Darcy was nervous. The week before the wedding had arrived. Wedding preparations were at an all time high. Everyone was running around trying to calm down the wedding planner, a.k.a. Darcy's best friend Jane. She was the one who had made the last minute dress catastrophe absolute. Once word spread that the dress was MIA, Jane had gone into overdrive. Calling up the salon to bitch out the manager for a good two full hours on how this wedding was to go according to plan with not a blip in sight and how this was a major blip, two days later the dress was on the doorstep to Darcy's apartment with an essay in form of an apology letter.
Walking into the bathroom, Darcy watched her reflection in the mirror. In less than a week she wouldn't be Darcy Lewis anymore. She would officially be Darcy Barnes.
"Darce, where are you?" Jane called out through the apartment.
"In the bathroom, I'll be out in a second!"
"Good, make sure you look presentable because I have a surprise for you."
Darcy glanced at her reflection one more time, grabbed her phone off the nightstand, and walked to the living room. Not in a million years would she have guessed what would be waiting for her in the living room. Jane stood by the couch in red heels, a drop-waist black dress, and her favorite clutch in her hands.
"Darce, if I had know you looked like that I would've told you to take a shower and look more presentable than you do." Jane rolled her eyes, rushing to Darcy to push her down the hall back towards the bathroom.
"What's the occasion Jane? I didn't even see you this dressed up at Thor's welcome home party. I'm starting to get a little worried about you."
"Shut your mouth Darce! I looked nice at that party! But that's not a discussion for now. Get into the shower, I'll pick out an outfit for you, and put on your favorite red lipstick. We are going out on the town tonight!" Jane casually walked over to the closet with a mischievous grin slowly spreading across her face.
Turning on the shower, Darcy found herself smiling about the first time she ever went out with Jane. They unknowingly walked into a biker bar and ended up staying all night. Darcy was taken off guard when they were approached by two leather-clad men. Little did she know that that night she would meet her future husband.
Bucky had been dressed in his classic black combat boots, black jeans, skin-tight black shirt, with a form fitting leather jacket to complete his outfit. His partner in crime that night was Thor. Darcy had never seen Jane as flirty and giggly as that night. Knowing all of Jane's tale-tale signs when she wanted a man: the constant touching, eye-batting, tossing the head back laughter, Darcy was able to enjoy herself by not wondering about Jane trying to sneak off to the lab all night. Bucky hadn't taken his eyes off Darcy the whole night. She mesmerized him. Unlike any other woman, she wasn't afraid of him. Usually the metal arm scared people away, but Darcy looked him in the eye and challenged him to a game of pool. Wanting to make it a little more interesting, he made a bet: he wins they go on an official date, Darcy wins, he buys her drinks for the rest of the night.
Sudden banging on the door broke Darcy away from her thoughts. Shedding her clothes, Darcy jumped into a now lukewarm shower. Quickly washing her hair and body, she got out of the shower. Reaching for the towel she had laid out, she hit warm flesh instead of fluffy towel.
"Well, if I had known I was going to be assaulted while using the restroom, I wouldn't have come in here."
Clutching the shower curtain around her, Darcy screamed, "Dammit Tony, get out! You knew I was using the shower and could've been out any moment and you chose to come in here. Now hand me that towel before I get Bucky in here."
Smirking, Tony reached for the towel and handed it to Darcy. Giving her a quick look over, he laughed before telling her, "You missed some suds there Darce." Turning on his heels, he strolled out of the room.
Securing the towel around her, Darcy stepped out of the bathroom to begin getting ready. After allowing Jane to fix her hair, Darcy slipped into her favorite red dress and black heels and they left an hour later.
Darcy allowed Jane to drive begrudgingly. Half way into the drive, Jane pulled over into a restaurant parking lot. Reaching underneath the driver seat, Jane revealed a blindfold.
"Now don't freak out Darce, but I need you to put this on. What tonight concludes is a secret that you cannot know about. Put up a fight and I will get Pepper on you."
Thrusting out her hand, Darcy took the blindfold and tied it around her head. Jane checked to make sure it was secure, started the car, and began to drive again. What seemed like an eternity later to Darcy the car stopped. Without the use of her eyes, Darcy had use other senses to know where they were. Slowly she picked up on the smell of smoke and the sound of men laughing. Smirking to herself, she thought of how predictable this night just might be.