Chapter Two: Confessions of Future Memories

As Jane left the building, Darcy stood at the window and watched her walk back to her camper. Forehead pressed to the glass, she watched idly while Jane moved around, passing in front of her kitchenette window a few times before the lights turned off one-by-one in the little motor home. It was so good to see her again, alive and thriving, pre-cancer.

Darcy pushed back from the window and looked around the lab, dimly lit by the glow of a single lamp next to the couch. It had been so many years since she had been here. Back then, she had been out of her depth as a political science major interning for an astrophysicist. She hadn't known any of the terminology, didn't understand any of the equipment. But now…Darcy puttered around the lab, trailing a finger over the equipment, smiling at some memories. Frowning at others. Now, she knew this equipment well. She understood Jane's work thoroughly.

Though she was exhausted, Darcy wasn't ready to sleep yet. There were too many thoughts and emotions running through her to relax. Instead, she picked up the technologically ancient camera Jane had used to record video of the Bifrost and plugged it into a prehistoric computer. After waiting what seemed like a thousand years for the video to upload, Darcy began sifting through the video, selecting certain frames to print, including the one that showed Thor's shadowy figure hovering above the ground in a cloud of dirt and one of Mjolnir with steam rising from the head.

Even though she knew the Darcy of this timeline wouldn't understand the data recorded, and she had seen Bifrost data before, Dr. Darcy Lewis was curious to see if there were any differences between the data taken today and what she had seen in her own timeline. So, she spent the next couple of hours poring over readings from various pieces of equipment and, out of habit, began updating tables, charts, and graphs as she went. She shuffled off to the couch around 2:30 in the morning and fell asleep quickly.

She dreamed about Jane. She dreamed about the Aether consuming Jane. She dreamed about Jane sitting for chemotherapy treatment and Darcy trying to convince her to move because the dark elves were tearing apart London, looking for her. And then, as they were talking and the elves were getting closer, the Blip occurred and Jane disintegrated in front of her, her IV needle falling, dripping into a pile of dust.

Darcy woke up in the fetal position with tears streaming down her face. She tried to take a deep breath, but it broke into a sob and the next thing she knew, she was crying uncontrollably into her pillow. A warm hand settled on her shaking shoulder, and after a moment, she felt herself being lifted up then settled back down onto a lap. She didn't have to open her eyes to recognize Thor's strong presence. She just gripped his shirt and sobbed into his chest as he wordlessly rubbed her back.

Eventually she cried herself out. Still, Thor didn't say a word. He just kept rubbing her back, her forehead pressed to his chest. When she realized she was still tightly clutching his shirt, Darcy opened her hands, stretching cramped fingers. That's when Thor finally spoke.

"Your visions trouble you," he stated, matter-of-factly, still rubbing her back.

"Yes…well, they're not exactly visions, per se…" Darcy quickly considered the ramifications of telling Thor the truth then finally decided, screw it, he's a god, he's my friend, if I can't tell him, I can't tell anyone.

"They're…well, they're memories of the future," she said.

Thor continued rubbing her back soothingly as he said, "That's an interesting way of putting it. Why do you say they are memories and not visions?"

"Because they've already happened. I lived them," she said. "And then I came back in time and now I'm here again. Sort of."

"Sort of?" he asked, hand still rubbing calming circles on her back.

"Well, it's a little different now. Meeting you was a little different this time."

"How so?"

"Well, for starters, I didn't tase you this time."

Thor chuckled. "Surely a puny Midgardian weapon would not bring me down."

Darcy giggled. "Yeah, that's what past Thor thought. And then I tased his ass and he went down like a sack of potatoes!" Thor chuckled more, though Darcy suspected he didn't quite believe her.

Still rubbing her back, Thor asked, "How did you come back in time?"

Darcy frowned. "I'm not entirely sure. It wasn't intentional. I was investigating an anomaly. It…well, if I didn't know better, I would've thought the infinity stones were at play…" Thor's hand stilled. "But they were destroyed, so I'm not sure what happened."

"What do you know of the infinity stones?" Thor asked, carefully.

Darcy suspected she was in dangerous territory, bringing up the infinity stones to an Asgardian prince who didn't really know her yet, but she decided to just keep speaking honestly and hope Thor believed her. She clutched his shirt again as she spoke. "There's six of them. Reality, power, space, time, mind, and soul. They're the singularities that created the universe, formed into concentrated crystals by the Big Bang. And…" she shuddered, and Thor began rubbing her back again, "…and Thanos is looking for them."

Thor's hand stilled again for a moment before he resumed rubbing absentmindedly. "Who is Thanos?" he asked.

Darcy was pretty sure he knew who Thanos was, but she humored him. "The mad Titan," she said. "He wants to wipe out half the universe," she added.

Thor was quiet for a moment, still rubbing soothing circles on her back. Darcy unclenched her fingers from his shirt again and kept her forehead resting comfortably on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

He spoke again, "Why do you think it was the infinity stones that sent you back in time?

Darcy sighed. "I was picking up cosmic energy readings with no degradations."

Thor hummed thoughtfully.

Darcy continued, "There was a green orb of light. The time stone is green. Then a blue light mixed into it. The space stone is blue. A portal opened to bring me here, in the past, across time and space. Then two beams of light came out of the portal. One was yellow, the other orange. Mind and soul. I think…I don't know for sure, but I think I left my physical body behind. I think only my…my mind and soul were taken through the portal. And then I was dumped into my old body…or my younger body…my old younger body. Oh, for goodness' sake, you know what I mean!"

Thor huffed once in mild amusement. "What of the other two stones?" he asked.

Darcy shrugged, "Power and reality? I guess they weren't needed to send me back. But, Thor, why would I be sent back? Why me? What can I possibly do? And how could they send me back? They were destroyed! And who is controlling them to send me back?" She began to spiral, breathing faster in a panic.

Thor gently pulled her back and tilted her chin up so he could look into her eyes. His were blue and calm. Darcy lost herself in those calm blue eyes as he held her gaze. "How were the stones destroyed?" he asked.

Darcy started to look away, but Thor held her chin steady. She flicked her eyes back to his as she answered, "Thanos destroyed them…after he disintegrated half of the universe," she said morosely, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. "It was awful," she whispered, "So many people were suddenly gone…" She couldn't bear to look into his eyes, so she closed her own as she whispered, "Janey."

Thor tucked her head back under his chin and continued stroking her back as she gathered herself again. "So, Thanos wins," he said with a tight voice.

"For a time," Darcy replied. "Then the Avengers assemble…what's left of them anyway…and they fix it. You're one of them, by the way."

"An Avenger?"

"Yes. They're a team of superheroes. You're one of the original members."

There was a long pause before Thor spoke again. "How do we fix it?" he asked.

"You all go back in time. You take the stones from various timelines and use them to bring everyone back. And then you kill Thanos, and the stones are returned to their timelines."

"How do we go back in time?"

"Using the quantum realm and some complicated science that is way outside my area of expertise."

Thor hummed thoughtfully again and was quiet for a while. Darcy's thoughts drifted toward the currently mortal god holding her. This was a side of him she was not very familiar with. She knew he was smart – she had seen glimpses of his intelligence over the years, even though he usually hid it behind his brawn and good looks. A strategic move, she considered, to let others underestimate him. She recognized that he was interrogating her quite effectively, lulling her into a sense of security and asking just the right questions. Except it wasn't just a sense of security. He might not know her, but she knew him, and she felt safe and secure with him, regardless.

Speaking of not knowing her, Thor eventually asked, "Are you an Avenger?"

Darcy sputtered and laughed, tilting her head back to look at him as she incredulously asked, "Me?! An Avenger?! Heck no! I'm not a superhero!" She chortled. "Though I'm flattered you asked!" She snorted in amusement. Thor tilted his head and looked at her thoughtfully. "Trust me," Darcy said, "a year from now, when you meet the real Avengers, you will crack up when you think about this moment!"

Thor smiled gently and shrugged. "Perhaps," he said. "Or perhaps, with your knowledge of the future, you would be a great asset to the Avengers this time around."

Darcy blinked at him. "Nope," she said, "you guys do the whole running to the bad guys thing. I do the whole running away from the bad guys thing. Definitely not Avenger material."

Thor smiled at her again then leaned down and kissed her head. "Thank you for sharing your sacred knowledge with me," he said.

Darcy felt quite flustered. "Oh, well, um, your welcome," she stammered awkwardly.

Thor gently lifted her up, scooted himself out from under her, and set her carefully back down on the couch. He stood tall and stretched before looking down at her with a frown. "I did not realize you were giving up your bed to me last night. You should not have. I am a warrior. I have slept on rocky ground many nights. I could easily have slept on the couch or floor."

Darcy shrugged uncomfortably, "It's no big deal," she said, looking around the room. "Besides, it gave me a chance to get stuff done."

"Nevertheless, I thank you for your kindness, Lady Darcy."

"I…um…you're welcome?"

Darcy was spared from further awkwardness by Jane arriving, thermos of coffee in hand. "Good morning!" she chirped. "Can you believe what we saw last night? I can't wait to dig into the data. Where's the scatterometer?" Darcy pointed. "Perfect! Thanks! And the Phase Meter? Where's that?" Darcy pointed again. "Ah! Yes! Thank you!" Jane snatched both tools up and parked herself in front of the computer, poking at the keyboard with one hand while sipping coffee with the other. Darcy smiled, thrilled to see her friend a whirlwind of energy again.

Darcy looked down at her sweats and said, "I guess I better go start my day." She ambled off toward her room and dug through her wardrobe curiously, scavenging through long-forgotten clothes. Her style had changed a bit since her internship days, but she managed to put together an outfit that she was comfortable with. She may or may not have fist-pumped when she read the sizing tags in her clothing.

Once her morning ablutions were done, Darcy returned to the lab to find Jane staring at the computer screen, head cocked comically to the side with a puzzled expression.

"What's up?" Darcy asked.

Jane turned her head to look over at her, looked back at the screen, then looked back at her again. "Did you input the data last night?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah. I couldn't sleep. Why? Did I mess it up?" Darcy asked, knowing full well she hadn't messed it up.

"No…" Jane said. "It's perfect. You did it perfectly. How did you do it perfectly?"

Thor cut a knowing look to Darcy, which she steadfastly ignored. "Oh well, you know. I've learned a lot from you. I'm your intern. I'm supposed to pick things up, right?" she waved off Jane's questions. "More coffee?" she asked as she pulled a coffeemaker from between a spectroscope and bulky microscope, plugging it into a free outlet.

"Ooh, yes, please!" Jane said, holding her thermos out while scrutinizing a chart on the computer. Thor plucked it from her hand and brought it over to Darcy. "Oh, thanks," Jane said, startled at his movement, before turning back to the screen.

Crowding into her space, Thor passed her the thermos and whispered, "You need a cover story." At her questioning look, he elaborated, "Your knowledge has advanced significantly since you originally experienced this time, has it not?" She nodded. "Your friend is already noticing. Do you wish to tell her the truth?"

"I don't know," she whispered back. "Maybe? Should I?"

"Knowledge of the stones is dangerous," he warned.

"What if I don't tell her that part?"

Thor raised an eyebrow and gestured around the lab. "Do you really think you can avoid mentioning how you traversed time and space?"

Darcy crinkled her nose in frustration. "Play dumb?" she suggested, hopefully.

Thor gave her a flat look.

Darcy sighed. "I don't know what to do," she admitted, fumbling nervously while trying to peel a filter apart from the others. Her hands shook as she smooshed it into place in the coffeemaker. She scooped some coffee grounds from a jug and spilled half the scoop across the counter. "Dammit," she muttered. Thor placed a hand over hers, stilling it. He removed the scoop and set it back in the jug, then held both her shaking hands in his own.

"I will help you," he said, sincerely. The weight and sincerity of his words brought Darcy unexpected relief. She suddenly whooshed out a breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding and her shoulders sagged, released of previously unnoticed tension. Thor pulled her in for a brief hug before releasing her and gesturing to the coffee grounds.

Darcy resumed making the coffee with steady hands and cleaned the counter as Thor murmured his plan. "If, and only if, she directly asks, you will say that you sometimes study her instruments and cross-reference them with the data she inputs. You will admit to curiosity about her area of study and confess to occasionally poking around the lab in the middle of the night."

Darcy nodded, "That could work."

Thor folded his arms and leaned back against the counter. "It will," he said confidently. "Until then, keep redirecting where you can." Louder, he said, "This mortal body grows weak. I am in need of sustenance."

Jane snorted and Darcy rolled her eyes. "Isabela's?" Darcy asked Jane.

"Sounds good," Jane replied. Darcy switched off the coffeemaker and grabbed her purse.

"Let's go, Muscles," she said, leading Thor to the door.

"Do we abandon your friend?" he asked, gesturing toward the bedroom doors.

"Oh, right!" Jane marched over to Erik's door and rapped on it loudly. "Erik! We're going to breakfast! Are you coming?"

"Yes, yes," he said, opening the door fully dressed. "I was just taking notes," he explained, gesturing toward an optical spectrometer on his nightstand. Leaves of lined paper littered his bedspread.

"I wondered where that was," Darcy muttered under her breath. Thor shot her an amused glance.

They all piled in the van, Jane taking the wheel this time.

At the diner, Darcy was prepared for Thor's shenanigans. This time, when he threw his coffee mug to the ground and loudly demanded "Another!" she was recording it on her phone, snickering at his pleased expression, Jane's shriek, and Erik's horrified embarrassment.

During the commotion of cleaning up the shattered mug, Thor leaned over with a confused expression and asked, "You knew I would make a cultural blunder?"

Darcy was wheezing with laughter and gasped out, "Yes, but it's such a funny one!" She patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, big guy. This is internet gold right here!" She waved her phone at him and wiped a tear from her eye.

Thor grinned at her saying, "It lightens my heart to see you smile, my lady," and then he turned back to his mountain of pancakes with a single-minded focus.

A/N:

Thank you so much those of you who have reviewed!