irritated with herself about that. This is supposed to be a good thing, she reminded herself. Their love story finally starting. Watching Jane bustle about the kitchen, Darcy felt a wave of affection for her, painted with the disbelief that she was actually seeing her again, whole and healthy.

When she turned her focus on Thor, he glowed brighter. She buried her face in her hands, mortified. Thor whirled around, "Darcy!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "Good morning!"

"Did you just glow brighter?" Jane asked. "How? Why? What changed?"

Darcy groaned but Thor saved her from her embarrassment. "It is tied to emotions," he said, not untruthfully. "I am feeling joyful!" he added, also true but misdirecting Jane from the actual truth. Darcy shot him a grateful, though embarrassed look. She noticed Jane eyeballing some scanning equipment in the lab, her fingers twitching.

"Wow, breakfast smells great!" Darcy said, distracting Jane from further exploring Thor's luminescence. For now, anyway. She joined Erik at the table and flashed Thor a smile as he brought them each a plate. A moment later, he and Jane joined them, and they all ate and chattered easily. Darcy was amused to see Mjolnir resting on a countertop.

"So," she said, turning to Erik and gesturing to the hammer. "Do you believe he's the Thor from legend, now?"

Erik's eyes widened and he stilled, like a deer caught in headlights. "Umm," he hesitated, "It's a lot to consider," he prevaricated. "I'm still gathering evidence before making an informed decision. No offense," he turned to Thor.

"I am not offended," Thor said, happily. "One day you will know for certain, and you will believe the truth." He looked down at his hands and wiggled his glowing fingers happily then sent Darcy a smoldering look across the table. She ducked her head and shoveled eggs in her mouth.

As they were cleaning up breakfast, a knock sounded on the glass door. Looking up to see Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, Darcy sighed in relief. Finally, things were back on track! Thor exclaimed in surprise and let his friends into the lab, introducing everyone. The Asgardians were staring at Thor in awe. "Thor, you're glowing," Fandral stated.

"Midgard worships you, again?" Sif asked.

"Worship?" Jane cut in.

"Yes," Volstagg began, clearly about to launch into an explanation.

Thor interrupted them all. "My friends! I have never been happier to see anyone! But you should not have come."

"We are here to take you home," Fandral said.

"I cannot return to Asgard. Not yet." At the protests of his friends, Thor explained, "I have pledged myself to the safety of this realm." He held his hand out and Mjolnir leapt across the room to his hand. "My banishment is ended," he said, "I am here of my own accord, now."

"What danger threatens Midgard?" Sif asked

"Yes," Volstagg added, "tell us. We would aid you."

Thor placed a hand on Volstagg's shoulder as he spoke to his friends. "It is a long story, my friends, and I am not at liberty to tell all of it. Suffice it to say a great evil is coming and it will be on Midgard that the fate of the universe is decided." The room broke out in chaos.

"What do you mean a great evil?"

"The fate of the universe?"

"Why can't you tell us?"

"On Midgard?"

Darcy's eyes bounced between the Asgardians and the scientists. She began to feel a creeping sensation of being watched and looked around until she locked eyes with Hogun, who was staring at her thoughtfully. She gave him a panicked, pleading look, begging with her eyes for him to not bring her into the conversation. He gave her a slow, thoughtful nod and quietly turned his attention back to Thor, only occasionally shooting curious glances her way.

She looked away in relief and happened to see clouds heralding the Bifrost gathering in the distance. "Hey guys," she interrupted the cacophony, pointing out the window. "You might want to see this."

"Is that the Bifrost?" Jane asked. "Was somebody else coming with you?"

Thor gripped Mjolnir tightly and, with a flash of magic, was clothed in battle regalia. "I'll take that as a no," Jane muttered. Darcy smiled nostalgically at the old-fashioned armor. He had made a few updates over the years, her favorite being an all-black sleeveless affair, but she sometimes missed the original look.

Thor strode confidently out the door and toward the Bifrost site, his friends dutifully following. Darcy, Jane, and Erik all looked at each other silently then, as one, turned and followed the others. Even a mile from the site, the wind whipped at them, and Darcy found herself admiring how Thor and Fandral's capes fluttered out behind them.

"Look!" Jane breathed, pointing toward the landing site. A small fireball was rising in the distance before it fizzled out in a cloud of black smoke. As they watched, there were more flashes of fire and plumes of smoke.

"How much you wanna bet S.H.I.E.L.D.'s out there?" Darcy asked.

"Hmph. Serves them right," Jane muttered.

The Asgardians picked up the pace and the humans found themselves falling behind. As they approached town, Darcy spotted the pet store from the street. The shopkeeper, an unimpressed-looking middle-aged man with a fabulous halo of curls was standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest as he watched the fire and smoke in the distance. Darcy fell back from her friends and trotted over to him.

"Hey, man. I think we should start evacuating the animals," she said as she approached.

He glanced at her dismissively then looked back to the scene. "Why?"

Darcy crinkled her nose in irritation. "Because," she sassed while pointing in the direction he was already looking, "that is moving closer."

The man shrugged. "They're just animals."

Darcy's jaw dropped. She looked at his nametag. Kyle. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Kyle?"

He looked at her again, peering down his hooked nose. "Do I know you?"

Darcy crossed her arms. "No, I'm your conscience. We've never met."

He glanced down at his nametag and rolled his eyes. "Oh, right. Whatever." The sounds of destruction grew louder, and they both turned to see the Destroyer, now visible, stomping into town. "Yeah, I'm out," Kyle said, and he walked quickly away.

Darcy stared after him a moment in disbelief before shaking herself and jogging into the shop. She started with the birds, opening their cages, before moving on to the cats, shoving them into carriers and staging them by the door. Her arms were bleeding from scratches, but she didn't care. She kept going. "Sorry kitties, it's for your own safety!" she cooed. There was a loud boom followed by screaming. "Oh gosh. Okay."

Jane poked her head in the door. "Darcy?" she called out.

"I'm over here!" Darcy yelled, trying to wrangle the last cat who was not at all interested in going into a carrier. "Will you get the cats out?"

Jane grabbed two carriers and disappeared for a moment before returning for the next two. The dogs were whining pitifully. Darcy finally gave up and said, "Fine, be free! Try not to get hit by a car!" and she opened the cat enclosure, allowing the last frantic feline to save itself. It yowled and darted through Jane's legs as she returned for the last carrier. There were only three dogs, all puppies. She scooped the smaller two into her arms and offloaded them onto Jane when she returned, saying "I'll be right behind you!" As she gathered the last puppy, who was a bit larger, an impossibly tall, blue man ducked through the door. Darcy only came up to his belly button. He spied her with his red eyes upon entering and turned toward her, hunched over in the too-small space. His arm was covered in ice that formed a deadly tip. He raised his arm and took a step in her direction, growling something in a language she couldn't understand. Darcy clutched the dog to her chest and babbled, "No, no, please…" There was a high-pitched whoosh and a fireball crashed through the wall, hitting the giant man. He disintegrated. Darcy screamed.

A loud crack sounded overhead, and Darcy glanced up just as the roof collapsed. She shrieked and fell, her leg pinned under a support beam. Somehow, she was still holding the dog who was whimpering and wiggling frantically against her chest, trying to escape. She let him go, watching him scamper off as flaming debris rained down around her.

What went wrong? She asked herself. This hadn't happened last time. The battle outside was different. Was that a frost giant? A Jotun, like Loki? Darcy struggled against the support beam, trying to free her leg while also trying desperately not to panic as the fire and smoke grew around her. She pushed again at the beam to no avail. I need help, she thought, as she began to cough from the smoke and fumes. Oh god.

Suddenly Darcy remembered she knew gods and, supposedly, they could hear prayers. Time to put that to the test. Thor, Odin, Loki, Sif, Hogan, Fandral, Volstagg, Heimdall, she prayed, rattling off the gods she could think of in the moment. It was getting hotter around her. Beads of sweat were rolling down her face, back, and chest, even behind her knees. Her left leg was numb, and her eyes were stinging. She inhaled smoke and coughed throatily. Help me…I'm trapped…can't breathe…she coughed again.

Golden eyes swam into her field of vision. Confused, she closed her eyes and, to her surprise, found she could see them clearer. They flashed and suddenly she was seeing Puente Antiguo from above. She was circling the battle below with a flock of ravens. "Kraa!" they called out. Have courage, Darcy Lewis of Midgard. A commanding voice she didn't recognize filled her mind. You have found favor with the gods. The battle below was confusing. There were Frost Giants running around and it seemed the Asgardians were working with the Destroyer. Humans were running in terror, even from Thor and his friends. The ravens began to circle around a particular plume of smoke coming from a building in the middle of town. A flash of golden eyes and the vision was gone. She was back in her own body, squinting against the smoke and fumes.

Barely a moment passed before she heard Thor's booming voice, "DARCY?!"

She inhaled to call outbut ended up choking on smoke. Instead, she coughed wretchedly. The black smoke began to swirl then shoot up through the hole in the ceiling. Darcy blinked, surprised, until she saw Thor spinning Mjolnir, directing the smoke out of the building.

"That's handy," she croaked, gesturing to his hammer.

"Darcy!" Thor exclaimed, brows furrowed in concern. He knelt in front of her, setting Mjolnir on the floor next to him. "You are injured," he despaired. His hands hovered over her form, drifting over her leg. He seemed uncertain what to do.

Darcy reached out and touched his hand, slipping hers into his palm. "I'll recover," she said confidently. He cupped her hand in both of his then looked up at the sky and called out, "LOKI!"

The ground shook as the Destroyer stomped over. Metal clanged as it peered in through the ceiling, closing its faceguard, one row at a time. Clang. Clang. Clang.

"Brother," Thor appealed, "I need you to lift this rubble while I pull her free." The Destroyer pulled its head back and, for a moment, Darcy thought it was walking away. Instead, a huge metal hand came through the hole, carefully grasping the roofing and support beam around Darcy. Wood creaked and metal clanged as the Destroyer lifted the rubble off her. Thor immediately wrapped an arm around her back and another under her knees and pulled her away.

There was a crash as the Destroyer let go and pulled its arm out of the hole. "Your hammer!" Darcy said.

"It's fine," Thor assured her, elbowing out the door. Just outside, Fandral was wielding a sword, fighting a giant who seemed intent on getting to Thor. Darcy was surprised to see Fandral was glowing slightly. Thor barely spared a glance at the giant and turned away, carrying Darcy swiftly down the street, trusting Fandral to handle it.

Sif appeared, angling toward them. She was also glowing slightly. "I shall clear the way!" she called to Thor, who nodded in thanks. Hogun, glowing as well, quietly slipped behind them, protecting their backs. Darcy hooked her arms around Thor's neck and craned her head, looking for Volstagg before spotting him off to the side, keeping pace with Thor. As she suspected by this point, he was also glowing.

Two Frost Giants lunged toward them from an alley. Darcy squealed and tightened her arms around Thor's neck. Hogun immediately descended on the closer of the two, whirling a medieval-looking mace, smashing it against the giant's chest. The Jotun roared in pain and slashed outward with his icicle arm. Thor never stopped moving and Darcy lost sight of Hogun. Next, she saw Sif skewering the other giant through the neck with a long spear. "Oh god!" Darcy turned her face into Thor's neck and squeezed her eyes shut in horror. She was never going to be able to unsee that gore.

Her fingers closed around the fabric of Thor's cape as she tried to tune out the sounds of the battle – the screaming, the squelching, the gurgling. She kept her eyes determinedly clamped shut even as she felt Thor dodging something. There was a metallic zing and a squelching sound, followed by Volstagg's triumphant "Ha-ha!" Still Thor ran.

Suddenly, he stopped and took a step back. Darcy felt him turn in a slow circle. "Darcy," he murmured next to her ear. "I am going to set you down. Lean on me."

Finally, she cracked her eyes open and was horrified to see they were surround by Frost Giants. There was a pause during which everyone just stared at each other. Thor lowered her gently to the ground, pulling her tightly to his left hip. When she put the slightest bit of weight on her left leg, it was excruciating so she immediately lifted it and leaned, one-legged into Thor's side. He frowned at the Jotuns. "This is your only warning," he declared. "Leave now, and your lives shall be spared." The giants laughed, a deep rumbling sound in stereo around them. One of them spoke back to Thor in a gravely, growly voice but Darcy could not understand what he was saying. Thor apparently did, for he replied, "So be it," and held his right arm out stiffly.

Within seconds, Mjolnir clanged against the back of one giant's head before slamming into Thor's hand. Left arm gripping Darcy's waist tightly, Thor pivoted, swinging his arm out and launching the hammer in a circle around them. It crashed into every one of the Jotuns, doing more harm to some than others. By the time it returned to Thor's hand, three giants were still standing. They roared and closed in on them. Thor spun the hammer like a propeller against the road, sending asphalt shrapnel up into their faces.

Sif arrived, holding a shield aloft and swinging her spear. "Sif!" Thor called. "Take her!" Sif nodded and slung her spear across her back before slipping a strong arm around Darcy's shoulders and pulling her from Thor's arm. "Lift her off the ground!" Thor called.

Sif grunted in reply and hauled Darcy easily up into her arms as Thor launched himself off the ground and high into the air. Dark clouds materialized around him, and lightning struck the hammer. Darcy watched with wide eyes as he slammed to the ground on one knee, hammer shattering the pavement and sending the lightning out into the giants, incapacitating all of them in one go. Sif hopped and danced over and around the bolts of electricity that arced their way. "It'd be nice if he gave warning like that every time," she muttered under her breath. Darcy started to reply, but the sight of the charred giants caused her to gag, and she turned away, burying her face in Sif's neck.

"You will not vomit on me, mortal."

"Mm-mm," Darcy denied, shaking her head against Sif's shoulder.

"Good."

Thor returned. "Thank you, Sif. I will take her back," he said. Darcy was passed from one set of arms to another, and she hissed in pain as her injured leg was inadvertently jostled. Thor winced sympathetically and apologized.

Hogun approached, followed shortly by Volstagg then Fandral. "There are a great many Jotun on Midgard!" Fandral exclaimed. Turning to Darcy he asked, "Is this normal?"

Darcy shook her head. "No, not even a little."

"Hmm," he replied thoughtfully. "Well, it appears there are no more left. Though I would've liked to question them, to know their purpose for being here."

"Where is the Destroyer?" Volstagg asked, turning in a circle.

Hogun answered, "The Bifrost took it."

"Coward!" Sif spat. "He abandoned the fight!"

"Kraa! Kraa!" The flock of ravens returned, circling them before landing on buildings, trees, and power lines. One raven detached itself from the rest and soared toward Darcy and Thor. It perched on her knee and cocked its head, eyeballing her as if for permission. Darcy nodded her head and the bird nodded back once before turning a beady-eyed glare toward Sif.

She and the other warriors had already knelt in deference to Odin, but when he stared at her, Sif's eyes widened comically. "I…had not realized," she said, embarrassed. "Forgive me, Allfather." Turning to the others, she relayed, "Loki and Heimdall worked together to find where the Jotun were entering Midgard. The Destroyer has made good its name and destroyed the portal through which they were still arriving. All the giants between the portal and this town have been eliminated."

Thor smiled. "My brother is truly well-suited for the throne." Noticing the carefully neutral expressions of his friends in the presence of the Odin raven, Thor added, "He has a mind for tactics and politics. More so than I."

At the silence of his friends, Darcy patted Thor's shoulder blade fondly and whispered, "You should tell him that."

The Odin raven tilted its head, regarding her intently for a moment before turning its head toward Hogun. The other man immediately stood and approached Darcy. "Forgive me, my lady," he murmured before gently taking the ankle of her injured leg and lifting it until her calf was parallel to the ground. Darcy winced at the movement and dug her fingers into Thor's armor.

The other warriors stood and watched curiously as the Odin raven hopped to that knee. Darcy flinched at the extra weight on her injured leg, even as high up as it was. She groaned as the raven slowly and deliberately shuffled down her shin. The groan turned into a whine, then a gasp, then a strangled sob as he perched directly on top of what she was sure was the break in her bone. She bit her lip and turned her head into Thor's neck, breathing deeply through her nose. He was careful not to move his arms, but Thor gently laid his cheek on the top of her head, whispering words of encouragement.

The raven tightened its talons, causing Darcy to cry out in pain. Reflexively, she tried to pull her leg away, but Hogun held her firmly, one hand grasping her ankle and the other cupping her calf. "Oh!" she heard Fandral exclaim. "I have heard tales, but this is a privilege to see firsthand!"

Darcy squinted one eye open and looked down her body. There was a golden glow emanating from the raven's feet and wrapping itself around her leg. The glow sank through her clothes, disappearing from view, but she could feel a warmth where it had been. And then the pain doubled as her bone shifted. Darcy squeaked and promptly passed out.


A/N: Next up, a shallow dive into a bag of cats.