Darcy's New Routine

Over the next few weeks, Darcy began to find a rhythm. She spent the first part of her mornings making breakfast for the household. It had started as just Jane and Clint, but the smell of food permeated the house like nothing else apparently. On her third day, she walked into the kitchen and found Jane talking with Bruce.

He gave her a cautious look. "Jane invited me to join her." He half rose as if to leave.

"Eh, no problem." Darcy waved him down. "I learned to cook from my Bobi. She cooked for two sizes – the whole family or the whole neighborhood. Join us anytime."

"You'll love her French toast," Clint told him as he wandered past to pour them both a cup of coffee.

"Pancakes today," she decided as she opened the pantry.

"Oh, yum!" Jane exclaimed. The two men looked at her and she gave a shrug. "Darcy makes the best pancakes."

Darcy tossed a smile over her shoulder. "Wait until I'm in the mood to celebrate."

"Pear-pecan pie," Jane stated with a grin.

"You bet, boss lady," Darcy nodded. "And I promise to make one just for you when you finish fixing the Bifrost."

Jane giggled.

That morning's success snowballed. Slowly breakfast became a communal meal. Lunch was generally impossible since everybody was scattered around the city, if they were even in town. Dinner remained hit or miss depending on everyone's schedules. Thus breakfast became the household touchstone. Natasha showed up the morning after Bruce, following Clint when they finished their morning workout. Tony joined them after a week. He tracked down Bruce to ask a question, got involved in a physics discussion with Jane, and just stayed to eat. They had waffles that morning.

"Seriously," Tony stated loudly a couple of days later when he had badgered her into making them again, "I will hire you as my personal chef right now. No references necessary." Darcy grinned as she watched the millionaire scarfing down yet another banana nut waffle. "Pepper can draw up all the paperwork. Great pay, good benefits, whatever you want."

"I'm already cooking for free," she answered.

"Yeah, I know." He shrugged. "I'm snapping you up just in case."

"Hey!" Jane tossed a muffin at his head. "Quit trying to steal my assistant!"

He frowned at her. "You threw food at me."

"Yes I did," she huffed at him. "I'll throw my coffee at you too if you don't cut it out."

He stared at her for a moment before he started laughing. "I like you!" His voice sounded surprised. "Tell you what," he mused. "We'll hire you too as soon as Thor gets back. I'm sure Stark Enterprises can use an astrophysicist somewhere."

"Tony? What are you doing?"

Everyone glanced up. A large smile stretched over Tony's face. "Pepper! Come in here!" He gestured her to the seat next to him. "You have got to taste these waffles!" He grabbed a plate and snatched one of the last two. He set the plate in front of Pepper. He turned back to grab the last waffle, but a fork speared it, barely missing his fingers.

Natasha gave him a narrow look. "That one is Clint's." He started pouting and she rolled her eyes. "You've already had two."

"Oh," Pepper chimed in as she swallowed her first bite. "This is fabulous."

Tony turned away from Natasha, his attention redirected. "Isn't it?" He pointed at Darcy. "I'm hiring her as a personal chef. You'll need to set up the paperwork."

Pepper lifted an eyebrow as Jane growled. Darcy shook her head. "I haven't accepted. You walked in as he offered to hire Jane."

"She doesn't want to share her assistant," he said. "I figured hiring her meant we could timeshare or something."

Everyone stared at him for a long moment before Darcy chuckled. "Thanks, but not now. I'll just keep making breakfast for free, okay?"

"Fine, fine," he waved his hand, the pout returning. "But I get first dibs if you ever change your mind."

Clint walked through the door at that moment. "Do I want to know?" He dropped a kiss on top of Darcy's head before sitting next to her.

"Eat your waffle," Natasha ordered as she pushed the plate to him. "Stark might inhale it otherwise."

Tony protested as the rest of the table began laughing.

Every day after breakfast Darcy would accompany Jane to Stark Tower. Despite being under repair, several of the labs were operational. While Jane worked on various methods of combining energy, trying to determine what she needed in order to recreate the framework she had seen in her dream, Darcy would spend her morning creating spreadsheets, plotting graphs, and going over Jane's findings for similarities and wild anomalies. Around noon she would leave and track down something for lunch. Even with all of the rebuilding going on, she could still find some great hole-in-the-wall, mom-and-pop places to try. She ended up with five nearby restaurants on speed dial – a pizza place, a Chinese takeout, a little Italian joint, a fabulous sub shop, and a traditional Polish restaurant – because their food could actually pull Jane away from her work by scent alone.

She usually shared lunch with either Clint or Natasha when they were not off foiling some form of evil or another. On even rarer occasions all three of them managed to meet. One day Natasha showed up with Pepper in tow.

"Pepper wants to talk to you," Natasha announced as she sat down.

Pepper gave a little head-shake. "It could have waited until this evening, but Natasha insisted. "

"You'll get called into an emergency meeting," Natasha answered, not bothering to look up as she perused the menu. "You have this hour free, Darcy is available, and you can get it taken care of before Stark causes a diplomatic incident."

"Please don't remind me," she said with a slight wince. "I cannot believe someone thought Tony would be an appropriate delegate to the International Council on Systems Engineering's annual fundraiser."

"I'm surprised you're not there," Darcy noted.

"Ah, well," Pepper hesitated, a faint blush spilling over her cheeks. "There was an incident last year with an…overly amorous representative from Europe."

Darcy grinned. "I recommend a Taser."

"You would," Clint said, rolling his eyes towards the sky. Darcy stuck her tongue out at him and he gave her a crooked grin. The conversation lulled as they placed their orders. After the waiter left, he turned towards Pepper. "Not that I have any complaints about being the most hated man in the restaurant, but Tasha said you needed something?"

"Most hated…?" Pepper frowned at him.

He tossed her a smile. "I'm having lunch with three beautiful women. Trust me," he said as he glanced around the patio area, "I am currently the most hated man here."

"глупый," Natasha muttered, shaking her head. "Glupiy."

Clint shrugged. "I've been called worse."

"And for the non-Russians?" Darcy wrinkled her nose.

"She called me 'foolish'."

She giggled. "Imagine what the rest of the restaurant is calling you!"

As the amusement slowly tapered off, Pepper turned towards Darcy. "I did actually come here with a proposition for you."

"Oh?" Darcy asked curiously.

"Despite Tony's 'personal chef' plan, I've been watching you deal with everyone at breakfast and Jane at the laboratory. I know SHIELD gives Jane the money to pay you, but I was wondering if you would like to branch out a little." Darcy leaned back, and Pepper continued before she could say anything. "Jane would still be your main priority, of course, but it would not hurt for you to have options and a greater exposure. Between what I have seen, and what Jane has told me, you have an aptitude for managing people and organizing both physical space and general information."

Darcy blushed. "Well-"

"Let her finish," Natasha said quietly.

The waiter appeared with their lunches and a refill on their water. After a few bites, Pepper resumed speaking. "You seem to have several hours mostly free in the afternoon?"

"Yes," Darcy nodded. "Once I get Jane to eat something for lunch, she generally spends her afternoon consulting with either Bruce or Tony."

"I would like to hire you as an assistant for four hours each afternoon," Pepper announced.

Darcy felt her jaw drop. She spotted Clint and Tasha both repressing smiles out of the corner of her eye. Pepper just waited. Darcy gave herself a shake. "Wait a minute, stop the press." She took a couple of breaths, opening her mouth to speak only to close it. Finally she managed, "Let me get this straight, you want to hire me to assist you? With Stark Enterprises? Or with Tony?"

A wicked light entered Pepper's eyes. "A little of both actually." Darcy gaped at her and Pepper's smile grew in response. "When Jane manages to finish her work on the bridge between Earth and Asgard, SHIELD may or may not have any reason to continue giving her money for an assistant. Regardless of whether they do or not, this will give you options you don't currently have. You will learn the workings of Stark Enterprises, and may choose to come on full time. In this position, you'll be making some very high level contacts who will undoubtedly present offers as well." Darcy's eyes grew wider with each sentence, and she could see Pepper holding back laughter. "While I appreciate the necessity of the work SHIELD does," and here Pepper nodded to their lunch companions, "I don't like thinking of you backed into a corner."

Natasha stirred, exchanging a glance with Clint. She sighed. "I hate to admit it, but SHIELD does not like giving up assets. If they feel you are valuable, they will try their hardest to recruit you. If that includes cutting off a salary, they will do so."

"Yeah," Darcy objected, "but they'd have to consider me valuable first, right?"

"Trust me, sweetheart, they already do." Clint traded another speaking look with Natasha. "You manage to turn scientific mumbo-jumbo into a readable report any agent can handle. Right now, they can reasonably expect three of us to listen to you, and Cap can be trusted to be respectful at barest minimum. Even Fury can't claim that."

"If I ever meet the illusive Captain America," she snarked. "Isn't he doing some kind of private tour of the country or something?"

"He'll be back," he assured her. "He's just trying to come to grips with all of the changes."

Natasha drew the conversation back on track. "Your ability to handle Jane and your willingness to fade into the background has already been noted in your file."

"I have a file?" Darcy blurted out.

"младшая сестра," Natasha smiled. "Mladshaya sestra, everyone we brush past has a file. Yours is growing." She lifted an eyebrow when Darcy just stared at her. "I called you 'little sister'."

"Okay, that's good to know," Darcy said. "Apparently I should have taken Russian instead of Spanish." She blinked. "My file is growing?"

Clint put his hand on her arm. "Baby, you had a file when you were just the intern in New Mexico. After a handful of meetings, not to mention your willingness to remain in Puente Antiguo during the attack, and the friendliness you showed Thor and his friends?" He paused and took a breath. "Coulson marked your file for special consideration. The relationship we built in New Mexico? He would never have found a way for us to stay in touch the way we did if he didn't plan on recruiting you."

"I liked you from our first meeting," Tasha stated. Silence fell over the table as they waited for her to continue. Clint smirked at her as she gave them a questioning glance and she lifted one shoulder. "I don't like people usually, especially not that quickly."

"Another star by her name?" Pepper asked.

"Yes," Natasha answered. She took a sip of water. "You followed orders, never rebelling about going to the safe house. You dove straight into the madness at the mansion."

"Jane, an acknowledged genius, is adamant about keeping you," Clint added. "Tony Stark wants to hire you."

Darcy just sat there, stunned at whole situation. "But…" She shook her head. "I've never…I mean, I'm just me."

"And you are exactly who we are looking for," Pepper answered. "Most personal assistants either want to slide by doing the bare minimum, or they want the glory for the work they do. Finding someone who both goes above and beyond while being willing to remain in the background is hard."

"Says the woman the entire world can name," Natasha noted.

Pepper rolled her eyes. "People see me at the parties and on the board – they imagine all kinds of things. Not one of them understands what happens behind the scenes." Natasha gave a sniff and Pepper's smile grew. "You are hardly the definition of ordinary 'people', Natalie." The two women exchanged a smile before Pepper continued. "So you see, Darcy, you are in a unique position. SHIELD is interested, and so are we. At the very least, we would like to make sure you have some choices, even if you give in and become Tony's chef."

Darcy laughed. "No thanks! I cook because I enjoy it, it's relaxing. I don't think it would be the same as a career." Her brow furrowed as she looked at Pepper. "So what would I be doing during those four hours?"

"For the first while, you would be following me around," she answered. "Mostly you'll be my assistant, at least for a bit. Depending on how comfortable you feel, I would turn some things over to you. It would mostly be paperwork and minor meetings here in the city. You would be my representative when needed. There would be some social obligations, of course."

"Okay," Darcy drawled out. "Um…I can totally rock paperwork and organizing, but I don't think I'll be what you want for something social."

"Why not?" Pepper asked curiously.

Darcy's eyebrows went up. "Have you seen my clothes?"

"Oh, that," Pepper waved the comment off. "Stark Enterprises will give you a clothing stipend." Darcy blinked. "We would want you to present certain images, differing depending on the situation, but we certainly don't expect you to pay for it."

"You're going to pay me to buy new clothes as well as follow you around? For four hours a day and the occasional party?"

"Yes, of course."

Darcy grinned. "When do I start?"

That lunch decision opened a whole new world to her. Darcy began following Pepper the next day. She gained new appreciation for the hard work that went into making Stark Enterprises so 'effortlessly' profitable. Pepper's afternoons might be taken up with any mix of businessmen, politicians, or reporters.

Evenings found Darcy coaxing Jane back to the mansion. The woman absolutely hated leaving the labs. Once home, Darcy made sure Jane ate and then let her wander off to her rooms, confident that JARVIS would raise an alarm if there were any escape attempts made. They had come to an agreement after the first time Jane wandered off into the city at two in the morning and got lost without cab fare.

Once Jane had been safely dealt with, her evenings centered on Clint – provided he was home of course. While the Avengers had yet to be assembled again, officially anyway, he and Natasha still had their duties at SHIELD. She hated his SHIELD missions. To be fair, she only hated some of them. The missions that called for an assassin, bloodshed, those were the ones she actually hated. He came back with open wounds glaring at her in his gaze. They would dial up movie after movie, keeping to the precedent she started on her first night and watching old Hollywood flicks with their sappy stories and happy endings. His defenses would eventually come down, and he would curl himself into her, burying his face into the crook of her neck.

She would hold him while he trembled.

Darcy hated those missions with a passion. Sometimes she hated SHIELD and all it represented. He and Natasha were good, too good at what they did. She wondered if anyone at SHIELD ever bothered to notice how shaky they both could be after some of their jobs. With Phil gone, did anyone bother to worry about them? Help them? Did anyone realize the types of nightmares he had?

God, she hoped Natasha would open up with someone. It's why she never argued when Tasha wanted to go shopping or just for a drive. Someone needed to help her.

If no mission took Clint away, they would divide their time between movies, lounging on the roof, and taking walks in the park. A police officer stopped them one night to warn them of the dangers. They had been polite, but as soon as the officer was out of earshot, Darcy gave up any hope of containing her hilarity. She found it ironic that he would lecture Hawkeye, one of SHIELD's premier agents, on danger.

Nights meant dreaming. She would dream of Yggdrasil often, watching her lights. Most of them grew in strength every time she saw them. She asked Lady Frigga about it.

"They grow as you continue down your chosen path," she answered. "Your actions give them strength. Can you name any of them yet?"

Darcy took a breath. She pointed to her favorite, the golden one with the purple thread, "That's Clint."

Lady Frigga gave her a gentle smile. "Why do you think so?"

"Well," Darcy fidgeted. "It…it…" She sighed. "It just feels right."

"What do you feel?"

"Safe," she answered immediately. "Safety, strength, passion – something pulling here." She put a hand to her breastbone.

"Well done, little one," Lady Frigga said. Darcy looked at her in confusion. She smiled. "Yggdrasil does not speak in words or the cold terms of science." The regal woman reached out and placed a hand on the trunk. "She speaks in feelings, images, the language of the heart, not the mind." She turned and began to walk away. "Sit here for a bit, Lady Darcy. Watch the lights which call to you. See what she will show you. When you can name more of them, we will speak further."

Darcy watched her leave before lying down and staring at the brilliant lights in the branches above her. "I hope I really do get to hear you one day."

A few months into Darcy's new routine with Stark Enterprises, she finally got to meet Captain America.

It happened at breakfast time naturally. Everything 'family' either happened or was discussed at breakfast. Darcy seriously considered putting up a sign - If you don't mention it at breakfast, send an email. Don't just assume we know what's in your head. Actually, she did finally put up a sign after the third sigh of disappointment over the food - Darcy is not a mind reader. Email a request or quit complaining. The next sigh of disappointment means no breakfast for a week. Tony stopped sighing.

She rushed around the kitchen making waffles. Her alarm had failed to go off, and Clint was away, so she was ridiculously late. Hungry Avengers and one half-crazy scientist would descend upon her at any minute. She rounded the island a little too fast and smacked her hip on one of the corners. "Ouch! Damn it!" She closed her eyes, breathing through the jolt of pain.

"Are you okay, Miss?"

She looked up. A tall, well-built stranger stood in the doorway. Blond bangs hung down over blue eyes which were watching her with an open, concerned expression. "Oh, I'm fine. Just turned too quickly." She smiled. "Well, JARVIS isn't pitching a fit, so I'm guessing you're Steve Rogers?"

He stepped forward, holding out a hand. "Yes, ma'am," he replied as he shook her hand. "Miss Potts introduced me to JARVIS downstairs, but she told me I should come up here for breakfast?"

"First off, call me Darcy. Secondly, I hope you like waffles."

"Darcy," he repeated with a smile. "I love waffles."

"Great!" she chirped. "We usually eat breakfast together, but after that we scatter to our various offices, labs, or whatevers. Did SHIELD set you up with something…ah, what do you want me to call you?"

"Steve, please," he insisted. "I get 'sir' and 'Captain' enough at SHIELD." He shrugged. "They're setting me up with some classes to try and catch up on seventy years of history."

Darcy frowned. "School's all fine and good, but you'll need more than that." She bit her lip. "Let me think about it."

"I don't want to be a bother."

"Nah," she insisted. "I like helping people."

She ended up instituting movie nights. Once a week she would take over the media room and show movies. JARVIS worked his way through the decades, starting with Steve's favorites from 'before' and then moving into the time after he had gone into hibernation. Like breakfast, movie nights started small – her, Clint, and Steve. Also like breakfast, they did not stay small. Natasha joined them first, followed by Jane and Pepper. Even Tony would drop in every so often. The mansion began to feel like a real 'family' home.

As the feeling of family grew, Darcy figured it was only a matter of time before something came along to interrupt it.

The shrill ring of Darcy's phone woke her. Eyes tight closed, she fumbled around trying to reach it. Clint chuckled in her ear. His weight pressed down on her for a moment as he leaned over to grab the ringing phone. He placed it in her hand. She leaned back against him and answered it.

"H'lo?"

"Darcy, I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"Pepper?" Darcy's mind tried to focus on the call.

"Yes, I'm so sorry to bother you, but I'm in a bit of a bind." Pepper's voice sounded exasperated.

"Is something wrong?" Darcy started to lever herself out of bed, ignoring Clint's grumbles as her warmth pulled away.

"Not really," came the answer. "I've got a bit of an issue going on in Tokyo, so I won't make it back to New York, and there is a party this evening. We've already RSVP'd, and it is a birthday party for Senator Waigland."

Darcy froze. "Pepper, are you about to ask me to be Tony's escort to a Senator's birthday party?"

"Please?" Pepper's voice turned pleading. "I've got Adrian's on call for you if you're willing to go."

Darcy fell back against Clint with a groan. "Pepper! You can't go around bribing me with a day on the town!"

"Shoes?"

Darcy started laughing. "Okay, okay, I'll go."

"Oh, thank you," Pepper sighed in relief. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. I've given instructions to the people at Adrian's. Just be there at eleven o'clock, and they'll handle everything." She paused. "Oh, I'll need to contact security and make arrangements."

"Don't worry about it, Pepper," Darcy interjected. "I'll talk to Clint and Tasha about it."

"Wonderful! Have fun – I have to run."

Darcy stared at her phone for a moment before tossing it on her bedside table. She fell back on her pillows with a groan. "Tell me again, how is this my life?"

"So, party time with Stark?" Clint propped himself on one elbow and grinned down at her.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Do I look like the high society type?" She wrinkled her nose. "And on my first social 'affair' I have to babysit Tony Stark? How is that fair?"

He tapped her nose with a finger. "You're whining." She swatted his hand. He just moved his finger to trace along her jawline and touch her chin. "You'll be fine."

"I know," she sighed. She stared up at him, pouting. "There went my plans for the day."

"Weren't we doing a Lord of the Rings marathon?"

"Steve's never seen it!" Darcy exclaimed, sitting up and poking him in the shoulder. "That's practically sacrilegious! And he better not watch without me!" His eyebrows rose and she frowned. "Hmm, bet I can get JARVIS to refuse to pull it up. He likes me."

Clint chuckled. "It's beginning to tick Stark off, his robots and computers liking you better."

"He should be more polite." She angled her head and smiled. "Or quit giving orders with loopholes."

Clint lay back and laughed. Darcy's grin softened as she watched him. In the past six months, she had watched as the darkness drained away from him. Not entirely, he would always have a bite, an edge no amount of time could erase, but he opened up more now. Well, he opened up with her and Natasha. He even started helping keep track of Jane again.

He still avoided the helicarrier whenever possible, and Fury allowed it. Natasha handled their meetings and debriefs with written reports from Clint. Darcy asked Tasha once how long she thought Fury would let him duck the meetings. Tasha's answer surprised her.

"Fury's not sure how to handle it. Clint's too good to let go, but no one else wants to work with him. Even before everything happened, Coulson was the only handler who wanted to work with us. Now…"

Although Tasha's face remained stoic, Darcy could see the pain buried in her eyes. SHIELD had been the only home the two of them really could claim. They had yet to see if the Avengers could fill the void.

Darcy yawned and stretched. "Laugh it up, khaver. I have to grab a shower and some food before heading over to Adrian's."

"And you make a fuss about Tasha's Russian?" He shook his head. "I'll meet you in the kitchen."

The staff at Adrian's fell over themselves trying to take care of her. Darcy held back a laugh as she watched two of the stylists come close to a hair-pulling fight over how to arrange her hair. They argued for a good fifteen minutes before a tiny figure entered the room and clapped her hands. Everyone fell silent.

"Hvatit! Enough!" The tiny woman waved a hand. "You are behaving like toddlers." She turned and ran a practiced eye over Darcy. "Mikhail, bring the young woman to my room." With that final command, she swept out of the room.

Mikhail, or Michael according to his earlier introduction, rushed over. "If you will please follow me, Miss Lewis?" His voice was breathy with awe. "Madam Lebedeva rarely takes clients."

Darcy's eyes narrowed. Maybe it was because she spent too much time around half- or fully paranoid assassins and secret agents, but she did not like this sudden interest by an unknown woman. She stepped into the room behind Michael, fully prepared to duck back out at the first sign of anything odd.

She certainly did not expect to find Natasha waiting with the tiny Madam Lebedeva. As Darcy moved further into the room, Michael was waved away and the door firmly shut behind him.

"Darcy," Natasha smiled. "Since this is your first party with Stark, I thought I would call in a favor from a friend of mine."

"Hmm," Darcy hummed for a moment. "You have 'old friends' in the strangest places."

A quick smile graced her friend's lips before she turned away. "Madam Lebedeva, meet Darcy Lewis, a friend of mine."

Madam Lebedeva came over and touched Darcy's cheek. "It is always good to meet a friend. Now, I am going to do your hair, and not in any of the silly styles they were tossing about out there." She shook her head. "Bah! They think the only good things have come about in the last decade." She waved her hands. "What do they know? For real inspiration they must learn to look to the icons of the past, when a look, a style, made the men lose their breath. All these things they do with hair today!" Darcy suppressed her amusement as she watched the woman pace, arms and hands waving in emphasis. "They think they are doing art! Sculpture! Never mind the woman they should be concentrating on. Hair should be a frame to accentuate the beauty of a woman's face, not steal the attention."

Natasha…giggled. Darcy blinked, goggling at her.

Madam Lebedeva just smiled. "I have known Natasha a long time. So, your hair…" She walked around Darcy, lifting up a lock here, pulling back to stare into her face there. "Yes, I think I have it. You have a lovely face, with the good pouty lips, strong eyes. We must pull your hair back away, let your face shine." Her lips pursed. "Not too much though. We do not want it restricted. It should have some curls, some bounce, and a wild touch. That will help show the spirit in your eyes and the happiness on your lips. Yes, yes…" Darcy allowed herself to be maneuvered into the salon chair. She glanced at Natasha, and when she received a nod in return, she just closed her eyes and let the woman work.

Later that afternoon, after her hair and makeup were finished, Natasha helped her sneak back in the mansion. She felt a little strange coming home in a robe, but they had poured her into her undergarments, including a corset which she felt deserved some form of hazard pay. She did not want to wrinkle the dress, so that left her the robe.

Natasha helped her into the dress and heels, and JARVIS shifted the screen to a full length mirror. Madam Lebedeva had put huge curls into her hair and then pulled it back with a handful of artfully placed bobby pins. Natasha stepped forward with two hair clips and placed them near her temples, so they were visible from any direction.

Darcy stared at the two handcrafted, diamond-studded silver feathers. Each one included three strands of silver hanging down the side of her hair and sparkling in the light. "Where did these come from?"

Natasha smiled softly. "Feathers for you, jesses for him…he's reinforcing his claim." She paused to let Darcy take in the reply. "Are you ready?"

Darcy gave herself a little shake. "As I'll ever be."

"Good," she answered. "Now give me a minute to get downstairs. I want to see their faces."

Darcy giggled as her friend slipped out of the room. She followed after a final turn in front of the mirror. The dress clung to her torso, from the strap of the halter top to the top of her hips, before falling into a flowing drape of satin. She loved the swirl of material that spiraled around her legs every time she moved. The bold, brilliant red set off her hair and fair complexion perfectly. A silver chain at her neck and simple red heels gave the final flourish to the whole display.

She came to the top of the stairs and paused, surprised to see Clint, Tony, and Steve talking in the foyer. Natasha lurked at the entrance to the formal living room, a smile hovering on her lips. Darcy's lips curved into a smile as she started descending. Clint, ever aware of changes in his surroundings, looked up first. She saw the smile start to come out until he focused on her. His mouth opened, and she saw his chest heave slightly as though all of the air had rushed out of his lungs. The other men turned to face her.

"Hey," Tony grinned. "You clean up pretty good, missy."

She rolled her eyes, but could not resist a little twirl. "Think I'll pass for high society?"

"You'll be great." Steve smiled at her. "You're a knockout."

Clint walked up to her slowly. He reached out and touched one of the chains in her hair. "You look gorgeous." His hand slid down to her jaw and traced its line to her chin. With a slight pressure he angled her head up and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

"Alright," Tony interrupted after a breath or two. "Quit mussing up my escort. Girl's going to set society back on its heels. Hold off the mussing until after the party."

Clint tossed an exasperated look over his shoulder. He pressed one more kiss to her lips before stepping back. Darcy frowned at Tony. "It's a good thing I'm doing this for Pepper. I don't care how funny I find you, you keep blocking my kisses and I'm going to hide your coffee."

"Viscous little girl!" Tony exclaimed, pressing a hand on his heart. "Threatening a man's coffee? What happed to being a demure young thing?"

She exchanged a glance with Natasha. "He's already been in the whiskey, hasn't he?"

"You wound me!"

The group started laughing. Tony's eyes sparkled with repressed delight. "Come along, little vixen, we must be going." They swept out of the mansion leaving high spirits in their wake.

Darcy and Tony wandered the room, talking and schmoozing through the crowd. They gossiped and laughed as they moved from one group to the next. They stopped to pick up some hors d'oeuvres.

"Isn't she a little young for you, Stark?"

They turned to find a sharp-eyed, brittle blonde staring at them. Darcy looked her up and down. "Excuse me?"

The woman gave her a condescending smile. "Does Potts know he's robbing the cradle?"

"Really?" Darcy stifled her mirth and settled for an arch smile she learned from Pepper. "You think he's sleeping with me?" Now she rolled her eyes. "Please, have you even met Pepper Potts? She's perfect for him, and he knows that. He's a genius, isn't he?"

"Damn straight, kiddo," Tony replied with his most charming grin.

"You didn't used to think so," the woman said, giving him a flirtatious look.

"Ah," Darcy gave a small smile of realization. "You're one of those."

"I beg your pardon?" The woman looked affronted.

Darcy shrugged and smiled innocently. "One of the wild oats women."

The woman sputtered.

"Really, its okay," Darcy insisted, opening her eyes just a bit wider. "I mean, sometimes guys are going to be guys and totally blind to what's right in front of them." She leaned her head to the side. "I'm pretty sure he kept overlooking Pepper because she's just that awesome. Good thing Pepper's also that patient. She waited to be the one instead of one of many."

The woman stared at Darcy, mouth opening and closing in shock.

Darcy's smile grew brilliant. "Just a note for any future escapades you might have? Get promises before you go to bed with a guy. If you don't?" She rolled her eyes. "If you just hop into bed with the guy for some fun, you've got no right to expect anything the next morning except a chance to get dressed before being whisked out the door."

Quick translations – Bobi = Nana, Grandmother – khaver = male friend, anything from friend to boyfriend.