Author's Note – hopefully my writer's block is breaking.

Eighth Interlude

Doctor Jane Foster could explain and wax eloquent on any number of issues. From dark matter to magnetohydrodynamics to Einstein-Rosen bridges – anyone of these topics might send her into a long and detailed discussion of theories and hypotheses…unless her mind got sidetracked with a new formula or a bright, shiny idea. While Jane knew people considered her to be the epitome of the absent-minded scientist, they always underestimated her ability to pull up memories and impressions of things they thought she missed due to her attention to her craft. A nearly perfect memory made her work easier, and she spent several years on strengthening her ability to multitask. The two skills meant she really didn't need help in her work very often. It was the day-to-day stuff she failed on – thus the need for an intern/assistant. Darcy once called her the most focused magpie she had ever met.

Darcy Lewis was one topic that could bring her to a stuttering stop as she tried to explain the unexplainable. (So was Thor, for that matter, but that was an entirely different story, not to mention reason.)

Less than a week after getting Darcy back – a shudder ran through Jane as she remembered the frantic worry – the scientist watched as people almost tiptoed around her intern and thought they might be overdoing it. The brunette certainly seemed to be getting a little touchy about the whole thing. Darcy liked attention; she had soaked up the worry and concern for all of a day before the smothering seemed to grow too much. Three days later? She was beginning to get snippy with people.

Jane remembered meeting Darcy – she remembered the quirky hat, oversized sweater, and horrified look the girl had worn as she looked around the disaster of the lab. (No one ever claimed Jane's organization made sense. Only her actual papers held a rigid, ruthless formality.) In less than a month together Darcy managed to wrangle some kind of structure to the lab while annoying Jane to no end about real food, sleep, and the idea of sunshine.

Okay, so Darcy had to get her into an argument over the sun being a star, leading Jane to accidentally agreeing to eat lunch on the roof so the scientist could correct the horrors of public education. It still amused her that the younger girl had managed to act so convincingly clueless. It took Jane longer than it should have to realize she'd been conned, and by that time…. Well, Darcy made great pinwheel sandwiches.

During their months together, Darcy became a companion, then a friend, and finally a younger sister. She would coddle, coax, and maneuver Jane into eating or sleeping while being one of the best assistants anyone could want. Most people overcomplicated things, looking for the difficult answers, but Darcy tried to find the easiest solution and caught the stuff Jane had a tendency to miss. More than that, though, Darcy could take all of Jane's complicated notes and odd commentary and turn it into reports other people actually understood and appreciated.

Jane tried to overlook that she cut out most of the fun science parts in order to do that.

All in all though, she could not explain how Darcy did what she did. How did she manage to become such a lynchpin for Jane's life? A sister, a caretaker…a touchstone – she became all of that. More – she did the same for the others. Thor and Steve turned to her for help on dealing with the regular world. Tony Stark wanted to adopt her. Pepper and Natasha seemed to relax more around her – so did Bruce for that matter. The other Asgardians treated her with an affectionate awe – and Jane knew that bothered Darcy more than the dark-haired girl would admit. Granted, most of SHIELD looked at her strangely.

Then there was Clint – who adored her.

Jane approved.

Raised voices drew her attention back to the small knot of people on the other side of the lab. Her lips twitched as Tony started offering complicated and overblown bribes in a teasing attempt to draw Darcy to the 'dark side' as he was calling it. Her loyalty gave Jane a warm glow of contentment, but it occurred to her that she could use this to motivate people to stop treating her… Oh, just admit it already, Jane sighed to herself. She could try and get people to stop treating her little sister like she was made of glass.

Jane stepped forward just as Darcy started to snap at Tony. "Darcy," Jane poked her. "Stop being bitchy." Turning to the billionaire, she ignored the surprised looks on everyone else's face. "How about you try bribing me? Maybe I'll timeshare…but only if it's good enough."