They returned to the hotel and began the search for Loki's chips, but were ultimately unsuccessful.
"Fuck." Tony growled from the bar while Steve searched the couch cushions. Maria was digging through Tony's bedroom while Thor was searching through his own.
"You could always just get the money out of your account, you are a billionaire." Steve said as he flung a purple thong out of the crevice between the cushions on one of the couches.
"I'm afraid it's not that easy. Pepper's cut him off. Said he had to get this mess straightened out on his own without wasting their money." Maria said as she emerged from the bedroom.
"How did Pepper find out anyway?" Tony asked. "Did you tell her?" He pointed at Hill accusingly.
"No, Fury did." She replied coolly, her arms crossed over her chest.
"You guys didn't tell Natasha did you?" Steve asked as he gave up on the couches and sat on the floor.
"Of course not. She's on edge enough as it is, but she will figure it out sooner or later." Maria said. "Especially if there's a money trail to follow."
"She wouldn't go into my account." Tony said. The others glanced at him, doubtful. "Fuck." He grumbled, ruffling his hair.
"We're in Vegas, what if we earn the chips back the same way Loki did." Steve said as Thor walked into the room.
"I am not particularly well versed in gambling, although Jane did try to teach me at one point." He said. "Are any of you proficient at the art?"
"I am" Tony and Maria said simultaneously. They glanced at each other awkwardly.
"But just being good at blackjack might not be enough." Tony said with a slight smirk, "how are you at counting cards Agent Hill?"
"Probably better than you are." She returned. He raised an eyebrow.
"Really, you don't say. I have to admit I did not take you for a gambler Maria." Tony said. She glared at him, not gracing him with a backstory.
"Well I guess that settles it." Steve said. "Lets go, the sooner we get Clint back the sooner we can go home."
The night was a blur of blackjack, alcohol and victorious screams as Tony and Maria reined triumphant earning back Loki's chips while Steve and Thor cheered them on.
At dawn they all saddled into Coulson's beaten up Mercedes-Benz and drove into the desert. Steve sat in the passenger seat while Tony drove, the other two sat in the back.
"And, 100, 200, 300, 400, and with all of this we have 82,400 dollars." Steve exclaimed after he'd finished counting the cash.
"Yes, I am awesome!" Tony yelled happily. "And you're pretty good too Agent Hill." He added with a lopsided grin. Maria smirked slightly, unwilling to admit just how much she'd enjoyed herself.
"We should do this next week, take the whole city down." Tony smiled.
"Or we could focus on getting Clint back, right now." Steve corrected as he placed the cash into Thor's satchel and handed it back to Maria for safekeeping.
"I think its safe to say our luck has officially turned around guys." Stark said, after shooting Steve a look.
They parked a little ways in front of Loki's van. Loki and his guards stepped out of their car, while Steve and the others did the same.
"Alright, we got the money, 80 grand, cash." Tony called out as they walked over.
"Throw it over, then you'll get your friend back." Loki said with a smirk.
"Before we give you the money, we'd like to see our friend, make sure he's ok." Steve said.
"Of course Captain." Loki said, as he clapped his hands together. One of the bodyguards went to the backseat of the van and yanked out the hostage.
"See, your friend is perfectly fine." Loki said with a smile indicating the struggling prisoner. "Now, my money." Steve nodded to Maria, who grimaced, but threw the bag over anyway.
"It's all there." The guard said after he'd counted the cash.
"Good, let her go." Loki said waving his hand at the other bodyguard.
"Her?" Tony asked as the hostage was shoved over against him and Steve. They removed the bag from her head, revealing a very angry Darcy concealed underneath. Her mouth was taped shut.
"What the hell is this." Tony yelled, "I thought you had Clint?" Loki laughed while Steve gingerly removed the tape from Darcy's mouth.
"Thor, what the hell did you get me wrapped up in?" She yelled at him.
"Darcy, are you alright?" He asked.
"I'm fine." She said, "just pissed."
"What the hell, Loki." Tony yelled again. "Where's Clint?"
"How should I know? He's your friend." Loki said as he got back into the vehicle.
The group watched the black SUV drive off. Maria glanced at Stark.
"Call Natasha." She said. He groaned and looked at her with puppydog eyes. She just glared at him. Steve looked overall defeated, but nodded at Maria's comment.
"It's time to fill her in." He said. Tony sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket and started dialing her number as he put some distance between him and the others.
"Romanoff." She answered.
"Natasha, it's Tony." He said.
"Stark, where the hell are you guys. Pepper's freaking out."
Thor sat in the backseat with Darcy filling her in on the events of the trip, while Maria and Steve leaned against the car.
"So what is it with you and tigers anyway?" Maria ventured, glancing at the Captain curiously. He didn't return her look, instead opting to stare out into the desert. He sighed deeply,
"I'll tell you if you share your story with gambling." He bargained.
"Deal." She said shortly.
"When I was younger, before the super soldier serum, I got beat up a lot, which I guess is pretty common knowledge at SHIELD. Once, several years before I became a soldier, a couple of the bastards tried to feed me to a tiger at the local circus. They got me into the cage, and the tiger had me cornered, I probably would have died if the lion handler and a security guard hadn't intervened." He said quietly. "I just haven't been particularly fond of them ever since, it's sort of a phobia of mine." He finished obviously unwilling to go into any more detail, still avoiding her eyes, obviously embarrassed by his own personal kryptonite. She didn't say anything for a moment, pondering the story in her mind.
"My dad was a gambler, and a drinker. After my mom died he got full custody of me so I spent a lot of time in the drunk gambling environment. I got pretty good at it, had to, most of the time whatever I won off of Dad's friends went directly towards my dinner." She said quietly. Steve glanced at her, she could see a bit of pity, which irritated her. That's why she didn't share backstories, she didn't need other peoples pity.
"I'm sorry about your mom." He said quietly.
"Me too. She was a SHIELD agent you know. Died out in the field, she's the reason I joined SHIELD in the first place." Maria said. Why am I telling him this, I don't tell people things, she thought to herself, but then again this was Steve, she knew whatever she told him would stay between them.
"I'm sure she would have been proud of you." Steve offered quietly, before the two fell into silence.
"So then we are waiting for the vehicle when the Captain see's Clint's mattress on the roof, it appeared we had thrown it right out of our window!" Thor said gleefully from the car as he talked to Darcy.
"Seriously? What did you do? Punch out the window, those things don't exactly open." Darcy replied. Maria hadn't been listening, but she saw Steve flinch.
"Captain?" She asked.
"I know what happened to Clint!" He said as he turned to face her his hands planting themselves firmly on her folded arms, his eyes had lit up.
"STARK!" Steve shouted as he ran over to where Tony was still on the phone with Natasha. He tackled the man causing the phone to go soaring out of Tony's hands.
"Hello? Stark?" Natasha's voice came over the phone. Steve crawled over and picked it up.
"Tasha, it's Steve."
"Steve, talk to me, what's going on?" She asked.
"Um, nothing, don't listen to Tony, he's completely out of his mind, he's probably still drunk from last night."
"Where's Clint." She asked, clearly not taking him seriously.
"He is paying the bill, we just had a delicious brunch and we're in a big hurry to get back so we have to get going. Okay, we'll see you soon. Bye."
"Wait, Steve. Steve!" She yelled into the phone, but he'd already hung up. "Fuck" she growled.
"What the fuck man?" Tony asked as he shoved Steve off of him.
"I know where Clint is." Steve answered as he got up and ran back to the car with Tony on his heels. He jumped into the driver's seat, while Maria slipped into the back beside Darcy, and Tony had moved into the passengers seat. Once they were driving, Steve explained.
"Remember when we saw the mattress that was impaled on that statue."
"Yeah, that's because we threw it out that window." Tony said.
"No, impossible, you can't open windows in Vegas hotels." Darcy threw in.
"Then how did it…" Tony jumped "Oh my God!" He exclaimed as the realization hit him. Steve laughed slightly.
"Wait, I do not understand." Thor said.
"Clint was trying to signal someone." Steve said.
"Holy shit." Tony chuckled "How'd you figure that out?"
"Something Darcy said while Thor was filling her in." Steve answered.
"Will someone please tell me where Agent Barton is?" Thor said irritated.
"He's on the roof." Maria explained.
"Yes, he's on the roof. We must have taken him up there on his mattress as a prank so he'd wake up on the roof." Tony said.
"Holy shit. You think he's still up there?" Darcy asked.
"Only one way to find out." Steve replied as he accelerated the car, way over the speed limit.
So, some serious talk between Captain/Hill, I felt like adding some backstory improv. Also, thank you guys for reviewing, we're in the home stretch only a few more chapters to go :D