Loki stared them all down for a good two minutes, then spun on his heel and stalked off into the distance. "Well, that was fun," Tony muttered. "Where's he going?"

Kara sighed. "Off to sulk." She debated going after him, but decided it would be counterproductive.

"Sulk? Okay, I'll bite. Whyyy?"

"Seriously, Tony?"

"Um, yeah, seriously. We welcomed him to the team. He's finally been accepted for himself. Isn't this what he's wanted his whole damn long life?"

"Yes, but it's also what he's told himself he could never ever have. You've proved him wrong. Now he's wondering if it was his fault after all; if maybe he could have been accepted by the people in Asgard if he hadn't been so resentful all the time."

"Doubt it. They all have sticks up their asses. If you aren't blessed with brute strength, you're not worth much as a warrior, and if you're not a warrior, you're nothing."

"That's a bit simplistic, Stark, but true at its core," Nyvorlas said. He shrugged off glares that statement earned from the three Asgardians. "Tell us, Lady Sif. How much respect did you receive before you proved yourself on the field?" He nodded as Sif flushed angrily. "I thought as much."

"I'll go talk to him," Tony offered.

"No, nothing you or I could say would make a difference. We didn't grow up there, we could never truly understand. Never mind that we both grew up as unappreciated fish out of water, that won't make a difference in the mood he's in."

"I think you're misreading his reaction, your highness," Haakun said.

It took a glance at the councilor to realize that he was addressing her. "How so?"

"Our prince is also reacting to the realization that he cares for these people. He has never allowed himself to care much before."

Kara frowned. "Okay, but what was the trigger?"

"Think on his sentence. He was tasked to protect Midgard from its enemies. Was today's event caused by an enemy?" Haakun smiled as she came to a stunned realization.

"He could have used the magic I unleashed to save himself and me and to hell with everybody else. It would have been considered a training accident and there wouldn't have been a damn thing Odin or anyone else could have done other than be disgusted with him."

"Precisely. I shall go have a word with him, by your leave, of course?"

"By my...oh. Yes, thank you."

... ...

Loki glared at an inoffensive outcropping of rock, wishing he dared use the energy of his weapon to vaporize the damned thing. But no, that would prompt Fury to 'reclassify him as a hostile' and would annoy Kara to no end. She was already annoyed with him for walking away, he was certain. But truly, what did she expect? He was no bloody do-gooder. He was the god of Mischief. The two were wholly incompatible; surely any fool could see that? He was a loner, not a member of a team. A barely noticeable shift of gravel caught his attention. Glancing over his shoulder he saw Haakun approach all but silently. The man was their god of Hunting; the sound he had just made was doubtless a purpose. "What do you want, Haakun?" he asked.

"I tired of the prattle," the councilor said smoothly.

Snorting, Loki turned. "I am the god of Lies for more than one reason, you know."

Haakun shrugged. "Your friends worry for you."

"They are not my friends."

"Can the god of Lies successfully lie even to himself?"

The rock burst into a small shower of dust as he gave in to the temptation to blast the thing. "Why now? When I truly needed friends, I could find none willing to be one. Now that I no longer want them, I have them. The Norns are truly bitches."

Nearly doubling over with laughter, Haakun grinned up at him. "You're just now coming to that realization? Oh, my prince...the Norns have truly been bitches since before the All-Father was born." The man straightened as Loki treated him to a disgruntled look. "And your lying needs work. Even I can see that you do want friends. What is it you fear? Speak honestly, Loki. I will not carry tales back to Asgard."

It was true. Haakun was well known for keeping his word and for keeping his own counsel on issues. And he was the only one on Midgard likely to understand, Loki's own lady included. "I will let them down, Haakun. I always do."

... ...

"I can honestly say that you have never let anyone down, other than yourself."

"No? I think Odin would disagree." The ebony haired prince snorted. "As would Thor."

"My liege was deeply saddened by your behavior, but he has come to the realization that it was, in a good part, due to his actions...or inaction. He feels he let you down."

"I have only ever wanted to please him." Haakun waited as Loki frowned and stared at the ground for a few moments before continuing. "Why did he teach me to hate what I was?"

Haakun noted Loki's lost tone. "It would have made you seem even more different than you already were. By the time the All-Father brought you home, the constant warring with Jötunheim had ensured that every citizen of Asgard hated the Jötunn people with a passion. Had the secret been discovered not even Odin would have been able to protect you. It was a great many centuries before tempers cooled. By that time, Odin saw you only as his son and could not bear to tell you the truth."

"Tell me, honestly. Did I overreact?"

"Yes; but your reaction was understandable, if...excessive."

"It hurt, Haakun; like my soul was being ripped from my body. Everything I knew, everything was a lie. Ironic, is it not? I was named god of Lies, and my entire existence was based on them."

"The irony was lost on none of us who knew the truth." He held up a hand at Loki's sharp look. "Those few of us who knew were sworn to silence by the All-Father. Regardless of whether we agreed with his decision or not, we could not tell you."

The lad looked angry, but how could he be otherwise? "So, I should just let this go? Forget the betrayal?"

"Forget, no. But should you wish to have any kind of life and happiness with your lady, you must forgive it."

"I have already forgiven my father, Haakun. I now see his love."

"Have you forgiven yourself?"

... ...

Kara forced herself to continue eating as she felt Loki coming up behind her. He wasn't being quiet about it, but she waited until he laid his hands on her shoulders to look back at him. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear: "Did you forget something, darling?"

She assumed he meant the rebinding of his magic. "No, I just thought it would be rude to do it without you knowing in advance. I knew you wouldn't abuse the extra time with it."

He squeezed her shoulders gently and sat down on the seat beside her. "You knew that, hmm?" She arched an eyebrow and smiled. "Ah, well; you are right. I'd rather keep your trust so that you will not doubt me should an emergency arise."

"See? I knew that, too."

"Cheeky girl."

"You wouldn't love me half so much if I weren't." Loki smirked and snagged a piece of chicken from her plate. "Hey, that's my dinner, get your own!"

"No." His smirk widened at her glare. "What's yours is mine and what's mine is yours."

"And what do you have that isn't on Asgard and therefore out of my reach?"

"Several sizeable bank accounts."

She blinked. "Midgard bank accounts?" He nodded. "How did you manage that?"

"Last spring was hardly the first time I'd come to Midgard. Unlike others, I saw the value in having things here."

"Sneaky."

"Yes, well, you love that about me."

"I suppose I do. So, is there anything else you need to do, or should I honor our obligation now?"

He sighed. "Go ahead."

She kissed him and then concentrated. "I'm sure it doesn't get any easier for you, but the process is getting much simpler for me."

Loki sidled closer, drawing her into his embrace. "I can manage, so long as I have you."

"Good, that means you'll always be able to manage."

His smile turned smug at the implied promise. "Why are you eating alone?"

"I wanted to eat with you, but I ended up being too hungry to wait any longer. Everybody else was all but done by the time I decided it was either eat or fall over. Why am I so damn hungry all of the time?"

"Your metabolism is still adjusting, and I suspect still at an advanced rate. That requires more fuel than you're used to." He shrugged. "And the Æsir always eat more than those of Midgard, at least to some degree."

"I noticed that with Fandral and Hogun. The kitchen crew left the serving dishes covered in the back; we can go get something for you to eat." She frowned as he helped himself to another piece of her chicken. "Or I can just get more for me since you're making some serious inroads on my dinner."

"Let's get a lot more for you and you can continue to share it with me."

They went back to the kitchen area and helped themselves to more fried chicken and vegetables, piling it all, as Loki had suggested, on her plate. "You just want don't want to use another plate so people will think you're starving yourself with angst," she accused. A rush of confusion washed through him. "No?"

"No." He paused and frowned. "Sharing a plate is something married couples often do in Asgard to show their unity, and that all is well between them. Long time lovers will also do so. It's a signal that no interference in the relationship will be welcomed by either partner."

"Um, does it mean Odin and Frigga have an open relationship since they didn't share a plate?"

Loki chuckled as he carried their dinner back out to the dining hall. "No, that means that everyone knows damned well that to do more than respectfully flirt with Frigga would bring the wrath of both of them. All know that she loves him fully and he her. And it does not mean that any couple that does not share a plate is welcoming an approach. It's usually done when there is a perception that the couple is having problems or when one, ah, feels the need to show the other how much they mean to them."

Kara took the plate from his unresisting hands and sat it down on the table. Wrapping her arms tightly around his lean waist, she stretched up on her toes to press a soft kiss on his lips. "I love you too."

… …

Tony frowned down at the twisted pieces of metal. He had a magnifying shield over his eyes and could see that the damage was not what he'd expect for a fuel related explosion. "I need to get this puppy under the microscope," he told Banner.

The scientist looked up from the melted and fractured piece of glass he was examining. "It's all yours. I don't think you're going to come to a different conclusion, though." He stood and picked up the tray that held a selection of items and moved it to the side and waited while Tony brought his sample over and slid it under the scope. "Am I right?" Bruce asked after the genius had scrutinized the metal for several minutes.

"Yup, you're right. Damn." He looked up and stared off into the distance. "We're no longer talking about just igniting a fuel source. She's altering the cellular structure of elements that would normally be inflammable to the point where they can burn." Tony sat back and scrubbed his face with his hands and then looked up and stared at his friend. "You know, this is actually a good thing."

"Seriously?" Banner stared at him as though he'd lost him mind. "What part of telling Kara she's making fireproof things burn do you think would go over well?"

"Oh, come on, Brucie, use your noodle. She's an expert on genetics like you, so she understands atomic structure. If she knows how she's doing it, she'll be able to not do it, or do it by choice. All it will take is practice. Kara can figure out how to regulate it so she won't burn things she doesn't want to burn. But if the Chitauri make it back here, she should be able to bring down those leviathans. Bastards wouldn't burn so she couldn't touch them in Asgard."

"Here's the big question. Is her ability to alter the cellular structure of something limited in any way or is it wide open?"

Fuck. That was a damn good question. "I don't know. But I'm going to go out on a limb here and postulate that it's limited to making something flammable since her original mutation was pyrokinesis."

"I was trying to avoid this, but I think I'm going to have to ask her for a genetic sample. I've got her original samples on file for comparison."

"She won't freak, but Bambi might; or Haakun might, for that matter. I'm not sure what the protocol is for scientific examination of what makes the Æsir tick."

… …

Darcy stepped out of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet and looked around. Yep, every bit as inhospitable as it was last spring. Why was she back here? Oh yeah, for her absent minded geneticist. She grinned and hefted her pack over her shoulder and turned to urge Beth on. "Come on, the ramp isn't that steep," she told her as the blonde sidestepped down it carefully.

"I know, I know. I just have terrible balance." Beth finally made it to the bottom of the ramp and performed her own perusal. "Wow, it's pretty desolate…and hot."

"That's why they call it a desert."

"Ha, ha."

"It'll be even hotter in the middle of the day. I wonder why there's no welcoming committee. If we don't rate, Dr. Nassar should." Darcy looked back into the Quinjet where Nassar stood talking to Pepper. The strawberry haired fiancé of Tony Stark was nodding seriously to something the psychiatrist said. They both turned and headed for the ramp. "About time," she groused.

"Missing Bruce?" Pepper asked as she left Nassar and joined them.

"Oh yeah. It's been days, you know…and a girl's got needs."

"Tell me about it. I haven't even seen Tony for over a week. Beth hasn't seen Steve either."

"Yeah, but she's not doing the dirty with the Boy Scout. Hey, Beth, have you two even gotten to second base yet?"

"Darcy!"

"What? Inquiring minds want to know."

"It's none of inquiring minds' business," Beth countered. "Steve is a gentleman. He wants to do things right."

"Oh please. You're a final year med student. If you're a virgin then I'm Mother Theresa."

"Wait, what does being about to graduate from medial school have to do with being a virgin, or not?"

"Come on, with all of that stress? You had to have been getting laid for relief at some point. Besides, you've been in college for what, eight years now?"

"Haven't you ever had a bullet vibe? Best stress relief on the planet. And it's been seven years. I did my undergrad work in three and then four years of med school and clinical work. I still have to do four years of residency."

"Geez. I'll never get a doctorate. I'll be lucky if I make it through getting my Master's. And hey, I burn my bullets out on pretty much a monthly basis." She grimaced and then looked around again. "Didn't they know we were coming in? Where is everybody?"

"Tony knew. I don't know if he told Bruce," Pepper said. "He specifically wasn't going to tell Steve. Anyone want to bet that Tony and Bruce are in whatever they've set up as a lab and Steve's found some kind of gym?"

"No bet. Hey, doc?" Darcy said as Raj Nassar reached them. "Where's the lab?"

"They hadn't set one up when I left, though I suspect it would be in that building." He pointed to a building set slightly apart from the others. "It hadn't yet been erected when I left."

"Thanks!" she took off at a run, leaving the other women standing in her dust.

The building did indeed hold a makeshift lab and a workshop as well. Her Bruce was hard at work in the former, leaning over a microscope and making notations one handed into one of the SI-Flip tablets. He looked up at her knock. "Darcy? What are you doing here?"

She sighed. "Tony didn't tell you we were coming? Well, duh, obviously Darcy. Pepper, Beth and I caught a ride with Dr. Nassar."

"Oh, he's back." Her eyes widened at his positively icy tone. Bruce must have realized the way he sounded because he looked up with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I'm kind of distracted."

"Not buying it. What did he do?"

"I-it's classified, Darce. I'm sorry, but I don't even really have clearance. If I say anything, I'll, well, they'll get angry and then I'll get angry and then we'll have a big mess."

"Huh. So maybe you need a break?" she said as seductively as she could manage, wrapping her arms around his neck and, not coincidentally, pressing her boobs against his back.

"Need, yes, but I don't have time. I've got to finish this. Kara is having some problems and we may have found a resolution."

"We? You got a mouse in your pocket?" She looked down at his lap as she let her breath tickle his ear. "Hmm, nope, I'm thinking a rabbit…or maybe a jumbo carrot."

"Uh, maybe a short break."

… …

Beth slipped into the gym quietly and looked around. A man and a woman she didn't recognize were listening to Steve explain the use of a bow-flex machine, which was weird when she thought about it. She'd have pegged him as the punching bag type. One of the Avengers must have introduced him to it. Another person with long white-blonde hair stood nearby staring at the apparatus with revulsion. He…she decided the figure was male when Steve shifted to the side far enough for her to see the man's lower half…frowned and pushed his hair behind long pointed ears. Her jaw dropped. She stared, shook her head and stared again. Was there a movie set nearby? No, the Hobbit films were shooting in New Zealand. The man looked up at her and smirked. "Captain," he said in an oddly accented light tenor voice. "We have a newcomer to the site."

Steve turned around and his entire face lit up as he smiled. "Beth! I didn't know you were coming out here, it's so great to see you." He hurried over and took her hands. "Um…" he trailed off with an uncertain look.

She laughed. "Kiss me, silly."

He grinned and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. Nuh uh. Turning her head at exactly the right moment so that his lips touched hers instead, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. He flushed, returned the embrace, chuckled nervously, and then finally kissed her properly. "I really missed you," he said when she let him come up for air.

"I missed you too. That's why I asked for a few days off when Pepper said she was flying out here. Is it okay that I came along?"

"Oh, yeah. Absolutely. You're cleared."

Beth rolled her eyes. "I meant, is it okay with you."

"It's great." He kept one arm around her waist and turned back to his companions. "Folks, this is Beth Anderson. She's, um…my girlfriend." Beth bit back a giggle. Her hero had finally managed to say the 'g' word. "Beth, this is Lady Sif and Hogun the Grim, they're two of the top warriors from Asgard, where Thor's from." The pair nodded politely. "And this is Prince Nyvorlas. He's from a realm called Ljósálfheim; his people, the Ljósálfar are what we would call light elves."

Oh. My. God. The ears were real. This guy was a real, honest-to-God elf. Too much. She tried very hard not to gape at him like a fool. "Um, I'm pleased to meet all of you," she finally managed, thankfully without stammering. Not having really seen them, she'd thought the idea of Thor and Loki being Norse gods was hard to swallow. Elves? Wow.

The elf smiled, more of a real smile instead of a smirk this time. "You're handling it quite well," he said kindly. "Do try to breathe deeply for a bit lest you become faint."

"Right. Thanks." She frowned. How did he know she was starting to feel faint?

"My people are sensitive to emotional distress. You were projecting such rather forcefully."

"Oh. Kind of like Dr. Gunnarssen or Dr. Nassar?"

"More sensitive than Dr. Nassar by a good measure. I do not know this Dr. Gunnarssen you speak of."

"Princess Kara," the one Steve had identified as Hogun said, his voice sounding, well, grim. She decided he was appropriately named.

Wait. Princess…oh wow. "Uh, Princess Kara?" she squeaked.

"Oh boy. That's right. There's a whole lot you don't know. I'm sorry; I'm going to have to talk to Director Fury before I fill you in. How long are you here for? Did they assign you a room?"

"Um, a few days, Pepper said they had a room for me and Darcy, but we haven't been shown it yet."

"Okay. Guys? I'll check back with all of you later, I need to go get Beth settled." He hesitated until the three extraterrestrials - ohmygodtheywereabunchofETs! - nodded and then led her out of the room.

… …

"Hey handsome, you come here often?" Tony blinked as his brain rapidly disengaged from the research he was absorbing at the sound of the sultry voice coming from his workshop door.

"Only to pick up sexy newly minted C.E.O.'s; you know any?" he asked as he spun his stool around to face her.

"If holding the job for a week and a half is what you mean by newly minted, then yes, In fact, I do," she countered.

"Good deal. Because, you know, playboy philanthropists like me have standards. I couldn't pick you up if you were only a V.P.; that just wouldn't fit the image."

"You goof."

"Yeah, but I'm your goof." He stood and reached out for her. "God, Pep, I've missed you. I hope like hell that you've missed me."

She let him crush her close and slipped her hands up the back of his tee shirt, running her palms over the slightly scarred skin. "More than anything; I was so worried."

"I know, I'm sorry." He claimed her lips in a deep, life affirming kiss. "But I was doing great things," he told her earnestly. "I helped kill one of the bastards that tortured Loki and almost killed Thor."

"Thor was almost killed? Oh my God, Tony! Is he okay? What am I going to tell Jane?"

"Tell Jane that Thor is fine. Kara was able to save him, just like she saved Loki. He'll visit as soon as his dad's gotten enough rest to sit the damn throne again. The old fart had a hell of a workout with that battle. You should have seen the dude; magic and this awesome spear downing attackers left and right. It was radical."

"I'm sure. Jesus, Tony, it wasn't even our world, you could have been killed."

"Yeah, that didn't stop Thor when it was our world, did it?"

"Thor is a Norse god. You're, well…"

"I'm one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. That's what I am, Pepper, I'm not going to change. It may get me killed, but if I'm lucky, I'll be able to retire and say the hell with it after a while, but not just yet. There's too much going on, too much scary shit that's heading our way. I'm not going to step back and say that someone else has to handle it. Doing that could get you and a lot of other people killed."

She stared at him and then laughed softly. "How long did it take you to memorize that speech?"

"Uh, about fifteen minutes?"

"Good job." Sighing she took his face in her hands. "Tony, I may be scared to death because you need to be a hero, but I love you exactly the way you are. It's okay. But if I get grey hairs worrying about you, you're paying the salon bills to color them."

"That works for me."

… …

"Who the hell do you think you are bringing those civilians here?" Nick Fury spat.

"I'm the man who gets your pet operations approved at a higher level," Raj returned calmly. "Nick, relax. These women are all cleared. Ms. Anderson's father was with the U.S. Secret Service. Ms. Potts and Ms. Lewis have already had a great deal of contact with the Asgardians and have said nothing to outsiders. Your Avengers need their support. You know this. These women are a safety valve, bleeding off rising tempers; particularly Ms. Potts and Ms. Lewis."

Nick sighed and settled back down into his chair. "I know, and we've already put Ms. Anderson on the watch list for recruitment. Fine, whatever; next time give me the courtesy of a damned heads-up so that I'm not caught with my head up my ass."

"I do apologize for that." Raj smiled at the suggested imagery.

"Ha. So tell me, Raj. Have you thought about how they're going to react to the fucking elf?"

… …

"Maybe we should have done this before breakfast," Bruce mused as they trudged out to the rocky outcropping where Loki and Kara awaited them. After leaving Darcy to get some sleep, he'd spent the rest of the night analyzing the genetic sample Kara had given them before she and Loki had retired. Tony had given him access to Jarvis for the results of her previous testing. The changes were amazing, and her DNA was now closer to Thor's than it was to that of any normal human. Not that she'd been a 'normal human' before, but still, the difference was dramatic from even her original results. He'd also spent a good deal of time debating the nature of her original ability with Tony after the billionaire had snuck away from Pepper. It would take some experimentation to be sure, but he was ninety percent certain they'd figured out how pyrokinetics set objects on fire…and it was a doozy of an explanation.

"Nah, she needs to have her strength up for this. You know she's going to want to start working on it right way," Tony argued.

"Let's just hope the idea of what she's doing doesn't make her nauseous."

"We're talking molecules here, not blood and guts, she'll be fine."

Bruce shook his head and stared at the ground, hoping Tony was right. All too soon they reached the outcropping. Loki gave the two of them an impatient look; hopefully his mood wouldn't deteriorate. He really didn't want Kara to see him make Loki sized indentations in the desert floor if the puny god managed to provoke his other. "What is so confidential that you insisted we meet you out here?" said god demanded.

"It's about Kara's test results," Tony told him. "We've discovered something, well, out of the ordinary that we didn't think she wanted shared with anyone but you."

"They're being helpful, Loki. Stop glowering." Loki snorted at Kara's request, but he settled down on one of the rocks and tugged her to sit on his lap. "Okay, who gets to give me the bad news?" she asked.

"That would be me," Bruce said, trying not to sigh as he pulled his glasses out and fiddled with them before placing them back in his pocket. "Did you understand how you used your pyrokinesis before?" he asked.

"I just thought hard about something catching fire or being engulfed in flames, or heating up, and it did."

"But you never determined the scientific basis of how it was happening?"

"Obviously not or she would have said so," Loki snapped. Kara sighed and he shook his head slightly. "I apologize. Your insistence on privacy for this meeting is not sitting well. I'll admit I am as uneasy as my lady."

"Apology accepted. Kara, we believe that a, for want of a better word, normal pyrokinetic sets something on fire by using an energy projection that excites the molecules of an object much like a microwave does…just on a more intense scale."

"I'm sending out electromagnetic radiation?"

"Not exactly or you'd be creating electrical arcs when the energy passed through any metal in, on or around your target. We'd have to run scans to determine what kind of energy you're sending out, but it is an energy that passes through the object you've focused on and builds up thermal energy within the object until it ignites."

"Okay, I'm following. Makes sense, really. Good job guys."

"With the changes to your body, the energy you're sending out is a great deal stronger. Based on your experiments over the past two days, we estimate the output has increased at least a hundredfold." He paused and looked at her carefully. Other than pressing back against Loki's chest and frowning, she didn't look particularly distressed. Yet. "As a result, it appears that the energy you are projecting is doing more than just exciting the molecules. It seems to be slightly altering the molecules. Not much, just enough to make them more vulnerable to the buildup of thermal energy."

"So something that's flammable burns far more quickly and something that wouldn't normally catch fire would?"

"That, or explode, depending on its natural overall composition."

She tilted her head back to stare up at Loki. "I told you the tank was my fault."

"Perhaps partially. But the fuel did explode as well, and that is likely what propelled the pieces such a great distance."

"I've got to agree with the Lokemiester there. It's like launching a rocket." Bruce shook his head as Tony interrupted with yet another corruption of Loki's name. "Maybe making the walls of the tank burn was your doing, but the pieces going over the blast shield was definitely S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fault." Tony snickered. "Get it? Bypassing the shield was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s…aw, never mind, nobody has a sense of humor around here."

"No one but you has that juvenile of a sense of humor, Tony," Bruce corrected. He let a ghost of a smile out as Loki relaxed and gave him an approving nod.

"Fine, whatever. Everyone being endangered wasn't Kara's fault, can we all agree on that?" Tony groused.

"Yes, Tony," Loki said. "On that much we are agreed."

… …

Darcy lounged on the towel she'd spread out, waiting for her toenails to dry. That was one advantage of this climate. If the wind wasn't blowing dust around, you could go outside and get your polish to dry in just a few minutes. She looked off into the distance and could just barely make out the figures of Bruce, Tony, Kara and Loki. She'd only had a quick look at the couple during breakfast before they'd headed out. They'd said Kara could control fire, which was pretty ironic since her hair was a bunch of different shades of red, kind of like a silk flame. Her eyes were really funky. They were a combination of blue, green and silver, and changed constantly. Bruce said it looked like the changes occurred as her focus changed, but he didn't have the equipment to confirm it. He also said it was a new development. Before she'd gone to Asgard, the woman had regular hazel eyes that changed normally, with emotion, and the colors around them. "There you are." She looked up at Beth. "I was wondering where you'd gotten to."

"Bruce took off, some top secret stuff he had to talk to Kara and Loki about," Darcy told her. "I got bored."

"I know how you feel. Steve went for a run with the ETs. Apparently they can run even faster than him, so he feels like he's getting a good workout."

"ETs?"

"Yeah. They're not from Earth so they're extraterrestrials."

"Oh. Okay, that's cool. I've only seen Sif and Hogun up close before, well, of the ones here. They didn't seem all that special, but that's probably because they were fighting some robot thing. The elf prince is hot."

"I thought you were serious with Dr. Banner?"

"Yeah, but I'm not blind. He's scorching H.O.T.T. hot, I tell you."

Beth giggled. "Okay, okay. I'm having trouble getting past the ears. My brain just shuts down."

"Huh. Well, I saw Thor call lightning and later step into a hole in the air and disappear, so I guess the ears aren't a big deal next to that."

"Good point." She was blessedly silent for a few minutes. Darcy lightly tapped one of her toenails. It was almost completely dry. "Do you think they're right, and Loki's a hero now?"

She stared at the blonde. "I wouldn't go that far. "I mean, Bruce said the guy wasn't in control of what he did, that it wasn't his fault, but still, he did a truck load of crap. But maybe he's not psychotic like we all thought."

"Kara looks like she really loves him. I talked her before she went to Asgard, just for a bit. She seemed really nice, kind of normal."

"She's a mutant. Bruce said she's a pyrokinetic and did some power with emotions; pretty scary stuff. She could even calm him down when he hulked out using it." Darcy frowned. "Of course, he also said she was really smart and a great psychologist and cared about everyone."

"So now she's a princess. That's kind of throwing me, too. And Steve said her body is changing, that's what happened to her eyes and that she's well on her way to becoming the same race as Sif and Hogun and that older man. Does that mean she's going to be a goddess?"

"I don't think it works that way, but I could be wrong. Guess we'd have to ask her." Darcy rolled her eyes. "Assuming that's something we're cleared to know."

… …

Steve hopped into the shower. Five miles going all out, it was amazing. He could actually feel the burn in his muscles…and smell the sweat that soaked his shorts and tee shirt. A shower was definitely required before he went to find Beth. He couldn't believe she'd flown all the way out here to see him. She was so darn sweet. It helped that Pepper had invited her to live in the tower since her apartment had been condemned after the attack in New York. He hadn't realized she was living on a friend's couch. Now she could miss a few days of work and not have to worry about not being able to afford to eat. He was a bad boyfriend. Grinning he finished rinsing the soap out of his hair and off of his body. He had a real girlfriend! After drying himself vigorously with a towel, he pulled on a clean pair of jeans and tee shirt and headed back outside to find her. "Lose something, captain?" He turned and nodded crisply to Director Fury.

"Not lost, sir. But I am looking for Miss Anderson."

"She's on the west side of the building with Ms. Lewis."

"Thank you, sir. Um, director?"

"Yes, captain?"

"How high have you cleared the civilians?"

Fury grimaced and looked around. "They've been cleared for everything other than Dr. Nassar's status," the leather clad man said quietly.

Steve frowned. "One more thing, sir, if I may?"

"What is it?"

"Aren't you hot in that outfit?" Fury glowered at him, spun on his heel and stalked away. "Huh, touchy subject, I guess." He headed around the building. Sure enough, Beth and Darcy were sitting on the ground, using the building as a backrest. Both girls were barefoot and they held the plastic beverage bottles that the staff had insisted everyone keep full of water and carry around with them. Steve had no earthly idea what he'd done with his. "Good morning, ladies," he said as he approached.

"Ladies? Geez, where are we, a debutante ball?" Darcy muttered.

"Darcy, he's being polite. It wouldn't kill you to appreciate it." Beth was sticking up for him. Thank God his old-fashioned ways didn't embarrass her too much.

"Sorry, but I was raised to treat every woman as a lady until she proved herself not to be…and even then to still treat her as a lady unless she forced me to do otherwise."

"Yeah, sweet. But there's a limit, you know?" Darcy said with a slight smirk.

Steve frowned. The girl was kind of pretty. Not as pretty as Beth, of course, but he could see what Dr. Banner saw in her. She was awfully young for him, though. Oh well, not his business. "I guess, but I'd rather be too nice than be a jerk."

"There is that." The brunette stood and shook out the towel she'd been sitting on. "Well, I'm going to find Bruce and leave you very nice people to enjoy each other's company. Though how you can really do that without getting past second base I'll never understand."

He stared at the retreating figure. "Okay, I'm confused," he admitted to Beth who had also stood and was shaking out her towel.

"Darcy is…highly sexed," Beth said, sounding hesitant. "Don't let it bother you; a lot of nice women have a much looser attitude about sex than you're used to. It doesn't mean they aren't good people."

"Oh, I know. There were a few ladies I knew of that were, well, kind of easy. But they were really nice and all. Um, am I going too slowly? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

She smiled and it was like the sun came out from behind a cloud. "No, Steve. I-wow, I guess we really need to talk about this. You…I'm not a virgin, does that bother you?"

He blushed, again. "No, uh…it's really none of my business, but did you love the guy you gave yourself to?"

"I thought I did. And I thought he loved me. I was wrong."

"Well, at least you thought you were in love. That counts, you know. I guess I'm glad you were wrong, because otherwise I probably wouldn't have met you…and well, you wouldn't have been available if I had." Oh, that came out bad. "I mean, I'm sorry if you got hurt by the guy and all, but…"

She giggled. "Oh, Steve; I understand. Thank you. I'm kind of glad, too. We can take it slow if that's what you want. I'm not in a rush. But you don't get away with kissing me on the cheek like I'm your sister anymore."

"No, ma'am."

"You're going to give me full out kisses, complete with cuddling and such."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And you're not going to hesitate to ask for more when you're sure that's what you want, okay?"

"Okay. I really care about you, and I just want it to all be right."

"It will be."

… …

Author's Notes: Oh boy, this got to be a long one. Hope it held your attention throughout. I'm not any good at ruthlessly editing myself. I've already done a few hundred words on Chapter 46, so you may see that by the weekend. Thanks again for all of the lovely reviews. You really make my day!