Darcy mulled around the fire pit, down on the ground of the camp. She kicked some dirt and leaves, staring at her feet. Sitting on a stump beside the pile of ash, she propped her elbows on her knees and sighed.

I wonder how Ben's doing. I wonder if Jane's noticed I'm gone. She's not in town, though. Darcy sighed again.

"Don't look so depressed," Loki drawled. "You're far too obnoxious to be this quiet."

"Have I ever told you how good you are with women?" she rolled her eyes as the god sat on a log beside her.

"I don't have to hear it from you, I hear it quite regularly from others."

"God you're full of yourself."

"Thank you."

"So can I go home now?"

"There's a very good chance that the Frost Giant is still in your house. And he could have brought more if he's learned how to open portals."

"So that's a no?"

"It's simply not safe."

"So that's a no."

"Yes."

"So wait is it a no or a yes?"

"It's a no," Loki huffed. "You can be so dense."

"There's that complimentary attitude of yours. Stop it, you'll make me blush."

"Tell me, Darcy-"

"How many times do I have to tell you to not say my name? I don't like it."

"Well then what should I call you?"

"Call me…I don't know…"

"How about Lewis?"

"That sounds like a boy's name."

"Well what's your second name?"

"I…I don't have one," Darcy mumbled.

"What?"

"I don't have a middle name."

"I thought all Midgardians had middle names."

"Nope. On my dad's side of the family, only the first-born son gets a middle name. Some stupid tradition. It makes paperwork a nightmare."

"Well then what am I to call you if I'm not permitted to use your name?"

Darcy thought for a moment, "Windy."

"…What?"

"Call me Windy."

"Why?"

"I like the sound of it," Darcy shrugged. "When I was little, Peter Pan was my favorite movie. But I would always say Wendy instead of Windy."

"Very well."

"Okay."

They sat in silence for a few minutes as elves tended the camp around them. A small group walked into the forest with bows and arrows, a small hunting party apparently.

"I'd like to apologize for this morning," Loki's voice disrupted Darcy's thoughts.

"What?"

"This morning. I made an assumption and it was incorrect. And for that I apologize."

"Oh," Darcy blinked. "Don't worry about it," she eyed him warily. What's he playing at? He's never nice like that.

Loki turned and offered a small smile. No matter how much she disliked him, Darcy couldn't deny the flutter in her stomach when she saw it. He might've been a bit right on the whole 'bad boy' thing…

Darcy was bored out of her mind. She and Loki had been in the elves' camp for two days now, and there didn't seem to be anything to do. She would wake up, walk around, climb trees, sit for a while, walk around some more, have small conversations with some of the men, and climb more trees. And on top of that she hadn't been able to change or properly bathe- she had to sneak away to quickly shower in a small, cold stream. Loki seemed to be enjoying himself, though. He would carry on long, friendly conversations with not only Wilfrem but all of the elves, and he occasionally joined the hunting parties. Darcy found herself wondering how Loki knew all of these people- they seemed to worship him.

She approached Wilfrem one evening while Loki was indisposed, conversing with a group of younger elves.

"Yo."

"Darcy Darcy Lewis! And how are you this fine evening?"

"Bored," she shrugged. Wilfrem chuckled. "So I was wondering…How do all of you know Loki?"

"Ah, it is quite a tale indeed. Many of us, myself included, met the Prince decades ago when he began traveling through the realms."

"Decades? How old are you people?"

"I am eighty-four," Wilfrem smiled, "The Prince is a few hundred years old, I believe."

"What?" Darcy gaped. "A few hundred? He looks like he's in his late twenties, early thirties max."

"Asgardians are immortal, my friend. Loki will appear as he does now for hundreds of years to come. And even if their kind did age ungracefully, he's a powerful enough illusionist to make himself appear youthful."

"Wow."

"Yes, he is quite impressive is he not?"

"So how do you guys know each other?"

"Prince Loki came to our realm on accident, when he began practicing advanced magic. He was stuck here for a while, so we took him under our wing. Eventually he learned how to return home, but continued to visit. He's now far too powerful for any of us to challenge his authority." Darcy would have expected Wilfrem to be resentful- she didn't think that submitting to Loki's authority could ever be enjoyable- but the elf seemed thrilled by it.

"Does he know how to control people's thoughts?"

"You think me foolish for following the Prince, don't you?" he smiled.

"Well yeah. The guy's a jackass."

"Darcy Darcy Lewis, how little you know of the man."

Before Darcy could ask what he meant, Loki strode over.

"I hope you don't mind if I borrow Wilfrem for a moment."

"He's all yours." Darcy walked off a few feet and turned to watch them. They had fallen into a slightly hushed conversation, their eye contact so absolute she imagined they couldn't possibly be aware of what was going on around them. She tiptoed backwards, leaning her head slightly to listen in.

"Eaves dropping is not becoming of a lady," Loki's voice floated to her.

"I wasn't eaves dropping," she snapped. The god turned to smirk at the mortal, and her cheeks turned pink. She left quickly, walking over to the fire and sitting on a long next to an elf playing a flute. She kept glancing back at the men, but she couldn't figure out what they were talking about. They barely moved, much less raised their voices or changed their facial expressions- Wilfrem seemed to be constantly grinning, Loki's back was turned to her.

When the men finished their discussion, Loki walked toward the fire and sat on a stump two feet from Darcy.

"So do you think I could get a change of clothes some time? I've been wearing this tank top and shorts for like three days."

"I can arrange something. What would you desire?"

"A pair of jeans, t-shirt and cardigan?"

"What's a cardigan?"

"It's like a sweater but kinda lightweight and it buttons up the…Why don't we just go back to Earth? I'm pretty sure a ginormous blue guy wouldn't be hanging around there, he'd stick out like a sore thumb. That's not very stealthy. He'd be run out of Puento Antiguo in a day."

"Unless he's destroyed it by now."

Darcy's heart nearly stopped.

"Halgrund wouldn't do that, would he?"

"You know his name?" Loki regarded her with disgust.

"Well yeah. The guy rescued me from an ice shelf."

"Frost Giants are dumb brutes, why would you bother to learn or remember a particular one's name?"

"Because he seemed like a nice guy."

"Frost Giants are not nice."

"Why so much hate, dude? Did one steal your candy when you were a baby?"

Loki's posture went rigid and his tensed. Darcy leaned back. She had seen him annoyed and somewhat upset, but he seemed…enraged, in a sense.

"Clearly I've hit a nerve. Nevermind."

"Frost Giants are not nice," Loki repeated. "They once attempted to conquer and destroy Midgard and its inhabitants."

"Didn't know that," Darcy stared at her feet.

Loki paused, took a breath and continued, "The people of your realm have been lucky enough to be unaware of the other realms. You may believe that they exist, but you aren't involved in their problems."

"But we can still be killed and taken over by you guys, so it doesn't really make it that good. In fact, it makes it pretty sucky. We could have an armada of spaceships coming toward us through an inter-dimensional portal and we'd be helpless."

Loki pondered her statement for a moment before offering a one-shoulder shrug. Turning back to the fire, Darcy noticed the elf with the flute waggling his eyebrows at her.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm sure you can, fair maiden."

"Oh ew," Darcy stood and walked toward one of the ladders. The elf sat, dejected, and Loki chuckled.

The next day, Darcy woke to find a pair of black skinny jeans, a green t-shirt, and a black, hooded cardigan laying at the foot of her bed. Smiling, she quickly stripped and reached for the new clothes.

"Do you like the clothes?" Loki strode into the room, apparently oblivious to the fact that Darcy was almost naked.

"Dude!" she shrieked, holding the cardigan to cover herself, "Manners! What is wrong with you?"

"It's just flesh, I don't see what-"

"It's not 'just flesh', it's my flesh and it's private!"

"Please, Darcy-"

"What have I said about my name?"

"Windy. I have seen naked women before, it's nothing new."

"I don't care if you've seen other chicks naked-"

"What do birds have to do with-"

"-It's my body and I don't want you looking at it!"

"Midgardian women are ridiculous. You wear shreds of cloth and still try to claim that you have your virtue."

"I don't wear shreds of cloth, I wear clothes!"

"You bare your legs freely."

"Shorts and skirts are normal, dude."

"They're immodest," Loki scoffed.

"You're a prude."

"How am I a prude?"

"You think women should wear burkas or something like that, yet you're totally casual about walking in on an undressed girl, what is wrong with you?"

"I'm not condoning covering absolutely everything being covered, I'm merely saying that it's inappropriate to show off so much skin."

"But you're totally chill about seeing me and other women almost naked. Double fucking standard, dude! Now would you mind turning around so I can get dressed?"

"Fine," Loki turned his back to her and she dropped the cardigan, slipping into the jeans. Darcy was unaware that there was a mirror on the wall near the door, and Loki could still see her. His eyes traveled up and down her body, taking in her milky white skin and slender figure. He was more accustomed to seeing the curvaceous females of Asgard, so he considered her slim body to be quite strange. When she finished dressing, she cleared her throat. Loki turned back to face her, a bored expression on his face.

"Now what was so important that you had to creep on me?"

"I wanted to know if the clothes were satisfactory."

"Yeah they're fine, thanks." The two stood in silence for a few moments. "Is that all?"

"I…I wanted to show you something."

The two had walked the entire day. They passed beautiful meadows, traveled through dense forests, and walked by a monstrous waterfall at one point. By the time the sun was setting, they came to the mouth of a cave.

"Oh god you're gonna kill me, aren't you?"

"Pardon?"

"You're gonna kill me and hide my body in the cave. Dammit."

"If I wanted you dead it would have happened long again. I probably would have executed you quite publicly to make an example of your death."

"Oh. Good to know."

"Come."

Loki lead her into the cave. Twenty feet in, they plunged into cave darkness. Darcy instinctively grabbed Loki's arm, not wanting to fall off a ledge in the dark. A second later, green flame erupted in the god's hand, illuminating the cave. Darcy released his arm with a small cough, and followed as he walked forward. After ten minutes of walking, they emerged onto a small plateau overlooking a massive valley. The moon was rising on the horizon before them, illuminating flowers and a small stream below.

"Wow," Darcy breathed.

"I discovered this the first time I came to this realm.

"It's beautiful."

"Yes it is." Loki glanced at Darcy, who stood awestruck by the sight. She felt his eyes and returned his gaze. The god took a step closer, closing the distance between them. Sliding a hand onto the small of her back, he gently drew her body to his and leaned down, his green eyes locked with her brown irises.

"Darcy," he paused, waiting for her to correct him, but she didn't speak, "May I kiss you?"

Rather than speak, she leaned up on her toes and pressed her lips against his. Loki's other hand reached up to the back of her neck, his fingers tangling in her brown curls, and pulled her closer. Darcy closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Loki took a step forward- Darcy's body moving with his- and guided her to sit on a boulder, pressing into her body until she was lying down with him on top of her. His lips traveled from her mouth to her jawline, then to her neck. He lightly nipped her collarbone, eliciting a small gasp from Darcy as she both felt the sensation and recalled the fantasy from her shower. Loki's lips trailed along the neckline of her t-shirt, coming to a halt at her cleavage. He placed a soft kiss on her skin before pulling back slightly to look at her.

"You are a truly beautiful woman, Darcy Lewis."

AN: Meh, kind of a cliffhanger. Not quite as suspenseful as the previous ones, but I felt like this was a good place to stop the chapter. As always, read and review! 3