Chapter Forty-Eight: Take A Breath
Eve was done lying. At the very least, for today. Loki wasn't there to monitor or threaten to maim and dismember her. With the falling of night she was reminded of several harsh realities. Sam in the hospital. Her mother in rehab. Even before all this, when her life was good but mostly lonely, she tried actively not to think about her mother. She had it down to a science. Visit on Wednesday, call on Sunday, no worrying or stressing about her otherwise. It wasn't for lack of love. In fact, just the opposite. Nadine Clare was beyond help, and Eve was a textbook enabler.
Through all the times her mother stole from her purse or left her phone at home while she disappeared for days, Eve rarely scolded her. She was stuck on the way her guardian used to be, before everything went so rapidly to shit. Before her small family was torn apart. Since she spent so much time caring and looking for her spiraling parent, she had little time for friends. It was never that people didn't like her, she typically just pushed them away. Sam was there throughout it all. He even saw what a toll it took on her and was the one to show her tough love, basically demanding she check Nadine into a rehabilitation program.
For the first two weeks, Eve was inconsolable. Sam, for all intents and purposes, lived with her when he wasn't at work. That was no cakewalk, either. Eve was cruel in her devastation, moping about being treated like a child while she was acting like a child. Thirty days came and went and Nadine was released. She went back to her old habits in next to no time, forcing Eve to check her back in for a more rigorous ninety day program. And again. After some time, she found a balance. It involved not blaming herself and trying not to think about it. Soon, compartmentalizing became a strong suit of hers. This was why any mention of her mother flung her over the edge. It was a big part of why she never made new friends after she'd scared off all her old ones. Everything in her life had to be just so. Other people tended not to fit into that. Sam, on the contrary, was completely adaptable.
"You agreed to run off into the sunset with him, how can it have nothing to do with him?" Thor was mildly agitated, but Eve sending Darla away left the impression that the conversation was actually going somewhere.
"I have nothing here," she gestured around at her pointless belongings, a good portion of them now ruined. "Not a damn thing."
"Your home can be repaired. I will see to it that-"
"No. No, I'm not done. I have nothing, but even more than that? I have no one. I'll spare you her tragic backstory, but my mom is a drug addict. She's in rehab and she hates me for it. When I go to see her, she begs me to let her leave, claiming she's all better. Then her therapists and doctors tell me something different. So when I tell her no, she won't speak to me. We sit in silence until I've fulfilled my obligation to her," her words were pouring out as though from a faucet with the knob stuck. She wasn't crying. She wasn't sad. She was upset, almost angry. Every fraction of every day for too long now, she was being watched or questioned or both. She felt she could speak freely now. No matter how annoyed Loki's brother became, she knew he wouldn't harm her.
"I'm very sorry for that. Even so, that's no reason to-"
"I'm not finished," Eve growled. "Sam. Agent Barrows. He was my closest friend, my only friend. And to him it must look like I chose some stranger-no, worse- some villain over him. He's in the fucking hospital! And while he was unconscious? Before I knew he'd be okay? I let Loki kiss me! It's disturbing. Repulsive. Sam doesn't even know that little tidbit but he must still hate me. I would hate me. Hell, maybe I do hate me!" She'd begun to ramble.
Thor was having a hard time following along. "Take a breath," he suggested.
"You take a breath!" She spat, all in a tizzy. "See? You heard that come out of my mouth just now, right? Here's what it is. I've been doing the same thing every day, every week for nearly a year now just trying to keep it together. Before you hurled your warhammer through the walls, this place was immaculate. Then Loki dropped into my kitchen, broke my fucking bowl and took my control away from me. He threatened to take my legs, my tongue, my life away from me. And all I can think is-what in god's name have I been doing? Do I think that because my mom threw everything away that I undoubtedly will too? I trained in martial arts for forever and I've never actually struck someone until this whole thing! Now my carefully maintained lifestyle is fucked and there's nothing for me here. So no, I don't love him. I barely know him. And what I do know? It's not good. But I am going to let that psycho take me away. And goddamn it you're going to let us go!" She was being so loud that Darla heard every syllable, even with her ears plugged.
Thor said nothing, not sure if the rant was over just yet. After she was silent for a few solid seconds, he spoke calmly. "Okay. Help me understand. You and him...is it all an act?"
Eve let a frustrated chuckle escape. "In what way?"
"Have you two really been intimate?"
"Didn't you hear the recording?" Eve shot back.
"That I did," Thor chortled, quickly regaining his seriousness, "but it doesn't make sense to me. Take no offense, but Loki views mortals as lower beings. How did you manage it?" Eve glared. "Not to say you're not, well, desirable."
Eve's sigh came from her feet. "I might have to get back to you on that."
Elsewhere
Bruce had asked "Darla" if she wanted someone to walk her to her car. Loki had considered it only briefly before declining. He then faked knowing his way toward the parking garage, and once he found a suitable place, he went invisible and doubled back. He walked a few paces behind Tony and Bruce. Once they were in the elevator, Tony broke the silence.
"So," he drew out the word for a bit too long, "you gonna hit that?"
Bruce had no clue how to react. He wrinkled his lips a few times, trying to find the right words. Eventually, he settled for the classic, "What?" With one of those glares Tony received oh-so often, of course.
"Dude, it would be pretty easy. I'm not judging. I say go for it. Get rid of some of that tension you're holding in your big green shoulders."
"What did I miss? What happened from the car to this moment? Who are you even talking about?" Tony drew his mask back just to give Bruce a look of pure disbelief. "Wha-Darla?"
"You need to stop pretending you have no idea what I'm talking about, pretty much right now," Tony was almost legitimately upset. To avoid making it worse, Bruce said nothing. He stared on with wide eyes, begging for more information. "Oh my god. She touched you. Did you think I didn't see that? Did you even notice? Or is your skin as thick as your skull?"
"Oh," Bruce was perplexed, "I thought she was just, well, grateful. Or something."
"All you did was take what I said a stuff it inside a warm, gooey, digestible cookie for her. Trust me on this, if someone doesn't want to touch you, they don't."
Loki was having the time of his life observing the conversation unfold. His gesture had been nearly meaningless. It seemed that Dr. Banner got so little female attention that this was front page news.
Bruce kept his silent trend going, his eyes now pensive and aimed at Tony's shiny feet. "Hey," Tony went on, "all I'm saying is that you could definitely lock that up. Or don't. You might be getting the impression that I care here, but it's really more that I hate to see perfectly good opportunities wasted. I can't live my life that way anymore, hopping on whatever piece of ass comes my way. But you? You can. Do it for me. Or don't. But," Tony narrowed his eyes and stepped out the of the elevator, "probably do, though."
The doors closed and Loki moved soundlessly next to Bruce. With one look at his troubled face, Loki was pleased. He pressed the button for the floor he needed to get out on, noticing it was lower than where Bruce would be exiting. Bruce saw the button's light go on and was confused. Being a man of science, he searched for some explanation and eventually settled on a glitch. The doors slid open and he tapped his foot before jamming his finger onto the close doors option. Loki sneered at him. Impatient man. Before he slipped out, he swiped his hand across the buttons, lighting them up like the stars in the night sky. Bruce grimaced and leaned back against the wall. As he stopped at every floor on the way to his destination, he frowned into the security camera and assumed Tony was messing with him.
Loki walked briskly toward Darcy's room, glancing fondly at Eve's "Suspect" room as he passed. He took Darcy's keycard out of his pocket and swept it across the sensor. He went inside and examined the hole in the bathroom door. Surely Darcy hadn't done that. No, that was his brother's work. He saw Darcy perk up at the sound of the door, but she made no effort to communicate with whoever had entered. She must still think she's invisible and inaudible. That could be fun. He found Sasha and shroud her, tucking the pup under his arm. Then he flung the door open.
"What did you do with my dog?" He demanded angrily, fading into sight for extra effect. He hid himself from the cameras but not from her.
"Uhhhhhhhhhhh," was all Darcy managed.
"Well? Where is she?" Loki advanced on her and she backed into the corner.
"She's not here? But I heard her barking while I was in the bathroom!"
Loki pointed accusingly at her. "You need to figure this out right now."
Darcy sprang past him into the room, not even trying to leave through the front door. She could have. Instead she got on her hands and knees to look in every nook and cranny for the small animal. Loki had things to do, but it was too entertaining to pass up. So he stayed and yelled at her while she tore the room apart.
Fury's Office
"Rogers, my office," Fury boomed into his communicator from behind his computer.
Steve wasn't far and jogged to him. "Yes, sir?"
"Darcy's keycard was used to get into her room just now," he spoke with urgency before spinning the monitor so Steve could see. The camera feed showed no one inside. "Figure this out."
