A/N: Thank you for all your reviews! It's so awesome to hear what you think of the story. Let's me know I'm kinda on the right track ;) Also to everyone who's followed and favourited - You guys rock!

Disclaimer: I keep forgetting this. I suspect Loki. Dammit, Loki! No, don't tempt me! I'm a married woman! Oh look! There's Darcy, go get her!

Stuff & Nonsense - Chapter Seven

Darcy had the most trippy sensation of floating on air and feeling her stomach being weighed down like she swallowed a stone. She had no idea of where this was going with Loki, but she was too terrified to think about where it could.

So much for staying away from him, she sighed as she flicked his very fine backside when he pulled himself out of the cab before her. He leaned back inside the car with a raised brow and began to help her out. "Am I going to have to report you for sexual harassment, Ms Lawson?"

Ignoring his outstretched hand, Darcy hoisted herself upright and smoothed her silky purple top over her skinny jeans. "Your ass, dude. Tight. Have you ever bounced quarters off it?" He chuckled and shook his head. Darcy's eyes widened. "Could I?"

"Only after the second date."

"Awesome."

"But, if we were to, I don't know, extend this date-" he gasped her hand in his and pulled her towards her apartment building. "Maybe the quarter bouncing could come sooner."

"Loki. That was smooth. And tempting." And so not happening. Her apartment was littered in evidence that she was clearly not Dana Lawson.

"So?" He reeled her in and pulled her tight against his delicious tightness. Geez, he was tall. Her eyes reached his chin. In heels. She tilted her head back and he leaned in. Just as their lips were about to party, she whispered, "That cabbie's starting to look pissed."

"Tease."

"Sluttypants."

He kissed her hard and fast. "Minx."

"Noonce."

He reared back as if scalded. "Noonce? Noonce! How dare you call me a noonce?" He paused. "What's a noonce?"

Darcy just cracked it at his expression of confusion with a dash of righteous indignation. Between gasps she got out, "Someone who looses their cab at this time on a Saturday night."

"Right. Fine. I get it. No nookie for Loki the Noonce." He cupped his beautiful large hands around Darcy's face and kissed her cheek wet with tears of mirth. Was that- he just licked her! "We will be seeing each other again, my dear," he growled into her ear.

"Really?" She gasped, revelling in his touch.

"I'm at a conference in D.C. until Wednesday. I'll see you then." Confidence. His voice dripped with it. He leaned in again and Darcy gave up trying to appear virtuous and opened her mouth to his and their tongues finally got to party. Her fingers made their way into the soft hair at the back of his neck and she ran her fingers through the slightly shorter strands. He moaned and pulled away, both of them short of breath.

"Wednesday, right?" He appeared to be one step away from pleading. He also didn't seem to realise his hands had made their way down to her hips. His long fingers were rhythmically clenching and loosening in a way that reminded her of much more intimate activities.

"Wednesday. Okie dokie." Never mind Darcy, her panties just spontaneously combusted.

He pulled back with an evil grin, back to his normal self. "Good. Until then." He bounded over to the cab and then was gone.

"Good afternoon, Asgard Technology and Security, Thor Asgard's office."

"Good afternoon. Is Mr Asgard available?"

"Just one moment- yes, he is. May I ask who's calling?"

"Loki. Loki Laufeyson. Thank you."

"One more moment, Mr Laufeyson."

Loki's fingers twitched on his knee, betraying his anxiety as he waited for his former brother to pick up the phone. He cast his eyes around the generic hotel room for a distraction. No such luck. After the third ring he had nearly hung up before a slightly breathless Thor boomed down the line, "Brother! Wonderful to hear from you!"

Loki rolled his eyes. Although built like a rugby player, Thor always sounded as if he was auditioning for Shakespeare. "Thor, how have you been?"

"Wonderful! Life has been good, and now that you have called, it's even better!"

"I've heard that you've settled down somewhat," Loki asked curiously, testing the waters.

Thor chuckled. "Yes, I have. Jane is the light to my darkness, brother. I have never met anyone such as she-" Loki interrupted before the other man could continue to wax lyrical about Jane and her attributes, extensive as they may be.

"I want to make amends, Thor."

His former brother paused. "Of course, that's why you called, correct?" As if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Ah- yes. Yes, I suppose it is." Loki stammered a little. Thor was nothing if not blunt.

"Mother will be thrilled, brother! Come to my office on-" he heard the clicks of a mouse, "on Wednesday before lunch. We can go out and catch up, and you can meet Jane!"

"Sure, that sounds good, Thor. Jane still works there?" He asked curiously.

"Of course, she took the position of Co-Head of the Research and Development Division after you-" he trailed off.

Loki smiled ruefully. "You can say it, Thor. After I left."

Thor cleared his throat. "Well, yes. She will be so glad to finally meet you, I talk of you often."

"Oh, dear. No wonder my ears burn."

Thor laughed heartily. "Nothing bad, I assure you."

"If you say so. So, Wednesday?"

"Yes, I will see you then. Good to hear from you, Loki," his bother, former brother, replied softly and they both hung up.

Darcy had just sat down at her desk Wednesday morning with her 'break-time caffeinated beverage' when her Starktab binged at her. Oo, maybe another ridiculous tweet from Loki! Her lady parts informed her that he was due back from D.C. today. Or not, the cheeky grin dropped from her face as she saw the email.

To: darcinator
From: volstagg.v
Subject: Re: Favor Please!

Dude.

Are you trying to get me fired. The files you mentioned have been tampered with by upper management in Asgard. Upper, upper management.

I haven't been told by anyone to look at these particular files so, dude, stop.

Please.

I got a butt groove and everything.

V

Darcy frowned. What? He hadn't looked at this stuff? None of it? Where was the IT department investigation looking? And, more importantly, Jane hadn't been the only one accessing the prototype files. Well, Jane hadn't been anyway, but the fact is that someone high up in Asgard had been playing silly buggers with the information that had gone to Jotunn.

Her cell phone began to vibrate across her desk. Jane. "Hey, how's it hanging?"

"Oh, my gosh Darcy. You have to help me," Jane whispered harshly.

"Shit, dude. What's happened?" Darcy's own voice dropped volume.

"Sif and Hogun from Internal Affairs have messaged me to go to Thor's office. Now. I think they've found what you did-" her voice cracked.

"Don't go in without me, Jane," Darcy ordered as she hoisted her handbag out from her bottom draw. "I'm coming."

"Come quick, Darce. Please."

Darcy made some noises about a family emergency and ran out of Jotunn and in front of the first cab she saw. Tossing far too much cash at the driver as she arrived, she threw herself into Asgard and breathlessly into the nearest open lift.

Jane was wringing her hands and pacing in their office. "They just called again, Darcy." She gasped, throwing herself into her friend's arms. "I didn't do anything!"

"It's okay. It's okay, Janie," Darcy soothed. "I told you I was going to take care of everything."

Darcy took Jane's hand in her own and they made their way to Thor's office on the fortieth floor. Darcy could feel her friend vibrating with tension and she gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze. Thor's PA let them in without a word, only a curious glance.

"Darcy!" Thor sounded surprised. "You're back."

She met the gaze of Hogun and then Sif before turning back to her boss' fiancé. Jane clutched at her as she shook her head slowly. "I never left, big guy."

"What?" Sif's sharp voice cracked through the room.

Darcy took a deep breath, stomach clenching. "If this is what I think it's about, then I have to be here right now."

Hogun, who was standing behind Sif seated at the long desk that dominated the centre of the office, leaned forward on his hands and pinned Darcy with a hard stare. "This is a serious matter involving industrial espionage, Ms Lewis. A matter involving your superior. This is no time for games."

"And I'm not playing, believe me, Mr van Heim. I know what this may be about, and I think I can help. And help Jane, too."

Sif clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Jane does not need any help, Ms Lewis." She turned to Thor, "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Thor, but we've found out who the leak is." She turned to Jane. "We have found strong evidence linking Jane Foster to Jotunn and the information that they used against us."

Jane stepped out from behind Darcy. "No! It's not true!" She whipped around to Thor. "Thor, it's not true! I would never do something like that, never! I've been-"

"Jane," Thor's voice was uncharacteristically soft. "How did you know what Sif was going to talk to you about?"

"I've been set up," she pleaded.

"She knows because of me, Thor," Darcy interrupted. She didn't want this to go any further. Thor and Jane were perfect for each other and the thought of their relationship even being slightly tainted with distrust was unbearable.

"Ms Lewis," Sif's tone was sharp. "Are you involved with this as well?"

"No!" Darcy half-yelled. "Let me explain, please!"

Sif scowled, but waved her hand for Darcy to continue. She tried to calm herself down a little, but her heart was going a mile a minute. "After the last leak a few months ago, I came up with a plan to find out who the leak was. I started working for Jotunn to do this."

Thor's mouth dropped open and Sif's glare became flinty. Hogun betrayed nothing.

"While working there, I traced the leak back to Asgard. Someone here was feeding information to Jotunn." She shifted awkwardly on her feet. "The evidence was pointing to Jane." At her side, Jane stiffened at the mention of her name. Darcy reached out a hand and began to rub her friend's back comfortingly. "But it's not Jane, the digital signature points to someone-"

"Stop right there," Sif demanded, jumping to her feet. "How the hell did you find all this out? Were you the one hacking our systems?"

"It was only to help Jane! She didn't do this. She couldn't do this! Thor!" Darcy turned to the silent man.

"This is unbelievable," Sif hissed. "A traitor and a hacker-"

"But she didn't do it! Someone in upper management had been tampering with the files!"

"I've been given the evidence from our IT investigations team that Ms Foster had been tampering with the files in question-"

"But Volstagg said no one had told him to investigate those files!" Darcy slapped a hand over her mouth. Oh, shit. She wasn't meant to drop the V dude into this.

"Wait," Hogun spoke up. "Sif, you had assured me that Volstagg had been investigating this alongside you."

"Of course he has," Sif spluttered. "I don't know what she's talking about."

"But he hasn't been, Mr van Heim! V was told to look at the wrong files and the ones that point to Jane have been set up somehow!"

"You're worse than Loki," Sif threw her hands into the air. "Thor, how could you even let these women work for-"

Thor suddenly stood from where he was leaning against his desk, his big hands clenched at his side and glared at Sif. "Get Volstagg here now," he demanded.

"No!" Sif yelled. "Not while these two are standing here. We need a full investigation, Thor. Foster has been receiving payment for her services."

"I didn't know about the money!" Jane protested.

"Of course you wouldn't," Sif sneered. "All nice and cozy with your rich fiancé. Did you think your meteoric rise in Asgard's ranks wasn't going fast enough, even with sleeping your way-"

"Sif!" Thor bellowed, finally snapping out of watching the tennis match between the three women. "Do not speak to Jane that way. You will show her some respect for once-"

Then it clicked. Upper management. Means. Know-how.

Jealousy.

"It was you," Darcy stared at Sif. "You're the leak."

Everyone stopped and the silence was terrible.

Sif paled and took a step back from the table. Her mouth dropped and she started to say something when Thor's office door swung open amongst the sound of voices.

"Please, sir. It's a private meeting-"

Loki strode into the room as if he owned it, but halted when he saw the stand off. His green eyes absorbed the tension and then they focused. On Darcy.

"Dana?"