AN: I'm so so so sorry for taking a long time with this chapter, my internet kept going out and I was having a mild case of writer block, but now the ideas are flowing again and I'm fairly happy with this chapter. I have some surprises in store for the next one, so get ready. Please review and let me know what you think! Reviews help me keep writing and let me know people are actually reading this story! Without further pause, please enjoy Part 1 of Tony's party ;)

Chapter 5 (part one of Tony's party)

Darcy walked into her house freezing cold and dripping wet. She quickly started the shower and got in. As her body's temperature rose she thought about what she was going to wear to Tony's later that night.

She stepped out of her shower and wrapped up in a towel, moving quickly from the warm bathroom to her not so warm bedroom. She gathered her clothes and quickly dressed. Standing in front of her mirror, she brushed out her hair and surveyed her outfit. It was only a basketball game but it was at Stark tower, so she wore her unstained jersey and a pair of dark jeans.

Darcy sat down on her couch and turned on her T.V. and switching to the movie channel and settling in to watch the Men in Black marathon.

A few hours later Darcy was walking down the side walk, heading in the direction of Stark Tower, her mind strangely blank. As she was greeted at the front desk and let into the elevator her mind wondered to Loki.

What had he done in the time since I last saw him?

She shook her head and scolded herself; she had no reason to be thinking of him.

Friends, they could be friends.

When the elevator door opened she was greeted by a huge boom of noise, strong arms pulling her from the platform and swinging her into the room.

"Clint! What are you doing?"

"Welcoming in a friendly face." Clint Barton had already had a few drinks and that always loosened him up, at least he was a happy drunk; he was deadly with those arrows.

"Well you can set me down, I just got here and already everyone is staring."

"Sorry D." He set her down on her feet and raised his fist. Making her own fist she bumped it against his and laughed.

"It's ok C." Darcy turned from Clint as Natasha tapped him on the shoulder. Thor came up beside her and tapped her back, always mindful of the fact he could slam her across the room with half his strength.

"Hi again Thor, where's Jane?"

"I think she is with Steve downstairs, Tony is showing off his new suit, even if I think it is silly for a man to run around in a tin suit, you should see it."

"I think I will." Darcy smiled and made her way through the crowd, stopping go say hello every few seconds. Finally she mad it down the stairs behind the glass panel and knocked lightly.

Through the glass door she saw the group of three turn her way, Tony walking over to let her in.

"Hello Darcy, glad you could make it."

"Sorry I'm a little late."

Tony wrapped his arm around Darcy's shoulders and led her over to Steve Rogers and Jane.

"Hey cap, what's up?" Darcy moved away from Tony to give the sandy blonde haired man a hug.

"Listening to Stark brag about his genius, and his new suit. He was just asking what color scheme it should be and I suggested instead of the usual red and gold, how about red and white and blue?"

"Sorry Rogers." Tony interrupted with a quick smile, "Those are your colors and I plan on leaving it like that."

Jane piped up with a suggestion. "Why not do it the opposite of the first suit? Look at the pattern on the first on and change the red to gold and the gold to red?"

Tony thought for a moment and then walked over to his computers, tapping a few keys, he called over, "Like this?"

Jane walked over and looked at the screen thoughtfully. "Yes, just like that, but maybe leave the helmet the way it was before, you look kind of funny with an all gold head and red face."

Darcy laughed and pulled Steve along to look at the image.

"Oh, I like that, it's like you can tell it's different and yet it isn't."

"I agree." Steve clapped Tony's shoulder and turned to the two women. "Why don't we head back to the party?"

"Sure." Darcy slipped her arm through Steve's offered one and Jane did the same. "Are you coming Tony? It is your party after all."

"I'll be up soon." But with the way his fingers were flying over the keys and a few holographic images had started to appear on the table next to him, Darcy doubted he would be leaving this room any time soon.

Once they were back upstairs Jane ran off to join Thor, and Steve walked with her to the bar, asking if she wanted a drink.

"I'll just take a beer, nothing fancy for me." Darcy said, looking around the room to gauge who was there, and who wasn't.

Where is he?

"Are you ok?" Steve set a beer bottle down in front of her, his eyes searching hers.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for the beer." Darcy snapped out before sitting down, her back to the crowd and berated herself in her head for caring, and for being rude to her friend.

"Sorry cap, didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's fine." Before Steve could say anything else, Clint and Natasha walked over.

"Hey Rogers, can you come here for a moment?" Clint was obviously forcing a smile down and Natasha was wearing a bigger smirk than usual.

"Umm, what for?" Steve glanced at Darcy for help, clearly noticing something was up, but she only shrugged.

"Just come here." Natasha grabbed the ex-soldiers arm and pulled him away before he could refuse.

"Clint, what are you guys going to do to him?"

Clint turned around and met Darcy's eyes, a huge grin spreading over his face.

"Well, since he can't get drunk, we figured it was our job to get him to have some fun."

"He seemed fine to me. What are you doing to the poor man?"

"Making him have a little fun. See ya later D." Clint winked and walked away, jogging slightly to catch up with the others on the way to what looked like the kitchen.

Darcy turned back to her drink. Loki's face crept into her mind.

"Thinking about me I see." Darcy jumped slightly as Loki's voice sounded out from thin air on her right. Without thinking, she shot her arm out and connected her elbow with an invisible gut. She smirked when she heard him groan and slowly let his magic seep away so she could see him.

"That's what you get for making me jump." Darcy thought for a moment as Loki looked at her with irritated eyes.

"And for a few other things."

Loki straightened to his full height, glared sown at Darcy and then reached one long arm across the bar to grab his own drink. "What would those other things be?"

Darcy stood; his voice was dripping with what she called his I-think-I'm-better-then-you tone.

"One, for trying to kiss me, two, for scaring me a few seconds ago, third, for whatever other trouble you're going to cause me."

Loki froze with his beer halfway to his lips, his eyes focused on Darcy's.

"My attempt to kiss you caused you problems? From what I could tell, you were very eager for me to kiss you." His voice was deeper and Darcy was getting pulled into his charm.

She shook her head and took a step back.

"Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Stop trying to be charming and innocent." Darcy grabbed her beer and turned away, marching over to join Jane and Thor. She joined into the conversation easily, but her mind was stuck on her conversation with Loki.

What just happened?

Loki leaned back against the bars edge, taking a heavy drink from his bottle.

Darcy Lewis was a strange mortal indeed. He hadn't been very pleasant with her, but he wasn't in a very pleasant mood.

After she had left his apartment he had gone to talk to Thor, having to pull him away from his own mortal woman.

"Thor, what was it you talked to Darcy about?"

"She wanted to know about your punishment; apparently Fury has kept her in the dark about quite a few things."

"There is something more you are not telling me. What is it?"

Thor had the decency to look embarrassed. "She inquired if you were, in fact, adopted. I told her the truth."

Loki was seeing red, he only had just found out about his true nature and already Thor was telling others.

"Brother, calm down, I did not tell her everything; that is solely for you to decide if she is to know. I have not even told Jane the truth."

Loki shook himself from his memory and found that his stare had traveled over to Darcy, who was standing next to his brother, laughing at something Jane had whispered in her ear. He polished of his beverage and strode over to the laughing group.

"Darcy, can I speak to you for a moment?"

Darcy turned around and stared at Loki for a moment before nodding her head.

"Sure, I have a feeling I know what this is about." Darcy set her near empty bottle on a low table and followed Loki down a hallway, into an empty room where he partially closed the door.

"Let me guess, this is about what me and Jane and Thor talked about right?"

Loki took a step forward and stood inches away from her, neither moving away.

"Yes. My brother told me you asked about my blood relation to him."

"Oh, um yeah I guess you could say that. I did ask if you were adopted because I heard through the ever slow S.H.E.I.L.D. grapevine that you were and I wanted to double check."

"Yes, Darcy Lewis, Thor is not my blood brother, and the Allfather is not my father."

"Then who is?" Darcy walked away to sit on a plush, black leather sofa, patting the seat next to her softly. Loki slowly walked over and sat gently on the couch.

Why am I doing this?

"My true father is Laufey, king of the Frost Giants. After the war Odin came across me when I was a small baby, and when he touched me, my skin changed from its blue to that as it is now." Loki stood up and started to pace.

"I grew up not knowing who I really was. When Thor, the Warriors Three, Lady Sif, and I traveled to Jotunheim, one of the giants grabbed my arm, and it turned the same shade of blue as his. Soon after I confronted Odin, and he told me I was nothing more than a tool in his fight for peace with Laufey."

Darcy stood and grabbed Loki's hand, pulling him to a stop and forcing him to meet her eyes.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that. He took you into his home; he raised you as his own son, he had to have loved you-"

"In his eyes I was nothing more than second best to Thor. Always living in my older brother's shadow. He never loved me like a real son."

"Is that why you sent that metal beast to attack Thor? And why you came to Earth and tried to kill the Avengers and enslave us all?"

Loki just looked down at the short mortal girl in front of him. He was extremely uncomfortable and was berating himself for even starting this conversation. He had no idea why it even mattered if she knew the truth.

But it did matter; he wanted her to know the truth.

"What a strange girl."

"What?" Darcy gazed at him with confused eyes, and he realized he had spoken aloud.

"Nothing."

"I don't believe that one bit, but I'll let it go for now." Darcy let go of Loki's hand. He started to walk to the door but Darcy called out to him.

"Thank you for telling me the truth Loki, it means a lot. And for the record I don't think of you as second best." Loki was frozen where he stood, the door open in front of him. Darcy slipped past him, not looking up and hurried back to the party.

Loki noticed how her long hair swayed with each step she took, then he visibly shook himself and made his own way back to the party.

What a confusing girl.