I'm back guys. I got my muse back and she's kicking for a story.
Read and review, thanks to all.
Darcy returned to Earth with a thud- literally. She fell from her chair when they were dropped from the Einstein-Rosenbridge, and luckily landed on top of the SHIELD agents assigned to her pick up from the drop site. Jane and Thor were in Asgard for good- Thor to earnestly begin his training as King of the realm and Jane to begin her reign as Goddess of Wisdom. She had offered to escort Darcy back to Earth, but Darcy knew Jane wanted to be with Thor. Who was she to ruin a newlywed couple's happiness?
That was why she was resigned to beginning a life with no close friends- her best friend was now living on Cloud nine with the man of her dreams. She began her practice again within SHIELD, operating as a psychologist/counselor for the agents. Mainly her work consisted of the mundane- stress, divorce, low self-esteem. Darcy felt herself feeling normal again, at least in her working world. She was useful again, providing comfort through her listening skills and careful analysis- AKA sounding like all the psychologists she had heard on cable television EVER. She maintained casual office friendships, keeping her distance for the sake of her privacy. Despite the relative calm of her existence, something in Darcy's gut told her that the storm was coming- calls it paranoia, but experience had taught her that life kicked people like her in the stomach multiple times before their turn was up.
At night Darcy laid in bed alone, frightened and sweaty. She knew it was because of Loki- Loki God of Mischief, Loki of Asgard- the being that had made her the facsimile of her old self. She remembered Old Darcy- the girl who danced, who dreamed and drank and laughed freely because life had yet to show her its true colors. In her nightmares a fiendish Loki like of the New York Invasion sneered at her, tortured her, and threw her off a million buildings. Then a kinder, saner Loki would offer her a cup of tea and her psyche would struggle with the idea that he did not remember maiming Darcy. It was ruining her sleep, leaving her exhausted and confused in the mornings.
Months passed and as before, the depression announced its reappearance with Darcy losing more weight, though no one noticed. She was utterly, utterly alone once again- a stranger in a world filled with relationships. Jane couldn't contact Darcy or vice versa, so no one knew the extent of Darcy's condition. She stopped eating properly, occasionally stomaching a cup of coffee or a piece of toast. The internet lost its charm for Darcy, something which would have been a huge indicator of her state of mind had anyone been paying attention.
Nobody did pay attention though, not until 4 months after her return from Asgard. SHIELD was doing employee psych examinations and Agent Asshole was back, checking up on Darcy for the first time in six months. She was unprepared for the visit, and was found in her pajamas at home on the weekend, mascara smeared with tears on her cheeks and hair tangled in an unwashed mess. She was given a psychological evaluation and found to be deeply depressed and apathetic, unwilling to explain her obvious distress. Darcy was immediately declared unfit to work, ironically despite her months of running a successful psychological office.
Even Director Fury asked her what "the fuck was making her so damned moody."
She couldn't explain the eyes which haunted her dreams, changing from icy blue to mossy green in a blink. Something inside her was still broken and it was aching within, leaving Darcy a wreck. That was apparent even to the imbeciles at SHIELD, and they decided that she needed a leave of absence, preferably to visit Jane in Asgard-
She lacked the energy to scream "BAD IDEA, NO, NO, WRONG- THE OPPOSITE OF RIGHT, DO NOT TAKE ME THERE" and quietly acquiesced, only mildly surprised when she was no longer on Earth but back in Asgard, being greeted by a glowing, pregnant Jane.
"Darcy, how are you?! I'm so glad to see you, Heimdall said you might show up and I've waited for a week!"
Her smiling face was more beautiful than ever, which made Darcy feel even more like a piece of shit. All she could reply was "I'm okay. SHIELD thinks I've gone bonkers."
Her lopsided grin was apparently more crooked than she had thought- Jane took one look at it and began to cry. "I can't believe they let this happen again, and I can't even help this time- oh god, Darce. Is it because you saw him last time, at the wedding? You left so quickly after the ceremony- I thought it was because of how callous everyone was to your chair but- damn, I was so wrong!"
Darcy heard none of Jane's guilt-ridden speech because behind her approached a swirl of green and black- not again.
Her vision swam, and blackness filled her consciousness- Darcy's fight or flight mechanism glitched, and she passed out.
….
She awakened on a soft bed- it is not gold, thankfully, but white and cream- Jane's room, clearly. Her friend sat next to her, stroking her hair and humming, protruding belly more prominent than before in her gauzy dress.
The moment is sweet but Darcy felt ready to talk.
"I'm scared to sleep because of him. He's there in my mind always, and I just… can't reconcile that demonic fucker in New York with that suave BBC brother in law from the wedding. My mind just, like, rejects the idea of it and fights it, and this all has left me so damn tired."
Jane's hand twitched but she continued her caresses, carefully replying, "I think you need to confront this dear. There's more to this change in Loki than you know."
"What could possibly change him so much?"
"Ask him. You have that right, ask him yourself. Only he can tell this tale."
Darcy struggled to sit up, positioning her legs and giving Jane her best "da fuq bitch?" look.
It didn't work- stoically Jane remained quiet, refusing to say what happened to Loki. "I deserve to not have to talk to him, he ruined my life!"
Jane quelled Darcy's complaints by pulling out her scary father in law card- "Father- Odin- forbids it. It is magically and royally bound, so there's no point in trying to make me tell."
Darcy pouted, but felt better having confided even a little in Jane. She decided that talking to Loki would have to wait until she'd seen her favorite blonde god.
Thor was polishing Mjolnir in the armory when Darcy rolled in, hair combed and face washed.
"Lady Darcy! It does my heart good to see you in such high spirits!" His infectious grin was strained as he leaned to embrace her, but his warmth was comforting. "I'm glad to see you too big guy. I missed you a lot…"
"Darcy, I know of the horrors which haunt your nights. My dear Jane spoke to me of them as you rested and I cannot help but feel responsible- you did not have to see Loki, truly. We could have wedded somehow, and the Allfather would have eventually given in."
"Thor, it's just… I can't wrap my mind around any of it, you know? I feel like I've been torn inside out and no one can find out where the rip began?"
Thor remained quiet, but placed a strong arm around Darcy, gently curtailing his strength.
She broke the silence when she asked, "Can't you tell me what happened to change him?"
He shook his head solemnly and Darcy was about to protest, but Thor sternly cut her off- "No. I cannot, and I would not would that was I allowed to explain."
Darcy angrily rolled away, and headed for the garden where her nightmare had become reality.
She sat near the pond, throwing pebbles at the beautiful fish swimming around. Her sullen mood transformed into real melancholy, and her eyes swelled with tears again. What the fuck was wrong with her?
"Lady Darcy."
The cultured, smooth Hugh Laurie voice was back- please no.
"I fear I offended you last we met. Please, tell me what I have done so I may make amends."
He was trying to fix things- HA! Could he fix paralysis?
"Lady Darcy? I truly know not what was wrong at my brother Thor's wedding."
Her temper was beginning to flare- that damn accent was such a turn on normally but right then Darcy wanted to cut off the man's balls and feed them to him. Instead Darcy decided to freak Loki out; clearly he needed to be informed.
Without turning around Darcy began to speak. Her voice was toneless but she knew her words would pack a real punch.
"It began in 2012 when I was still whole and assistant to Jane. You attacked Earth."
"What?! That's absurd, I would never-"
"You forged an alliance with the Chitauri in exchange for the Tesseract, and nearly won."
"I don't believe it- you can't just say that!"
Darcy couldn't help but admit, the man was committed to his story- but so was she.
"You were crazy- falling from the Bifrost can do that? Where did you wake up anyways?"
She didn't wait for an answer but continued. "It's really funny actually what you did to me, honestly. A real case of wrong place, wrong time. They sent Jane to Tromsee when you came, to protect her from the bad guys- but they didn't take me. I was too insignificant, so they just left me behind in Puente Antigua. I was all alone when the Chitauri came and took me, transporting me to New York- and it brought me to a rooftop where you stood, thousands of feet from the ground, and you saw my face and laughed. You laughed because I wasn't Jane, and there was no value in my being a hostage, so you dangled me by the neck over the ground before dropping me to the Earth- I was left permanently crippled because of that. I can't walk, can't dance, run, or sit on the ground. I'm broken and it's because I was the wrong person. You broke me because I was the wrong person."
Loki had no words- he opened and shut his mouth like a fish out of water. He clearly was shocked- he had no idea what she was talking about but all of it began to make an awful lot of sense. Loki's mind raced, and he saw in his memories blurs of skyscrapers and metal gargantuan worms taking out buildings, people dying and green Hulks smashing. He was crazed, he was mad-
"No. I don't know what sorcery this is, but I did no such thing!"
Darcy turned in her chair and Loki's face contorted at the sight of her- face blank of any expression but disgust.
"You did this. Ask Odin Allfather what really happened that spring. Ask him, you twisted fucker. Understand who you truly are."
Darcy unevenly laughed at her theatrics before wheeling herself away, surprised at how steady her hands were despite her quivering fear and panic.
"Wait! Lady Darcy- I cannot fathom anything you said being true but- something rings… something rings within my mind- but… I am so confused. My head is aching- oof!" As if socked in the gut, Loki fell to his knees clutching his head and Darcy could not restrain a feral grin- she broke Loki back.
I am going to make this so hard on me because Loki will be so likeable… Anyone guess what's gonna happen?
Read and Review dahlings.