Chapter Nine

Darcy sighed.

She fucking sighed.

Flipty freakin' do, she sighed. The thought made her sigh again. She was annoyed with the realization that she missed Loki's taunting voice. The verbal play, the threatening mannerisms. That was kinda hot.

He'd made it a habit to drive her just the little bit insane. Who heard voices in their heads? People in Insane Asylums. Yeah, tell that one to Fury and he'd probably disect her brain. But if she told him Loki was having psychotic coversations that involved wiping out her vocal cords, he'd question her and THEN disect her brain to see what damage Loki had done.

All in the name of science! Woot woot!

Loki hadn't yet caused her brain to implode on itself, so she was safe for the moment.

She tugged the knitted beanie low over her head and tugged her hair out of the colar of her jacket. It was cold. She made sure to wrap a green scarf around her neck.

St. Patrick's Day, baby!

Even though she repeatedly pinched Jane on the ass and arms, it sucked that she couldn't do the same to the God of Mischief.

Pinch Loki.

Darcy - 1.

Loki - She'd lost count.

She was catching up. Yea, in her dreams. She couldn't pinch those sweet God buns of his.

One: He wasn't even on this unGodly realm.

Two: His eyes were green.

Three: He wore green like he OWNED that shit.

Four: Would she pinch him?

Yes. Even naked, he'd be in with the rules cause of his eyes.

She sighed dramatically.

Stepping out onto the sidewalk she lifted her head skyward. "You win, you sly bastard." He'd set out to drive her crazy, to make her remember him and he'd succeeded. She half expected him to appear with that gloating expression of his. The only response she got was the weird looks the by-passers gave her for talking to herself.

So what? She was Darcy Lewis. She knew GODS. She'd tased the GOD OF THUNDER. All that crazy shit was enough to drive anyone bonkers.

She hated the thought of Loki writhing in pain because of the Thread, but then again, he probably wasn't distracted enough to the point where he forgot, was he? She felt relieved at that.

"I'm going to hell. I'm gonna burn so good for this."

'I will no doubt be there as your guide, Sigyn...but you could not even hurt a flea. Why would you burn in hell?'

She paused midstep. She had a hunky evil God stalking her mind and she liked it. It was creepy.

He sighed. 'Whatever shall I do with you?'

"Accept that I'm cool as shit?"

Silence.

"Hello?" Another strange look and she whipped out her cell phone. At least she wouldn't look like a complete fool now. That is, until her phone started ringing. "Yo, you can't just pop in after days of silence and then go 'poof'. That's not cool."

'First you think of pinching me, you admire my eyes and then you beg for my presence?'

Darcy actually looked for the sarcasm. She was sure it was there. But his words seemed far too calm. He wasn't mocking her or chiding her. "Cause you've got green eyes. No one's gonna be pinching you. Do you even celebrate St. Patrick's day?"

'Why would I celebrate a Saint of all people? People celebrate me.'

She rolled her eyes. So like the God of Mischief himself to think people should celebrate him. She didn't celebrate anyone. But she did celebrate the tatas and the day after Valentine's Day. Boobs and chocolate.

'You are strange for a Midgardian.'

"And you're strange for a God. We make a good couple. Mischief and tasers."

He chuckled. 'One reason why I like you, Sigyn.'

She got the impression of amusement that she'd tased Thor. "Yep, I did." She smiled at the reminder. It felt odd holding the phone to her ear, knowing that there wasn't a damn person on it. She'd keep up the illusion for the God of Mischief. "You know, I saw this jacket and thought of you. No one's gonna be pinching me today."

She'd made sure to wear a green shirt and one of her infamous green beanies. When she'd seen the knee length overcoat, freaking GREEN, she'd thought of Loki. Just to be on the safe side, she'd put on a matching set of green lingerie.

'Please refrain from thinking such thoughts.'

"You're the one that's in my head."

She made a quick stop at Burger King and then walked through the doors of the apartment that S.H.I.E.L.D had been so kind to furnish for her. She was sure they were keeping tabs on her but she had nothing to hide. Fury probably knew by now how much she hated his guts. She was surprised they hadn't reigned down with fire and brimstone for her...sudden alliance with Loki. Well, not really an alliance.

'Mortals wear green to honor a saintly man?'

She lifted her hand as she spoke animatedly. "Ah, not exactly. Kinda? Saint Patrick's Day is March 17th of every year...I'm not going into detail. But you wear green or get your ass pinched."

'You may wear green for me and I will disembowl anyone who pinches you.'

"Dude, that's so sweet." She said as she pushed a button on the elevator. She could have taken the stairs, but that was too much walking. And she was lazy.

'That you are.'

Darcy snickered.

The elevator dinged open and instead of stepping out, she peeked her head around the corner. Nope, no Loki there. She was seriously freaked out, when she was the one who normally freaked people out, at the thought of Loki just popping up.

She shrugged.

He was getting better at it, she supposed. She was less terrorized by his mind games.

And she swore she saw his snicker in her mind at THAT thought.

She saw Jane turn the corner and froze. Oh God, SHIT. She was so behind on paperwork and Jane knew it. Her phone had been going off all morning and straight to voicemail. Darcy furiously started coming up with excuses boarding on lame to seriously insane. She could say a dog ate her paperwork, right? They'd seen much crazier shit go down.

Darcy opened her mouth and nearly sank to her knees from the sudden pain in her shoulder. The world seemed to fast forward in a blur, popping out of place. She could see Jane coming towards her, but her body was flickering in and out of transparency. Her mouth was moving, but Darcy couldn't hear her.

Darcy looked around. She was still standing in the doorway but right outside was a whole different fucking world. Dirt. Like, desert dirt. Large, heavy boulders. The ground was all sand and hard rock beneath her feet.

"My God, do you see this, Jane?"

And Jane walked right through her.

Darcy spun around but instead of her room and Jane, she saw Loki. He was kneeling with his arms stretched out. It was like watching a movie in slow motion. The snake, a fucking monster snake, hung suspended over him. She watched as venom beaded on a long fang before dropping.

It ate through his skin like acid.

"Loki!" She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in horror. How could Odin do this to his son? How could he be so cruel-

He must have heard her, because Loki lifted his head. His expression twisted, though she wasn't sure whether it was from the pain, shock or only what other shit he was going through. Something clicked in her mind, like the sound of a light switch flipping off.

She was thrust back into her own world, the walls blurring until Jane was in her face.

"...not funny, Darcy."

She only caught part of what Jane was saying. She really didn't care. Her heart was racing at what she'd seen. Who did that? That wasn't a punishment. That was on a whole different level than just a punishment. It hadn't been one of his illusionary tricks.

She had the gut feeling that she wasn't supposed to see that. But for some reason, his mind had done that little bipity bopity thing again and they'd...ugh, mind linked. Good a word as any.

Just like she knew that click in her mind had severed the link he'd mentally made for himself. Her stomach dropped. She shouldn't care. She really didn't. But her stomach twisted and knotted at the thought.

"In the morning, I swear, Jane."

What would Jane do if she told her about Loki? Nick Fury would lock her up. She turned around and shoved Jane out the door. "Tomorrow, I promise, Jane!"

As soon as the door was closed Darcy ran to the closet door and yanked it open. Maybe there'd be a portal there, like in the Twilight Zone. She shoved the clothes first one way and then the other. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

She had to get back to him. There was no way around it. She had to. There was no understanding of reason there. That shit wasn't fair or even right in her mind. Loki didn't deserve that.

She dropped to all fours and looked under the bed. Nothing but a shoe. She hadn't expected anything else there, though. She silently willed Loki to appear. Her mind felt...empty.

So that was what it felt like to have it all to herself again, huh?

"Please, dammit." She picked up the disgarded shoe and threw it across the room.

He wasn't answering her. God, she knew she wasn't supposed to have witnessed that. But she had. Whether it was her fault or Loki's, she HAD witnessed it.

She sank to her knees beside the bed suddenly and clasped her hands in front of her. Loki was a God. Gods were prayed to. She normally only prayed to one God. Though, he'd probably cursed her with huge tits for all her cursing. She couldn't think of any other way to make him listen to her.

She closed her eyes. "Dear ugh...Loki..." And prayed.