She awoke the next morning feeling grim and determined. She would do her best to freeze him out. It was the safest option. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and started to pull on her running gear and sneakers. She opened a drawer in her desk, looking for her iPod, wanting the distraction since she knew that she would be alone for her run today.

It turned out that Loki was way ahead of her. As she walked into the cafeteria to grab breakfast, she heard him chuckling in the corner, reacting to a tale that Darcy was recounting animatedly. The girl was blushing with pleasure at the attention she was receiving. Her hands waving in the air, laughing through her words. And though it made her heart clench uncomfortably, she was relieved that she didn't have to make the first move to put distance between herself and Loki. The way he sat listening, giving Darcy all of his attention, knees close enough to touch, made it clear what he wanted to convey to everyone. He shifted his eyes almost imperceptibly towards her as she started to walk past them to the fruit and yogurt bar, so she gave Darcy a genuine smile as the girl caught her eye. Darcy looked unsure for a moment, halting her story...so Jean said, "Good morning!", brightly, before moving past them to grab a plate.

As she was sitting down with a few pieces of fruit and and english muffin, she saw Tony and Steve walk in, dressed for exercise and shook her head slightly and rose from her table to greet them, "I wasn't expecting you until later. Did you guys fly overnight?"

"Well, we heard that your morning runs are the only excitement on this base...with the best floor show" Tony chimed, as he strode up to wrap her into a hug. He then jokingly exaggerated looking behind her, down at her ass and her legs. "And they didn't lie."
"Har har..." She said, deadpan, but squeezed him into a bear hug anyway. She was relieved to have a distraction. Steve walked up and shook her hand in greeting, but his grip lingered longer than she was expecting. He placed his other hand over hers.

He looked at her pointedly."You OK, kid?"
"Always..."
"Come on Cap, lets get some chow."

They both grabbed some food and sat down at her table.
Tony lead the conversation with, "Hope you don't mind company this morning Jean. I need to stretch my legs a bit, you know, after the flight." He grinned mischievously at her.
"Yeah, me too." Steve piped in, a sheepish look on his face.
"Seriously? You guys are here to babysit me? Is Fury mad at you or something?"
"We came up to help out...this base became a hot target overnight, thanks to Magneto. You just attract all the best villains don't you?" Steve said, blunt as ever. He was in protective mode, she could tell. His eyes constantly scanning the room, but specifically avoiding the subject of his disdain.
"Yeah, me and Cap...we like to be where the action is" Tony continued, giving her a wolffish grin and biting into a looked over to where Loki and Darcy were sitting, and nodded back at Loki when he turned to raise a hand in greeting.

"That's new." Tony said simply.
"That...is for the best." Jean said, in a tone that brooked no further discussion. Steve unconsciously reached out to squeeze her arm, and she smiled shyly at the action. Steve gave her a look of understanding. He knew what it was like to be set apart. And no matter how much effort his new friends put into dragging him into this decade, his heart pulled him back into the past. He knew he would never really feel at home again, and he supposed she must feel the same, though for different reasons. She reached up and pressed her hand onto his, conveying with her touch her gratitude. Her hand on his felt warm like sunshine.

Loki was doing his best to appear as though he were concentrating on Darcy, when in fact he was trying to eavesdrop on the table next to his. He was surprised that the iron man and the soldier had showed up so quickly. Though he had no intention of running with her this morning, he was also annoyed that they seemed to be dressed to join her. When he saw the way that Jean had smiled at Rogers when he grasped her shoulder, it sent a surge of rage through him. How dare he touch her! And how dare she enjoy it! He suddenly became aware that Darcy had stopped talking.

"Sorry, could you repeat that my dear?"
"I asked if you were done eating...I need to get to the lab."
"Yes, I will walk with you. Can't be too careful" he added, earning him another flush of red on her cheeks and down her neck. He stood up and cleared their trays, tossing their trash in the bin. He opened the door for her with a flourish, and left without looking back.

Twenty minutes later, as Jean and her two babysitters were leaving the room, the building shuddered. Plates and chairs went crashing, tables buckled. Jean herself had to grasp the wall to keep from falling down. The lights went out at the same moment, leaving them in semi-darkness, as the world suddenly got very loud. The emergency light kicked in, with an eerie yellow glow and the sirens were deafening.

"What the hell was that!?", Tony choked out, as smoke rapidly filled the corridor.
"Bomb...shit, there went another one. It's coming from downstairs, the lab..."
"Darcy and Jane!" Jean cried out, as her feet made purchase at last, her heart racing.
People were everyone, confused and frightful. They were being attacked, but so far she didn't spot an enemy. She disappeared down the hallway and down the nearest staircase, ignoring Tony''s call to wait.
"Cap, get these people out of here! I'll get Jean and the girls..." And with that Tony followed Jean down the stairs.
"Right, okay people, make your way over to the staircase and get outside! There's too much smoke, we have to get out of here!" Steve yelled as he pushed people along in the same direction toward the staircase door that Jean had opened. He waited until the rest of the people from the cafeteria had headed up the staircase before he bounded down after his friends.

He was met with a angry and disheveled Loki, coming out of the smoke, with Darcy over one shoulder and Jane under the protection of his other arm.
"Move out of the way!"
"Here, give her to me!" Steve said, reaching up to grab Darcy's unconscious body. Jane was sputtering and coughing.
She was trying to tell them both something, and words weren't coming out. Loki pressed a hand onto her shoulder, attempting to calm her enough to spit it out.

"Jean...and Tony are down there...with them, those guys...they were looking for you Loki."
"Who!?"
"Guys dressed like commandos. They set off the bombs to get people to leave the building when Darcy and I refused to talk to them."
Loki and Steve locked eyes and then Steve was suddenly staring at a wall as Loki made an about face and ran back down the stairs and into danger.
"Dammit to hell, Loki! Jane, come on..lets get the two of you outside. I have to go back in."