Author's Note: An absolute bear to write. Also, when you get to the end? Please don't shoot me.

New Horizons

Darcy rubbed her hands up her arms as she paced the balcony. The night air was cold, but she needed to get her thoughts in order. It was not working. They jumbled and raced as she shivered in both excitement and a little apprehension. The dream stirred in her mind once more.

Darcy lay under the swaying leaves of Yggsdrasil and watched the lights dance. They always gave her such a feeling of peace. Suddenly one of them began to pulsate, growing stronger with every flare. She sat up, but still did not feel close enough. Rising to her feet she drew up on her tiptoes and focused on the sparkling light. It was bright silver with a hint of pink and gave her a strange effervescent feeling, almost bubbly. It flared abruptly and she caught a hint of scattered stars glinting in the silver.

"Jane!" Darcy exclaimed.

"Yes," came the gentle voice of Lady Frigga. Darcy turned to watch as the stately woman glided across the lawn to her side. The blonde touched the light with a single finger. "Thor's chosen is very close to making the connection."

Darcy's jaw dropped. "She about to fix the Bifrost?"

"Within a short time," Lady Frigga nodded. "I believe it will be within but a few of your Earth days."

"Go, Jane!"

Lady Frigga smiled. "When Asgard is once more linked to Earth, my son shall come to you. He is unlikely to keep your secret."

"Oh," Darcy flinched. "Really?" She bit her lip. "Clint is going to be so pissed."

"Perhaps you should tell him first?"

She grumbled under her breath as she moved to lean on the balcony rail. Staring up at the night sky, she did not hear the movement behind her until two strong, and more importantly warm arms curled around her waist.

Clint nudged her hair aside and pressed a small kiss to her shoulder. "What's wrong?" She shifted and took a breath, but he broke in before she could speak. "And don't say 'nothing'. You've been out here pacing in the cold for a good half-hour." His arms tightened. "Tell me what's wrong, Darce."

She gave a sigh and slumped back against him. "You won't like it."

"That's never a comforting start," he replied. He loosened his arms just enough to turn her around. His blue-green eyes captured hers and held them.

"I…I…well…" She bit her lip.

His eyes narrowed, growing tense. "Darcy?"

"I didn't mean to!" she exclaimed, waving her hands around a little before resting them on his biceps. She could almost feel her babble mode engage. "I didn't mean to keep it secret, but it's just that Jane and I agreed to get more information before we started saying anything, but then everything kind of blew up and got crazy and it got pushed to the side and now it looks like things are going to start happening, and I doubt Jane even knows how close she is, but when Thor gets back he's going to start talking because the big guy is just that open and even Jane doesn't know everything so she's going to be upset, and I know that you should have been the exception, and now you're not going to be-"

Darcy's voice cut off as Clint slid a hand over her mouth. He stared at her, concern shadowing his gaze. "Breathe." She nodded and he moved his hand. "Now," he said, "try just telling me."

She pulled back and all but flopped down to sit on the balcony floor with the railing at her back. "I promise, I'm not crazy, and I'm really, really sorry I kept this from you. I didn't do it to be…" She trailed off and waved both of her hands in the air, unable to come up with the right word.

"Darcy." He crouched down in front of her. "What is 'this'?"

"I've been having dreams," she sighed. His brow furrowed, but she raised a hand asking for patience. "At first, it was both Jane and I. Do you remember the morning she went from maniacally searching to driven focus?"

"Yeah?"

"It started that night." Darcy explained the dreams, Lady Frigga, Heimdall, and Yggsdrasil. She watched Clint grow still as she spoke. When he went into that level of quiet she called his sniper-mode, she could no longer look at him. She drew one leg up to her chest, wrapped her arms around it, and stared almost blindly across the balcony.

Silence hung between them as she finished. Her heart stuttered as it stretched out. Darcy could feel tears gathering, and she desperately tried to hold them in. She had never been some weepy female, and she did not want to start now. Plus it would not be fair to him. She had kept a pretty big secret for a long time.

"Why?" Clint asked quietly, too quietly.

She rested her forehead on her knees, pressing her burning eyes shut. "It wasn't that I didn't trust you-"

He stood abruptly and paced a few steps away before turning back to her. "Then why not tell me? Why all the secrecy?"

"Because I didn't know how!" Darcy burst out, adrenaline bringing her to her feet. She reached out to touch his arm. He stiffened and she pulled back. Her hands clenched. She stepped back and bowed her head. She lowered her voice. "Talking to people in your head isn't exactly something you tell someone about at the beginning of a relationship. How was I supposed to tell you that I was talking to Thor's mom in my dreams? By the time we reached a point I could have told you, you and Erik were whisked off to Secrecy-ville. And after that-" She stopped for a moment before throwing up her hands. "How did I tell you that those dreams were the only things that kept me sane when I was stuck in the mountains?"

"Darcy…" A strange tone crept into his voice.

"No," she insisted, shaking her head. She glanced up at him, but looked away once more at the hint of pain in his gaze. "It's not your fault. I get why I had to be there, but…" She sighed. "I didn't know where you were. Hell, Natasha didn't know where you were. I had no way to find out what was going on; not even a television to get the basics. Talking to Lady Frigga and Heimdall was all I had." Her shoulders slumped. The silence stretched out again for several long minutes. She ran a hand through her hair. "And lately…how was I supposed to tell you about listening as she grieved over Loki?" He started at the name, and she could almost see the shutter coming down over his face.

"Okay," Clint said, heavily. "Okay, so why now?"

She huffed out a breath. "I dreamed tonight. Lady Frigga says Jane's getting close." Out of the corner of her eye she glimpsed his head come around sharply. "Yeah," she nodded. "Thor should be back soon, probably in less than a week."

"And?"

Darcy leaned back against the balcony rail, feeling the cold of the stone seeping through her thin night shirt. "I wanted to be the one to tell you." He came over to stand in front of her, but she kept her head down. "I didn't want you to hear it from Thor."

Clint touched her shoulder, but she refused to look up. She did not want to see that hurt in his eyes again, knowing she was responsible. Both hands came up and framed her face before sliding into her hair. They tightened and pulled just hard enough to bring her gaze up to his. Her moist green eyes latched on to his. He examined her, almost glaring in his intensity as he looked for something. She didn't know what, but he must have found it. He softened marginally, and she blinked, trying to hold in tears. "That's everything, right?" His hands tightened, holding her still, forcing her to look at him. "Any more secrets, Darcy?"

He held her too securely for her to shake her head or look away. "That's all," she whispered. "No more secrets."

A single tear escaped and spilled out of the corner of her eye. His eyes narrowed and he leaned down, tracking its path with his mouth. Her breath stilled as he caught the tear with the tip of his tongue. He pulled back somewhat, hovering, staying close, almost too close, seeming to steal the very air. Her lips parted. Clint dipped his head to seize her mouth in a fierce kiss. Her hands grasped the rail behind her as he pressed her further into the cool surface. His tongue slid along hers, dominating this time, not sharing, but claiming, marking, refusing to let her hide from him. She felt cocooned, trapped, protected, ensnared; so many feelings burned through her. He demanded her surrender through the sheer power pouring through his kiss.

Darcy stood there when he finally released her, aware only of his gaze and the warmth of his body pressed flush against hers. His hands, still tangled in her hair, gave another light pull. "No more secrets."

"No more secrets," she agreed breathlessly.

Clint smiled, his gaze wickedly intent, as he leaned back down. He loosened one of his hands from her hair and slid it along the side of her neck, across her collarbone, and down her arm. Darcy shivered and his smile fell away as his focus sharpened. The fingers still tangled in her hair began pulling steadily, tilting her head to the side. Her hand started to come up, but he caught it in his and held it back. He skipped her mouth this time and skimmed his lips over her jawline down to the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Her pulse throbbed beneath his mouth as his teeth scraped ever so lightly across it, once, twice. She trembled.

He pulled back. A whimper escaped her throat. His rough chuckle caused another shiver to run down her spine as he put his lips close to her ear. "Poor baby, did you want something?" Clint captured her mouth once more as she started to answer. He broke the kiss and picked her up. Sitting her on top of the railing, he moved forward, nudging her knees apart to stand between them. He grasped her face between his hands and returned to plundering her mouth. She grabbed at his arms as her legs came around to pull him closer. A low growling rumbled in the back of his throat as he moved his hands to her hips. Darcy gasped as he pulled her tightly to him.

Clint ended the kiss with a sharp nip on her lower lip. "Hang on, baby," he said as he lifted her. She wound her arms around his neck and tightened her legs at his waist. He strode across the balcony, letting the darkness of her bedroom envelope them.

"Darcy!"

Darcy looked up as Hurricane Jane surged through the door to grab her hands and start pulling her away from the files. "Jane? What-?"

"Come on, come on! I need you to make sure I'm not seeing things!"

Darcy let herself get hauled out of the room and into the laboratory. Jane pushed her at a stool. "Sit! Watch the empty space!" Darcy frowned after her friend, but shrugged and sat down. She could hear Jane muttering and flipping switches. The scientist suddenly got louder. "Okay, watch!" One last click reached her ears before a quick rush of light and wind appeared in the room. Her hair stirred. A rainbow flickered in the empty space. Darcy's jaw dropped. Two machines sparked. Everything suddenly went quiet.

Jane bounced up next to her. "Did you see it? You saw it, right?"

"I totally saw it!" Darcy threw her arms around Jane. "You did it!"

"Sort of…almost…" Jane stumbled over her words, breathless excitement stealing her voice. "I need more power, more space. You need to pack. We've got to go."

"Go where?"

"New Mexico," Jane answered, starting to shove her papers haphazardly into a box. "It'll be easier to repair from the most recent connection point. We'll have to get set up, figure out how to manage the energy it'll need, not to mention adjusting the calculations for a different latitude and longitude-"

"Whoa, boss!" Darcy exclaimed. She grabbed Jane's arm. "Stop for a minute."

"Darce, we've got-"

"We've got to breathe," she replied pointedly. "We're not just some fly-by-night two-woman operation anymore." Jane frowned, opening her mouth to argue when Darcy held up a hand. "Yeah, we could probably do it ourselves, yay us and girl power. BUT," she pointed a finger at her boss, "we might as well take advantage of all this excess we've got hanging around the Tower."

Jane's nose crinkled, "You mean Tony?"

"You're really cute when you're in 'science-only' mode," Darcy noted. "Yes, I mean Tony. We'll go to New Mexico if you say we need to, but why don't you talk to Tony and Bruce first. Tony's good at building stuff and both he and Bruce know energy right? We don't have to reinvent the wheel."

"And it'll be faster!" Jane finished, giving her a quick hug. "This is why you're the best assistant."

Jane zipped out of the room and Darcy just shook her head. "You're welcome, boss." She stared at the box of papers and the other paperwork piled on the table. "Really, Jane? How do you find anything?"

She started working on the papers, trying to find a decent way to organize them.

"Miss Lewis?" JARVIS spoke suddenly.

"Yeah, J?" she replied, distracted.

"Captain Rogers is looking for you."

"Huh?" She straightened and looked towards the door. "Something wrong?"

"I do not believe so, Miss Lewis." JARVIS paused. "Shall I inform him of your location?"

"Sure, whatever," she answered. "You can always tell the house folks where I'm at unless I'm deliberately trying to hide."

"Yes, Miss Lewis," he responded. "May I inquire…'house folks'?"

Darcy laughed. "The people who live at the house."

"Of course," he agreed. "I shall let Captain Rogers know where to find you."

"Cool." She continued sorting through paperwork, creating separate piles depending on names and/or formulas that showed up the most. "Honestly, Jane writes like a teenage guy who's talking on the phone and playing video games while eating pizza."

"Bad penmanship?" Darcy's head snapped around. Steve gave her a quick grin. "I take it Doctor Foster doesn't take her time?" he asked.

"Ha!" she scoffed. "Jane thinks writing takes away from science time. It wouldn't be quite so bad, but she usually does her writing while she's taking time for a pop tart or coffee. So, yeah, bad penmanship plus coffee stains make for fun deciphering with Darcy." He laughed and she gave him a bright smile. "So, Cap, I hear you're looking for me. What can I do for you?"

He leaned on the table next to her. "I was hoping you would help me with a project." She tilted her head in question and he continued. "I don't know what you know about me from before…?" He let his voice trail off in question.

"Would it be good or bad if I mentioned my great-grandmother had a huge crush?" Darcy giggled.

He winced. "Okay, so you probably know the basics. You've heard about the Howling Commandos?" She nodded and went on. "I've read the files SHIELD has on them, but…" He sighed. "They don't feel complete. SHIELD shows Morita and Falsworth as deceased, but Dugan, Jones, Dernier are just listed as 'retired'. It's almost like they fell off SHIELD's radar." He paused and his brow furrowed. "Well, I guess it would have been S.S.R.'s radar at the time."

"You want to track them down?" she asked.

"I just want to know…" He trailed off. Glancing around the room as though looking for something, he shrugged. "I want to know what happened."

Darcy put her hand on his arm. "Hey, Steve, no big. Between me and JARVIS, we'll get this stuff tracked down in no time."

"It's not a rush," he said, giving her a half smile. "You don't have to be in a hurry."

"Actually, that's kind of good thing," she grimaced. "Jane's this close to fixing the Bifrost. We're apparently going to New Mexico soon."

"Yeah?" His smile grew as she nodded. "Swell! It'll be good to see Thor again."

"And Jane can frickin' relax!"

Steve laughed and she started giggling. After several moments they calmed down and she patted his arm. "As soon as we get back I'll start looking into your friends, okay?"

"Thanks, Darcy."

"Any time, Cap, anytime." She waved her hand. They talked for a few minutes before he left. She waited until she was sure he was far enough before speaking out loud as she turned to the papers. "JARVIS, would you mind starting on that? Let's see what we can track."

"Of course, Miss Lewis," came the solemn answer. "Would you like me to add Margaret Carter to the search as well?"

"Who?" she asked, looking up in confusion.

"Agent Margaret Carter, also known as 'Peggy', was a British member of the Strategic Scientific Reserve who was reported to have a particular affection for Captain Rogers."

"Uh, huh," Darcy replied. She gave the room a sarcastic glance. "And why do you know that?"

"Agent Carter was a friend of Mr. Howard Stark."

"Yeah, okay." She blinked. "Let's not tell Tony about this right now, huh?" Biting her lip, she considered it. "You know what; let's have a look at Agent Carter. Let's see what we can find out for Steve." She tapped her fingers on the table. "Is there anything odd in any of the files, J?"

"Sergeant James Barnes, also known as 'Bucky', is still listed as missing in action despite Captain Rogers providing further detail of Sergeant Barnes' fall from a train into a rather icy river."

"Add him to the list for sure. Why would he still be listed as 'missing'?" Darcy mused as she finished sorting the papers and started stacking them neatly in the box. "Keep the search quiet, okay, J?"

"I shall be the soul of discretion, Miss Lewis."

She gave a quick grin. "Thanks, J." She stood up and dusted off her hands. "I better go hunt down Jane and see when we're leaving."

"Darcy."

"Wake up, Darce."

"Sweetheart, if you don't wake up, I'm going to resort to some drastic measures."

Darcy grumbled and swatted at the hand brushing over her hair.

"You asked for it."

Before her dozing brain could even begin to process the threat in that statement, callused fingers slipped under the hem of her shirt.

She tried pushing them away. "Plane, Clint."

A rough chuckle in her ear was followed by a whisper, "Ribs, Darcy."

Her brain snapped awake just as he started tickling her. "Clint!"

"It woke you up." He smirked at her glare and leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. "Now stay awake. We're landing."

"Already?" she asked, stretching her arms. "I thought it would take longer."

"Like Stark's plane is going to go a normal speed."

Tony's voice echoed back from the front of the cabin. "What's the point? If you're taking a plane, you want to get there quickly. Loitering is a waste of time."

"Which would bother you?" Darcy retorted. "You loiter all the time."

"That's when I want to loiter," he replied. "It includes drinks, music, and Pepper. Sometimes it includes food and the team. Other times it includes big parties and a chance to annoy politicians and celebrities. This? This is not the time for loitering. This is the time for getting to a desert in the middle of New Mexico so we can collect a god of thunder and get back to civilization." He turned his chair so he could give her a pointed look. "I have seen the reports on this place. This is assuredly not the time for loitering." He turned back around.

Darcy raised her eyebrows and looked at Clint. "Guess he's not a nature fan."

"Oh, he's a nature fan," Clint objected breezily. "As long as nature comes in an hourglass form." He shrugged. "Or as a tall, willowy, strawberry blonde."

She gave a small sniff. "Speaking of Pepper, did you know I've gotten three requests for interviews this week?" He cocked an eyebrow at her. Her lips quivered with amusement. "They want the inside scoop on her and Tony. They've been dropping questions in all the gossip blogs." She giggled. "They are totally stuck on me being Tony's kid. I don't get it."

"He's not giving them enough scandal anymore," he replied, eyes narrowing.

"Hmm?" She rubbed her hand soothingly down his arm.

"They love the idea of rich playboy turned hero, but the playboy isn't living down to his image anymore. Stuff like that sells, and they want it back."

"Yeah, well," Darcy sighed. "They're going to find themselves being sued the second they say or do anything that even inches over the line. Pepper's in a mood."

He frowned. "Pepper likes you."

"Oh, she likes me," she agreed quickly. "It's just that reporters have started hounding her about wedding bells, tying down a confirmed bachelor, and whether or not she liked the idea of being a step-mother." He winced. She nodded. "One toe out of line and someone's getting sued for libel or slander."

"Ouch."

She giggled as the plane touched down. "Ah, Pepper says the lawyers are bored anyway."

Clint shook his head, but said nothing as they disembarked. The usual nondescript SHIELD vehicles picked them up from the private airport and whisked them off to the temporary desert headquarters.

"Don't get too comfortable," Tony warned. "As soon as we get the big guy back, we're out of here. Pepper's arranged things to have some time off and I'm taking her on vacation somewhere."

Steve frowned at him. "You haven't figured out where to take her?"

"Pepper's doing all of that," Tony answered, waving him off. "I just agree and sign whatever she hands me."

Darcy smothered a laugh as Steve shook his head. Clint moved so his mouth was next to her ear. "It's a damn good thing Pepper doesn't want to rule the world. We'd never have a chance."

"How do we know she doesn't?" she whispered.

He gave a soft snort. "If Pepper ran things the world wouldn't be this screwed up."

She considered that for a moment. "I've got to give you that one."

Forty-eight hours after landing, she helped move everything into place before nimbly getting out of the way. Jane had resurrected her Mr. Hyde self to make sure everything worked right. Darcy knew when to get out of Dodge; let the others figure it out on their own.

"So, now what?" Clint asked.

She leaned against the truck and tilted her head back to meet his eyes as he peered down from his perch on its roof. "We wait for Jane to finish fluttering over her machines and hit the on switch."

"I'm not fluttering!" Jane hollered from where she hovered over Tony's shoulder as he hooked up the last of the energy connections. He kept giving her annoyed glances, but she kept breathing down his neck.

"Right!" Darcy quipped back. "You're behaving like a new mother hen with her only chick, but there's no fluttering going on."

Clint chuckled. "You two are a matched set."

"Of what?" she laughed. "The Tweedles?"

"No," he grinned. "You just fit."

She smiled as she watched Tony trying to work with Jane eyeing his every move while Steve tried to distract her. "Jane's easy. It's all a matter of believing in her. Even if you have no idea what she's talking about, just having someone listen to her and not make fun? It makes her week. Even more if you believe in her." Darcy wrinkled her nose. "Jane's so used to people writing off her theories and opinions that she'll go to the wall for anyone who really believes in her."

"Darcy!" Jane shouted. "We're set up."

"So let's do this!" she replied in kind.

Jane waved her over, and Darcy tossed a grin at Clint as she moved to stand next to her friend. Jane's entire form vibrated slightly, trembling in anticipation. Darcy reached out and held her hand. The scientist's fingers clamped down even as her other hand flipped the switch of closest machine.

Everyone stilled, even the breeze itself seemed to die away as they waited. Jane's quivering grew more pronounced as the moments clicked by. She turned to look at one of the machines, but Darcy pulled her back.

"Jane," Darcy murmured. "Look up."

The whole group looked up. A shimmering curtain of light began to form above their heads in the glittering New Mexico night. It pulsed, almost like a heart beating, as it seemed to surge forward and pull back rhythmically. Each time it surged, it came a little closer to Earth. The light grew stronger; its colors became more vivid.

The light touched the ground, solidified for a moment, and then vanished.

"No!" Jane cried out. Darcy threw her arms around the petite woman.

Tony began muttering about energy fluxes and additional sources as he strode towards one of the sparking machines. A huge gust of wind rushed over the group even as his fingers reached for a switch. Laughter echoed in their ears.

"Midgardians! I congratulate you!"

"Oh, for crying out…" Darcy muttered under her breath for a moment before glaring upwards. "Heimdall! Quit stalling."

The deep laughter rang out once more as Steve, Tony, and Jane stared at her. "Greetings, Lady Darcy."

"Don't you 'greetings' me. What happened to the bridge?" she demanded.

"Lady Jane has completed the repairs to Midgard's end of the Bifrost much sooner than we expected. The two ends are weaving their patterns together as we speak. When the breach has been completely healed, I will be able to send Thor to you."

"Is he there?" Jane asked, forgoing her concentration on Darcy for a more pressing concern.

"Indeed, Lady Jane,"Heimdall replied in amusement. "He is quite anxious to return to Midgard."

"He damn well better be," Darcy muttered as she continued supporting Jane. She looked up. "What kind of time frame are we looking at here?"

"A few moments more," Heimdall answered. Silence reigned over the clearing for several long minutes. "It is ready."

They watched the starry sky, nervous, excited. Darcy, Jane, and Erik drew closer to each other. While the other Avengers looked forward to welcoming their teammate back, the three of them were waiting to greet a friend; Darcy's lips twitched – or whatever Jane was calling him these days. Clint came down from the truck to move closer to the women.

The pulsating curtain of light appeared again, more vibrant, more real than before. This time it rushed to the ground, hitting with the sound of thunder. As the sound faded away, so too did the light. Thor stood in the center of a new, intricate circle design. Darcy's smile blossomed even as Jane ripped away to throw herself into the waiting arms of the god of thunder.

"Oh, thank God," she muttered, watching the passionate reunion. Clint raised an eyebrow. She shrugged. "Jane' s been moping and brooding all this time when she could be dragged out of science mode. If he had been anything other than eager and enthusiastic, I might have tasered him again."

A booming laugh interrupted any response Clint might have made. "Lady Darcy!" Thor swept her up into a warm embrace. "I shall give you no reason for using your formidable weapon," he stated grandly, keeping one hand on her shoulder. "I give you my word."

"Hey, big guy," she grinned. "You're here, Jane's happy – I'm all good."

He gave her his best smile before turning to the others. "Erik! My shield-brothers! It is good to see you again!" Darcy leaned against the truck, almost doubled over in laughter as the men dealt with Thor's excessive greetings. He apparently forgot to temper his strength, and only Steve stood up to it without stumbling. He returned to Jane's side.

Tony shook his head. "Okay, campers, let's go. We've got a plane to catch."

"Are we already needed to pursue some miscreant?" Thor asked as they congregated on the vehicles.

"No, not today," Steve answered. "We're going home."

"Then what is this 'plane' we must apprehend?"

Darcy repressed her laughter as Jane began explaining. Oh, the next few months promised to be all kinds of fun.

Pepper, Bruce, and Natasha met them at the front door. They barely made it through, however, before phones began beeping. "Oh, come on!" Darcy cried in exasperation. "We just got home!"

"Super villains wait for no man," Tony sighed. Natasha raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged. "'Super villains wait for no person' didn't sound right." She rolled her eyes and moved to suit up.

Clint gave Darcy a quick but fervent kiss before following. She huffed as the others scattered and regrouped only to rush out the door. She looked at Pepper.

Pepper smiled sympathetically. "Sometimes being the other half of a super hero pairing really sucks."

"Sing it, sister," Darcy replied, returning the smile. "Send them off with a smile, worry the entire time, sigh in relief when they get back." She lifted her hands. "Lather, rinse, repeat."

"Pretty much," Pepper laughed.

"Excuse me, Miss Lewis?"

"Hey, J," Darcy replied, looking up automatically. She rolled her eyes as Pepper smirked. "Okay, so I keep expecting to actually see somebody, even after all this time." Pepper snickered, and Darcy sighed. "What's up, JARVIS?"

"Miss Lewis, per your request, I have been looking into the personal histories of the members of Captain Rogers' team. As you provided no particular parameters for confining the search, the default remained the previous parameters set by Mr. Stark." JARVIS paused.

Darcy froze. "J, please tell me Nick Fury is not on his way over here to arrest me?"

"I do not believe so, Miss Lewis," the AI replied smoothly. "SHIELD is apparently unaware of my search of their files." She buried her face in her hands.

"Oh, dear," Pepper said as she stifled a smile. "You really do have to set up some kind of boundaries, because Tony won't."

"I'm getting that." Darcy shook her head and muttered, "Note to self: 'Don't default to Tony's settings.'"

She shared another smile with Pepper, but JARVIS broke in once more. "I have discovered some…unexpected information."

"On which one?" Darcy asked. "And is Steve going to like the answer?"

"As to Captain Rogers' opinion, I believe he will eventually be pleased," JARVIS answered. "It would be easier to show you the information I have retrieved. Would you please step into the media room, Miss Lewis?"

The women exchanged confused glances but walked into the nearby room. The large screen television flickered to life as they entered. "You're as bad as Tony about theatrics." Darcy threw herself onto the couch as Pepper perched on one of the large chairs. "Okay, J, go for it."

The screen flickered once more before bringing up a picture of a bare looking room. It had machines lining one of the walls while another was mostly taken up by a window. An occupied bed took up the middle of the room.

"That's a hospital room." Darcy sat up with a frown. "JARVIS, which one of them is in the hospital, and where is it?"

"Actually, Miss Lewis, that is the unexpected part," JARVIS replied. "It is not a member of the Howling Commandos." The AI switched cameras to one focused directly on the patient's face.

Pepper gasped.

Shock brought Darcy to her feet, her eyes going wide. "Oh. My. God."