Chapter Thirteen
Two weeks.
Klara stepped carefully down the stairs of the jet and onto the tarmac, wrapping her coat about her against the flurries of snow dancing in the air. It had been two weeks and it was like she hadn't even been gone. She had left in a flurry of snowfall and returned in the same way. Cyclical, circular...
"Aw, sweet!" Darcy Lewis exclaimed, shouldering past her and heading for the long, dark vehicle that waited for them. Happy Hogan opened the back door to allow the bespectacled girl entrance, nodding his head at Klara as she ducked past him and entered the cab to escape the cold.
It was cozy within, with seating enough for all of them, Darcy and Klara on one side, Dr. Foster and Lord Thor huddled together on the other.
"Dude, I can't believe you wanted me to stay at the lab," Darcy said, pressing a button on the console beside her, which opened a secret compartment containing a green, foil-wrapped bottle and four glasses, "Yes! Jackpot!"
"I just don't know how Selvig is going to handle heading the project research on his own," Dr. Foster said, attempting to bat Darcy's hand from the bottle and failing, "You know he gets...spacey still sometimes."
"He'll be fine," Darcy said with airy confidence as she unwrapped the foil and began fiddling with the corked top of the bottle, "It's research, he's good at that. Besides, Ian's with him."
"That does not inspire confidence."
"Hey, I don't go around dissing your boy toy." The cork exploded from the top of the bottle and Klara let out a shriek as she was doused in a spray of liquid that smelled distinctly of alcohol. "Whoops! Sorry."
To make up for it, Darcy poured the first glass and handed it to Klara with an apologetic grin.
"Boy toy?" Lord Thor asked, raising an amused eyebrow as he accepted his own glass of the fizzy liquid.
Darcy did not even look sheepish as she handed Dr. Foster a glass, keeping the last and the bottle for herself. "He keeps me entertained and he's a boy. Boy toy!"
"Do I keep you entertained then?" Lord Thor asked Dr. Foster, who blushed and took a rather large sip from her glass.
Klara put her nose into the narrow opening of the glass and sniffed delicately. Once you got past the alcohol, the liquid smelled sweet and light, like fruit in a bowl. She was reminded of the silver bowls that she used to inspect and refill in Lady Frigga's chamber and took a sip to assuage the memory. The drink burst on her tongue like the bubbles in the glass. It was a curiously pleasant sensation and she took another sip.
They arrived quickly enough and piled out onto the sidewalk in front of Avengers Tower.
"God, it's freezing!" Darcy said, grabbing Klara's arm and hauling her toward the revolving doors, "Come on, let's get inside!"
With little resistance (as Darcy might have said, resistance was futile) Klara allowed the girl to pull her through the doors and into the marble receiving hall, where they were all scanned and given green approval messages.
"Welcome and welcome back, respectively," the voice of JARVIS intoned, "The others are gathered in the lounge area if you care to make your way to Level 57."
"Thank you, JARVIS," Lord Thor said, putting an arm around Dr. Foster's shoulders and leading the way to the elevators.
Klara followed only because Darcy still had their arms twined together, and she grinned at Klara's hesitation.
"AI butlers," she said, sounding like an overexcited school girl, "This is so cool!"
Klara felt that the journey upwards took both too little and too much time. There was a sense of impending dread as the numbers ticked by on the electronic display, and Klara didn't even realize that she had tensed until she felt pressure on her arm. Darcy was still grinning at her, but there was something else in her eyes, a subtle sincerity behind the frames of her glasses.
"Breathe," she ordered, and Klara obeyed almost without thought, taking a long inhale and a slow exhale. Darcy smiled as the elevator chimed and they all stepped out into the lounge.
"Finally!" Tony Stark exclaimed, hopping down the raised step where the table stood at the far end of the room and striding toward them with a wide, welcoming smile, a glass of wine in one hand, the other outstretched to Thor, who took it jovially, "Now we can get back to work!"
He turned to Klara then, his smile still wide and friendly as he took her hand in his and pressed an enthusiastic kiss to it.
"Welcome back, Klara! Who's your friend?"
He turned his attention to Darcy and winked. Klara, expecting a quip from the girl and hearing none, turned to give her a puzzled look. The girl was staring, her mouth slightly ajar.
"Oh," Klara said, caught off-guard by Darcy's lack of response, "Oh, this is Darcy Lewis, Dr. Foster's assistant. Miss Lewis, may I present Mr. Anthony Stark."
"Tony works fine," he said, taking Darcy's unresponsive hand and pressing another quick kiss to it, "Well, apparently for everyone but Asgardian handmaidens. And this must be the elusive Dr. Foster herself!"
With Tony Stark's attention safely directed elsewhere, Darcy seemed to come out of her daze and blinked at Klara.
"Wow," she said, "That was weird. I don't think I've ever fangirled so hard in my life."
Klara gave her a somewhat perplexed smile. "I suppose he is a presence that takes some getting used to."
"No kidding."
By this time the others had made their way down from the table and introductions were made. Darcy 'fangirled' again over Captain Rogers, but the effect of Tony Stark must have prepared her for it because she managed at least a smile for the captain. Klara tried to hang back, but Dr. Banner made a point to seek her out, taking her hand in his with a warm smile.
"Good to have you back, Klara," he said, and to her amazement, he sounded utterly sincere. She stared at him for a moment before she managed to nod her head in acknowledgment. Instinctively, she looked about but did not see Alice anywhere.
"Alice is out on a flight," he said, as if reading her thoughts, "She'll be back in the morning."
"All night?" she asked, brow furrowed, "Alone?"
"It's part of the requirements for her flight test," he said, shrugging, "She'll be alright. She has JARVIS with her if something goes wrong."
"Oh," she said, "And Miss Romanov?"
"Took some time off for Christmas," he said, "She'll be back on the first."
"I see." She wanted to ask if Clint Barton had returned in her absence, but felt it might be an imposition. Also, she might not want to hear the answer.
"Let's have dinner! I'm starving, are you starving?" Mr. Stark said, encircling Miss Potts' waist and planting a kiss on her cheek, "We ordered steak!"
They had a fine meal and were given to their rooms. Before they retired to their beds, Darcy Lewis gave Klara a long, tight hug.
"Told you it would be fine," she said, pulling back and grinning, "You worry too much!"
Klara smiled and wished her a good night. But as she shut the door on the quiet dark of her own room, she could not help but think she wasn't quite done worrying yet.
It had finally stopped snowing, thank god. Alice carefully guided the quinjet over the city, watching the snow sparkle below in the sunlight. From here, it actually looked clean. Funny what a little distance could do your perspective. She smirked and swung north-west, toward the glittering finger of glass that stuck out like a beacon. Home. Her earpiece came to life with the exaggerated sound of fake static and clicks.
"Breaker, breaker, one-nine, what is your ETA? Over!"
Alice rolled her eyes.
"I'm gonna break your one-nine, Tony Stark, if you don't get off the line and let me concentrate," she muttered, pressing a series of buttons and lowering the altitude a smidge to line up with the landing pad.
"Oh god, look out, we've got a bogie incoming!" he yelled out of the speaker, as if to an imaginary audience, "Brace for impact everyone, brace for impact, she's comin' in hot!"
"You're an ass," she said, as she guided the bird with almost no effort into the slots that marked her landing, "I should ding the side of the building for that."
"You'd just have to go out again," he said, and she could almost hear his smirk, "What exactly is your dignity worth to you, Miss Ripley?"
"Apparently less than that," she grumbled as the hangar doors closed behind her, "See you in a minute, jerk."
And with that she turned off the comms and breathed a sigh of relief, watching the landing lights slowly come up outside the windows and outline the interior of the hangar. She went through the routine safety checks and finally unstrapped from her harness.
"All clear, Miss Ripley," JARVIS said from the speakers, "Welcome home."
The back door dropped open, to the annoying fanfare of Tony Stark trying to imitate a bugle playing reveille.
"Hail the conquering hero!" he sang out before giving her an exaggerated salute.
"I hate you," she said, walking straight past him down the ramp to give Bruce a kiss, "Not you. Just him."
Bruce smiled and pressed his nose to hers in a little gesture of affection before releasing her.
"Seriously though, how was it?" he asked, taking her bag and slinging it over his shoulder.
"Cold," she said, calling out over her shoulder, "The heating in the back could use some work, Tony."
"It's a metal shell, not exactly made for long stays in the Arctic," Tony said, shoving his hands in his pockets as he trudged along beside them, "But I'll see what I can do."
She smiled at him as he held the door open for her and Bruce to go through.
"God, I need a shower," she said, "Anything exciting happen here?"
"We're nearly a full house again!" Tony announced, "Thor and his entourage showed up last night. Isn't it nice when the kids come home for the holidays?"
Alice felt a little jolt in her gut, but she tried not to show it. She kept on smiling as Tony kept talking all the way down to the floor she shared with Bruce.
"Well, I guess I've got work to do in the shop," he said finally when the elevator chimed and the doors slid open, "But I expect to see you both at the party tonight, dressed to the nines!"
Alice rolled her eyes as she stepped off the elevator.
"It's literally just us, Tony," she said, walking backward to keep her eye on him, "Why would I need to dress up for that?"
"Aw, come on Alice," he said, pressing a new button on the elevator, "It's New Year's Eve!"
He winked as the doors slid closed, not even giving Alice enough time to throw him a friendly middle finger in retort.
"He's insufferable," she sighed, turning to walk with Bruce to their room, "And exhausting. I don't know how you put up with him for as many hours as you do."
"I try to forget he's there," Bruce said, a small smile twitching his lips, "That really pisses him off."
She laughed and wrapped her arm in his, leaning into him and just loving being close to him. She always missed him when she wasn't here. She wondered if that would ever change. She hoped not.
Darcy had convinced Klara to wear the dress.
"It's the nicest thing you own!" she'd said, as if this were a perfectly logical line of reasoning, "It's a party, Klara. Dress-up is required."
But now, standing in the dim light of the lounge, looking out on the sparkling city below, Klara wished she had ignored Darcy's arbitrary requirement. The flowing lavender and the glints of silver that touched the sheen and accents of the gown kept catching her eye and making her throat close. Her fingers touched the fabric unnecessarily. This was the first and only gift Lady Frigga had ever bestowed on her. It hurt to think of it.
"Hey."
She turned toward the voice, her heart in her throat. Alice was fiddling with the stem of her glass, filled with more of the bubbly drink Darcy called champagne, and toeing at the carpet with one black boot. She was dressed in a black sequined gown with sleeves that hugged her elbows and a skirt that touched her knees, leaving only a small bit of her leggings visible above her boots, patterned with a sparkly star motif. The outfit worked with her short stature and shoulder-length hair to give her an almost childlike appearance, and Klara was reminded of how very young she was, barely over twenty years. It was staggering.
"So," Alice said, tapping the pad of one finger against her glass, "Listen: when you were here last, I...look, I didn't mean to get all up in your face. I just got, I don't know, worked up. I'm sorry." She glanced up into Klara's eyes and away again. "I was gonna tell you that the next day, but..."
But Klara had already been gone, whisked away into the snowy night by Lord Thor. Klara felt an even tighter knot forming in her throat and she swallowed to dispel it.
"I'm sorry too," she said and Alice looked startled by that, "I overstepped my bounds. I should have trusted Dr. Banner's judgment, and not simply assumed he meant to shield me unnecessarily. I only..." She hesitated.
"It's hard to know," Alice filled in, "If it's actually dangerous or if they're just fretting because you're...not them."
Klara blinked in surprise. Alice seemed to have the uncanny ability to say exactly what needed to be said, in exactly the way it needed to be said, no flowery terms or beating around the bush about it. Alice smiled and raised her glass in an offering.
"Tell you what," she said, "I'll be your danger meter if you'll be mine."
Klara happily returned the gesture. "Agreed."
The glasses made a musical chime as they touched and each girl sipped. With an awkward smile, Alice wandered off toward the hors d'oeuvres bar that had been set up by the kitchen.
"I think she missed you." Captain Rogers stepped up from the lounge area, hands in his dark trouser pockets, a lock of his hair dropping over his sparkling blue eyes. "She's been a little...off-balance since you left."
"I did not mean to cause distress," Klara said, and then considered her words and dropped her eyes to her wine glass, "No more than I already had, at any rate. Lord Thor thought it would be best."
"I know," the captain said, "He told me. I just...wanted you to know you were missed."
Klara dared to flick her eyes up. He was staring down into his own glass, and there were words on the tip of her tongue, a barely formed thought...which was suddenly dashed by a loud squawk of sound made Klara jump with a startled laugh. Tony Stark was juggling his drink and a microphone in one hand as he scrambled on top of a chair (Miss Potts doing her best to help him keep his feet). Once he was settled, he raised the microphone to his lips and his wrist to his face ceremoniously.
"Alright, kids, here we go!" he shouted, magnified by the speakers hidden throughout the lounge, "Ten! Nine!"
The other Midgardians all raised their glasses and began to count with him.
"Six! Five!"
Klara caught Lord Thor's eye from across the room. He shrugged jovially and raised his glass with them.
"Two! One! Happy New Year!"
There was a loud cheer and a swarm of balloons floated down from the ceiling, covering everyone in a sea of black and gold and silver. There was laughterand, huggingand, the sounds of glasses chiming. Dr. Banner swept Alice up to his lips in a kiss, and Mr. Stark nearly tumbled off his chair trying to bend down for a kiss from Miss Potts. Darcy appeared out of the maelstrom of streamers and balloons, flinging her arms about Klara's neck and nearly knocking them both off balance.
"Happy New Year!" she slurred, bopping Klara's nose and grinning like a loon, "And many happy more!"
Klara returned her grin (she couldn't help it) and managed to clink her glass to Darcy's unsteady one. "And to you, Darcy Lewis."
"You need more booze," Darcy declared, attempting to tug her toward the kitchen area, "Come on!"
"Oh, I really don't think-"
In the midst of the revelry, it was amazing how loud the elevator chime sounded in Klara's ears. She turned toward the sound as the doors slid open.
"Did I miss the party?" Clint Barton asked, smiling around the room as he stepped from the elevator, Natasha Romanov close on his heels. Klara's heart dropped to her stomach.
"Clint!" Alice squealed and ran to fling herself at the other man, who had to drop his bag to catch her and spin her around.
"Woah, easy high-flyer," he said, as he dropped her back on her feet, "You miss me?"
"Nah," Alice said, though her spreading grin belied her, "Just been waiting to take my flight test forever-"
"Alright, first thing in the morning!" he said, reaching around the girl as Captain Rogers approached, his hand outstretched. The captain did not look nearly as pleased to see the archer as Alice, and his grip tensed as he took his hand.
"We good?"
Clint Barton nodded.
"Yeah," he said, "I'm ready. Let's get to work."
Only then did Captain Rogers smile. "In that case, welcome back."
As Clint Barton began to make his way around the room, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, Klara felt painfully exposed. Here she was, in the dress she had worn the night she had first taken his gifts, the tokens of affection that she had not understood at the time, but now understood very well. And she could not face Clint Barton, not like this, not with this blatant show of everything he hated flaunted on her skin.
So she fled. First at a walk, but by the time she had reached the elevators she was running, the sound of her sandals on the tiles a soft slap that seemed to pierce the air with every step. The doors slid open immediately at her touch, and as she turned to press the button that would take her away, she caught Clint Barton's eye. He watched her, a careful expression on his face, until the doors slid shut and hid her from his view.
She shut her eyes and leaned back against the cool metal wall, her fist clenched around the pendant hung at her neck.
A/N: Guess who's back! ;D