Jane was suspended in midair, held off the ground by some unseen force. She was plunged in blood-red light, surrounded by ripples of darkness like water. A terrible power surged through her, tearing her apart cell by cell. A dark figure stretched out its hand towards Jane and she stiffened, back arching in pain as the dark figure drained the life out of her…
Darcy woke up thrashing, trying to get to her friend before the dark figure killed her. She jerked upright, tangled in the sheets, and stared wildly around the darkened bedroom. It took her a moment before she realized she wasn't in Loki's cell, and another before she realized she'd been dreaming.
Her head felt like it had been split in two, and her body ached as if she had gone ten rounds with someone twice her size. Her pajamas were stiff with dried sweat and her mouth tasted like copper. With a groan, Darcy collapsed backwards onto her pillows and rolled over to check the clock.
"Shit!" she spat, and scrambled to untangle herself from the sheets. She padded across the hallway to Jane's room and knocked. "Janey? You up?" When there was no reply, Darcy opened the door and stuck her head inside. She could hear the shower running and there was a black dress laid out on the bed, the one Darcy had picked up earlier that week.
Satisfied that Jane was up and getting ready, Darcy retreated to her own bedroom and took the shortest possible shower. She twisted her wet hair up into a simple chignon so she could slap some makeup on, and dug her only pair of dress shoes out of her closet, which was already a disaster zone. Her own dress was hanging on the back of the closet door, and Darcy somehow managed to get the zipper up by herself.
When she emerged again from her bedroom, Jane was using the mirror by the front door to put her earrings in. "Car's already waiting for us," she said.
"We're gonna be laaaate," Darcy bemoaned, tucking her clutch under one elbow and fiddling with her key ring. She finally found the right key and shooed Jane out into the hall so she could lock the front door behind them. The driver said nothing as they got into the vehicle, Jane still fixing the pins keeping her hair up.
"Let me," Darcy said, slapping her hands out of the way and doing it herself.
The venue was already crowded when they arrived. A guard at the door checked their SHIELD badges (official employee ones now, no more visitor's passes). Just inside the doorway was a table holding a large wreath of flowers and a framed photo of Agent Coulson.
Agent Coulson's funeral and interment had already taken place back in his hometown with his extended family. SHIELD, however, was holding three different memorial services for him at various SHIELD bases to allow all the agents who wanted to attend to pay their respects.
Darcy headed straight for the bar and got two glasses of wine, one of which she handed to Jane. "You're gonna need this," she said. Jane took the glass without arguing and drained it in one go.
"I hate funerals," Jane said in a low voice. She looked around. "Everyone here probably knew Coulson better than we did."
"Probably," Darcy agreed, throwing back her own glass of wine.
A slight-statured man with curly, salt-and-pepper hair and glasses edged nervously out of the crowd and walked toward them. Darcy turned to square off with him, instinctively moving to protect Jane. Jane didn't notice, but the man slowed his approach, eying Darcy and silently asking permission to continue. She looked him up and down and gave a slight nod.
"Dr Foster?" the man asked, stopping a respectful distance away.
Jane gave him a polite smile, extending her hand. "Yes. And you are?"
"Bruce Banner," the man replied, taking her hand.
"Holy crap," Darcy blurted, eyes widening.
Banner cringed visible, snatching his hand away from Jane. "I'm sorry?" he stuttered, looking as if he was about to flee.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Darcy said, reaching out to grab his sleeve but remembering to stop just in time. "I didn't mean...I just, I have wanted to meet you ever since I read your articles on climate change in Science Earth. They were fantastic!"
"Oh," Banner said, relaxing. He gave her a faint smile. "That's not usually the reason people want to meet me."
"Well, I'm not much into genetics, so I don't really have any other excuse to fangirl over you," Darcy said with a rueful smile.
"Thank you," Banner said sincerely. He turned to Jane. "I just wanted to know how your work was going. I heard that you were analyzing the data from the Tesseract."
"I could probably be working on that data for years," Jane said. "We picked up dark matter emissions from the portal, x energy, and half a dozen other emissions I don't have names for yet. And we're still not completely sure yet how the Tesseract actually functions. It has behavior patterns, erratic outbursts of energy, almost as if it's partially sentient."
"Aaaaand that's my cue to leave," Darcy said. She smiled again at Banner. "If you understand anything she just said, you're welcome to keep her company. I'm gonna go mingle a bit." She poked Jane in the shoulder. "Behave, and get something to eat before you have any more wine."
"Yes, mother," Jane said, batting Darcy's hand away.
Darcy had caught sight of Natasha and Barton across the room and picked her way over to say hello. Natasha was reading something on her phone and Barton leaned against the wall, the thousand-yard stare firmly in place. "Hey," Darcy called as she approached. "Clint. You all right?"
He blinked and focused on her face. "Lewis. Hey. When did you get here?"
"Five minutes ago," Darcy gestured over her shoulder. "Dr Banner and Jane are discussing sciencey things and I get tired with having to pull out my dictionary every five words so…" she trailed off with a shrug.
"Yeah," Clint nodded. "Know the feeling. You shoulda seen it when Banner and Stark got going."
"Stark likes to use the big words on purpose," Natasha commented without looking up from her phone. "It makes him feel smarter."
"Man's a genius," Barton said flatly. "Has the common sense of a rock."
Darcy looked between them. "You guys were there, weren't you? In New York, with Thor?"
Natasha finally tore her eyes away from her phone. "Yes," she said tersely, but politely. "Thor mentioned you, by the way."
"He did?" Darcy leaned forward slightly. "What did he say?"
"Coulson told him that we'd gotten Dr Foster to a safe place," Natasha replied. "Thor said he had no doubt of her safety as long as you were with her." Natasha raised an eyebrow. "He said something about you being a lightning-sister?"
Darcy bobbed her head. "Yeah. When we first met him, Thor kinda freaked us out, so I shot him with my taser."
Clint blinked at her again. "You tased Thor?" he asked slowly.
"Uh-huh," Darcy smiled faintly. "Knocked his butt right out. Good thing, too. I don't think we could have gotten him to the hospital otherwise."
"Hmm," Natasha observed, looking at Darcy with renewed interest.
Agent Sitwell made his way over to them and leaned close to Natasha. "Ms Potts is asking for your help with Stark," he said in a low voice.
Natasha rolled her eyes. "Already? I was going to give him an hour, at least." She looked at Darcy and hooked her thumb towards Barton. "Keep an eye on him for me, okay?"
Darcy waved her hand. "Yeah, no prob."
Clint made a face at Natasha, but the redhead merely levelled a firm look at him and sauntered away gracefully. Darcy leaned against the wall next to Clint.
"So where's the best place to get pizza in town?"
Clint snorted and uncrossed his arms, shoving them in his pockets. "Stefan's does a good pie. If you want New York style, though, you need to hit up Top Crust."
"Either one of them do Kosher?" Darcy asked hopefully.
Clint gave her a sidelong look. "There's a Kosher deli about two blocks from the Triskelion. Their pizza isn't terrible."
"Not terrible," Darcy echoed dryly. "What a ringing endorsement."
"You want Kosher, pizza probably isn't the best way to go," Clint replied. He tilted his head at her. "You go to temple?"
"When I have to, why?" she asked, returning his sidelong look.
He shrugged. "SHIELD holds services for most religions. I know there's a Rabbi that works at the Triskelion. And Yom Kippur is next month."
"How do you even know that?" Darcy demanded.
Clint shrugged again. "Friend of mine was Jewish."
"Was?" Darcy questioned.
"Dead," Clint said shortly.
"Oh. I'm sorry," Darcy said, kicking herself.
"Excuse me," said an unfamiliar male voice. Darcy glanced up and felt Clint straighten beside her.
"Captain," Clint said, at the same time Darcy said, "Oh, crap."
Darcy and the newcomer stared at each other for several seconds while Clint stared at Darcy. "So," Clint said slowly. "You two have met."
"We've met," the man confirmed. He was wearing a suit now, not the ridiculous red, white, and blue outfit he'd sported a week prior. His hair, as it turned out, was blonde, but Darcy would have recognized that jawline anywhere. He gave her an intense look. "Can we talk privately?" he asked, politely but very firmly.
"Yeah," Darcy said with a grimace. She handed her empty wineglass to Clint. "I'll be right back."
The man followed Darcy as she headed for a far corner of the venue, out of the way and currently unoccupied. When she turned around to confront him, he had stopped just out of arm's reach. "So…" she said, wringing her hands together.
"Who are you?" the man asked.
"Please don't tell anyone about me," Darcy blurted.
That seemed to take him off guard. "Wait, does SHIELD not know about you?"
"No," Darcy said miserably. "And I really, really, really don't want them to."
The man frowned. "I thought you were an agent. I thought they sent you to New York."
Darcy shook her head. "No," she said again. "I didn't really mean to be there, but I didn't have much of a choice."
The man studied her for a moment, and then extended his hand. "I'm Steve Rogers," he offered. "What's your name?"
Darcy stared at him, ignoring his proffered hand. "Steve Rogers?" she asked, her voice squeaking. "As in theSteve Rogers? Captain America Steve Rogers?"
He awkwardly lowered his hand. "Yes?" he said uncertainly.
"Oh, my God," Darcy said, her hands fluttering in excitement. "I thought you were just some guy they dressed up for propaganda. You're actuallySteve Rogers. How is that even possible? Why are you not, like, ninety years old? Why are you not, you know, dead?"
Captain Rogers' expression abruptly shut down, his eyes going blank and closed, and Darcy slapped her hand over her mouth.
"I am so sorry," she said. "Don't answer that. I'm such an idiot. I'm Darcy, by the way. Darcy Lewis. Hi. I work for Dr Foster." She shoved her hand toward him.
He gingerly shook her hand, his expression still blank. "She's Thor's girl, isn't she?" he asked.
"If by 'girl' you mean they spent a weekend passionately staring into each other's eyes while trying not to get blown up by his dick of a brother after she ran him over with her van, then yes," Darcy replied. "Dr Foster is Thor's 'girl.' She also happens to be the country's most cutting-edge astrophysicist and one of the smartest women in the world, next to Elizabeth Ross and Helen Cho, probably."
"I didn't mean any disrespect," Rogers began, but Darcy waved him off.
"Sorry, that's just me being really defensive of my best friend. It seems like the only thing Jane gets asked anymore is how good of a kisser Thor is."
Rogers blinked at her a couple of times, unsure of how to take that. Darcy made a half-aborted gesture and grimaced again. "Right. So you want to know about me."
"I saw you get hit by one of the Chitauri weapons," Rogers said.
"Yeah, and it hurt like a son of a bitch," Darcy said, rubbing her chest with one hand in remembered pain. "I couldn't breathe right for, like, three days."
"How did you survive that?" Rogers demanded, pulling her back on track. "You don't have a scratch on you."
Darcy heaved a sigh. "It's really complicated, but short version is, I can project myself to a separate location when I sleep. I can literally be in two places at once."
Rogers frowned at her. "How are you able to do that?"
Darcy shrugged. "Hell if I know. I've been doing it since I was thirteen. I went to sleep that night in Norway, woke up in New York City. Once I saw what was going on, I knew I had to help however I could."
He kept frowning at her. "Does anyone else know about what you can do?"
"No," Darcy lied. "And I would really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone."
"Why don't you want SHIELD to know?" he asked. "Isn't that what they do? Work with people like you?"
Darcy glanced around to make sure that no one was within hearing range. "Have you heard about the Index?" she asked in a low voice.
"No," he replied.
"Well, you're probably on it. It's a list of everyone SHIELD knows who has abilities. And I don't know about you, but I would rather not spend the rest of my days in a laboratory getting poked and prodded by scientists." Darcy crossed her arms. "I already spend most of my time in a lab, but at least I like the scientist and I do all the poking and prodding."
"Would they really do that?" Rogers demanded.
Darcy shrugged. "Probably. I mean, they can't do that to you, you're a national icon. Stark is too rich, and no one wants to piss off Banner, so they're safe. But me, I'm a nobody. I don't have anyone protecting me."
"They don't have the authority to lock you up," he insisted. "You haven't done anything wrong."
Darcy rolled her eyes. "Patriot Act, buddy. Look it up. All they'd have to do is declare me a threat to national security and they can do whatever the hell they want."
He mulled that over, his expression concerned. Darcy wrung her hands together again. "Pleasedon't tell anyone. I like my job, and I don't know how to live on the lam. I'd be really pathetic at it. Seriously. I can't last two minutes without my phone."
"I won't tell anyone," he promised. "But you swear to me you're not going to hurt anyone?"
Darcy stared at him, affronted. "Hurt someone? No! I would never. Unless they did something truly unforgivable, like took the last of the coffee, or insulted Jane. But no, seriously. I would never use my ability for evil." She held up two fingers. "Scout's honor."
He nodded, eying her warily. "Alright," he said, sounding uncertain. "Just...try not to show up in the middle of a war zone again."
"Trust me, I will do my best to avoid it," Darcy said whole-heartedly. "But I don't have the best control over it, yet."
He frowned at her, concern forgotten in favor of curiosity. "Why not?"
"It's kinda hard to practice," Darcy said dryly. "I can't just click my heels together and say 'there's no place like home'. Sometimes I go where I want, sometimes I don't."
"Well, at least you don't land a house on anyone," he said, the corner of his mouth quirking upwards.
"In her defense, that was a very bad person," Darcy said, shaking her finger at him. "I'd say her aim was pretty damn good."
He chuckled at that, and Darcy finally relaxed. "You are remarkably okay with this whole, 'chick's got weird skills' thing," she observed. "What gives?"
He tilted his head at her, processing her words for a moment before he puzzled out her meaning. Then he shrugged. "Well, so far this week I've seen an army from outer space, two Norse gods, a man that turns into a not-so-jolly green giant, and an aircraft carrier that flies." He smiled ruefully. "You're not that strange in comparison."
Darcy laughed. "Well, thanks for putting me in my place. And thanks for not telling anyone. I owe you. You ever need anything, and I mean anything, you let me know, okay?"
He eyed her and nodded slowly. "All right," he agreed.
Darcy grinned at him. "Okay. Now I have to show Jane that I just met Captain freakin' America!"
XxxXxxX
She was inside Loki's cell again, facing the golden barrier. Darcy whirled around to see Loki watching her, a book forgotten in his hand. Darcy backed away, but was careful not to touch the forcefield. "Just...stay away from me," she ordered, holding out a hand to ward him off.
He tilted his head at her. "This is the fourth time you have come to visit me, norn. Should I be flattered?"
"I'm not coming here by choice, trust me," Darcy said, edging further away from him. "You try anything and I will cut you."
He put the book aside. "I have no intention of harming you," he assured her. "After all, it would appear I am in your debt."
"Speaking of which," Darcy jabbed her finger in his direction. "I was in your head. Why didn't you tell Thor what Thanos and the Other did to you?"
Loki's expression darkened with a startling swiftness. "As if that matters to anyone," he snapped. "You speak of things you do not understand."
"I know they tortured you," Darcy insisted. "I know they threatened you."
Loki rose to his feet and stalked over towards her. She skittered backwards until her back met unyielding, white stone. He loomed over her, hands clenched into fists. "I am no one's puppet," he hissed at her. "I have no weakness. Thanos had no power over me."
"I was in your head," Darcy said again, fighting to keep her voice calm. "I know you're lying."
"You know nothing," he spat, and raised a hand. What he intended to do, Darcy never found out, because he abruptly whirled away from her and stalked to the other side of the cell. Darcy breathed out a sigh of relief, her knees going weak for a moment. She was locked in a cell with a mad man. Provoking him was probably not in her best interest.
Oh well. Here she went again. "Thanos and the Other tortured you," she told his back. "But that doesn't give you an excuse to take out your pain on us. You could have asked Thor for help. You didn't have to kill all those people."
"As if their lives had any meaning," Loki snarled, turning around again. He didn't approach her this time, however. "As if any of them had any impact on the universe. I did your world a courtesy. Your precious humans are insignificant, ephemeral things, just waiting to be crushed out of existence."
"If that were true then we wouldn't have been able to stop you," Darcy said.
Loki came at her again but Darcy refused to let herself flinch. Once more he loomed over her, his face inches from her, but again he seemed reluctant to physically touch her.
"Do you think that I am fool enough to let the Tesseract fall into the hands of Thanos?" he demanded. "Do you think that I everintended on letting his plans come to fruition?"
Darcy stared at him, her mouth hanging open in shock. "You...letthe Avengers stop you?" she asked.
Loki scoffed. "The Avengers. A farce to let your people think they are safe, to let them sleep at night. I am quite capable of out-thinking my brother and a handful of mortal clods."
He seemed calmer when he turned away this time, clasping his hands behind his back as he paced away. Darcy slowly slid to the floor, heart pounding.
"What?" she asked. "How… Why…" she was unable to finish any of her thoughts out loud. She stared at Loki. "You are one twisted son of a bitch," she finally said. "So what now? You're too proud to tell Odin and Thor the truth, so you're going to rot in this cell for the rest of your life?"
He looked over his shoulder at her and smirked. "Oh, I have no intention of staying in this cell, little norn. In fact, I will not be staying in this cell for long at all."
Darcy glared at him. "Yeah? How d'you figure that?"
He pointed at her. "You are going to free me."
She crossed her arms over her chest. "And why the hell would I do that? You may not have been working with Thanos, but you still killed a lot of humans. From where I sit, you deserve to be in here."
"You will free me as your part of our bargain," Loki informed her smugly.
"What bargain?" Darcy demanded.
"I will teach you to use your powers, and you will assist me in getting free of this cell," Loki said, sitting on his couch and leaning forward, hands propped on his knees.
Darcy eyed him. "Why, why, why, on all of God's green earth, would I let you teach me how to use my powers?"
"Because I am the only one who has offered to do so," he replied.
XxxXxxX
Darcy clutched her Asgardian robe tight at her chest. Heimdall had given it to her the first day they'd gone into the city. It was deep emerald green, intricate knotted patterns woven into the soft fabric. It was loose enough to conceal her clothing and light enough to not be encumbering. She loved it, and kind of wished she could bring it with her back to Earth.
She knew she was stalling, putting off the inevitable. She had known this day was coming for a long time, but she had always hoped that she could somehow avoid it. She had spun out a thousand different scenarios, and most of them ended with her in tears.
She was lurking just outside the entrance to the Bifrost. It had finally been rebuilt, but over the last few weeks she'd been simply too busy to come see it. Jane had needed her in the lab for long hours, and her precious few hours of sleep had been needed for rest, not sight-seeing. Now that the analysis of the portal data was finally done, Darcy had a few days off while Jane considered SHIELD's offer to stay on permanently.
Darcy peeked into the Bifrost chamber. Heimdall was waiting, his eyes fixed on something only he could see, his hands resting on the hilt of his sword in its stand on the dais. Then, at some unseen signal, he pressed the sword down. Darcy stepped away from the chamber as it activated, the wind of its movement fluttering her robe around her body. She held her hair back from her face with one hand and waited.
A pillar of rainbow-colored energy pierced the darkness of the space beyond the Bifrost and slammed into the chamber with enough force to shake the ground beneath Darcy's feet, connecting the bridge. She waited until the chamber stopped spinning before looking in again.
She recognized the others from New Mexico. She'd been briefly introduced, but she knew them now by reputation, and knew each of their names. Sif, Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun. Thor's friends and battle brothers. She didn't try to read them, she respected their privacy, but she focused on the figure in the center, with the mane of disheveled golden hair and a billowing red cape.
Thor.
Darcy took a deep breath and stepped into the chamber. Thor had his back to her, speaking to Heimdall. Heimdall saw Darcy and gave her an infinitesimal nod of acknowledgment. She folded her hands in front of her and waited. None of the others noticed or recognized her. In her robe, with her hair loose, and no glasses, she looked no different than any other citizen of Asgard, albeit a little bit shorter.
"There is someone here to see you," Heimdall told Thor, gesturing past the prince. Thor turned sharply, a curious frown stamped on his features. The frown grew into confusion.
"Darcy?" he asked in disbelief. He strode off the dais towards her. She waved awkwardly.
"Hi," she said, trying bravely to smile.
"How did you come to be here?" Thor demanded.
Darcy gestured vaguely and then shrugged. "I...There's something I've gotta tell you. Can we talk in private?"
Thor glanced around before focusing on her face again. "Is Jane here?" he asked quietly.
Darcy shook her head. "She doesn't know I'm here," she told him. She caught the look of disappointment that flashed across his face but he hid it well. He switched Mjolnir to his other hand and offered her his arm.
"If you desire to speak in private, I would be honored to escort you to the palace," he told her gravel.
Darcy managed the smile and tucked her hand into his elbow.
"Go ahead of me, my friends," Thor called to the others. "I have business to attend to."
"It cannot be truly business if it involves such a beautiful maiden," Fandral said, coming over and bowing deeply. He tried to catch Darcy's free hand but she hid it behind her back.
"Get on with you, scoundrel," Thor said, pushing him gently away. "The lady is a friend, not one of your conquests."
Sif came over and seized the back of Fandral's collar. easily dragging him along with her. "Pay him no mind, my lady," she told Darcy. "He knows not how to mind his tongue."
Darcy realized that Thor's friends had no idea who she was. They had no reason to suspect that she was Midgardian, or anything out of the ordinary. "I don't mind," she assured Sif. "I've known lots of men like him. He doesn't bother me."
"Come along with you," Volstagg boomed, helping Sif drag Fandral away. "The kitchen's await us! We will feast!" Hogun trailed along behind them with an amused smile, nodding to Thor as he passed.
Thor set off along the bridge at a much slower pace, more suited to Darcy's significantly smaller stature. "Did Heimdall bring you to Asgard?" he asked after a moment.
"No, I came here myself," Darcy told him. She was making an effort to speak English so as not to give away the game early, and the concentration required was giving her a mild headache.
Thor frowned at her again. "How is that possible?"
Darcy took another deep breath. "Because I'm not human. Technically. I might be, I'm not certain, but I've got...powers."
Thor stopped in his tracks, turning to face her. "Powers," he repeated. "Of what kind?"
Darcy tilted her head up and looked him square in the eyes. "I'm a norn," she told him flatly.
Thor went very still, his expression unreadable. He slowly unengaged his arm from hers and stepped back, then bowed respectfully to her. "My lady, I did not know. I beg your pardon if my conduct was too familiar."
Darcy blushed deeply and pressed her hands to her cheeks to hide her embarrassment. "God, no, Thor, don't do that. I'm still me. I'm still just Darcy. I didn't even know I was a norn until after you came to Earth. I'm still trying to figure everything out."
Thor straightened and peered down at her curiously. "How did you not know you are a norn? The norns are eternal, guardians of the wisdom of the universe."
"Well, I'm special," Darcy said with a shrug. "I was born on Earth twenty-two years ago just like every other human. I was eight before I noticed I was different, and I was twelve when I first came here." She gestured around them. "I can dream-walk," she explained quickly.
Thor rubbed his chin in thought. "If I had not had my strength diminished when we saw each other last, I would have recognized you," he told her.
"You actually helped me realize what I was," Darcy told him. "Before you crash landed into our corner of the desert, I had no proof that I wasn't just bug nuts."
"And you have not told Jane?" Thor asked.
Darcy shook her head. "There's only a handful of people who know what I can do, and an even smaller handful who know what I am. It's pretty much Heimdall, you, and Lady Frigga." She purposefully left out Loki. She could guess what Thor's reaction would be if he knew Darcy was visiting his adopted brother.
Thor's eyebrows jumped up his forehead. "Lady Frigga? You are known to her?"
"We talk sometimes, why?" Darcy asked, suddenly nervous.
Thor chuckled. "She is my mother."
Darcy's mouth dropped open. "Lady Frigga...is your mother?" she squeaked. "She's the queen of Asgard? Holy crap!"
Thor laughed again. "Did she not tell you this? She must have had her reasons."
"I can't believe I got psychic lessons from the queen of freakin' Asgard," Darcy said weakly. She slapped her hand over her face. "Oh, my God, she saw me drunk."
Thor clasped her on the shoulder. "Trust me, my friend. She has seen me do far worse."
Darcy peeked at him through her fingers. "Intrigued. Do go on."
Thor shook his head. "Another time, perhaps. Tell me, Darcy, why did you come to me now?"
Darcy lowered her hand. "I need your advice. And I can't talk to Jane because doesn't know about what I am, and I can't go to Heimdall because he told me I had to figure things out for myself...and now I knowI can't go to Lady Frigga because she is your flipping mother…" She shrugged. "You're all I've got left, buddy."
Thor squeezed her shoulder. "Ask. I will help you in any way I can."
Darcy wrung her hands together as she spoke. "I have this feeling...like something bad is going to happen. And I want to be able to stop it, but I don't know if I can, not know. And, I have the chance to learn more about my powers, but I have to compromise, like, a lot, in order to do it. But if I don't get stronger, someone I really, really care about could get hurt. Maybe die."
Thor studied her for a long moment. "You are speaking of Jane, are you not?"
Darcy nodded miserably. "I had a dream about her dying. Except it wasn't a dream, it was more like a memory...of the future. I can't let anything happen to her, Thor. She's my best friend."
Thor shifted his weight and hefted Mjolnir in his hand as he thought. She knew he was divided between his sense of morals and his feelings for Jane. That was why she had come to him, of all people. He would understand her need to protect Jane.
"Do you feel you must compromise yourself to a degree you would lose yourself?" he asked.
Darcy thought hard about that. "I could keep myself...myself, I think. But I might have to do something I might regret."
"Would it be worth it?" Thor asked her. "To save Jane?"
"Yes," Darcy said without hesitating.
Thor nodded slowly. "Then I would do anything I could to save someone I loved."
Darcy nodded back. "Okay," she said slowly. "Thanks."
"Darcy," Thor said. "This...dream of yours. If this day comes, and Jane is in danger, you will get word to me, yes?"
Darcy reached out with both hands and laid them on his arm. "Trust me, big guy. If anything happens to Jane, I will drag your ass to Earth myself."
"Are you capable of that?" Thor asked curiously.
"I have no idea," Darcy said honestly. "But I will try my damndest."
Thor tilted his head at her. "Why have you not told Jane what you are?"
Darcy waved a hand in front her face. "Dude. Even I don't know everything that's going on with this. I say 'norn' and that means something to you, but you know more about them than I do, and Jane knows even less."
"She would want to understand," Thor told her. "She would try to understand."
"I want to wait until Iunderstand," Darcy said. "I don't have anything to give her right now except 'surprise! Homechick's got wacky powers!' and Jane deserves more than that."
"You are frightened of what she might say," Thor observed.
"I was scared of what youmight say," she admitted.
Thor shrugged. "The ways of the norns are inscrutable to us. Whatever your will, it is my duty to accept it."
Darcy gave him an uneasy look. "Yeah. Don't ever say anything like that again. It's damn creepy. Just, let's keep this on the DL until I give the thumbs up, okay?"
He raised his eyebrows at her. "I understand your meaning, but not your words. I will honor your wishes, my friend."
Darcy relaxed. "Thanks, big guy. You're the best."
Thor gestured at the city in the near distance. "We will be celebrating our return. You are welcome to join us."
Darcy smiled and shook her head. "Thanks," she said again, "But I've got to get back. My alarm clock's gonna go off in, like, two hours, and I'd like to get at least a teensy bit of sleep before Jane rises from the dead and starts demanding brains."
Thor frowned at her. "Brains?" he echoed uncertainly.
"Yeah, you know, zombie?" Darcy blinked at him. "Jane's not really a morning person. Mental note, next time you come to Earth we are marathoning The Walking Dead."
Thor nodded slowly. "I will await it with much anticipation."
Darcy grinned at him. "Awesome. I'm gonna go now, but do me a favor and give my robe back to Heimdall. He knows where to keep it."
Thor nodded again. "It was a great pleasure to see you again, Darcy."
She impulsively lunged forward and hugged him. "You too, Thor."
XxxXxxX
The dungeons were still and silent as Darcy padded on bare feet down the corridor. She still didn't know how to enter or exit the dungeons from the palace, but that was the advantage of dream-walking: it occasionally offered shortcuts.
Less than half of the cells were filled as she passed them, but their occupants were asleep or pacing listlessly, as if some kind of external force fostered a widespread sense of ennui. Whatever the cause, Loki seemed immune, because he was, as usual, reading with intense interest as she arrived. She recognized the book in his hands. It was the red and gold one Frigga had shown her, the one about norns.
He looked up when she stopped on the other side of the barrier, setting the book aside as he rose smoothly to his feet. "Hello, little norn," he said with a knife-edge smile, coming to stand in front of her. "Have you thought on my offer?"
Darcy took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Then, before she could talk herself out of it, she said, "All right. I'm in."