Important Author's Note: The previously posted chapters 6 and 7 were incomplete and out of order. So I am reposting the correct Chapters 6 and 7; which will make this story make a heck of a lot more sense. Darcy did not go directly to her other world after sleeping with Loki. The other chapters (6 and 7) were my rough drafts that were never meant to be posted.
Please read and enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, Thor, Captain America, etc.
"Holy hell, what was that?" Darcy groaned, remembering what sounded like thousands of voices coming together to speak at once. Darcy opened one eye that began to water and sting from the bright sunlight flittering in through the open window beside her bed. There was an IV drip to her right and looking at her hand she noticed that it was feeding whatever the hell that liquid was into her bloodstream. Sound seemed to come to her after she opened her other eye and she could clearly make out the beeps of other hospital equipment, except she wasn't in a hospital. If anything the room looked like a posh hotel suite that she couldn't afford on her non-existing salary.
"Miss Lewis you are awake. I shall alert Mr. Stark." A disembodied voice said.
"Who are you and where and I?" Darcy asked looking around for the owner of the voice.
"I am Jarvis miss Lewis, and you are currently located in an island condo of Mr. Stark."
"Why does that name sound familiar?" Darcy's eyes widened when an image of a snarky rich bastard in a metal suite flashed through her mind. "You don't mean Stark as in I-work-for S.H.I.E.L.D-and-I-want-to-help-them-dissect-aliens Tony freaking Iron Man Stark do you?" Darcy asked, throwing the thick white covers off of her. She scrambled off the four poster bed so fast that she fell on her side and pulled a wire out from one of the machines, causing an alarm to sound.
"Shit!" Darcy cursed, as she yanked the IV and other wires from her body. She needed to escape. She needed to…wait a minute why wasn't anything on fire?
Pausing in her frantic pulling at wires Darcy stared at her normal non-flaming hands. "It worked." Darcy remembered the hot and wild god sex she had, with the God of Mischief himself with a smile on her face. "I'm normal again." Darcy wanted to get up and dance around the room, but frowned when she noticed that her body felt weak, and her legs didn't seem ready to support the rest of her. "What the hell?"
"Jarvis, where is she?" A familiar voice called out after the swooshing sound of automatic opening doors filled the room.
"Miss Lewis is currently on the floor." Jarvis responded.
Darcy stared from shinny expensive looking male shoes, and up tailored pants legs to a white button-down dress shirt, loose neck tie and then to the concerned gaze of one Tony Stark.
"Why can't I stand up? What has S.H.I.E.L.D done to me?" Darcy asked with accusation in her voice.
Tony raised both of his hands in a gesture of 'hey I'm innocent stop shooting me a death glare.' "Well this kind of thing happens when you haven't used the muscle in your legs for a little over half a year." Tony said.
Darcy's heartbeat faltered. "Come again? What do you mean half a freaking year?" Darcy's voice became high pitch with her fear. "Just what in the hell is going on?"
"Let me help you up kid." Stark looked as if he was about to tell her she was terminally ill or something.
"No thanks, I'm perfectly fine here on the floor. Now get to the part where you were about to tell me what the hell is going on." Darcy demanded frantically.
Tony combed his fingers through his hair and rolled his eyes. "Pepper should be the one here to handle this. I've never really been good with this type of thing. People say I can be a blunt unfeeling bastard." Tony took a deep breath and released it. He seemed to age in the short amount of seconds it took to let out the breath as he stared down at Darcy with a serious expression on his face.
"You remember when we first met in one of Fury's little desert rabbit holes?" Tony watched as Darcy nodded yes, before continuing. "I had Jarvis…he's the voice inside my suit...I had him analyze your unique heat signature, just encase you managed to escape. Thanks to my genius I would be able to track you down using a nifty little thermo-detection device I made when I was introduced to that relative of yours." Tony paced away from her giving her his back as he poured himself a drink from a mini bar she noticed for the first time.
'Ooh liquor I'm so going to need some of that.' Darcy thought, before thinking 'who in their right mind would place a mini bar in a patient's room?' As she watched Tony toss the brown liquid back and cough violently.
"Shit, that's the good stuff." Tony wheezed.
"I bet. What is that some type of brandy older than both our ages combined?" Darcy asked curiously, licking her lips. "I'm thirsty do you think I can get a shot of what you're having? You know, before you blow my mind with whatever has you looking like you're about to tell me something horrible." Darcy scooted closer to the bed and leaned her side against it.
Tony ignored her request.
"I didn't know what they were planning on doing to him. I didn't know that S.H.I.E.L.D was into dissecting aliens to see how they ticked. Hell, they left Thor in one piece." Tony filled the glass again, and walked over to the long white couch that took up half of the room. He sat down facing Darcy, nursing the glass in his hands. "When I met you, I couldn't shake the feeling that S.H.I.E.L.D hadn't given us the full story about you. So I did some unappreciated hacking, and boy was Fury pissed when he found out." Tony smirked. "Thought he might have a coronary, was kind of disappointed when he didn't."
"I might have a coronary if you don't give me something to keep me from slapping you." Any other time Darcy would have found herself smiling at the humor and snarky banter of the man across from her, but she needed liquor and answers and she needed them now.
"You do know that what you just said didn't make any sense? Anything I give you could be used to slap me, and since I don't consider myself a masochist, how about you sit there like a good ex-blow torch and let me try to break this to you as gently as possible." Tony sent her a look as if he was scolding a child.
"Those people who said you were an insensitive prick? They were right." Darcy said crossing her arms under her ample breast.
"Very funny squirt, now hush." Tony sat his glass down heavy on the mahogany coffee table in front of him, and leaned back covering his eyes with his hand. "When I followed your heat signature I found you naked and comatose, with the sick bastard who threw me out of a window equally naked and comatose besides you." Tony sighed and slid his hand down his face, as he stared at the florescent ceiling lights. "I'm hoping that he wasn't the one whose responsible for this."
"You mean Loki?" Darcy asked curiously.
"You're on first name basis with that sadistic bastard?" Tony groaned. "I really should tell Fury."
"Where is he?" Darcy felt a chill run up her spine, and she visibly shivered.
"Him, I did hand over to S.H.E.I.L.D, after I hid you." Tony said.
Darcy felt her heart stop. What would S.H.E.I.L.D do to Loki? Thor wouldn't let them dissect his brother would he? Darcy couldn't understand why she felt so much concern over Loki's welfare all of a sudden, but more importantly she didn't get why someone who worked for S.H.E.I.L.D would want to help her.
"Why did you save me and not him?" Darcy asked shocked at the venomous way the words came out of her own mouth.
Tony sat up and stared curiously at her.
"Are you and Reindeer games an item? If so, then holy fuck what were you thinking?" Tony said dramatically jumping up from the sofa and walking over to the minibar without his glass.
Darcy attempted to pull herself up by grabbing hold of the bed beside her. Tony noticed and rushed over, jumping over the couch to awkwardly dip and lift her bridal style before hastily depositing her on the bed and combing his fingers through his hair as if he was nervous and frustrated.
"This is the best bed I've ever lain in. You should seriously let me keep this. Consider it charity." Darcy sighed in comfort.
"It's yours." Tony said distractedly.
Opening her tired eyes, Darcy sent the genius a concerned look. He looked as if he wanted to say something important but wasn't sure how, and Darcy found herself suddenly thinking the worse. "Am I about to die or something? You look like you're about to tell me my time is up." Darcy asked laughing nervously to try to ease the tension that settled in the room.
Tony froze in his pacing. "Was it consensual?"
Some of the pieces of the puzzle that was Darcy's time in the Playboy's presence begin to click together. Darcy didn't know what to feel. He thought Loki had forced himself on her. "Is that why you're going all worried mother hen on me? Trust me, I wanted it…convincing him that he wanted it too took some time. You wouldn't think that someone who seemed so full of themselves would be so self-conscious." Darcy waved a hand through the air as if that was all behind her.
Paling even more, Tony sat down at the feet of Darcy's bed and studied her.
"Do you know I have anxiety attacks every time I think of aliens? Going from one moment thinking that life is simple and easy to explain to discovering that there are beings with toys more advanced and powerful than mine; that kind of shit really screws with a man's ego and mental health." "You and Thor look completely human, but you're not. How many people out there are just aliens in disguise?"
Darcy used her arms to sit up. "I'm not an alien. I was born and raised on Earth, whatever the whole Darcy on fire thing was, can be blamed on my great-grandfather. Speaking of the nut, where is he?" Darcy asked, wondering if it would be weird to put a hand on the shoulder of man who gave her a bed. He looked like he needed it. "Never mind I don't need to know."
"No one knows, not even S.H.E.I.L.D. Darius did a lot of damage, and there are a lot of people who want to hang you in his place kid. If I find him, I can't say I won't kill him for what he did to a friend of mine." Tony gritted his teeth in anger.
When the emotions began to flow from Tony to her she knew that sleeping with Loki hadn't been a cure-all.
"What did he do?" Darcy gripped the sheets, not sure how much of the anger she felt towards Darius was hers or Stark's.
The doors to Darcy's room opened and a rage filled man who looked vaguely familiar to Darcy burst into the room clutching the trigger of a crossbow he held aimed at her. Loki's memories raced across her mind, and Darcy knew more than she wanted to about the man, and she could guess who the 'she' Darius had hurt was.
"Why do you care? You helped him escape!" Hawkeye yelled.
Tony jumped up from his spot to cross to the other side of the bed and stand with his body blocking Barton's sight of Darcy.
"Hey! Didn't I tell you to wait outside? You saw the videos, she was a pawn. What happened to Natasha isn't her fault. She can't handle the stress you're trying to dump on her right now."
"You expect me to give a fuck about what she can handle? She's as much a villain as Darius. For fuck's sake you heard her say she willingly had sex with the bastard that took control of my mind and tried to destroy the world, and now she's carrying the spawns of Satan himself!" Barton yelled.
All sound seemed to stop around her as Darcy rested a hand on her stomach and noticed more than a slight bump there. Eyes widening in horror, Darcy lifted up the grey sweat shirt someone had put on her when she had been in a comma and her breath hitched as she brought a hand to her mouth.
"No fucking way." How hadn't she noticed that she was pregnant the moment she woke up? Hadn't Tony said that she had been in a coma for half a year? How could she be six months pregnant? Shouldn't her stomach be bigger than half a basketball? Can pregnancies withstand comas?
"No." Darcy voice was louder this time. What was meant to be a one nightstand with the God of Mischief to make her normal again, had become a pregnancy.
"This is a crazy dream and I want to wake up now. This isn't funny." Darcy could feel the hysterics setting in.
"Barton put your weapon down now."
Darcy's watering eyes went to the new guest in her room. Captain America now stood with a hand resting on the shoulder of the man who seemed to want to impale her with an arrow, and Darcy knew that Tony had lied.
"You lying bastard!" Darcy screamed at the back of Tony as she threw a pillow at his head.
"Miss Lewis, Mr. Stark did not lie to you when he said he didn't inform S.H.E.I.L.D of your whereabouts. We are the Avengers."
"Robin hood over there works for S.H.I.E.L.D." Darcy grabbed another pillow, prepared to use it to escape somehow. Tony, who had turned around when the pillow hit the back of his head, raised an eyebrow, as if asking 'Really, a pillow?'
"Hawkeye is here as an Avenger and you are here in hopes that you'll offer us your assistance." Captain America gave her a sympathetic look. "We are aware of your condition and I assure you that no harm will come to you or your-" Captain America trailed off noticing the pained look on Darcy's face.
"Hey kid, you don't look so well." Tony noted.
Darcy half- sobbed half- growled. "Barton loves her and he wants to kill me, he's desperate, she's dying." Darcy locked eyes with Hawkeye who seemed even angrier.
"Get the fuck out of my head!" Hawkeye yelled, advancing on her, until Captain American grabbed his shoulder again.
"Stop broadcasting and take me to her you whining asshole!" Darcy yelled back, silencing everyone in the room.
"Does S.H.E.I.L.D. still have Black Widow Tony?" Captain America turned to face his fuming teammate.
"A friend of mine stole her right from under Fury's nose. She's eight rooms down the hall." Tony responded somberly as Hawkeye stormed out of the room.
Darcy sighed and leaned back against the plush pillows of her bed.
"How do you know it's not gas or constipation? What makes you think I'm pregnant?" Darcy stared up at the florescent lights of her room feeling exhausted. The men in her life were dramatic.
"We have a thing called science, which allows us to run certain test to tell these sort of things. Aren't you a science major kid?" Tony asked casually.
"Political science... Did you hack into my life story?" Darcy mumbled, closing her eyes.
"Miss Lewis, should we come back later, when you are more rested?" Captain America asked, lowering his voice as if he thought she were asleep already.
Darcy cracked one eye open. "Natasha…Black Widow was she the woman with the red hair who threatened to shoot rusty bucket in the mouth?"
"My suit does not rust." Tony said sounding mock offended.
"Well then you need to seriously reconsider the name Iron Man since Iron rusts." Darcy snapped.
"I would say that somebody is on her period, but we all know that can't be true." Tony retorted back.
"Ha. Ha. Fuck you." Darcy tiredly threw her legs over the side of the bed.
"I banged a pregnant chick once. It was an experience to say the least. Though something tells me your deranged boy toy would try to throw me out of a window again."
"If you keep talking I might throw you out of a window." Darcy fell back onto the bed when she tried to get up and sent a glare at the ceiling for her sudden weakness.
"You tease." Tony's growing smirk faltered when he saw how tired his new verbal sparring partner was.
"Where are you going?" Captain America asked noticing Darcy's struggle to get up.
"To find Darius so I can kill him myself, grab a cheeseburger and a cup of coffee, shove an arrow up Robin Hood's ass, and go see the Black Widow." Darcy grumbled.
"Miss, seeing as you are expecting I don't think it is such a good idea for you to chase after a wanted criminal." Captain America said sounding worried.
"Who said anything about chasing him?" Darcy lifted her ring bearing hand up to eye level and stared at the gold ring on her index finger, before closing her eyes in concentration.
'I know this piece of junk allow you an all access pass to my thoughts Darius. Where in the hell are you, and what have you done?' Darcy thought, focusing on contacting her great grandfather. Minutes ticked by and Darcy realized that she was being ignored.
"Is that a promise ring from antler boy?" Tony asked, hopping onto the bed besides Darcy like he owned it still and staring at her ring curiously.
"You're like a curious three year old you know that?" Darcy asked bringing her hand down to rest on her stomach.
"Pepper thinks so too." Tony mumbled frowning before staring down at Darcy curiously.
"You seem to be handling the news of being knocked up by a mass-murdering alien well." Tony noted.
Darcy scoffed putting her arm down at her side. "Trust me, I'm screaming on the inside. This calm façade is all a lie, now shut up and have Boy Wonder over there grab my coffee and cheeseburger while you take me to see Black Widow…killing Darius is going to have to wait." Darcy propped herself up on her elbows and locked eyes with the engineering genius. They continued their staring contest for a few seconds until the Playboy billionaire gave Darcy a serious look.
"That can't be a chastity ring, seeing as how that ship has sailed, and Reindeer games doesn't seem like marrying type. You said you wouldn't have to chase down Darius and then you looked at your ring. What does the ring have to do with him? Will he come here looking for it or something kid?" Tony asked, causing Darcy's eyes to widen in shock and awe.
"Well damn, you're like a real life freaking Sherlock Holmes!" Darcy said impressed with everything the billionaire was able to deduce. "Quick guess my bra size!" Darcy sat up fully and bounced excitedly on the bed with as much energy as she could muster. Humor and verbal sparring was what she needed so she could ignore the idea of a life growing inside of her, a life that she happened to have created with a man that was just supposed to be a simple means to an end, but ended up being an unwanted baby daddy.
Tony's eyes flickered down to her breast and then back up to meet her eyes. "They're a 32 DD give or take a little padding." "Nice try at changing the subject though, how did you know I was a breast man?"
Darcy laughed. "Wrong! And you're not just a breast man you're a everything-on-a-woman's-body-but-her-brain kind of man. So tell me where do you keep your harem of well-endowed bimbos, and will I be allowed an interview for membership into the club? I'm going to need a sugar daddy with a warehouse of comfortable beds like these."
Captain America made a scandalized sound in the background that went unnoticed by the two on the bed.
Tony actually smiled. "Sorry open enrollment is in three months you'll have to wait."
Captain America cleared his throat loudly. "Ah, Miss Lewis, I think I'll go find you that grilled cheese sandwich and hot cocoa."
Darcy glanced at Captain America to find the poor man a shade of red. "I thought I said cheeseburger and a coffee!" Darcy yelled as Captain America quickly left the room.
"You'll have to forgive his sensitive virginal ears." Tony said smirking. "He's a work in progress." When Tony looked back at Darcy she was staring at her golden ring, as if she waiting for something to happen.
Darcy didn't really know the man besides her that well, but she found herself wanting to tell him about her ring and how it linked her to Darius. Tony Stark kind of reminded her of herself, if she was an incredibly handsome middle-aged flirtatious billionaire. Tony handled stressful situations and unwanted emotions with humor and snarky backtalk. Even with their verbal dancing, she could feel his real emotions behind the humor. The anger, anxiety, fatigue and stress hung out inside of him like old friends. She had wanted to know if she could trust him, but she had trusted a man named the God of lies and mischief with her body and life so what harm could trusting someone with a much saner title be? Hell Jane trusted Thor even when he looked like a homeless dude.
Where were Thor and Jane anyway? Had they given up trying to find her?
"On the news when Loki had tried to take over the world I saw you and your band of merry men fighting alongside Thor. So you must know him right?" Darcy asked not looking away from her ring as she played with it on her finger, turning it this way and that.
Tony scoffed. "Goldilocks tried to fry me, and bash my skull in…but yeah we met."
"Has Thor been here or someone by the name of Jane or Eric looking for me?"
"Your location is on a need to know basis and the less people that know, the less of a chance a mean and angry one eyed man with a black trench coat hauling you away."
"Why wouldn't Thor be told where I am? Isn't he more trustworthy than Hawkeye?" Darcy asked meeting Tony's gaze.
"Thor isn't the most discreet person when it comes to travel. Lightening, thunder, beams of light and crop circles; those are all on S.H.I.E.L.D's radar now that Reindeer Games has been found back on earth. If he comes here then you'll have to go somewhere else." "If it makes you feel better he did stop by Stark tower when I was there. He had a hot little brunette with him."
'So they have been looking for me.' The thought made Darcy's lips tip upward in a small smile. "I guess since you've given me this awesome bed and kept me from being dissected while I was in a coma; you're good people Rusty."
"Call me Tony." Tony said with irritation in his voice at the rusty remark.
"Well then call me Darcy. Something tells me that this is the start of a beautiful relationship between me and your bank account. I-" Darcy gasped as a hot rush of energy poured from the ring and rushed around her body. Her eyes widened in panic as the familiar pull of teleportation started. Darius was using his stupid ring to kidnap her again. Well she'd be damned if she let that happen.
Darcy grabbed a hold of Tony's hand and held tight.
"Darius is trying to freaking kidnap me again, by using his stupid ring that won't come off of my finger." Darcy groaned as the sensation intensified the harder she tried to fight it.
Tony frowned. "Kidnap you how? Jarvis ready my suit. How exactly is he trying to kidnap you? This place is like Fort Knox." Tony cringed as Darcy tightened her hold on him.
"I can teleport, and he can force me to teleport against my will to wherever he is. If you want to fix whatever he did to Black Widow you'll get your chance to drag his sorry ass here in a few minutes." Darcy began to sweat and exhale and inhale rapidly. "The ring won't come off!" Darcy yelled as Tony attempted to pull the ring off of her finger. "If you want to capture him tell Harvest or Jarvis, whatever his damn name is to get anyone who wants to kick Darius's ass in this room now, and to grab a hold of me, because we're going for a ride."
"Jarvis you heard her."
"Yes sir, they are on their way."
Darcy gasped again.
"What's happening now?" Tony asked sounding anxious. "Jarvis where is that damn suit?"
"It is on its way sir." Jarvis responded.
Darcy's eyes watered. The truth she had wanted to ignore had just issued her a sound kick in the stomach. "It kicked me, the baby just kicked me." Darcy said in disbelief.
"When my suit comes you're going to have to let go of my hand, but I want you to grab hold of any part of me that's covered in metal as soon as you can you hear me?" Tony told Darcy seriously as he stood up on the bed while still holding Darcy's hand.
Shaking her head yes, Darcy used her free hand to rest it on her stomach and feel the kicks coming from inside her against her hand. It was like the baby could feel her distress and was panicking because she was.
"Empathy." Darcy whispered. The baby must have inherited her Dresleim abilities. With that thought in mind, Darcy began to take deep breaths trying to calm herself and the growing being inside of her. When that didn't work she began to hum one of her favorite songs: "A Whole New World" from her favorite Disney movie Aladdin.
The doors to the room swished open and Darcy felt Tony tense.
"What's going on?" Hawkeye's voice asked.
"Jarvis told us to gear up and get here as soon as possible."
"I'm about to be teleported against my will to wherever Darius is. So if you want to kick his sorry ass as much as I do grab a hold of me and don't let go." Darcy explained.
Darcy grimaced as Hawkeye roughly grabbed the wrist of the hand that had been resting on her stomach. She opened her mouth preparing to tell arrow boy were to shove one of his arrows, but was interrupted.
"Teleportation?" Captain America asked walking over to the bed.
"Yes I can teleport grab on." Darcy muttered, trying to stall the inevitable. "He's winning and it hurts." Darcy whimpered. "The baby." Darcy breathed worried.
The doors swooshed open again. "Here's my suit." Tony announced. "Let go!" Tony ordered and as Darcy let go she began to notice the familiar swirling of rainbow lights gathering around her.
"Now!" Darcy shouted.
"Shit, come on." Tony yelled at his suit, as each piece attached to a part of his body, the helmet was last.
Just as the rainbow hued lights engulfed Captain America and Hawkeye, Tony reached down and grabbed the one part of her that wasn't transparent, her hair.
With Hawkeye painfully holding her wrist, Captain America gently holding her ankle and Tony's mental finger's clumsily entangled in her hair they teleported.
Going through the dark rainbow swirly-ness of teleportation seemed different with other people attached to her and a bun in her oven. It felt suffocating somehow, like the process was longer and they'd be falling through the rainbow swirly darkness for eternity.
Even with three superheroes at her side she somehow felt venerable, like they wouldn't be enough for whatever awaited them when they reached their destination. Darcy couldn't believe it, but she actually missed her kick ass armor and flames, because at least if she had those things she could keep herself and the life inside of her safe. She didn't even have her Taser.
The rainbow lights and darkness faded away and Darcy could feel wind rushing around her, and they were falling. She heard Iron man yell "Holy shit!" and she bent her head to look down, and wish she hadn't.
They were above what looked like…Stonehenge, free falling in the air.
What in the hell was wrong with her great grandfather, was he trying to kill her? Didn't he know she didn't have her fire powers anymore?
Darcy felt Tony quickly release his hold on her hair and then felt the other two men holding onto her let go. Tony gently slid his arms under her to hold her bride-style, and Darcy watched as Tony maneuvered so Captain America and Hawkeye could each wrap an arm around his neck.
The closer they got to the ground Darcy could make out two figures standing near the stone pillars looking up at them. One she could clearly tell was Darius the other looked like a woman.
Tony landed a safe distance from a frowning Darius, and a calm looking pale woman with thick curly red hair wearing armor similar to what Darcy's ring had put her in, except her armor was a copper color.
Captain America and Hawkeye detached themselves from Tony and stood beside him. Captain America pulled his shield from his back and held it ready to attack. Hawkeye calmly studied the pair across from them.
"You alright?" Tony asked.
Darcy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to stop the erratic rhythm of her heart.
"As alright as a person who was almost pancaked could be." Darcy responded dryly.
"Dearest!" Darius called, his voice sounding concerned.
"Where is the Jotun who you gave your flame?" Darius asked walking closer with the woman at his side matching his steps.
"He's currently incarcerated, and I'm not your dearest, so drop it." Darcy replied.
The red-headed woman beside her great grandfather fell to her knees and crossed her arms over her chest. She stared at Darcy with a look on her face similar to a groupie or a fan girl that was finally facing their idol.
"My queen, the prayers of our people may your ears they meet. I am Ambee born off world and servant of your family."
"W-what?" Darcy asked, looking around for the queen of Asgard or somebody who was actual royalty. "You mean me?" Darcy asked pointing to herself.
"Yes my queen." Ambee said in an accent that sounded vaguely Australian.
"Dearest you must give her permission to rise from her knees." Darius said, frown still present as he eyed the men around her.
"Um, rise?" When Darcy said it, it came out as a question.
"I didn't know you were a queen. You can buy your own super plush bed." Tony said.
"You bastard." Hawkeye's angry accusatory voice pierced the air.
"Ah, the mortal from Natasha's memories."
"What did you do to her!?" Hawkeye shook with barely contained rage.
"I fed on her." Darius answered simply as if he wasn't talking about something as important as someone's life.
"Put me down." Darcy said feeling her blood boil in anger.
Tony carefully placed her on her feet, and when she turned to face Darius and Ambee, Ambee gasped.
"By the light! You are with child by a Jotun." Darius exclaimed in surprise.
Darcy ignored the comment about her current state and gave Darius a look of horror and disgust. "Y-you fed on her? Like Hannibal style with Fava beans ate her?"
"She's in a comma." Captain America answered seriously.
"I merely fed on her emotions, memories and life force. So much hatred, sadness, and despair." Darius licked his lips.
"You monster." Hawkeye raised his crossbow.
"Can you undo what you did to her?" Darcy asked still feeling horrified.
"I cannot; however a queen of Dresleim can." Darius held Darcy's gaze.
Hawkeye grabbed Darcy's wrist. "You can undo what he did to Natasha, why didn't you? We have to go back." Hawkeye's grip tightened on her wrist, as his eyes pleaded with her.
Darcy winced from the pain, which didn't go unnoticed by the people around her.
"Hey there Hawkeye, careful." Tony said prying Hawkeye's hand from her wrist.
"Hawkeye that is no way to treat a woman, especially one in her condition."
"My queen I wish to act in your defense."
Darcy looked at Ambee to find that she had a ball of crackling blue energy in her palm ready to throw it at Hawkeye.
"I'm good. The man is on edge. Wouldn't you be if someone you cared about had their memories, life force, and emotions screwed with?" Darcy asked angrily. "How do I undo what you did to her?"
"You accept your place as our queen." Darius said looking pleased.
"I never said that." Darcy frowned.
"You cannot do anything for the mortal if you do not acknowledge that you are queen, and that you are Dresleim. If you do not fully accept your place you are no good to anyone. Denounce your humanity." Darius spoke with a firmness to his voice that brokered no argument.
Tightening her fist Darcy shoulder's shook with her anger. "I was born here on Earth, I grew up here. I am an IPod loving, coffee drinking, human damn it!" Darcy yelled.
"Our queen is in denial of her birth rite. It is as the prophecies said it would be." Ambee spoke softly, staring at Darcy sadly.
"And here you stand gazing upon me as if I am a great villain. You declare how proud you are to be a human; yet you would stand by and let a human die because of your selfishness ? Lift the veil that lays over your eyes my dearest great granddaughter! For now you are blind." Darius spoke to Darcy as if he stood at a podium and wanted to rally a nation.
Darcy held her head down and probed at the emotions around her.
Hawkeye felt frenzied and was close to doing something irrational and stupid, he thought she was selfish.
Captain America admired her loyalty to the human race, and her determination, though he worried about the state of his redheaded teammate.
"It's your choice kid no one's forcing you to do what this bastard wants. If you want to walk away the bed is still yours." Tony whispered to her, but his whisper might as well have been a shout as quiet as it was around them.
Darcy could feel Tony's honesty and his worry. He worried about Black widow and he worried about her, even though he didn't really know her.
'Maybe I am being stupid and selfish. If all it takes to save someone's life is to accept what everyone keeps telling me I am, why can't I do it?' Being human wasn't about just looking human to Darcy it was about living on earth and growing up believing that you're human for twenty something years. How could she give that up? How could she denounce that?'
She thought of how she would feel if she was in Hawkeye's place. If it was someone she cared about sucked dry of the things that made them, them. What if it was her father, mother, Jane, Thor, or Eric? She'd be angry she'd think she was being a selfish coldhearted bitch with a capital 'B'.
"What would happen to me if I did what you wanted?" Darcy asked looking at the two Dresleims before her.
"You would go to our home world, and with sword in hand claim your thrown and light the skies of Dresleim as our queen." Ambee answered.
Darcy's breath hitched. 'They wanted her to leave Earth and go to some alien world and live there?' "Could I ever come back?" Darcy asked weakly.
"I do not know." Ambee answered.
Darcy looked to Darius.
"Only under dire circumstances where what happens here endangers our world." Darius said.
"So never." Darcy sighed.
"What would happen to my baby?" Darcy asked rubbing her tummy with her hands.
"I do not know if a child that is Dresleim and Jotun will be able to survive on our world once born." Darius answered. "Jotun are notoriously cold world dwellers. Your child's survival rests in how Dresleim they will be."
So not only did they want her to abandon Earth, they wanted her to risk losing her baby.
"How long does Black Widow have to live?" Darcy asked.
"Three days at the most, and two at the least." Captain America answered somberly.
"You're going to take the chance that your kid will die once they're born?" Tony asked sounding incredulous.
"Will I have to leave right away?" Darcy side glanced at Hawkeye as his anger towards her seemed to lessen at the news of the price she would have to pay to save a life.
"After you restore the mortal to full health, which will take two days." Darius answered.
Darcy wiped her eyes and put on a shaky smile.
"So what do I need to do to heal Natasha?"
"You have an audience. Announce that you are queen of Dresleim and answerer of the prayers of your people and that you denounce your humanity and as a gift to the people of this world you will heal the mortal Natasha." Darius said.
"You must stand with your back to Stonehenge and facing us when you declare it." Ambee said.
Darcy made to do as they said but was held back by Tony's arm on her shoulder.
"How do we know we can trust anything you've just told us?" Tony asked.
"If you cannot trust us, trust our queen." Ambee said.
"They're not lying. I can feel when people lie." Darcy said.
"Hawkeye we all care about Black Widow, but asking someone to give up their life and child…" Captain America said, moving to block Darcy's path.
"I agree with boy scout. We save people, not offer them up as sacrificial lambs." Tony said quickly.
If only they knew that Darcy didn't plan to be on Dresleim anytime soon. Even Darcy wasn't foolish enough to just hand the reigns of her life over without a fight. She had a plan. It was a quick and last minute plan that she would probably regret later, but a plan nonetheless.
She couldn't believe it. She hadn't even been awake long enough to enjoy being normal again, and here she was about to become super Darcy again of her own freewill.
Closing her eyes, Darcy concentrated on making the swirl of rainbow colors appear so she could teleport away from her rag tag team of knights in shining armor…well excluding Hawkeye. She just needed to get Tony's hand off of her shoulder.
Feeling the familiar falling sensation of teleportation, Darcy ducked down quickly breaking contact with Tony's hand before teleporting to stand with her back to Stonehenge, and a good amount of distance away from the Avengers, Darius, and Ambee.
Ambee and Darius turned to face her, and Darcy watched them nervously, she briefly wondered where security was or a lone tourist, before focusing on the task at hand.
She had to declare herself queen of a world she had never been to, and deny wanting to have anything to do with being an Earthling and mean it.
Her father had a short stint in politics. Lying was half the battle, the other half being charisma.
'Damn it why hadn't I asked the God of Lies for some pointers on his specialty while he was fucking me senseless…oh yeah, I was being fucked senseless.' Darcy thought rolling her eyes. Well here goes nothing.
"I-I am Darcy Lewis, Queen of Dresleim and answerer of the prayers of the people!" Darcy tried to make her speech seem like something a politician would give, but she couldn't stop her voice from shaking. She watched as Iron Man and Captain America seemed ready to tackle her from what they no doubt considered the first step to a stupid mistake. Surprisingly Hawkeye seemed ready to stop her as well.
Darcy rolled her eyes again. 'Now they want to play heroics after guilt tripping me into wanting to save the life of a woman I only met once. Well sorry assholes, it's kind of a little too late for chivalry, especially from you Arrow Wonder. From now on the only one that I will be able to depend on is myself. I will be the knight in shining armor here. I will fight my own battles, and protect my kid. If being queen of a race of beings I hardly know shit about meant that I'll have the power to protect what matters… I'm beyond ready to take the crown. Now stand aside bitches!' Darcy became filled with determination after giving herself a mental pep talk fit for a football coach.
"The crown of flames!" Ambee exclaimed excitedly.
Darcy looked at her hands to see she was glowing and her nice and comfy clothes that she awoke in where being replaced by a glittering golden floor length gown that looked like something a princess would wear. The long sleeves of the gown end at the top of her hands become golden chains that dangled down to her knuckles. She felt some type of shoe form on her feet but wasn't able to see what it was from the dress being floor length. The golden dress flowed closely to her body showing off her curves and her baby bump. Something materialized atop her head and Darcy lifted her hand to find what felt like a jeweled crown there, and floating above the crown was her flame crown from before.
"You have accepted the truth in your heart." Darius stated seeming too smug for Darcy's taste, as if he knew everything would turn out like it did.
She wanted to roast him, but wondered why she wasn't on fire yet.
"What happened to my flames?" Darcy asked looking confused.
"Our queen is a granter of wishes. You gave your erratic flame to the Jotun, now you can wield your abilities more freely, and the Jotun wish is to be granted." Darius answered simply.
Darius words somehow gave Darcy a sinking feeling, and she felt the strangest urge to go see Loki. It couldn't be good for a being whose race where like frosty the snow man to be given control of an erratic flame. 'But he could touch me even when I was on fire.' Darcy thought, remembering how Loki seemed unbothered by her flames when everyone else was.
Squaring her shoulders Darcy did what she did best, hide her emotions behind talk. "Take a picture it'll last longer. What are we standing around her for we've got a woman to save!" Darcy marched up to Darius. "So how do we all teleport back to where Ironman has been hiding me away so I can save the day?"
"Ask the man of Iron to show you the exact room and location in his mind and focus on getting there." Ambee said.
When Darcy looked at Tony he was giving her a calculating look as if he could see through her false good mood. She smiled at him. "All aboard the Darcy express." Grabbing Tony's hand and Captain America's, she waited until Hawkeye grabbed the unusually quiet Man of Iron's shoulder. Ambee grabbed Captain American hand causing him to blush and Darius grabbed Ambee's other hand.
"You heard what Darius said Tony, just think of our destination, and I'll lock in on it." Darcy closed her eyes and when she saw the image of Natasha's room in Tony's mind and the memory how to get there they vanished in a swirl of rainbow light and darkness. Unknown to them the watchful gaze of the Guardian and gatekeeper of Asgard had been gazing upon them the entire time.
Heimdall turned his gaze to another part of Midgard where he heard his name being shouted. Thor stood, carrying his unconscious brother and surrounded by Midgardian armed warriors as he asked the gatekeeper to open the gate.
Heimdall dutifully opened the gate. He watched as the Midgardian warriors fired their weapons at Thor and Loki while they were encased in the beam of light. He knew once Thor placed his brother back in his prison, he would come to him, as he had been doing since the Midgardian…No Dresleim, named Darcy Lewis disappearance. This time Heimdall would have news.
"So what do I do now?" Darcy asked staring at Natasha worriedly as she sat up in her bed blankly staring ahead as if she was a lifeless doll. They had landed in her room, and the red headed assassin didn't even blank. Her skin was a deathly yellow color and her breath came out as wheezing. The sight made her slightly nauseous.
"I chose this mortal out of rage. Take from me what I took from her, and she will be your own to rebirth of flame if you must." Darius stated calmly.
Darcy tuned around to face her great-grandfather. "How does what you did to her make you any better than Shield?" Darcy asked not able to meet the eyes of the man her grandfather had missed.
"She will awaken in but days. To Natasha this would be not more than a dream my dear one. I will give you her memories and you must do the rest. Stay by her side, for two days. Cocoon her in flames and order her to be born again." Darius explained with an odd emotion in his eyes that resembled sympathy.
Darcy threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "I don't even know what the hell that means! What the fuck am I, a moth?"
"The knowledge of what to do is within you Darcy. You are our queen now, you will know what to do once I give you Natasha's memories." Darius said furiously, as he placed a palm on Darcy's forehead.
A feeling of warmth traveled from Darius's palm.
Darius pulled away. "I will await you alongside Ambee outside of this room. I suggest everyone else take their leave, as we do not want to be present once the process begins."
"He's right, you guys should wait outside." Darcy frowned. "Holy crap I really do know what to do!" Darcy exclaimed as knowledge that she didn't have before flowed into her mind.
"You haven't eaten yet and going two days without food while you're knocked up kid, isn't good." Tony said sounding concerned.
"Not exactly, I've been eating…and if I told you what, you might freak, because I'm about to freak." Darcy said licking her lips at the delicious concoction of everyone's emotions, especially the Arrow guy.
"My lady has been feeding on emotions." Ambee answered sounding as worshipful as ever.
Darcy smirked. "Tony, is that disgust I'm tasting? Ewe."
Darcy's smirk fell once everyone left the room, Hawkeye pausing to stare at her and then at Black Widow before following everyone else out of the door.
Rubbing her stomach Darcy inhaled deeply and then exhaled. She was trying to ignore the memories of the assassin she promised to save. Trying to ignore the faces of Natasha's victims…some were children…she felt guilty, they were not supposed to be in that warehouse. Darcy closed her eyes as she eased herself down to lay beside Natasha.
A thought ran through her mind: "Does she deserve to live?" Darcy honestly didn't know because Natasha hadn't known either after all the people she had killed. Darcy turned Natasha's face to face her. Using a finger she pried Natasha's lips open and pressed her lips against the cold, clammy and colorless lips of the assassin. A golden light flowed from Darcy's mouth and into the Black Widow.
While two days pass by, Darcy glimpsed Natasha's memories as they poured from her and into the assassin. When the final memory appeared in Darcy's mind's eye she gasped and closed her mouth, breaking the connection as a sob tore through her. It wasn't like what she saw had never happened to Natasha before, but the fact that this time it had been someone related to Darcy that had did that to the woman she would always feel intimately bonded too made her want to vomit. Darcy knew that she had to complete the process but she wanted to keep this memory and save Natasha from another nightmare, another memory of a violation she couldn't stop. Darius had raped Natasha, and Darcy would never forgive him.
Grabbing Natasha's face with both of her hands, Darcy opened her mouth and sobbed as the golden light of the last memory and the remainder of the assassin's life force flowed into her. Somehow touching Natasha like this without her permission felt like a violation. Darcy sat up and rolled off of the bed and fell on her hands and knees, vomiting. Arms and legs shaking, Darcy collapsed beside the puddle of her own vomit and stared up at the lights on the ceiling. For the first time in her life, Darcy wanted to kill someone. It felt as if Natasha had somehow imprinted herself on her person. She wanted to kill Darius.
A sharp pain like a blow to the stomach filled Darcy as she grabbed her belly and curled into a fetal position. Her vision blurred, but she recognized the sound of the door opening and hurried feet rushing in around her. Through her pain, she recognized Natasha's voice.
"I feel like a train hit me." Natasha groaned.
Darcy felt herself being lifted.
"Like hell we're letting you take her!" Tony yelled.
"Our queen has fulfilled her promise." Darius answered.
Darcy recognized the voice of the person holding her in their arms as Darius. She wanted to pummel him, but she felt too weak to move.
"Our queen is going into labor. She must be taken to our home world." Ambee answered.
"That kid isn't coming, it's only been six months." Tony yelled.
"Her body is not governed by human physiology." Ambee answered.
As if on cue, Darcy felt a gush of something pour out from between her legs, just as the familiar pull of teleportation started. Darcy turned her head to rest against Darius chest and vomited. 'Take that asshole.' Darcy thought groaning when the sensation of teleporting stopped.
"Ambee." Darius said. "I will not go any further than here. Our queen's world is no place for a male that knows the wonders of a world where men can rule. It is my grandest desire that the children our queen carries be born sons, so that one day we can meet."
"I will guard my queen with my life, and if she is to have sons I will guide them to you."
"Like hell." Darcy groaned, not liking where their conversation was going. She was in pain, covered in her own vomit, and in labor and they were making plans. Darcy opened her eyes trying to see where they were, but her blurry vision could only make out colors of grey and green. "Holy fucking shit!" Darcy yelled, arching in her grandfather's arms as a contraction that felt like a punch to the gut hit her. "Stop moving me." Darcy groaned as she felt herself being moved to the smaller arms of Ambee. She felt cold and hot all at once, like someone kept moving her every thirty minutes between a deep freezer and a volcano.
"Goodbye father, the bell chimes in your favor." Ambee said.
Darcy screamed as the pull of teleportation began "Stop!", it felt stronger.
"The Stonehenge amplifies our teleportation abilities, allowing us to achieve greater light years of distance and dimensional travel." Ambee explained.
Gritting her teeth and clenching her eyes closed against the pain that racked her body, Darcy wanted to slap someone, but settled for grabbing Ambee's hair and pulling. "Fuck, I-I'm splitting open." Darcy couldn't stop the tears that poured from her eyes in fear. "What if I die, and my kid lives…I don't even know what—"
"You will give birth to your babies on the home world. You are queen, you will live and I will serve you." Ambee said.
"Plural?" Darcy yelled.
"Yes."
Darcy could feel her consciousness slipping as her pain increased. "I-f, if I die…take, keep…them safe."
"I will protect your offspring with my life. I live to serve." Ambee answered.
Darcy's hand went slack in Ambee's hair.