And we have Loki's return following Darkness! Hope you guys like it. Again, 'magic' Darcy. Hope you guys like it.

Illusinia

Prompt: Power

From: avengers-tables .livejournal under 50-word prompt (yes, I do intent to use all 50 words)

Pairings: Darcy/Clint, Loki & Darcy interaction

He'd said he would be back to test her. She hadn't expected him to show up at S.H.I.E.L.D. No one had. Which was why when he popped into the hallway while she was on her way out of a meeting and blocked her path, no one seemed able to move for a moment. The Avenger's weren't there. They had been deployed earlier to deal with a disturbance at the park. It was done with now, but they hadn't returned.

She heard Coulson pull out a gun behind her then yelp. Glancing back, she realized his gun had turned into a snake and bitten him. The green and yellow snake slithered by her and up to Loki, crawling up his leg and into his hand where it promptly became a gun again. Huh, neat trick.

Loki considered the object in his hand for a moment, then tossed it over his shoulder carelessly. "You Midgardians have such strange weapons. Why use these things when you have magic users among you?"

Darcy gulped slightly, because his eyes slid to her when he mentioned magic users. She literally felt Coulson freeze behind her. Loki just kept his eyes locked on her, and her own stayed firmly on his. "Hey, don't look at me. I don't know anything about magic."

A smile slid across Loki's face. "And that, my dear Midgardian witch, is a complete lie. It could have been a good one too, given how you often act as if you know far less than you do."

"You've been stalking me?" growled Darcy. Of course, she knew that to some extent. She'd felt him watching her when she was out and about. Especially at the bar the other night, when she'd been careful not to drink anything with alcohol. Panic suddenly rose up in her. Shit. If he knows I'm pregnant...

Apparently, her poker face wasn't as good as she would have liked, because he chuckled slightly to draw back her attention. "Yes little mortal, I know about the child you carry. It will be another Midgardian witch, will it not?"

She backed away a little, moving towards where she could feel Coulson and the others at her back. Silently, she reached out with her energy to feel where Clint was. He was on his way back. She sent him a diluted bolt of panic. Fear. He needed to know something was wrong.

The response was instantaneous, his own panic and fear struck hers as well as determination. They were moving fast now. They'd be there shortly.

Her mind returned to the room where they stood, Loki's eyes locked on her and a smirk on his face. "You're magic is stronger than I would have thought. You can send messages over long distances. Does your lover know what he is racing towards, or did you simply tell him there was trouble?"

"I didn't tell him anything," rebuked Darcy. Denial. She needed to keep Loki in the dark. Power was given to her, but it wasn't a free gift. Power always came with a price, and the price for hers was steep. "Its kinda hard to talk with someone who's not, you know, here. Besides, how would I talk to him? I don't have a phone next to my ear."

Loki brushed off her comment. "An unnecessary piece of Midgardian technology. I have done some research on Midgardian magic. It's powerful when one can use it. So tell me, little mortal, how powerful are you?"

"I'm not powerful," shot back Darcy. "I have no power and I can't use magic!"

"Yet, you can see far more than you let on," retorted Loki, who was apparently getting some kind of sick pleasure out of their argument. "As I previously informed you when we spoke in that alley, we were in absolute darkness, yet your eyes followed me. I taunted you, but you did not show any fear."

Darcy allowed a faint smirk to cross her lips and her voice dropped. "I knew what you needed, even though you denied it."

His back stiffened as he gave her a glare. "I do not need someone to speak with!"

"No," agreed Darcy calmly. "You need someone who can understand, relate. You need someone who gets why you've gone off the deep end and doesn't judge you for it. Which is why you're stalking me."

"No, I am merely observing you because you are interesting," argued Loki, though his calm facade was fading rapidly. "You use magic, something with most Midgardian's are unable to do."

Darcy shook her head slowly, reaching out to touch Clint again and see where he was. The jet had landed, and he was running towards her location. "Its not magic Loki. Observation isn't magic."

The smirk was forming again, much to Darcy's chagrin. "You're lover is almost here, but he can not save you. Your magic is strong, and I will test you so I might know how strong."

Pounding footsteps echoed up through the hall as Clint and the rest of the Avengers bolted in from behind where Loki stood. However, he merely lashed out with an arm and sent a wind through the corridor, knocking them down like bowling pins. Then, he grabbed Darcy's arm.

Power came with a price, always with a price. However, with age came strength. And Darcy was old enough to be very strong. Still, her power could be evoked without her permission, especially if she felt threatened. Which is exactly how she felt at the moment.

Thus, when Loki's eyes widened, she knew he felt the pull. The threat. But there wasn't enough time for him to react, to pull away. Instead, he screamed. She knew the pain had to be excruciating. The man was literally being burned alive on a spiritual level. He released her and fell to the ground in agony. She dropped down as well and lay her hand on his head, extinguishing the flames that no one else could see.

Several beats passed before he whimpered and opened his eyes. No one else moved as he looked at her, wide eyed and slack jawed. Loki was shocked, amazed. She had amazed the God of Mischief. That couldn't be good.

"Your magic runs deep," it was almost whispered, but she knew everyone else could hear it. "It lights the darkness."

She watched Loki carefully, could see the shifting of his own energy as his body rebalanced itself to counter the effects of her own power. His energy wasn't reforming the way it had been before. It was softer now, kinder. Balanced. Not the menacing sensation it had been before. He was rebalancing into what he had been before. The being he had been before.

"Feeling better?" her words were soft, encouraging.

He nodded uncertainly, then focused his eyes on her waist. "Is your child well?"

Darcy felt her shoulders relax as she nodded and leaned back to rest on her heels. "Like you said, my kid's gonna be like me. A little energy expenditure isn't gonna hurt him or her."

Loki nodded, still laying on the floor, and tilted his head back to look at Clint, who had gotten back on his feet and was standing, slack jawed, staring at Darcy. "You have a strong bride, Clint Barton. Your child will be just as strong. Make sure they remain safe and well, for all our sakes."

She lightly struck him on the shoulder, just as she knew Sif often had. The brief contact had given her more glimpses at Loki's memories; her little stunt had reminded him of the dark-haired shield maiden. "As if you don't have to do the same thing with Sif."

His eyes darted to hers, wide with shock. Everyone had refocused on her again, making her self conscious. "How do you know of my affections for Sif?" Darcy just glanced away and for a moment Loki stared at her hard before realization struck him. "You can see my memories."

"Could," corrected Darcy quietly. "Skin contact lets me see memories from other people. Kinda why I avoid physical contact."

Loki nodded slowly. "Does clothing dampen the connection?"

"A little," admitted Darcy quietly. "Doesn't stop it though. Unless I create a barrier, I get memories that aren't mine."

"The price of power," nodded Loki in understanding. "Yours is a lack of silence and an inability to maintain the privacy of others when you're present."

She nodded again, eyes moving to meet Clint's. He didn't look upset or shocked. Didn't even look angry she'd kept that from him. Instead, he just looked relieved.

Her eyes returned to Loki for a moment, but he was already sitting up. "Go to your lover, his worry for your safety is great."

"Thanks," whispered Darcy as she stood. Clint was beside her not a moment later, arms around her waist and words of relief falling from his lips. She returned his hug and pressed her face into his shoulder as she felt Thor walk by her to his brother.

She could hear their greeting, Thor's relief as his brother's apparent healing and the like. But none of it registered really. Clint was holding her tight, showing how much he accepted who she was. He wasn't frightened by her power, at least not enough to try to push her away.

Behind them, Loki cleared his throat and she turned to face him. Well, as much as Clint would allow.

The mischievous god was giving her a smile. "Thank you, Darcy Lewis."

Coulson choked behind him, loudly. Apparently, no one had ever thought a god would be thanking Darcy. Well, okay, the thought hadn't crossed her mind either but it wasn't that shocking.

"You're welcome Loki," replied Darcy with a smile. "Though, I gotta say, if I'd known lighting you on fire would solve everything, I would have done it a long time ago."

Clint choked a little behind her and his head snapped up. "You lit Loki on fire?"

Her head fell back to rest on his shoulder. "Duh, why do you think he was flailing around on the ground in pain?"

Loki just laughed. "A strange Midgardian witch, that is you Miss Lewis."

"I am to entertain," shrugged Darcy, eyes turning back to Loki.

He gave her a smile in return and nodded. "I would like permission to discuss the extent of your power with you at a later time though. In all of the years I have been alive, one such as yourself has never crossed my path."

Darcy's smile lost a little power as she drew back some. "Yeah, Loki, someone has. You just didn't know it."

"Lady Darcy?" queried Thor.

"Darcy?" asked Clint in a whisper.

Darcy just shook her head. "Maybe, someday, I'll tell you guys some things that mortals really aren't supposed to know. But today? Today I'm beat and just want to go sleep. Pregnancy takes a lot out of you."

"Not yet Miss Lewis," corrected Coulson. "We still have to debrief-"

"That can be done later," interrupted Fury. All heads snapped to look at the Director, who had almost literally just appeared out of thin air. "Miss Lewis, go with Agent Barton and get some rest. You can be debriefed later."

One of Darcy's eyebrows rose as she looked at Fury, surprised by the lenience. What she saw was understanding and a shared kinship. Apparently, she wasn't the only powerful member of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Will you be doing the debriefing personally?" asked Darcy with a grin.

Fury shot her back a half smirk. "You can count on it, Miss Lewis."

"Good," grinned back Darcy. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Good, bad, will I be hunted down if I do one more of these? Let me know please!