Sensible but Problematic.







If sense was common, everyone would have it. That's about the only thing I learned from my father. So now, I have to show that I have sense, common and otherwise. And I'm not really happy about it but...well....

Darcy raised her hand. "So, you're talking about a forced biological response, right?" The agent doing the introduction lectures nodded. "Okay, then what happens when someone can't have that response?"

"What, Dr. Lewis?"

"Well, let's start with the fuck or die spore situation you just introduced so I could fill out consent forms." He nodded slowly. "What are people who can't get off supposed to do, die?"

"Um, why wouldn't a person...."

She flapped a hand, shaking her head. "Let's think about paraplegics or quadriplegics. Or anyone with any sort of nerve damage really. So anyone who's nerfed their back one too many times. It's the first nerve sensation to go because it's not critical for survival." He frowned, still looking confused. "If they don't have the nerve conductivity to get off, then how do they survive it? Or preteens that're hit, or people who have erectile dysfunction?"

"The last it seems to overcome, it has in a few cases we know about. The others.... I don't think anyone's noted it."

"Uh-huh. So SHIELD just expects them to die because they're not the model of health and well being? Even if they're super important to the future of humanity? If Stark was quad-paralyzed would you just let him die?"

"I don't think so. I don't think that's something that's been looked into," the agent admitted.

"Or people who're asexual and not sex positive? There's people who don't have a preference for any body and can't stand to be touched. What do they do?"

"I think it may force that."

"Which would be rape," she said dryly. "Super traumatizing if you're hating being touched sexually. How many times has that been used as a corrective measure instead of a method of stress relief by SHIELD?"

"I have no idea on that topic at all, Dr. Lewis, but I'll gladly send up a question to the administrative level to see."

She nodded. "Please. Because that smacks of genocidal fuckery and eugenics." He flinched. "I understand why you guys use stuff like that as super stress relief at times, but how often does that really hit in the field?"

"At least three times this last year by gossip chains." He frowned. "I thought you were an astrophysicist."

"I am, and my bachelors was in poli sci." She smirked a bit. "I'm still a humanities person underneath the hood, dude."

"Okay. I'll ask that question to the admin levels so they can find out if we've ever worked on an antidote for those who might not be able to fix it somehow with another person's help."

"There's plenty of agents who I'm guessing have trauma in their backgrounds," she said more quietly. "Men and women."

"True, I hadn't thought of them. Any other questions so far?"

"I'm sure I'll have some more common sense questions," she quipped with a grin.

"That's fine. Some questions are reasonably necessary. It's a topic I hadn't thought of yet."

"Second point. You went over the standard fire drill ideas. What are those agents who can't do stairs supposed to do?"

He blinked a few times. "Um... We don't have too many that are in wheelchairs but I know of a few. And some on crutches for injuries. I guess there's a few elevators set just for that?"

"I mean, a mad rush anyway since the building's over five stories and going down all those stairs is impossible for some people anyway. I can't do over ten stories even if I have to in an emergency. The lab floor is on the thirty-sixth I'm told."

"I'm going to send that one up as well." He typed in that email to the same person. "There's no answer yet but she's out of the office today looking over an operation in another hub." He went back to his speeches. He made it to the sexual harassment part of the lecture before she raised her hand again. "Yes?"

"When was the last time those rules were actually followed and something reported was handled?"

He considered it then looked it up. "2008. So we must have...." She snorted, shaking her head. "You don't think so?"

"I think I bruised my hand on a douche canoe on the way in today," she said dryly. "Was that one in a higher up position and then retired?"

"Um, she did."

"That's retaliation, which the codes specifically prevent. So what's my allowed damage to make them stop it? Are we talking tazing, belittling them, psychic trauma to make them stop it forever?"

"Psychic trauma?" he asked quietly.

"I totally had to run two people off Culver's debate team because they hated that women not only had breasts that stuck out more than their man tits but that in one case they were used for their original function of feeding the young. She still had some post maternity mood swings and I saved her the crying and beating him to death fit." She scrunched her face up. "The last I heard he had changed his college and major to a supposed telepreacher college and was going to do that instead of politics."

"I'd like to think that most agents would handle it quietly if they found out one of their underlings was doing that sort of thing, Dr. Lewis. If not, then please do handle it for your underlings and then note it in a personnel file for us. SHIELD doesn't need that sort of agent. They often don't listen very well in the field. Especially not to senior management as the upper handlers are mostly female at this point."

She grinned. "I can do that," she said with a finger gun.

"Good." He sent up that email as well and got back to it. She made some notes on her handouts but had to stop him again a few minutes later. "Yes?"

"That's against federal lab protocol."

"It's what?"

"Federal lab protocols, dude. They have rules set down for federal level labs. Do we not follow those for safety reasons?"

"I wasn't aware those were used by chemistry and physics labs."

"Yeah, mostly for safety things." She pulled out her phone to pull up those. She had to go over those with her staff later anyway. New lab, time to go over old rules. "Here, what the labs are supposed to follow for safety reasons."

He read it over, frowning. "That does contradict seven different SHIELD rules." He sent that page to his own phone and opened it to scan it better then sent it up. "All right, I'm going to assume that your rules are going to be this strict?"

"Probably. Though I will want a medicine lock box and a sharps container put in please. One of mine is diabetic."

"They have those in the bathrooms. I think." He went to look then came back frowning. "We don't or in the break rooms." He sent that as an addendum to his first email on that topic. "All right. Any other necessary reconfigurations?"

"Yeah. The walkways? You have to be able to get out of the lab when someone makes a lab up the hall explode." She grimaced. "It happens a lot. We used to run monthly drills because we got to use them at least every other week. More often during finals and spring break."

He blinked a few times. "I'm sure we have safety protocols for evacuations. I'll ask that administrator that." He did send that one to that person and the one he was sending to. "When you interned at Stark did he?"

"Oh, yeah. We had monthly drills there too." She grinned. "Though Jane, Dr. Foster, was one of the causes of some explosions. Usually with ectoplasm thanks to a portal going wonky." He shuddered. "It's fun slogging through ankle deep florescent purple slime. Even Barton didn't like that shade of purple with how it stunk for *weeks*."

He added that to the safety protocol question. He grinned at her. "It's good you're paying attention. Most people all but sleep through this then have to break rules."

"I only break stupid rules and rules of the universe." She grinned at him. "It's pretty fun to break those."

"I bet it is." He went back to it. She had more intense questions about safety protocols. Including leaving the problem people tied up in closets during them. That he hoped was a joke but she was looking serious. She was very intense. He was scared of this slight brunette woman who was too smart to be normal. He finally got done and smiled. "It's time to go down to do the physicals."

"Hmm. Some of it. They don't need to know certain things and I'm not turning over my medical records to SHIELD. I like my current docs and they don't need to know anything that isn't pertinent to emergency care giving." He winced. "Sorry but yay." She shrugged and grinned. "I put that on the forms."

"You can argue about that with medical. We've all tried."

"Yes but I'll sue a bitch," she said dryly, smirking at him again. "I'm not the pushover some baby agents are." He shivered visibly this time. "But sure, let's go see the torturers." She gathered up her things, putting them into her messenger bag. She followed him down there.

"Is this Lewis?" the nurse demanded.

"*Dr.* Darcy Lewis," she said, holding out a hand. The nurse glared at her. She stared back. "I use your title, dear."

"I..." She adjusted the file. "I see you're missing shots? We can do that first."

"Oh no you can't." The nurse stared at her oddly. "I don't consent to that. I've had some funny reactions to shots and I have a GP I adore who can handle that for me. He's the *only* one who gives me shots that aren't for emergency situations." She dug out something. "Here, the amended and condensed file from his office on my allergies and any chronic medical problems that may crop up in an emergency, like the fact I have mild asthma." She held it out.

"We require...."

"No, you want. That's not required as you're not doing my primary care."

"The insurance won't...."

"Yeah, I pay my own anyway. The same as I do my vision coverage." She adjusted her glasses then grinned. "I get prettier frames that way."

"I see. I...." She looked at the forms and it was written on there. "I see a medical emergency contact of....Dr. Jane Foster?"

"Yes, I was Jane's intern for years. Back when I was a simple poli sci nerd with a pre-law minor."

The nurse stared at her. "We don't treat Dr. Foster and most of us won't talk to her."

"I don't know why. Jane's a darling woman who is really smart." She grinned. "I adore Jane like a sister."

The nurse nodded. "Okay, we can make note of that." She went to get the doctor. "I have Dr. Darcy Lewis here. Astrophysics." The guy rolled his eyes.

"I worked my ass off for that title and I'm not going to be treated like a little woman without a brain," she said dryly, leaning on the counter. She smiled at the other agent. "I'll catch up to you in the break room when I'm done?"

"Come back up to the meeting room, Dr. Lewis." He shook her hand and left her there.

"Many doctors think that only they should use the term," the nurse said.

"That's sweet of them considering colleges and universities were started by philosophers. Doctors were trained by direct apprenticeship for ages before they started to be trained in colleges. We had it first and there's a real bad trend of women being ignored for having brains. Plenty of us didn't go to college to find a man. I'm assuming you went to get your degree and if you did find one, great?"

"Well, actually, yes. Though my mother expected it sooner." She smiled at the doctor. She pointed at the forms. "She privately pays her insurance."

"SHIELD doesn't allow that."

"SHIELD can suck my ass," Darcy said when he came out of his office. "I like my GP and I'm staying with him. Those are my medical wishes. I'm not an agent, and I will sue everyone for mistreating me." The doctor stepped back. "That's the condensed file that my GP said you'd need about any health problems that should or might crop up. Including the funky reactions to some vaccinations." She shrugged. "Do we have to do a small intake physical to make sure I have all my toes and fingers?"

"I'm supposed to do a full physical, including of your..." he coughed. "Personal matters."

"Um, no. I have one of those too. Thanks though." She smiled. "This isn't Russia."

"It's SHIELD rules."

"For minions maybe. I'm not a minion and I'm not an agent. I'm an astrophysicist with a background in the humanities."

"Oh, I see. Um, have you worked in a lab before?"

"Yes, I was Dr. Foster's assistant for years."

He stepped back. "I've seen her around." He smiled slightly but looked scared.

Darcy grinned back. "Did you need more than to check to make sure I don't need anything presently fixed?"

"We need to do blood work."

"It's in there. I had the full workup done two weeks ago for that. From cholesterol on down." He looked at the file for the first time, humming at it. She smiled at the nurse. "I do have to note one of my labbies is diabetic. She's on the pen system and does usually have a good handle on it, though she's running a bit high. Her endro person is doing medicine trials with her." The nurse nodded, taking that down. She looked at the doctor. He was slumping. "What else did you need to do today?"

"We still have to do the pelvic."

"Denied. You have no reason to get up in my business that way. I'm not using my pussy for work."

He flinched and winced. "It's mandatory."

"They can suck my ass too." He slumped again. "I have a GYN who follows up on any needs I might have that way, including my chosen birth control." She stared at him. "Any other tests that need done?"

"TB?"

"Look at the vaccines again," she said patiently. He did and winced. "Chest x-rays were done six months ago, I get them routinely done every five years. There may be a copy of the report in there, if not, we can do another one today if you request."

"We probably should. Some agents have been exposed in the past."

"Do you put Jane through this?" she asked.

"Why would we? She's.... oh. She's a lab person the same as you are." Darcy grinned and nodded. "We should still do the x-rays and I'll need to make sure you don't have any compromised movements."

"I can't run for shit. That's been true since I was eight though. I don't usually have to run from science though. Well, if Jane's portals haven't belched funny again."

"Okay," he decided. "It's a known weakness?"

"Yes. I have a recent fracture of my left wrist but it was uncasted about a month ago." She pointed. "Should be in there."

He reread it, nodding slowly. "Okay, then let me do the foot and ankle check to make sure why you can't run...."

"I don't step easily and I trip a lot."

"Oh." He led her to look at her feet and ankles then let her half undress for the chest x-rays. "We can do mamograms here."

"I'm too young. I'm out of the statistical range for early onset cancers and I'm five years too young to worry about the regular age ones starting. I had a baseline done three years ago when I had some muscle shifting but they agreed I didn't have to worry yet."

"All right." He got the nurse to take the x-rays then let her get redressed. "They do request that science team members do know how to use weapons? And take up minimum physical exercise in case something happens?"

"I can use a few weapons. Including my tazer baby." She grinned. "I'm actually pretty known for it." The nurse choked. "Yeah, I'm her." She smiled then at the doctor again. "Physical activity, I do get some in. I'm not going to take up jogging and weight lifting. I don't expect I'll need to be in better shape than I currently am now. I'm not going in the field."

"Someone like HYDRA could still want you."

Darcy patted him on the arm with a grin. "They've tried and lost. They don't want me anymore. But thanks for the worry." She walked off, going back to the meeting area. "Hey."

"Senior Agent Hill did say that you had to comply with rules...." he started.

"I'm not an agent candidate. I'm here to solve some lab problems. I'm not going to conform to agent rules. If they hate that so much I can go do my own thing in my own lab again." She shrugged but smiled. "I'll leave that up to her but I'm not going to sell myself that way. I was honest when I signed up for the six months here. All that was negotiated in advance. You can tell her I said hi too."

"I... Let me call her." He went to do that. He winced as agent snuck up the hall with a tranq rifle. Then there was the sound of an emergency alarm and that agent was downed. Darcy sighed as she turned off her personal alarm and then kicked the agent, zapping him again. "Um...what did you do to him?"

"Less than the assaulter deserves." She stared at him then at the team showing up. "I'm hoping SHIELD doesn't treat everyone they ask for help this way. If so, I'll leave now." She gathered her bag and left. "Have a great day, Agent Brooks, and tell Medical to please shred that record as I won't be back. I don't work for jackbooted thugs who try to have me sedated and assaulted." She left, handing in her pass on the way out. The security team was looking scared but she just smiled and shrugged.

"I needed more coffee anyway." She went to her car, then decided to Uber from the nearby coffeeshop instead as her alarm had been cut. She did call that in and the police were not amused to show up at a federal agency to answer that attempted car theft. SHIELD's team came out to complain but they agreed that the alarm on her car had been tampered with, that was attempted theft, and that was not something SHIELD handled. So it was up to the locals to deal with it. And probably arrest one of the complaining agents.

Agent Hill walked into the coffee shop. "I had your Uber scheduled for twenty from now so we can talk, Dr. Lewis."

"Hey, Maria." She smiled. "Was that your thug that tried to jack my car?"

"There's rules...."

"That are made for agents. I'm not an agent. I told you that up front when you sent my ex to recruit me to handle that little problem that the wannabe created with the stuff he stole off Jane." She shrugged. "I told you all that up front. I'm not bending on any of that. And then you sent someone to sedate me and assault me. Do you realize what would've happened when I sued?"

"Not much?"

"I have the paperwork."

"We have...."

Darcy held up a hand. "Hill, I'm all but through law school too." Hill winced. "The contract I signed, which I have multiple copies of stashed around, stated explicitly that I am not going to be an agent. I'm not going to do agent duties. I'm not to be treated as an agent. I do not consent to any medical procedures without prior notification and my personal authorization unless it's an emergency. This is the US and I do have rights. Including bodily autonomy rights. For that matter, you've violated a lot of rights. Even the military doesn't have the right to the liberties you take. I spelled that out concisely."

"I saw that but protocol...."

"Fuck your protocol. I don't fall within that and I made that clear. I'm not joining SHIELD as more than handling this problem. I'm not staying. I don't want to stay. You stole Jane's work and it got used against you and us. You stole some of my earlier work and it got used against me. Hell no." She finished her coffee and stood up. "I'm not playing that game, Maria. You asked me to help and I did with limits on my trust. Because you've proven before I can't trust you." She tipped her head. "And get your thug away from here before they harm an innocent bystander."

"The present director is thinking of declaring you a national asset."

"And I'll quickly be on one of the other eight realms." She smiled slightly. "I did create that doorbell for Jane."

Hill winced. "We still need you."

"Then send stuff to my actual lab. It's not that far away and it'll cut back down on the commute Sally has to pull on the bus." She gathered up her bag and walked out. The agent tried to grab her and went down to her tazer. "No. Thank you anyway." She nodded at the cop, who was scowling. "They think I want to really work for them when I said no. I said I'd help with one little event and that was it, and they've decided to treat me like I'm their future slave. And I'm not." She walked around him. "Is my car okay to be towed to my garage?"

"We've already called them, miss. Do we have your name and number for the report?" Darcy smiled and pulled a card out of her pocket to hand over. "Oh, I see. You're a science geek."

She grinned. "Originally I wanted to work with charities." She shrugged but went to get into her uber. She stared at her ex, who was grimacing. "I'm going back to my lab. Thanks, dear." She blew a kiss.

He drove off. "You upset a lot of people."

"Sucks but I said that up front. I didn't lie, I didn't prevaricate. I was blunt, I put it into the contract to help, they ignored it. Their own fault."

"Director May is going to have a cow, Darcy."

"Yay. I came in to help, I followed the rules I set down in the contract. You guys broke them. You can send me things at my personal lab and I'll work on them there."

"It's not really safe. It's not secure enough. That's why they wanted you to come in."

"No, apparently they wanted to confiscate me. And the answer's still no. And if they try I have various anti-kidnapping information kits around the world. And the galaxy." He winced. "So if that's your plan by going the wrong direction to my lab, sorry. I'd hate to taze you but oh well."

He slumped, puling over to park so he could turn to stare at her. "They want you to be an asset."

"Yeah I hear they try that with Barnes too." He winced again. "No. I don't want to work for SHIELD. They broke my trust within days of meeting them. They took some of my work and had it used against me. I nearly had an Avengers level event thanks to them stealing some of my work and I had to solve it on my own because you guys sure didn't solve the mess you created. If Director May wants to argue about that, there's still that lawsuit. She got a continuance but I can add this to that." He nodded once.

"You can tell whoever's listening that. I noticed you didn't turn off the car so I'm guessing the wire or camera is hooked to the battery." He nodded. "Well, sorry. But no." She looked around then got out, heading for the bus stop up a block. He tried to chase after her but she stared at him until he backed off. He knew she wasn't going to change her mind. "This is why we couldn't work. I believe in people and you believe in an organization that thinks people are weak." She walked off again. "I'll be in the lab tomorrow at nine so they can send me whatever. Have a great life."

"Yeah, you too," he sighed, going back to the car. He called that in. "We screwed up. Lewis is out. She said if want her help we can send it to her personal lab, she'll be there at nine. She also said she's adding this to the lawsuit." He hung up and watched her get on the bus, driving after it to make sure no one snatched her. He wouldn't put it past SHIELD. She had to change busses but she handled that well enough. She was a smart cookie. He hated giving her up but she couldn't stand some of his work.

***

Darcy looked up as Director May walked in the next day, nodding at her before going back to her reports. "I've told everyone they didn't have to move. Except Sally but I got her on the bus this morning. So they shouldn't bother you any."

"We still need your help."

Darcy looked at her. "Here I am, still wiling to talk to you guys for *some* reason. I set down my rules, you broke them like SHIELD likes to do." She shrugged. "I'll help but I'm doing it from here."

"Darcy. Dr. Lewis, we really do need you."

"And you broke the rules, Melinda. Sorry but no. I didn't trust you before because yours and others' past actions. You proved I couldn't. That's why I made the contract so specific. And yesterday you proved it again." She shifted to look at her better. "Sorry but I'll accept the offer to help with that as you've truly screwed the pooch this time and it's in my area but I'm doing it from here. I'm not going to acknowledge that I worked for SHIELD for anything. Ever. I may write this up but I'll point out I consulted since you misused my work."

Melinda May nodded. "I can see that. I don't want it written up though. Someone like AIM could take it."

"Someone like AIM probably got it out of the same journal your people did. I'm here, send it to me here. You're only wasting time."

"You had good questions yesterday."

She grinned. "I have common sense, unlike many."

"True. Especially there." She handed over a file. "The few notes we had from their things." Darcy nodded, digging into it. "Let me know personally when you've got an idea."

"Well, first, I'd try to get the ISS to pick them up." She stared at her. "They're not off their path by that much. You could hitch a directional jet to the bubble to nudge them toward it for easier picking up." Melinda nodded, going to call that idea in. That bubble of space was annoyingly fragile.

Darcy got back to work, sipping her coffee as she read. "So that's what they were trying to do." She worked out the idea backwards, finding their fault, and why it happened. And then she had an idea of how to get them without killing the people inside the bubble floating in raw space. They could use someone in a suit to go herd that bubble into a confined area somehow. Shuttle, Iron Man suit, or however. She sent that to Melinda and went back to the idea. It wasn't a *bad* one. Not great but not a horrible one for emergencies on a shuttle or ISS mission.

***

Darcy looked at the agent there to menace her, staring back. This one, she recognized and hated. For a few reasons. Including he was her ex that neither one of them acknowledged. Ever. "I've had ancient old men who thought they were teaching me things do that better." He glared. She kept staring. "Have you ever thought about the scar tattooing stuff?"

"The what?"

"They can tattoo skin toned ink into scars to make them less prominent."

"I hadn't."

"It started for abused wives."

"Huh." He nodded. "I'm going to look into that tonight. Director May sent me to dog you to make sure you're safe."

"She's still mad I don't fuck around with SHIELD's shit since they tried to conscript me." She shrugged. "Does this mean you're going to the conference with me in a few days?"

"Maybe. Not sure yet. Where is it?" She found the announcement on her phone to show him. "Great. A high profile, target rich environment." He handed the phone back. "I'm sure HYDRA and AIM will like to attend that too."

She grinned. "Dude, HYDRA hates me. Absolutely *loathes* me." She smiled. "They didn't like it the last time they took me and Jane. They *vowed* never to come near me again. And AIM would rather eat their own balls and fuck their cut off dicks than come here. AIM sent a fake intern and he came home so scared of Jane that she's on their no-go list and I'm right underneath her because someone tried to prove that woose wrong and I stepped in."

He grinned. "How did you do that?"

"Did you see something about Cypress?"

He heaved. "That was you?"

She beamed. "That was my doctoral project. I used the film of it to prove it worked since my defense was a few weeks later." She walked off grinning. "If you're staying, be useful and make sure Sally actually gets here please. Her buses have been having bullying problems. She's shown up in tears for the last few days."

"I guess I can do that." He sent someone a text message, getting back a sick face emoji and confirmation of that. No one was going to try for her or Jane Foster after that. He looked up at her. "You made Maria Hill heave."

"Yeah." She waved the hand that wasn't pouring coffee. "She had to take the report and saw the film. I had someone taping it just in case we needed help since SHIELD was once again behind the times. And about three weeks late." She turned, sipping her coffee, looking at her primary intern as she limped in. She was a shorter, not skinny African American young woman in her mid-twenties with her hair up in side puffs. "Let me guess, they tripped you?" She looked her over. Practical jeans, practical t-shirt. Open sweatjacket with a hood. So it was a good day for them maybe.

"No." She sat down with a huff. "Little idiots kicked me this time, supposedly by accident."

"Let me see," the agent said. Sally stared at him oddly. "I'm here to protect your lab people, miss. I'm Senior Agent Rumlow. Let me see it to make sure it's just bruised." She huffed but let him have her ankle. He gently removed the shoe to look. "It's not fully broken or dislocated. Probably sprained at least though. It needs to be wrapped. Can you do that?"

"I can. I don't have one on me." Darcy pointed at the first aid box so she got one and came back to wrap her own ankle. "The bus driver actually kicked them off this time."

"That's sweet, they did part of their job," Darcy snorted. "You okay otherwise? Did you get breakfast first?"

"I had a diabetic meal bar thing."

"I meant food, Sally."

"Yeah, I have lunch." She pointed at her bag.

"Okay. Let me know if you're ordering. I didn't bring lunch." She went back to her desk. "The other two are off today so it's a day of fun music."

"That'll be nice," Sally agreed, going to turn on the radio. "Are we testing the new thing this week?"

"Next week. I've only got one constructed and we haven't bought any mice."

"I hate buying mice."

Darcy grinned at her. "I wouldn't normally want to try it on mice but it's safer before we test it on a human." Sally nodded quickly and got down to working on that project. Darcy got into her creation, soldering the next connection point. "If you're going to stand around looking pretty enough, go threaten the people who'll try to come in and nag later please. They say they're with the landlord and aren't.

"They're mad that we're a geek lab and not making drugs they can steal." Sally laughed but nodded. "They tried the other lab and nearly got blown up because they *are* a chemistry lab and they interrupted an experiment." She shook her head, getting back to her work. "Sally, call the pharmacy. They left a message on the machine."

"Aw, damn it. I forgot to go last night." She settled in to call them while she went over the schematics. "Are you sure this shouldn't be screwed together?"

Darcy spun to grin at her. "I learned from the Jane Foster school of creation: it will be duct taped until the final version." She spun back around. Sally snickered. "Seriously. We went through nine rolls of duct tape every two months."

Rumlow nodded. "They did. The ordering department used to wonder why until they saw one of her machines being pulled up the hallway one day. Multiple colors of duct tape."

Sally giggled, shaking her head. "Great. I'm not sure if that'll work this time."

"Superglue," Darcy sang.

"Sure," Rumlow agreed. "What's this supposed to do?"

Darcy smirked at him. "Uh-ah! No telling, Mr. Agent Man!" She smirked. "Because SHIELD has stolen stuff from us before and used it on us. So nope. Sorry!"

"Fine. Should I warn the local officers that it'll explode?"

"Damn I hope not. Shouldn't. I don't expect more than a static discharge maybe." She got back to work.

Sally nodded. "Static is very possible. Especially if we test it on Lord Thor." Darcy snorted. "He volunteered."

"He wants me to send him cookies."

"Fine. He's very cute."

Darcy looked over her shoulder at her. "Yeah but he snores. He walks around in his warrior panties scratching his balls too."

"Yeah, I'm not looking for a relationship, just to objectify his abs, Darcy."

"They are nice abs. And his arms too. But still, the three of us lived in a one-bedroom apartment when we were in London. The man hotness does not follow through with the actual living with him thing."

"Yeah, I'd still rather just lick chocolate sauce off his abs."

"Jane said he only wanted her underneath him. Nothing more than missionary."

"That blows. You'd figure Asgard would have more adventurous sex." She grimaced. "That must really blow for them."

"She did say he could eat her out like she was a Wendy's meal."

"At least he's got some skills then. Yeah, I can stick with objectifying his abs." She got back to work too, after a long look over Rumlow's tight t-shirt and tactical pants.

He grinned at her. "I'm not easy and the sale this week is only ten percent off, kid."

"Pity. You clearly work out a lot." He nodded. "Huh. Yeah, maybe I'll switch ab targets then." She got back to her drawings.

Darcy giggled but it was cute so Sally didn't mind it. Darcy really was too tense sometimes.

***

Brock went back to the SHIELD campus that night, staring at the director. "So how badly did you screw up with Lewis that you had to call me out of semi-retirement to come watch her build weird things for days on end?"

"I thought you two would work well together. You did for that four weeks."

"Yeah but things happened and it was bad. At least she didn't kill me on sight."

Melinda May stared at him oddly. "She wouldn't."

"Bullshit. She stabbed me twice at the end of that four weeks, May." The director looked confused so he pulled up his files to show her. She read it and winced, handing the tablet back. "So what's so important that I had to come back from retirement to save SHIELD's ass this time?"

"She's suing us and we've gotten chatter that people are looking at her work again. It'll look like we retaliated if she gets snatched."

"Uh-huh. The last time SHIELD stole some of her work, Helsinki happened and we all nearly died until she managed to turn off Foster's machine for her. Then she chewed us a new one for stealing from Foster and her."

"Foster's on Asgard. There's no one watching Lewis' back."

"I get that. Totally get that. Because every time we try to help we've stolen stuff and it gets used on them or others. Which she hates and sues us over. So? Why the call for me specifically to come out of retirement?"

"We think it may be HYDRA," she admitted. "They're scared to death of her breaking and going after them. No one can figure out why."

"Because she could probably do something to end them. And? HYDRA can be fought by nearly anyone. Much less the people she loathes."

"She doesn't loathe us."

"Bullshit. Don't flatter SHIELD's ego any more, May. Fury made sure she hated us with his plots. Which that four weeks was." She winced again but nodded. "Which got her tortured by the way."

"That was not in your files."

"It won't be for her protection. I'm real aware of the spying that goes on everywhere. Hill removed it from the mission files too." He stared at her. "Why me?"

"I thought she might trust you more to watch her back. This time she won't be able to do it on her own. Especially with her helping on that space bubble problem for us. She's warned every intern she's ever had not to go near SHIELD. And her professors and gave them the non-classified list of why. She actually wrote it out; it took three pages."

"She left a lot off then," he shot back, staring her down.

"She may trust you to help her when they come."

"No she won't."

"If I had known the real problems with that mission I wouldn't have sent you."

"She won't trust anyone in SHIELD. Even if Rogers himself showed up to help her in Thor's name would she trust any of us. We've fucked up too hard around her for her to trust. Lewis seems like a nice young woman until you get into her face. Everyone thought it was greatly amusing she was strong enough to get into Coulson's face over her iPod back in New Mexico but you realize she got it back?" Melinda frowned, looking that up in Coulson's private notes she had access to.

"Keep going. I'm sure he's seen where SHIELD stole hers and Foster's work. Tried to screw up her education, all that stuff. If she was less humanities oriented we'd be in deep shit since she could take over AIM, make it work better, use them to take over HYDRA, and then be the biggest threat to humanity ever. But she does think that humanity deserves hope and she's got anxiety issues so she'd only do it by accident. She did end up in charge of AIM for a few weeks from what I understand."

"Fuck," Melinda May muttered in another language. She read up on the one that was being guarded by one of the best of SHIELD. "We've underestimated her."

"Yes we did."

"They still want her."

"Probably to come back and fix their problems," he shot back. "AIM would never want her back after she rebuilt it in two weeks. Restructured everything, ended six programs they were anticipating as being 'fun' and rebuilt it to give it to Jane Foster as her personal minions." He stared at her, grinning slightly. "She may need guarded but it would've been better and more subtle to hire her a private army and tell her that we hired it so we didn't have to be near her."

"Apparently so." She stared at him. "Are you stating the mission is compromised or you are?"

"She won't trust me. Ever. She barely trusted me on that mission and Fury's shit made sure it ended. That's why I needed thirty-one stitches."

"From two stab wounds?"

"Yeah, she yanked on the knife to get it out to stab me the second time. Drugged me at dinner, stabbed me that night, started to leave then came back to get the knife and stab me again, and that's what woke me up. I tried to fight it off but she got me again then fled with her two bags and the dog she had adopted from up the street."

Melinda considered it. "Talk with her?"

"I'll try again. She sneered this morning. She also asked a pointed question about the upcoming conference."

"Yes, we're guarding her and her team there. And Foster if she comes back for it."

He nodded once. "I'll try. If I get stabbed again...you may ask Jimmy Woo in SWORD/FBI. He's not bad and they seemed to work okay on that Maximoff thing." He left her to think about it. She had bad intel and that was only partially her fault. He stopped at Hill's desk. "You forgot to tell her things?" He walked off again. He went to get a lot of wine, look up that scar tattooing idea, and maybe try to sleep without nightmares for a change. Wouldn't work but he'd try.

Maria Hill found her real file and brought it in there. "I thought you knew since you two had dated."

"For six weeks." She took the folder to look over. It laid out exactly why SHIELD had screwed up with Lewis and why it was a permanent problem. "At least she's helped with that bubble problem." She kept reading, shaking her head. "If Nick was still alive I'd fix that for him."

"Before he died he was joking about how he had a few regrets. Called himself a dumbass over how he screwed up with her, Foster, Barton, Banner, and Stark." Hill walked off.

Melinda May kept reading, her stomach sinking. Lewis wasn't going to ever let them protect her. Even if she needed it. She'd jump off a tower before letting SHIELD help her. Because they'd turn on her again if she did.

Great. Just...great.

***

Brock showed up the next morning, handing her a file. "Security detail for the convention?" She stared at him, not touching it. She had tried to play it cool yesterday in front of the minions but that was done with. "I had a talk with Director May about why she sent me. She had no idea about any of the history. Just saw that we worked well on that one four week long thing." Darcy's eyebrow raised and he realized that was a warning sign. "You need coffee, right?" He went to pour her some. She took a careful sip, staring at him. "I'm not going to poison you, Lewis."

"Bullshit. They had you feed me drugs then." She took another sip, still staring at him.

"Yeah, they were under Fury then. He was an idiot. May said he admitted it at the end when we talked at six this morning."

"Good for him. He got to die with a slightly lessened conscience load." She put the cup down. "We don't really need SHIELD to guard us."

"You do." He handed over the information he had found thanks to Hill sharing the baseline. "Two groups. One's HYDRA." That got a grimace. "The other's new." He let her see that one first.

She read them over, pushing the HYDRA one aside. "They're jealous."

"No, they're mad. They're very mad that you managed to defeat their plans." She smirked a tiny bit but kept reading. "So yeah, you do need guards. We could arrange for you to have privately paid ones that SHIELD paid and background checked."

She looked at him. "Bigger snakes from a smaller pond?"

"Could be," he agreed. "Or you could trust me this time."

"Hell no."

He licked his lips. "Not *trust* me but let me guard you and your people."

"All four of us are going to the convention."

"I realize that. I'll have a full STRIKE team with us. All young guys who think science is weird and will run from it. Because I remember the last convention we had to go save people at," he finished sarcastically.

"She'll be there this weekend too probably." She pushed the information file back. "I can't work on things with you in the lab."

"You know I'm not going to steal, Lewis. That was never my sin."

"So?"

"For that matter, Melinda May called me personally out of retirement to come guard you."

"I probably scared some of the others."

"Well, yeah, you did. And having common sense with the questions I heard you had to clarify helped some of that. A lot of the young agents are still idealistic. They like them that way."

"I realize why."

"Good. I'm not. I haven't been since long before SHIELD. Hell, I knew about the HYDRA reveal long before anyone clued me in because of course they were." She hand waved at that. "But..." He tipped her face up to stare into her eyes. "This time, I'm being cynical to protect you and your people. Before you end up being used against your will or you have to destroy the world to save yourself. Hill's file on you states that you'd jump off a tower while staring at the SHIELD agent trying to get you to stop to stop all the bad guys' plans from both groups."

"Could be."

"So can you untense enough to let me guard your people for this convention while Hill takes down that group?"

"Hill won't do that. She'll recruit."

"Yeah, she wants to. They're down on agents since the HYDRA thing came out. No one wants to become SHIELD or even transfer over."

She shrugged. "Sucks. Peggy Carter's legacy is falling in."

"It is. Which does suck. She would've kicked a lot of asses over that. Repeatedly. That woman scared the living shit out of us even at sixty-something. You *knew* she could read your soul."

She tipped her head. "Just for this?"

"I hope so. I was on Corsica before I got recalled."

"You said you liked to visit there." She handed the files back but he waved it off. "My copy?"

"Yeah, and if you find more when you go searching let me know?"

"I don't usually hack anymore."

He stared at her. "Bullshit. Quit blowing smoke up my ass, Lewis. I can inhale the regular way."

She smirked. "I wasn't ever into shotgunning that way." He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Until the end of the convention. And that's it."

"Fine." He nodded, sending in that text message. "I looked up that scar tattooing thing and it does look helpful," he said quietly, staring at her again. "Thank you."

"Huge injuries like that change people."

He stared at her. "You..."

"No, I've been lucky so far." He slumped but nodded. "Sally, I can see your hair," she called.

"I'm consciously ignoring you two," she called back. "While helping Jamie fix his bike lock."

"Fine." She looked at him. "My two mini interns are both Indian heritage of some kind or another. Different states but I didn't ask too much about their people back there."

"Okay." He shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. Though one's feeding intel back to the Indian Intelligence people." They came in and he stared at him.

"We knew that," Sally assured him with a grin. "They have his whole family hostage. He loves his niece too much to let them do anything." She settled at her desk. "So you're going to guard us at the convention?"

"Yeah, me and a STRIKE team."

She blinked a few times. "Is that really a good idea?"

Darcy handed over the files. "They think we're hot in multiple ways." She smirked at Jamie. Who was rolling his eyes. "Including you and your wife, the engineer."

"I've gotten a few offers to work for illicit peoples. I ignored it. My wife vowed to go destroy them if they tried."

"Have her talk to me. I can help with that," Darcy said with a grin. "Hell, I took out half of Asgard's ruling problems for Thor once." Brock shuddered. "You didn't hear about that."

"Thor praised you helping during something. We heard enough for those of us who know how you break bad to have ideas. No thanks for the nightmares, Lewis." He stared at her. "Is your name Hela?"

"No." She grinned. "But she was kinda sweet when we met in a pub one night. We got to talking about what shitheads men were and about how dark the future looked pretty often. She agreed a dark haired vixen could take over Asgard that wasn't her as long as I gave her the throne. Then Loki threw her off a bridge while we kissed."

He blinked a few times. "I..." He sighed then nodded. "Sure. I can imagine that." He went back to his seat in the corner nodding. He shared that with Hill, who sent back a shudder, actually typed out the word instead of some emoji this time. So she was horrified. Hill sent another question. "Hill wanted to know if Loki was still around."

"Yeah, he is. He's amused but hiding from Thor and Jane's morning sickness right now."

His head lifted. "She's pregnant?"

"Yeah. Thor needed an heir." She smirked. "And yes, she is coming to the convention."

"Shit." He typed that out. "We'll add extra agents just in case. Thor's probably somewhat retired as a warrior."

"Not really. She got pregnant because Thor had been gone for six months putting down some sort of battles with light elves. Something about a baby daddy because apparently they don't have paternity tests or family courts."

He sighed, adding that. "Is she coming with warriors?"

"Probably at least one. She usually does with her assistant."

"Great!" He nodded quickly, adding that as well. Hill was amused. She sent she was amused when she sent him a list of names. He turned down most of them and made his own to send back. He looked at her. "Are we going to see more sneering idiots who think you stole from Jane's work again?"

"Yup, probably. They tend to be there and not dying yet. Unfortunately. Even though I did most of the work for it in front of them during class hours." She shrugged. "It happens in science. Especially to women." Sally nodded at that. Jamie sighed but nodded. "And engineering apparently."

"Yes, my wife got that from a professor she had never even met." He shook his head.

Darcy grinned. "I sued my last one for defamation." Jamie shivered but sent his wife an email from his laptop about that. "Including calling back Jane. She took an extra day and the judge was not amused when she appeared in the middle of the courtroom while he was arguing with me about her showing up. Her apology about losing track of earth time got her grunted at then the other guy asked her about some of my recent work. Which Jane got pouty about never having gotten to see. He went down in very hot flames to the tune of six mil." She grinned. "And it's listed on any grant giving group's page."

"Way to cripple him, sister," Sally said, bumping knuckles with her. Darcy winked at her, getting back to work. "Which one are we presenting, boss?"

"The older stuff. This new one I'll hint at since it's not nearly done yet." She smirked at her. "It drives them absolutely batshit crazy." She grinned at Jamie. "Tell your psychic otherself to get his ass in here. We already knew about him."

"I did. He's pouty and his girlfriend has the flu."

"The nine month flu?" Sally guessed.

"I hope not. He hates sex." He sent another message, getting one back. "He said to please excuse him for two hours and he'll be here by lunch, bosslady."

"That's fine. Thanks, Jamie." She got back to work. "Sally, pull out the X-task kits?"

"Ooooh," Sally said with a moan and a shiver. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we'll bring 'em to the convention just in case. We can hint they're in existence instead of this plate thing that's being bitchy."

"Yes, bosslady." She pulled those two kits out of the closet to go over with Jamie for broken things. She noticed the agent guy didn't come to see. "Not curious?"

"No. I've seen Darcy retaliate in the past, before she got the PhD. I don't need to look to know it's probably evil leaning at least and I'm not telling SHIELD a blessed thing about her work. Unlike many I don't steal."

Sally smirked. "You might be worthy of being objectified for being pretty then." He smirked back. "Is the sale better than ten percent off today?"

"Nope. Not until after the convention at least. Sorry, kid."

"Please! I'm only old enough to be your sister."

"I've over fifty, kid. My sister's in her forties." Sally pouted. He grinned. "You're still too young and I'd feel like a cradle robber."

"You may be," Darcy quipped. "Sally's twenty-two though. Jamie, if you hit on him, is twenty-one, and Bill is nineteen."

"Way too young to flirt with," Brock agreed.

"Pity," Jamie said, looking him over. "You do some Asgadians to shame."

"I work out a lot."

"Hmm, and probably get all sweaty," Sally teased.

He stared at her. "You can come to the boxing gym with me. I'll introduce you to some hot guys your own age."

"Nah. Too much work to put up with young chowder-headed idiots." She shrugged. "Fantasies are always cleaner, nicer, and better in bed." She and Darcy bumped fists again without Darcy having to look.

Brock actually blushed a tiny bit. "Yeah, fantasy lovers are always better in bed." He looked at Darcy, who gave him a pointed look but got back to work. He couldn't interpret that look but maybe she was being flirty? Or maybe she had given up on real men because they were worthless? Either could be true with Darcy.

The other guy came in finally and got to work quickly. Darcy just patted him on the arm and handed him paperwork to do for her. It seemed that was a lot of his job. He was like Intern Darcy only as a Hindu guy from lower India.

***

Brock looked at Sally the next morning. She was typing up something cutesy. Darcy wasn't in yet for some reason. "Personals site?" he guessed.

"For one of the journals for Darcy." She stared at him for a minute. Then she went back to typing and adjusting the few words. "Here we go. Astrophysicist with humanities leanings looking for new people in her life. FRIENDS ONLY. Or maybe unpaid interns because all intern spots are full until next year. That should work right?"

"I have no idea. Is that how you get interns?"

"No, she puts out formal notice for that but unpaid can last a summer or so. Gives the little ones coming up behind us experience and credibility when we go to apply for paid internships."

"Huh. She okay?"

"Yeah, she texted me at seven that her car was broken down so she was bussing in today." She shrugged again but didn't look at him.

"If she had told me I could've swung by to pick her up."

"Dude, no one knows were Darcy lives," she told him, staring at him finally. "None of us. None of your kind. No one. Even if she brings a date home she rents a hotel room. A nice one usually because she said she's tired of slumming it, but she never lets anyone in her space."

"We were on a mission together in the past," he told her. "I had to live with the woman for four weeks, Sally."

"Wow, you survived it nearly as long as Thor did." She gave him a dirty look. "If you're trying to get back into her bed, go for it. She could use some *fun*. But don't expect more than that. She'll scratch an itch and that's all it'll be." She looked up. "She's the one that taught me that fantasies are always better at things. Though I realized it personally I didn't have the phrase for it." Brock slumped, staring at her. "So yeah, no hopes getting up."

"She hasn't had a serious relationship since London?"

"No clue. We don't talk about that. I got her mightily drunk one night to learn that much. Then she apologized and never mentioned it again. Though it's a good idea. A lot safer. I wish I had done that with my last boyfriend. Idiot stole my game consol and things. Including my panties." She got back to work. She sent that wording to Darcy, who sent back a 'don't you dare'. It made her grin. "Some day she'll share her secrets of how to be truly evil yet still nice and sweet."

"She just has to slip there sometimes to protect those she cares for. That's why she stabbed me twice." Brock sat down, considering it. Darcy did make it in a bit later. He looked at her. "You okay? Same bullies Sally deals with?"

"No. One tried to leer and I told him eyes right or I'd remove them for him. He figured I wasn't joking when I growled." She took off her scarf and hat, sitting down. "Sally, it's mean to get me penpals."

"Probably. But you could use one. Maybe at the convention?"

Darcy gave her a dirty look. "I'm not getting drunk during it and picking up some science wannabe. Or goddess forbid, an agent." She shuddered but hung her jacket up and settled behind her desk to start her email. "They did rescue the guys from the bubble before it broke. Good!" She sent back a congratulations and her write up of the article she had been working on with that conclusion included, free written very quickly. Then she got into other work.

"It's a shame they rescued those idiots," Sally quipped. "Hammer could've stayed in that bubble for years."

"Don't tempt me. That was some of Jane's earlier work."

Sally grinned. "Think she'd like to hear about that at the convention?"

"Yeah. Probably." She sent her the email as well. Jane answered slowly but sent back a simple groan later that day. And an agreement she'd be at the convention. Darcy stared at that answer. "Jane's acting weird. I wonder if she's possessed or if it's the hormones."

"Could be the hormones," Sally said. "My sister had a radical personality shift."

"Hmm. Could be. I'll make sure when they show up." She sent an email to Thor's email address too, making sure it'd get to him. She got one back from Brunnhilde that they were out of the area and Jane had been complaining. She had sent Loki after Jane at least. "Fuck. Shape changers pretending to be Thor stole Jane. Loki's going after her."

She considered it then went to turn on Jane's bridge and ring the doorbell she had created. That brought Jane down, who panted and gripped her stomach. "Hey, Janey." She grinned. The woman tried to hit her so she punched her and broke the illusion. "That's interesting. Hey, Miranda." She grinned and wiggled her fingers. "Where's Jane?"

"She will not bear us a defective heir!" she shouted. Brock knocked her out from behind and handcuffed her, calling SHIELD to come gather her.

Darcy retuned the machine. "Get me the box of Jane please, Sally?" She got it and reset the machine based on the samples in it. That brought a tied up, gagged Jane who was struggling. "Hey, Jane. Look who was pretending to be you!" She pointed. She removed the gag.

"They have Thor and Loki." She panted. "I..."

"C'mon, let's go to the bathroom, Dr. Foster. My sister needed it all the time when she was pregnant. Let Lady Darcy turn back into herself." She walked her off.

"That's a fairly evil idea," Darcy called after them.

"I can help," Brock offered.

Darcy gave him a funny look then stepped onto the plate and sent herself up there once she had something from her safe. It grew in her hand as she traveled, coming out in front of Heimdall. "Going to rescue Thor." She grinned. He nodded once and sent her there. Thor was struggling to get free. "Bitches!" she called then waved with a grin. She opened up the box and threw it. "Have some fun with that." They laughed until the thing inside ate them.

"Darcy, do not!" Thor shouted.

"Shut up, Thor! I rescued your pregnant wife."

"Oh, thank Frigga," he vowed, looking up. "Get me free!" She came over to cut the bond and looked at the one sneaking in. "Loki, she rescued Jane."

"And got Miranda first," Darcy quipped with a grin. "She was complaining about defective heirs."

"The babe is tainted by space radiation," Loki said. He looked at the box then at her. "That...is very evil, Darcy."

"Why, yes, it was." She closed it, blowing on her burning hand. "Better?" She grinned at Thor. "There's a conference this week and I stole Jane for it." She grinned, disappearing back to the lab. That box went back into the safe. Jane was yelling at her lady's maid Miranda in a corner. Sally was guarding them. SHIELD hadn't gotten there yet. Darcy closed the safe. "Thor's free, Loki found him."

"Good!" Jane called back. "Fuck this shit. Darcy, come kick her for me! Thor's spawn is too big and I can't kick or punch right now."

"That blows." She kicked Miranda for her, making her scream in pain. "Howdy. How's your day going?" She grinned.

"You are nothing!" Miranda shouted.

"Bitch, I'm Thor's acknowledged sister and a princess of Asgard. You're in deep shit when I report to the new Council." She grinned. "And you're bothering my little niece in there."

"Nephew," Jane corrected. "He finally showed his tiny penis off during a scan."

"Awww! That sucks. I bought girl presents!" She looked at the agent stomping in. "This is Maid Miranda, Queen Jane's lady's maid, who had her kidnaped because she's bearing Thor an heir."

The agents sucked in a breath. "Our director said she would be pleased to take this prisoner until King Thor wanted her back. Thank you, Dr. Lewis." He hauled her up and out to the car, Brock following.

Jane looked confused and pointed at his back. Sally handed over that folder. Jane snorted, handing it back. Sally and Darcy both nodded. "Sure. Any news on that bubble?"

"They rescued them. I have the conclusion put onto the paper. I sent it and that's how I realized you weren't you." She pointed. "Go ahead." Jane sat behind her desk to read that paper, making corrections. Darcy looked at Sally, Bill, and Jamie, who all shrugged. "Jamie, help Jane for today please?"

"Of course, bosslady. She's a great mind of the generation. My wife would want to fangirl."

Jane smiled at him. "That's sweet." She sniffled. Darcy hugged her. "I hate hormones. This is an only child."

"Well it's good I didn't have to donate any eggs then," Darcy quipped with a grin for her.

Jane stared. "Did he actually ask that?"

"Yeah. If you couldn't get pregnant could I donate an egg for them to change and fertilize for you." She shrugged. "I told them you were like my sister but it'd be pretty apparent since I'm dark haired and you're both blondes."

"Some people have no sense," Jane muttered, getting into her email. "How do I video conference?"

"Ask Heimdall nicely?" Darcy guessed. Jane did that and Heimdall did connect the bridge a tiny bit to the target in there so Jane could call the new Council and Brunnilde. "I'm fine," she announced. "No thanks to Miranda and others who didn't want me to bear an heir for Thor." They started to babble and Brunnhilde got to take a few into custody when they complained she had gotten free.

Darcy stepped into view, smiling and waving. "I rescued her!" They all shut up to stare at her. She winked at the camera. "Have fun, Brunnhilde."

"You as well, Princess Darcy." She shuddered once Darcy was out of view. "See! Your stupid even brought the Lightening Sister back!" A few of the Council started to cry. "Jane?"

"I'm fine. Tired but fine."

"If she's not I'm having that nephew of mine tainted by the Aether," Darcy called from her seat. "That way he's truly strong enough to rule Asgard when his parents fall."

"Don't threaten that," Jane complained. "Tainting the baby with an infinity stone is evil, Darcy."

She grinned. "They already think I am."

"Only when your basic needs aren't being met." She sighed, looking at the Valkyrie again. "She must need coffee or a new sex partner."

Brunnhilde blushed. "She was exciting in bed but I'll be too busy today, Jane."

"Pity. She could probably use cuddles." Rumlow came back. Jane stared at him. "Not from some sources," she growled. "Rumlow."

"I got pulled out of retirement to guard her team at the upcoming convention due to that file, Foster. I have been nothing but decent and not caring about her science. I even argued about it." He held his hands up. "I'm not a thief like some SHIELD people are. I'm not here to endanger her. I'm here to protect her and you since you're down here." He put his hands down. "I sit in the corner and nod along at the music." He did that.

Jane looked at Darcy. "HYDRA's jealous and Dr. Darrien is an asshole," Darcy summarized.

"Okay, that's always been true. So nothing new?"

"They think they want something from me," Darcy said with a grin.

Jane shuddered. "Please don't tempt fate?"

"I'm not. I'm going to bring the X-task kit so we can be self rescuing princesses."

"I need a new tiara," Bill quipped. "Mine's too small."

Sally dug hers out to hand over. "Here you go, Bill. It's too big for my facial shape." He grinned and put it on. She took his to put on and it was better for her face shape anyway.

Jane smiled. "I miss working with you guys. And in any lab. Thor forbid it with the healers when I got radiation poisoning." She sighed, looking at the picture again. "Do you have it until they get back there?"

"Probably," she agreed. "You two were due to be out all weekend anyway." She hung up but you could hear her nagging people about making Darcy save Jane before the sound ended.

Jane looked at Darcy. "How's the dog?"

"Last year's news?" she guessed. Jane sniffled so she hugged her. "I haven't found a new one yet. We can go to the pound."

"You can have Fenrir."

"He's a bit big for my place, Jane."

"Probably true." They cuddled for a bit until Jane got the hormone swing under control again. Then Jane came over to look at the new ideas they had. She was a proud mama scientist over her baby chick Darcy. And Darcy's chicks. Brock stayed in his corner, not listening to any of it. He wasn't going to upset the great evil that Darcy turned into. He wasn't going to upset the pregnant woman. He was not a stupid man and either of those would get him destroyed.

***

Hill met Rumlow that night. "Okay, so what's wrong now?"

"First, Lewis has no security at her place beyond an ADT level system. And we have no idea where it is."

"Which is probably her choice," she agreed with a nod.

"She had to go evil earlier to save Queen Jane."

Hill winced once but nodded. "That figures."

"She's going to blow me up for Queen Jane's amusement."

"Could be," she agreed then sighed. "Is she compromised?"

"She's angry. All the time."

"Why?"

He gave her a dirty look. "You really have to ask?"

"No." She sighed. "The one trying to discredit her now will be at that conference."

"So will she, her team, and Jane. Possibly Thor if he makes it."

"Crap. That's going to be a huge mess. Foster's pregnant." He nodded with a grin. "Can we talk Lewis into taking in a special friend for a few days so I have time to work?"

"No. She doesn't let *anyone* near her place."

"Shit."

"Yeah. Which could be a problem. Even Jane's not staying with her tonight." Maria Hill looked confused. "She's at a hotel for the night. I put two guards I trust on her."

"Thank you for that. The other two problems?"

"They're dumb. Very dumb. Do we know why the Council on Asgard is scared of her?"

"No," she said slowly.

"I was hoping someone did. Jane just laughed. Darcy glared at me when I asked why they were so scared."

Hill looked down then at him, nodding. "SHIELD drove her to evil once upon a time. I'm guessing they did as well. Somehow."

"So how do we work on this?"

"Let her do whatever she wants to the ones pissing her off. And if you die from it, we'll send your mother your things and pension." She walked off. "Have fun at the conference, Rumlow."

"Gee, thanks. I'm not taking Tory."

"Yes you are. He needs experience."

"He's gun happy and a dumbass, Hill. He's not on my team. I pick my own team and I won't have that trigger happy idiot on it. I laid out my team. Get me them."

"Fine. Whatever. Three aren't around."

"I know that. You called me back, see if you can call them back. I put two extra on the list." He walked off to his car. This was not going to be a fun weekend.

Hill was muttering. Lewis fighting back was not a good sign of anything peaceful. Jane Foster helping was even worse.

***

Brock looked at his team early Friday morning. "Tory, get out of my meeting."

"But Hill said...."

"I said no." He pointed. "Before I kick your Tackleberry ass and take all your guns from you." The guy walked off pouting. He looked at the others. "Where's Jenkins?" They all shrugged. "We're down two people." He called someone personally. "You busy all weekend? I need two people for a guarding mission.

"Queen Jane of Asgard, Dr. Lewis, and her team at a conference. Complications of bitchy geeks and HYDRA." He listened. "Please do. We're gathering now. I'll brief you when you get here. See if you can pull your brother-in-law by his short and curlies? Oh, broken leg. Didn't hear that. Get one of my people. Thanks." He hung up with a sigh.

One of the soldiers raised his hand. "Science convention, Commander?" he asked with a grin.

"Yes. With people trying to tell Dr. Lewis she's stealing things. Again. Last time she sent half a convention center to another realm for thirty hours. We have HYDRA being mad at her and wanting to capture her to prove her wrong. And she's called them jealous. We have another, new, group that wants to capture her and her team to make her work for them. The last time someone tried that she destroyed a quarter of Cypress in a bright flash of non-nuclear light.

"And we have a pregnant Queen Jane Foster-Odinson along as well to yell at the idiots. Most science conventions also have a lot of alcohol." The whole group sighed. "Yeah. It won't be a fun weekend. Hill pulled me back from retirement in Corsica to handle this for them. Welcome to hell, people." He grinned at the lone female member.

"I have no idea how to handle pregnant people. I consider that a contagious condition and I avoid them like hell, Commander." He handed over a file. She read it, wincing. "That poor guy. Yeah, I can see if we can help him after this weekend." She looked up. "What's up with Lewis? Hill looked terrified."

"Lewis...well...." He considered how to put it. "The last time SHIELD worked around her, they stole some of her work. Sold it. It got used around her and she had to save a metro area because SHIELD didn't show up for two extra weeks." She opened her mouth. "She had to handle it all herself, made a damn big mess, and her yelling became almost legendary.

"That town has banned her from ever coming near there, had the local SHIELD office that was in the next town got forced closed, and they nearly shot us all for trying to finish cleaning up the mess." She looked confused. "It's fully classified. The agents who sold it got to clean up the mess by order of that mayor and governor and the president actually." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Darcy Lewis can be mad. In the not-angry meaning of that word. Asgard is *scared* of her having to show up again. She had to rescue Jane yesterday and waved from behind Jane's back during the video conference. They all quit talking and just nodded at her. I don't know why. Frankly, I'm scared to know why." He looked around the group. "So we will be *excellent* guards this weekend. If we run into Lewis in the field we will not *ever* steal from her or make her handle it herself.

"She knows SHIELD is full of dumbasses. We've proven it numerous times. A lot of them with theft of her or Foster's work. Which usually ends up in the wrong hands. I am ordering you all to be paranoid. To be ready to pounce anyone. We don't need the intergalactic diplomatic incident if Foster's hurt. We don't need Lewis to have to do more than sneer at people who think she's a woman so she must've stolen her work. Am I clear?" They nodded.

One of the agents raised his hand. "I was the one who did the intake lectures when she was supposed to sign on here for a six month stint of clearing our problems. She common sensed everything to ask questions that ruined the whole rule book, Commander."

He grinned and nodded. "Yes she does. She has common sense. Foster didn't have it so Lewis had to share hers when she was her intern." He smirked a tiny bit. "And food. Because Foster forgot to eat." He looked around. "There have been three DNA tests done on Lewis since SHIELD first ran into her. They thought she might be a Barton first. Not one but she and Barton did share some common tendencies.

"They tried a few times to see if she's actually a Stark. Tony Stark had a fit about that when he found out thanks to Lewis hacking SHIELD and destroying our new computer system. We'd had it for six weeks and had to rebuild everything. And we couldn't prove it." A few slumped because they remembered that. "Sometimes a random genius appears. She proves that. She slacked hard and tried to run under the radar, then the snap happened and well...." He waved a hand with a grin. "She's evil now when she needs to be. Stark would be proud to claim her."

"Is she just astrophysics?"

"Slightly leaning toward engineering because Foster used to make her own machines. And she's most of the way through a law degree as well."

"When we tried to bring her in, she negotiated a strong contract with restrictions. She kept to them, we didn't, and she fought back. They tried to sedate her to do the intake physical against her will. That agent had to retire from the zaps she gave him."

"Yeah, sounds like Lewis." Brock nodded. "She stabbed me twice." That got a mass nod. "We will be careful, polite like Coulson had been, and paranoid. All weekend long. You are never to let her team or Foster out of your sight. If you find them without one of the team, go with them yourself. Even if they complain. Unless you're the only one on a target then call in and handle it however you can. Understood?" They nodded. "Good. Get some rest, we leave tonight at five." They went to do that. He went to get lunch and get a short rest while waiting on his other people to show up. This was going to be such a bad weekend.

***

Jane walked in and people stared at her. "What? I've only been gone for two years and you've already forgotten me?" A few people backed away slowly because Darcy's crew came in with the guards around them. Jane looked back. "Ease off, people!"

"Hell no," one said. "Sorry, Queen Jane, but no. We don't want you hurt and have to face down Thor."

"Thor will roll over for belly scratches," she shot back.

"He won't want one from the agents that let you get hurt." He stared at her. "Let's get you all checked in? Dr. Lewis is coming with the bags." They did that and he handed Darcy the key card, getting a grin back.

Jane heard someone hissing about 'I still say she stole from Foster's work' and turned to slap the living fuck out of that idiot. "She proved it in a court of law, bitch." She put her hands on her hips to stare at her. "Darcy has never stolen a day in her life." The scientist pouted. "So keep your lying, whore mouth shut. Completely." She walked off. "Darcy, there's already idiots."

"Yeah, they happen a lot at the conferences in the US, Jane. That's why we kept working outside the US." She looked at her people. "Okay, go upstairs, rest, come back down." They nodded, going with Jane and her following. The guards made sure no one got close to any of them. There were some grabby people who tried to get to Jane already outside the hotel.

"Dr. Lewis," a woman called. She was with one of the news sources that covered the sciences. "What do you say about the stolen science that led to Justin Hammer being trapped in space?"

"I submitted an article on that," Dary called back. "Check with Bilana."

"Thank you!" She went to check with that journal editor, who was there to make notes on the speeches. "She submitted an article?" She let her see it. "Oh, that's nice. She worked with SHIELD again?"

"To save the good people with Hammer," the editor admitted. "She wouldn't have if it was just him but she wanted one of the geeks in there to live apparently."

"That's sweet of her. Did you see the SHIELD guards though?"

"She complained on her facebook that SHIELD was stepping in to stop her from two threats." The editor sighed. "Was that Foster?"

"It was and she's already slapped someone."

"Good! Means she's still into science even being on Asgard." They went to hover near the others so they could hear more gossip. Lewis came down and right over to them. "Are you speaking this time, Dr. Lewis?" the editor asked.

"I am. I have one thing and am teasing another." She grinned. "Is someone from the Polla lab here?" They pointed at them. "Thanks. One of my people needs to talk to them." She strolled over there. "Hey, guys. Can I snatch someone from Polla to talk to one of my interns?" She smiled. "His wife is talking about their offer and he wanted to talk about his own options."

That one smiled so she walked them off, talking quietly. "I adore Jamie," she said quietly. "His wife is an engineer." That got a nod. "Jamie?" He looked and came over to talk to him. "Here, you two talk. I'm going to make sure things are set up since we're talking tonight." She went to do that, the guard team splitting up. "I'm fine, people."

"Commander Rumlow will have our livers," one quipped. She rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Dr. Lewis, but that's the rules."

"Fine. Whatever." She looked at the person who had arranged things, smiling slightly. "So, I know I'm speaking tonight?"

"At eight tonight, Dr. Lewis." She smiled and nodded. "Will you need anything specific beyond the projector system?"

"No. And we did bring something in case what happened last time happens again. And I'm teasing something later." She walked off again. "Thank you. I'm having lunch if someone's going to look for me."

"Okay. Thank you." He made that note to the other people who'd be handling things. They all knew Lewis was paranoid and she had good reason to be. Whatever she brought would be a lesson in why to leave geeks alone. It always was.

***

Darcy smiled at the group at the end of her speech, waving a bit. "Anyone got any questions?"

"Is Dr. Marantha working on the same idea?" someone called.

"Is she? She hasn't published. I couldn't find anyone else working on it. How does hers compare? Is she here?" She looked around and that geek raised her hand. "C'mon then. Let's work on this together." She came up to help her with a few ideas. They got it working in an easier, smaller package within ten minutes, and did the paperwork with Darcy putting the other doc's name on it. Darcy was always fair about that. The others clapped and it was nice. She changed to her last slide and winked then let it be turned off on the groans. "Sorry but next time." They walked off together.

Dr. Marantha smiled at her. "That's mean."

"Yeah, but I enjoy it." She winked and went to the bar to get a light drink. She sighed in displeasure at the man walking toward her. "What, Mr. Hammer?" She sipped her drink.

"Thank you for saving us."

"Not a problem. I wouldn't want Justinly to die." She stared at him. "He has a lot of promise if he goes to a good lab." She walked around him to go back in there for the last speech. She settled beside Jane. "Liquor, sorry," she warned when Jane reached for it. Jane sighed. "Is that Micer?"

"Yup."

"Huh." She nodded, watching the man she had sued for defamation for saying she stole from Jane set up his talk. He had more props than slides. She noticed Sally, Jamie, and Bill sitting up a few rows and to the right. They were with some other interns they had studied with. They had one of the kits handy in case.

Jane looked then nodded. "We'll handle it."

Hammer was being civil so whatever hell that was coming wasn't coming from him. It was going to come from the guy up on the stage that had his props start to attack people. "Sally, open the kit, take out the blue thing, and hand it to an agent," she called. Sally had the kit snatched from her by the guard team and they used the blue thing on themselves. It changed them and they yelled, but they were suddenly bulletproof and could handle the electronic bugs trying to kill people.

Darcy sprinted over to get something, giving Sally a shove. "Get Jane out of here." She nodded, going to help the cranky pregnant scientist. Darcy pulled out something else and put it on her wrist, which meant armor formed around her. Rumlow gave her the oddest look. "Won it at poker." She fired on the geek and the other mechanical creatures. They fell apart and the geek was crying on the stage as Rumlow held him down at gunpoint.

At the end, Darcy sighed, looking around. "Jamie, Bill? Go help evacuate the area just in case. If you can, help Sally with Jane." They ran. They knew that calm voice was Darcy losing her temper. She wiggled the cuff off and stuck it down her shirt for now. She didn't have any pockets so it had to rest somewhere. Darcy closed the box and carried it off, handing it to Jane. She came back and hit the code on the blue device to let the agents go. "There you go."

Rumlow stomped down. "Was that nanite based?" he demanded.

"No comment." She walked off again. "Jane, you good?" she called. No answer so she looked and found Thor kissing her. "Oh, yeah, she's fine. Minions, go ahead and go rest," she ordered with a point. A few who weren't her minions followed that order too. "Yeah, not my minions can do that too," she decided. She got two drinks, handing one to Jane. "Water?"

"Please, Darcy. Thank you." She sipped her water, looking up at Thor. "Are you okay?" He nodded. "That was the guy who Darcy sued."

"Ah." He looked at Darcy. "She's fine."

"Room," she said with a point and a grin.

"That's a good idea." He walked Jane off so she could show him the room. Darcy looked around. "Darcy," Thor called. "Are you not coming to your own room?"

"Yeah I could use a rest." She sipped her drink all the way up there, handing it to one of the waiters as she walked past him, getting a nod. "Thank you," she said quietly. She went into her room, closed the door, and had a small breakdown. She ignored someone knocking until they got annoying. "NOT RIGHT NOW!" she shouted back. They knocked a few more times. She opened the door with a jerk, staring at the asshole. "Not. Right. Now." She slammed the door and went back to her breakdown in the bathroom area.

The guard called that in to Rumlow, who came to talk to her for him. He tapped gently. No answer so he listened. She was crying. He tapped again. "Darcy?" he called quietly. "Would you like to talk?" He heard the shouting and sighed. "Please?"

"No! Go the fuck away! Now please!"

He sighed again, waiting there until she was done. He heard her tv come on and knocked again. She threw open the door to glare at him. "What was that you used on the agents? Is it going to permanently infect them with something like extremis?"

"No. Didn't it disappear?"

"Yes, but that was Stark tech."

She shook her head. "No it wasn't. The cuff I used was, I won it at a poker game a few years ago. That device is something that Andrew created." She shut the door again. "They're fine."

"Fine. Thank you. Do you need anything like dinner?"

"We have room service, Rumlow."

"Okay. Let us know if you do need things." He walked off calling that in. Hill was really pissed off. He had no idea who Andrew was. Hill had no idea who Andrew was or where that had come from. The agents were going to be tested overnight to make sure they weren't infected with anything. The intern geeks were locked in their rooms for the night.

He had talked to them and they agreed they were hiding. He stopped at Thor and Jane's room, making a shirtless Jane open the door. "We're going to take the guards to be examined for whatever that thing did so can you please stay in with Thor tonight, Dr. Foster?"

"I figured I was going to anyway. He's having a pet the baby night."

"Okay, thank you. We'll be back about six or so for breakfast going out." He left. He did leave two of the agents there. They could handle anything that popped up overnight. That geek was arrested. The devices were being looked over by curious geeks and SHIELD was cleaning them up and taking them from the geeks before they created a better version. It was a cluster fuck sorta moment apparently.

***

Brock came back alone the next morning. His team would be there in an hour but he had to talk to Darcy. Immediately. He went up to knock on her door, earning a glare from the sleepy scientist. "We gotta talk, Lewis."

"No we don't." She tried to slam the door but he blocked it and forced his way in. "I'm about to zap you."

"You can try but you know tazers don't work on me, princess. You tried that before." He stared at her. "How did you find Kree micro weapons they don't even admit to having?"

She blinked a few times. "I got them from Andrew."

"Is Andrew a Kree?"

"No. He's a geek."

"Obviously. So where did he get them?" She shrugged. "Was Andrew one of your interns?"

"No."

"Stark's?"

"No. I have no idea where he trained. We met at a convention a few years ago. I asked him if I could buy the prototype off him, he agreed. We signed paperwork and I took them home to look them over and recreate it." She shrugged, yawning at the middle of it. "Oh well."

He tipped her face up. "The Kree don't even have those."

"They may not be Kree. They don't code that same way."

"Okay. We thought Kree with the elements used."

"No. I used recycled satellite metals."

He blinked a few times. "They recycle those?"

"Yeah, if you're looking."

"We can never find any."

"That's because you don't look in the right spots and you're with SHIELD, Brock. Anything else? It's before coffee."

"Which means I don't get as many evasive answers from you, Lewis." He stared at her for a second. "Was it a US made satellite?"

"No. Probably not. They had some sort of asteroid metal I guess." She shrugged again. "I didn't make it. I just recycled it."

"Okay. Did you do anything beyond ripping it down?" She shook her head. "How did you make the micro-electrical connections?"

"Not that hard. I programmed one to do it for me. That's what he did and that's something I continued."

"Can you show us that?"

"Hell no. You're SHIELD." She stared at him. "And when Stark found out and came to look at it, he made me promise to keep it away from you guys."

"It could help us find someone to replace Stark."

"Which I'm pretty sure was his worry."

He sighed. "We may need...."

"No, you want, you don't need." She stared at him, yawning again. "And if you break into the labs you won't find it anyway. Though I did get woken up by the security alarm. They're probably unconscious."

He sighed. "Good. They should be. I wouldn't want them to have anything without knowing what it does anyway."

She moved to make coffee in her in-room microwave. "Sucks but they shouldn't steal."

"I saw. Which is a good idea." He stared at her. "Is this why those groups want you?"

"They probably wanna touch the tits, Brock. A lot of people do."

He huffed. "Not everyone." She scowled at him but drank her microwave coffee. "Does anyone else know you have that?"

"Now."

"Before that?"

"Nope."

"Is there other samples?"

"No comment."

He rolled his eyes. "We need to protect it."

"You went from let us steal it from you to we need to protect it and next you'll try to sweet-talk me into giving it over. The answer's still the same. Butt the fuck out."

"Fine. Is that Andrew guy here this weekend so we can recruit him?"

"I haven't seen him in two years. He didn't show up to see how his stuff worked so I'm guessing not."

He stared at her, moving closer to trap her against the dresser so he could stare at her. "Lewis, this could seriously impact world security," he said quietly. "Is this something we can infect one person with? Can we bargain for one suit?"

"No." She shook her head. "I trust Tony who said it should not get into SHIELD's hands. With what they've tried in the past they're not worthy."

"Can you let someone like Agent Woo have one?"

"Hell no! He's not cut out for that."

"What about Rogers?" She snorted, staring at him as she sipped. He took the coffee cup to put aside. "What if I use it on myself?"

"That would still be stealing and you're still SHIELD."

He sighed, staring at her. "We can get one guy to use it. One who's not SHIELD. We can find a Ranger or something." She shook her head. "Then why bring it here?"

"Because there were too many possible threats."

"I could've handled it."

"Shooting at the bug things wouldn't have worked and probably would've gotten some semi-decent scientists or someone good killed by accident, Rumlow. We'd all hate that." She picked up her cup to take another drink. "The answer is going to stay no even if I'm broke. Which I'm not."

"Can you send it to Asgard?"

"Not like I trust half the people up there with it. Though Loki would love to use it probably since it'd amplify his magic if he used it while in the armor." She took another drink and he took the cup from her again. "Not yours. Get off, grabby ass." She took the cup back to drain.

He sighed, staring at her. "Why are you so stubborn?"

"Because I know your people and all the evil you do."

"I'm not SHIELD. I'm retired."

"Yeah, right."

"They had to pay me a lot to come back for this event." She stared at him, looking nonplussed. "Are you ever happy anymore?"

"Yes. A lot."

"Dating?"

"No. Not worth the stress right now."

"You're young and pretty. You should be out having fun. Not slowly dying in the lab, Darcy."

"I'm fine. Really. And don't offer."

"I'm not. I'm not a woman."

"I have dated guys."

"I know. I remember that. And it was fantastic but still probably not going to happen even if I had hopes. Which I don't. You're a bit too uptight and mean."

"Life made me that way. Especially your bosses. It was *so* sweet how a few of them slept with me to get information."

He nodded. "That does blow. You've had bad experiences with us."

"I've never had a *good* experience with SHIELD."

"I was pretty good."

"Until I found out you were HYDRA and were there to try to get stuff from me."

"That was SHIELD's orders and I was undercover."

"Figures." She stared at him. "Still makes me happy I stabbed you."

He nodded. "I was proud you did too. You only punched, slapped, and zapped before then." She shook her head. "I heard rumors but that's all they were at that time." He crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at her. "Having those is dangerous for your people."

"None of my interns have known anything about them."

"That won't stop someone like AIM or HYDRA if they hear about it."

"HYDRA already knew. I released it on them a few years ago. They were horrified and decided to leave us alone again. Mostly because it ate their building."

He winced. "I was not informed of that."

"Because your bosses are the great evil in the world of science." She moved to make more coffee but he put her cup back down and turned her around again. She slapped him. He kissed her but she pulled back to hit him again. "Not into you."

"I know." He brushed her cheek with his thumb. "Can you please be more subtle and careful?"

"Probably not. I'm the way I am because I have to be this way. Before I get snatched into a lab somewhere."

"I can talk to a few federal labs that aren't run by SHIELD."

"No thanks. Not into kidnaping."

"Is that why no one knows where you live?"

"Yeah. It's safer and bar pickups aren't worthy most of the time anyway."

He nodded. "That's sensible. We can help you find a bodyguard."

"No thanks. I wouldn't trust them. Thor stuck one on me and he tried to take me out. Why would I trust another one?"

He nodded once. "Good to know. You could go into a more secure location."

"I love my lab."

"I know you do. It's a great space. It's near a lot of stuff. Do you background check the interns?"

"Of course. That's industry standard."

"Are they about to switch out?"

"Sally is. The other two, no. They have another year."

"Figures. What about moving the lab out of the US?"

"A whole lot more dangerous. I wouldn't know all the players and I can't make the interns move overseas."

"Are you at least working with Stark's people?"

"No. He didn't offer and I haven't asked since we lost him."

He grimaced. "He didn't offer?"

"No." She grimaced. "Not that I wanted him to. I think he expected me to brag and I don't."

"That figures. Stark could brag about his ideas." He considered it. "I could talk to Potts about you signing on there."

She shook her head. "No. I don't want to be corporate. Thank you though." She moved to make that second cup of coffee. He put the mug back down. "I do need my coffee and if we were dating I'd call that borderline abusive."

"Could be but we need to work this out before you appear downstairs and things start."

"I'm fine. You're the one who's panicking."

"I'm not panicking but I'm worried about you." He stared at her. "They're going to make you disappear, Darcy," he said quietly.

"And SHIELD would be one of the ones trying. Which I'm protected against. I could go to Asgard with Jane. All I got was 'you're Thor's concubine' rumors up there. I could move us to a great garden cottage if I wanted to."

"Down here?"

"No. I'm not wealthy enough to set up a paranoid compound on an island yet."

"Not a bad idea. Fairly safe." He shifted closer. "I want you to be safe. No one else would irritate me the way you do," he said quietly.

"Quit trying to play on the four week stand we had," she shot back, staring at his eyes. "It wasn't good enough for you to sway me to anything, Rumlow."

He grinned. "It was great and you had fun."

"Maybe but not more than that." She turned away to get her coffee cup and make a second cup. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. We still have to work this out. Hill wants you to be put in protective custody."

"She's shit outta luck and you can quote me. I'd rather take my chances with AIM. At least they're honest about being evil."

He huffed, rolling his eyes. "We're not evil."

"Bullshit."

"We're not."

"You are. SHIELD is the evil in the life of every scientist and engineer in the world because they demand and want things they don't and shouldn't have. They're like the more corporate version of what Hammer does when he steals from his people."

"They could help you and protect you."

"And keep me from publishing and keep me like a prisoner and make me want to flee to Asgard even more." She took her cup out of the microwave to sip. "No. Never unless I have to so everyone is saved and even then I might let humanity die."

He nodded, looking down. "I can see that. You used to be a lot nicer, Darcy."

"Yeah, and then I ran into SHIELD a few times."

He huffed. "We protected you."

"No you did not. You guys stole from us and then made us clean up the mess the people you sold our science to made. Then you complained that we had to clean up the mess you made by stealing and selling science."

He slumped, nodding. "I've seen that."

"So have we. Many times. That whole thing with the bubble was stolen from Jane's earlier work, which your team confiscated in New Mexico and it got sold."

"That was HYDRA."

"HYDRA, SHIELD, same thing really. Hasn't changed even since they purged HYDRA."

"Things have changed."

"No, things haven't. They may appear to but it's the same people running the same things and causing the same problems."

"We try."

"Yeah. Needed to be unmade."

He nodded once. "Could be. I'm not going to argue with you about that. I'm worried about your safety if others decide they want that."

"It's nice you're pretending to care because we once slept together for a month, but don't. Just...quit pretending. I hate being lied to." She got free of his barricade and went to the bathroom with her coffee. "Have fun. I'll be hitting breakfast soon since microwave coffee sucks." She kicked the door shut.

He waited on her to come out, not caring she came out in a towel after her shower. He pulled her closer again. "I had no intention of hurting you during that," he said quietly, staring at her. "The stuff I drugged you with was a sedative. I was supposed to drug you with a worse sedative and deliver you to HYDRA for their lab programs." She grimaced but shrugged. "I told them you woke up too soon."

"Thank you for that. You still drugged me."

"I had to, Darcy! I had to keep my cover."

"And that was more important to you than that mission or the fact that I got dragged into it even though I wasn't an agent. I got forced to go into it blind, without any explanation, because you guys supposedly needed my skills. Even though you had four or five actual agents who could've done it. They were just getting too well known so I got forced into it."

"They forced you?"

"Yeah. They tried to lock my college education up again. Got my grants cancelled. Tried to have me discredited, which is why I sued that mother fucker." She stared at him. "You guys fucked up from the word go with me. I'd rather go live in a cottage on Asgard somewhere and casually do science stuff without the interns."

"I get that. I did not know anything about that. I got told you volunteered."

"No. I was blackmailed at the lightest. Or they were going to try to make me disappear into some cubicle somewhere. I even tried to get around them. I didn't have the skills I have now." He nodded again. "Now, if they try it, they'll go down again."

"You shouldn't promise that."

She smiled. "You'd be shocked, Rumlow."

"You can use my first name."

"Trying to make me feel more comfortable with you won't work either. You're not getting a damn thing from me or my people." She walked around him to get dressed. "You mind? You don't have the right to see me naked."

"Sorry." He turned around. "I'll shadow you today to make sure no one tries anything."

"They wouldn't. Half of the people at the conference would expect it to have been from Asgard. No one's going to ask anything outside of agents." She put on her underwear. "Thanks anyway. Go protect Sally. She's more vulnerable."

"I'm heading the team that's guarding your whole people. That includes you."

"Oh well." She put on her outer clothes and shoes, then went to gather her bag up. She got her phone off the charger to put it into her bag. "There. Going to eat now." She walked around him and he followed. She had to make some plans. Breakfast would be a good time to do that. She'd hate to lose her interns but it was safer for them. The boys really needed to be safer for their families. Sally... She might have to bring her. She wasn't sure yet.

Brock followed, realizing she was making plots. He couldn't stop her and he really shouldn't stop her. She was right about SHIELD. They had become the evil in her life. Hell, they were the nightmares in his life too. But that didn't mean he couldn't counter some of her ideas. Because she wasn't really a planner by any stretch of the imagination. She had problems deciding on dinner some days; there was no way she could hide from SHIELD for very long. "Want me to throw out some ideas on how to move your group so you're safer?"

"Nope. Thanks though." She turned and hit him with something then walked over him. "Have fun in Corsica." She got onto the elevator and went to their rental car. They hadn't wanted to drive their junkers to this event. It'd get them many funny looks. She found Sally and her boys by the car. "Guys. Really?"

Sally grinned. "Yeah, bosslady. You don't get to disappear totally. We all got the security system alert on the lab. We met in the elevator and decided we can travel."

Jamie nodded. "My wife will go to her new job and I'll follow in a few months."

Bill shrugged. "It'll keep my family safer if I look like I'm still playing their games."

Sally smirked at her. "I'm doing what you would've done to Jane."

"She left me a few places."

"And all but one of them you found her again," Sally quipped, straightening up. "Let's go before they show back up, bosslady." She nodded, getting in to drive them back to the lab to clean up and move it. Nothing but a few machines were really kept there. Nothing was on digital media that could be accessed easily. The safe had been moved before they left for the conference. She looked at the two younger interns. "You brought your laptops, right?" They nodded. "Then we've got about an hour of work left."

"Did they steal anything?" Darcy asked. "I couldn't get into the cameras."

"The new plate system. They got the open one. They'll try to reverse engineer it."

"Probably," Jamie agreed. "Are we going up by Tromso? I wanted a picture of the northern lights."

"No, probably not. Sorry." She hummed. "This means I have to move my apartment too. Damn."

"Pods. They can be shipped overseas," Sally offered. "Or you could leave most everything and sell it furnished. Might go for more."

Darcy nodded. "Maybe. I have to look at it tonight." She checked the mirrors but no obvious chase car tailing them yet. "By now he should be getting up form the serum specific paralytic. Maybe I'll have someone else pack my place and put it into storage, which'll mysteriously disappear. Yeah, that's a great plan. The lab's remaining things too probably for now."

Sally got into her phone to arrange that. Darcy let Jamie drive while she arranged other things. They stopped at a Denny's for breakfast and to break their trail. They finished up and went out back, letting Heimdall pick them up. She hugged him around the chest, smiling at him. "Thanks. We're just passing through."

"I realize that. It's safer if they do not hound you." He patted her on the shoulder. "Jane is most peeved. They woke her up."

"Poor Thor." She and the group went back down the bridge to their newly rented compound that was shielded by many layers of protections. It had been HYDRA's at one time so they were probably safe there for now. It wasn't somewhere SHIELD or anyone would look for them.

By that night, all their apartments were packed up and on their way to them. Darcy's condo was being listed for sale. They left the doorbell that would summon Jane but had done that on purpose. Jane had offered to chew them a new one if SHIELD came looking for them.

***

Rumlow finally got free, laughing as he got up to the worried looks. "Lewis," he noted to his team and the bystanders. "Wanted to be left alone." They helped pull him to his feet. He looked at his team. "Check things." They went to call in and check their rooms, turning back in the room keys. Darcy hadn't taken one outfit but that was in the trash due to the blood form last night.

She had left a book and her phone's charging cord too. Nothing irreplaceable. He turned in that room key and went with the team back to the SHIELD base. Medical got him first and he was waiting on bloodwork when Hill stomped in. "She's right. SHIELD has been the biggest threat to her life of any of them." He looked at the nurse. "Serum specific?"

"Yes. Quite." He nodded once. "Your team reported in that their places were being packed up and put into generic storage areas. They tried to plant tracking devices and failed. All the old ones were deactivated at the same time."

"Figures. She knows they'd track her." He looked at Hill. "So now what?"

"Where do you think she went?"

"Could be Asgard. Could be one of the other eight realms. Could be somewhere down here. She didn't say anything indicative. Or tell me goodbye. She just zapped me and walked over me to the elevator."

Hill grimaced. "We need her."

"You want her, Hill. Difference there. She doesn't want you. She really should get a restraining order against us with the way we're stalking her illegally." Hill glared. "She's not a terrorist and I doubt she ever would be." He stood up. "I'm going back to Corsica. She's right, I'm retired. Send my payment to my accounts."

"You could stay."

He stared her down. "I've had enough fucking in my life don't you think? She was right that there's not much operational differences between SHIELD and HYDRA too." He walked around her. "Later."

"If you find her, tell us," she ordered.

"Not likely. Unless she's in a fight to save hers and others' lives. I'd probably call Falcon first for that though." He got onto the elevator and went to his car, heading to the airport so he could go home. He was living out of the one suitcase and it was in the car so he was all set to go back to his retirement.

Hill growled, going to talk to Melinda May. The director looked up as she walked in. "Rumlow walked off into the sunset."

"He's right, there's not a lot of functional differences at times. She was right too. I watched the footage of them talking and the hallway scene. She's probably on Asgard. The agents that found her rental car at a Denny's a few hundred miles away said that the police reported the sound of a transformer blowing but none was apparent and a lot of light. That means the bridge showed up." She got back to work. "Leave her alone."

"She could end up dangerous to us, May."

Melinda May looked at her. "Yes, if we make her be so." Hill slumped. "Which you're bordering on. So leave her alone. She'll come out of the woods to announce something new within the next year or so. People like her have to lecture to get new things out, not just post journal articles." She went back to the paperwork. "By the way she told Rumlow why she had been on that mission. If I find another one you too can retire to a beach somewhere."

"Yes, Director," she muttered as she left the office area. Maybe it was time for her to retire. She was getting ancient by SHIELD criteria.

***

Brock had called his legitimate and illegitimate contacts so he could find out where she was hiding. Only one had teased him about it. Jack Rollins, his former second-in-command had laughed at him. "Lewis? You're still stuck on her? Huh. Bridge appeared in upper Thailand but then disappeared pretty fast. So they probably broke cover there then headed somewhere nicer." Brock grunted at that. "What happened now?"

"I got sucked back in to guard her while there was a science conference."

"Hill huh? She asked me and I laughed as I shot at her."

"Good on you. I should've. I wanted to see Darcy again." He sighed. "She was forced on that assignment. Didn't want to be there."

"She made the most of it?"

"Apparently. But she's got bigger fish after her. One of the geeks that tried to discredit her and she did away with formed his own group. HYDRA wants her again. She's got interns to pay attention to."

"Yeah, won't matter much. The girl's safe and her people are probably on Asgard with her. She'll be flushed out by something science. Then you can moon from afar again." He hung up.

Brock leaned back on his porch's chair, staring at the ocean. Maybe he could wait. Even if she was his one regret from all that time.

***

Darcy walked out to stop whoever was trying to break in, staring at the redhead. "It's just us. We rented it and thanks to you showing up we have to leave again. Gee, thanks."

Natasha Romanoff stared at her. "Darcy Lewis?" She nodded. "Why are you on a HYDRA base?"

"We rented it to be away from SHIELD's claws."

Natasha sighed but nodded. "That makes some sense. We had no idea they were rented now."

"Apparently since this one went through a fairly well known rental company. But don't worry, we'll move in a few days so you can't be held accountable for not telling them."

"I would never do that. I saw some of what they tried to do to you." She stared at her. "Are you safe?" Darcy nodded. "Alone?" She shook her head. "How's Jane?"

"Pregnant with Thor's spawn. He came home hot from a six month battle about a baby daddy." She grinned. "She's probably home by now."

"Good. That's excellent actually. It's safer." She stared at her. "You're worried. I will not tell them."

"They could be watching your mission, Romanoff. You being here endangered my people's lives."

"I understand. Try to be safe, Darcy." She left with her small team. Who would not be allowed to speak of this at all. They hadn't seen who she was talking to outside their sniper and he wasn't going to say anything. Unfortunately not Clint but she put up with her new one, who had been STRIKE. She heard a gunshot and ran back there to check on Darcy. She was injured but not critically. "Go be safe," she ordered. "Now, Lewis."

"Going," she moaned, holding her shoulder. "Damn that hurts." She got helped up and inside, and they left via bridge to a better, safer location that had better air conditioning anyway.

Romanoff went to find her sniper, who had taken an order from Maria Hill. She would deal with him and then Hill. He could be left there and if he made it back to civilization in the condition he was in, he could be retired from SHIELD. She did not put up with people doing secondary missions during hers, even if she had done that many times to Rogers. She warned the rest of the Avengers members just in case. At least the ones who knew about Darcy. Wanda didn't need to hear about her at all. But Clint would smile about hearing about her.

***

Natasha faced off with Pepper Potts that night. The other woman looked older, more tired now that Tony was dead and she was raising their child together. "I ran into Lewis on a mission."

Pepper smirked a tiny bit. "Tony said it'd bring her greater danger to bring her back to us. SHIELD was being wrong-minded about her too often and it'd get her snatched by them."

"I had wondered. She's hiding from them again. Maria Hill sent my sniper an order to down her but only injure so she could be gotten from a hospital."

"She okay?"

"Yes. They left. She has interns."

"Interesting. I hope she stays safe."

"She said Foster is pregnant."

"Aww. We'll have to send a baby gift." She made herself a note. "Any other good news?"

"I've retired from SHIELD." She walked off looking smug. "I'm going to Iowa."

"Tell them I said hello and thank Laura for that fussy kid cure please."

"I can do that." She went to get a bag packed for that trip. She and Clint could protect each other from SHIELD trying to get them back. He had done that many times already.

***

Darcy looked at her team, who were in a hotel tonight in Bangkok. "Okay, we have two bad choices that're pretty and one probably safe choice but it's in the Outback so really hot all year long." They gave her odd looks. "Seriously. The rental of labs? There's one in a small Outback town, down by where they mine opals. So it'll be about a hundred degrees most days, if not worse." They all grimaced.

"But we'd know instantly if someone was in town for us. New Mexico wasn't quite that bad but..." She shrugged. "Or we can go with two slightly bad choices. One's in Paris." They sighed. "With a SHIELD base up the street. They may not have an active office there anymore. I can't find that out. But that does mean all the Parisian traffic issues and the high rents. Or we can go to Lipari. Which is an island by Sicily. But our last guard is in Corsica. Which isn't nearby but up the coast of Italy."

Sally raised her hand. "Is Lipari pretty?"

"It's an Italian island, dear. It's very pretty and romantic and all that stuff. One of those places they write 'sun drenched, laconic afternoon sex' stories about. Though one town does ban wearing bathing suits in town or it's a fine." That got a nod. "So do you want to go work in Italy or Paris?"

"Italy," the three of them said together.

"Okay. So we're moving to Lipari. We have a flight tomorrow."

"Won't SHIELD track us?" Sally asked.

"No. Not this time. I've removed all our files from them. Again. We'll be there by the time they restore it and the airline isn't cheap but isn't really nice to SHIELD either as most of it's Lufthansa. Part of it is AirMalta though. I booked business class." They all nodded, grinning back at her. "I figured, ya know."

She looked at them. "We leave at 11 tonight, we get there a day later. Then we'll have to take a ferry over from the big island to the other island. So we'll pause at a hotel that night then travel over." That got another nod. "Not like I'd ask for that bridge favor for non-emergencies, guys. Sorry."

"No, it's cool," Sally agreed. Jamie and Bill both nodded at that. "Passports may look funny."

"Nah, got it covered. We have paperwork." She smirked. "So let's pack, stop to pick up dinner, then we'll hit the airport. Lufthansa's flights are a lot better than US ones too. And business class so bigger seats." They grinned again, going to get their stuff so they could get takeout to go the airport. The people there didn't like the paperwork but they'd deal with it, it was officially allowed.

Portal malfunctions happened all the time in certain parts of science. "At least this time it wasn't off-planet like Hammer did," Darcy quipped. The minions all nodded. They got drinks in the airport so they weren't bothering the no drinks rules for bringing some in. They were set to fly for a day, rest in Sicily, then take a ferry to the islands and the newly rented lab space that had bedrooms.

***

Sally was at the market a few months later, right before she was due to go home, when someone ran into her. He looked too familiar. Though lacked the scar features. She gave him a pointed look. "You look familiar."

He grinned behind his sunglasses. "Anche tu, bellissima. (So do you, beautiful.)" He moved closer to her. She glared. He winked a bit. "Portami dal tuo capo? (Take me to your leader?)"

She frowned. "I understood about two words of that. And hell no, she's finally relaxed again. She's actually sleeping again on her own. No. Why are you here?" She went to pay for her stuff and walked outside. The lab was at the far end of the village of Acquacalda along the northern coast of the island. He strolled after her, looking like a local leche that would hit on her at a bar. "I'm not taking you to Darcy but I may shove you off a cliff." She stopped in a park to sit down and rest, staring at him. "Why are you here, Rumlow?"

"Because Hill has put out a call to have her found. Again. Against orders. But some agents are still loyal to Hill beyond SHIELD. She's the highest of Fury's old liners."

Sally grimaced but nodded once. "You're going to make her paranoid. We'll have to move again and I have to leave in three weeks."

"She'll be okay with the two boys?"

"Yeah, they're fine." She took a picture of him and sent it to Darcy, who sent back a swearing comment. "She's not happy." She took a picture of the park's statue and sent it. Then she leaned back. "Are they on their way here?"

"They're in Upper Italy right now. They think she's somewhere near Amalfi's coast. They think she likes to celebrity watch." He looked over as someone stomped their way. But it was a priest. "Mi dispiace, padre. Solo parlando con questa bella donna che è meglio che carina, è intelligente.

"Prometto di essere un bravo ragazzo. (Sorry, Father. Just talking to this beautiful woman who is better than pretty, she's smart. I promise I'm being a good boy.)" He grinned. The priest looked at him oddly then at her, who shrugged but nodded. The priest walked off muttering but he did leave them alone. He looked at her. "Darcy okay? Healthy?"

"Sprained ankle."

"Damn. I know she trips a lot."

"She was sliding down one of those cliff slides and it ended a bit off due to erosion so she banged it on a rock."

"Those are fun." He settled on the next bench over. "I'm not here to be pushy or paranoid. I don't want her paranoid. But Hill is ready for the funny farm."

"Probably. I figured someone on the World Security Council was pushing at her to find Darcy or I."

He stared at her. "Your background was a bit too clean. Who're you really?"

She smiled. "RiRi Williams."

"Stark's non-biological heir," he muttered. "You and that kid." She nodded. "Did he know before he died?"

"Yeah, he asked Darcy for a huge favor. She was already running from SHIELD so...." She shrugged. "And no, she won that gauntlet from Stark himself at a poker night about six months before he died."

"Great." He stared at her. "They want you in their pocket."

"Harley and I both disappeared. Parker is too visible with his sidegig." Darcy hopped over on her crutches. "You could've called a cab."

"We're over budget for the month or I would've. I needed the activity anyway." She paused in front of Brock. "Are you haunting us?"

"Hill is. She's put out a call to find you and bring you in however she can. The exact order said 'if she's damaged on the way it, it'll make her cooperative'."

"Fuck her," Darcy said.

Brock smirked, shaking his head. "Not even to save humanity."

"She wasn't bad at it but she was always uptight and she tried to get info from me." She sat down beside Sally, looking at her. "I can let you go hide sooner."

"That won't save you and the fact a woman wrote that is horrifying," Sally said dryly, staring at her. "We can protect each other."

"Jamie's going back with you to go be with his wife. She took a deal for a lab in Greece. He found a new mentor over there thanks to me calling around for him."

"That's sweet," Brock said. "Is Bill going to be able to hide with you?"

"No. He's due to go home in about a month to meet the woman his family has high hopes for him marrying. I have the feeling he's going to be there for the wedding as well. He'll telecommute." She looked at him. "Why did you appear instead of another agent?"

"None of the ones I trust are this way. Jack's in Bangkok."

"I almost ran into his back as we got takeout to go to the airport," Darcy admitted. "That tall guy with his husband," she told Sally. Who nodded at that.

"His husband's an art geek," Brock offered. "Real sweet, hates that Jack was in danger. Made him retire." He shifted to look at them. "So how do you want to handle this, Darcy? I'm leaving it up to you but I had to warn you. And I doubt a letter would've made it here in time."

"Am I known?"

"No. They think you're celeb watching in Amalfi."

"Great!" She sighed, looking up then at him. "I hate this."

"Then sign on with a lab that can protect you," Brock offered. He stood up, walking over. "I don't want to make you paranoid. You're the most resourceful woman I know. But I'd never let someone be tortured to make them complacent." She grimaced. "Sally, hike back, sweetheart. Let me talk to her." She looked at Darcy, who nodded.

Sally took the few groceries back with her to warn the guys. He sat down beside her. "I know you hate me. I found the files on that mission and unclassified them through a hacker," he said quietly, not looking at her. "I gotta blame myself for some of that because I considered my cover more important."

"They might not have fallen if you didn't."

He stared at her. "You were an outside casualty. I don't like collateral damage in any circumstance. You weren't to be harmed by anyone. The fact that a SHIELD agent who wasn't HYDRA did pissed me the fuck off." She sucked in a breath. "Yeah, I have no idea. It wasn't listed who ordered that. I have my guesses."

"You think Fury?"

"I actually think some of the loyal to Rogers guys. That would give them a new geek under his thumb for whatever he needed. Even though you're not a Stark you're pretty good at computer stuff and slightly good at engineering things and really great at science stuff." He looked at her. "I don't think Rogers knew or he would've taken off a head. Or Thor." She nodded once. "But that was not supposed to happen. And I'm damn glad my boys in STRIKE rescued you and didn't hand you over the way they should've. I really gotta hand it to Wilson for that rescue."

"He met up with me when I was escaping. I had made a chemical gas from their shit in the cells." She stared at him. "How many?"

"No clue. Hill's coded it top secret. The only reason I heard is someone there knows I don't like her going after you. They let it slip as they retired. Well, they told Sharon Carter and she called me out of bed." He grinned a bit. "She thought I'd like to come save you."

"I don't mind being saved. I hate that they're trying again."

He nodded. "They shouldn't be. It's fully wrong. May hasn't stopped her yet though. Not sure if she actually knows. I did drop a line to her but Hill could hear that first and stop it." She grimaced but nodded again. "So, how can I help you guard yourself?"

"We'll have to move." She looked at him. "I won't tell you where. This was the best of the slightly dangerous choices."

"Lipari is slightly dangerous?" he asked with a grin.

"Yeah, you're here and who knows how many other agents." She stood up, gathering her crutches under her arms. "I guess we'll pack up and go again. Do we have a few days? I have to remake Sally's airline reservations."

"Probably." He stood up. "I can come guard you guys in case. They won't be getting through me unless I'm dead."

"They can send in gas, Brock," she sighed. "You are vulnerable to that."

"Super serum, sweetheart." He grinned. "Won't last more than a few minutes."

"Unless they know that. Are you naive enough to think they don't have Rogers specific weapons?"

"No. They do." She nodded, hopping off. He helped her. "I've got a motorcycle," he offered. "You can send the kids off to safety and then come stay in Corsica for a few days."

"Pass."

"Fine. Just an offer. I have a spare room."

"And probably hot and cold running vacationing college girls," she shot back.

"Fuck no. I can't stand giggling girls. They have no idea how to do anything in bed. I won't lie and say I haven't had a few flings. Corsica is great for that the same as Lipari is."

She shrugged. "Not into fast things."

He stopped her to stare at her. "Did you get therapy afterwards?" he asked quietly. She slapped him. "I deserved that but you're not acting very Darcy like. All the fire is gone."

"No, it's just banked. It's too hot down here some days. I'm fine, thank you."

He hummed, leading her to his motorcycle and putting her on the back then getting on and driving her off. "It's easier if you don't wear yourself out." She huffed but accepted it and pointed a few times. He found the lab where he expected it and parked, getting off and helping her stand again. "This shit sucks, Darcy. I don't like it. I don't like them doing it to you. And if I had my way SHIELD would fall again."

"Big words. Are they watching?"

"I hope not. They'd want my pension back. I have other money but my mom's living on that." He walked her inside. "Hey, boys." They both glared at him. "Hill's sending a team after her. I'm here to help get you guys off safely and help her move. Without finding out where."

"He's fine this time," Darcy said, flopping down on her couch. "I'll remake the flight reservations once I catch my breath. Brock can sleep on the lawn."

"I've already started that," Sally offered. She looked at Jamie. "We're transferring in Amsterdam. She'll meet you there." Jamie grinned and nodded. "Bill, wanna go home sooner?"

"Not really. I can go to do the tourist thing in Europe on the rail line though." Darcy looked at him. "I know it's dangerous. I'm a bit protected by the ones who have my niece."

Brock stared at him. "Don't count on that. They may not."

"I know. They still won't hurt her. Her father's our version of a senator." That got a nod. He looked at Darcy. "Are you sure? You'll be all alone until I come back."

"You can telecommute, Bill. It's safer."

He grinned. "Shut up, Darcy. I'm not going to answer to Thor if you get snatched by SHIELD. He can and will turn me into olive paste. My niece would hate to see that." Darcy rolled her eyes. "We all promised him we'd look out for you. I don't want punched by Dr. Foster or beaten by Thor."

"Or cursed by Loki," Sally added dryly. "Because he threatened me."

Darcy looked confused. "Why would he?"

"Because he thought I'd be a fun game if you got hurt." Darcy slumped, shaking her head. "So yeah, let's not let you get hurt." She glared at Brock, who nodded he agreed. "We'll go traveling. I'll be the bigger bitch I can be if something happens to me or Jamie. Bill can go hide with his nagging mother sort." She looked at him. "It would be safer."

"From SHIELD, not from my mother's plans for my wedding I don't want." He grimaced. "I need a nice Italian mother like the one that keeps trying to fatten us up. She'd never marry us off."

"My mother's family is from Sicily. They won't do it openly but you'll be nagged and subtly poked until you give in. She's still doing it to me to get married." Darcy gave him an odd look. "She is!"

"Your mom? Who hated me on sight?"

"Yeah, her. She still hates you. Called my last girlfriend a pale reflection of you because she was curvy with dark hair."

"You could father a kid and get her off your back," Sally offered.

"Like hell that'd work," Brock snorted. "She believes in shotgun weddings."

"So have many kids." She grinned. "It'd make it harder for SHIELD to claim them as future agents."

"True, they are trying to breed their own," Darcy said. "I'm sending you with that file, Sally."

"Please. I doubt I want them to try to claim mine. Or knock you up."

Darcy grimaced. "They haven't looked at me for that."

"Excuse me?" Jamie demanded. Darcy let him have the hard copy of the files she had found. "I'm on here!"

"You've got high potential for brilliance and your wife does too," Darcy said. "Yeah, they want your kids." Brock held out a hand so Jamie handed it over.

Darcy looked at him. "There's a few agents on there that I recognized."

"Most of them are gay," he said dryly. "He is gonna have a fit." He called his buddy. "It's me, don't hang up. A list was found. They're trying to Red Room kids from some gay agents." He listened then read off names and possible combos. "Found it in the files, Romanoff. Please do and stop it. Bullshit I want that to happen." He hung up and handed Sally the list. "You're on there."

"Yeah but it'd be noticeable if I had a kid." She looked it over with a sigh. "Fuck."

Darcy nodded. "It may be a false flag to draw attention. I can't be sure but I was going to send it back with you anyway, Sal."

"That's fine. I'm pretty sure the pseudo-mom would be livid." They shared a look. "I'll tell her you said hi." She got up to go pack for the trip. Jamie did the same thing. Bill made complaining noises but he had to get a few more things done.

"Bill," Darcy said quietly.

"I have paperwork to finish and only one suitcase, bosslady."

"Fine. I don't want you in danger. At all, kiddo."

He grinned at her. "I need you to adopt me so I'm not forced to marry some girl who's barely literate." He got back to work, giving Rumlow a few side looks.

"I'll make sure she's safe, kid. I'd never want Darcy hurt. SHIELD needs to go down again. His phone rang with a text message so he looked. "Not a false flag for attention. Shit." He answered and got back one simple sentence. "She's handling it."

"She is good at it and it's her duty to stop the next one," Darcy said quietly, looking at him. "I'll be okay. I can pack things and head sooner."

"It'll take days to get a POD here to get your machines and stuff. Let me help during that." She opened her mouth. "I know you don't trust me, Darcy. I realize why, I knew why before, and I fought coming back into your life but there's no one close enough to help this time.

"So let me help you for a few days to a week so you get things set up, and then you can disappear again. If they show up then you can call if you need to and I'll help." He moved closer, tipping her face up. "I don't want to have to be here but I'll be damned if I want you hurt again," he said quietly. "It's partially my fault."

"They had that plan before they sent me. Quit feeling so guilty, Rumlow."

He shrugged. "I do that anyway. They never should've had that plan. They never should've told me that after I was already involved. I didn't know I was supposed to hand you over until the week before. I was really happy you did stab me."

"They broke my hand for that," she admitted. Then huffed. "It's water gone under the river's waterfall."

"I still feel guilty. I should've realize something was up when they gave me a scientist that was not an agent. Someone with no training."

"And at that time, Asgard wanted me to disappear so Jane didn't have backup. Odin could've talked Fury into doing it."

"Could be," he agreed with a nod. "I have no idea who was behind it ultimately." He let her chin go. "Let. Me. Help," he said quietly, staring at her.

"Fine."

"Thank you. Do you want to pack here or go home with me and pack from a distance?"

"They'll tamper with things if I'm not here."

"Okay. We can start there. If they show up, we'll change the plans and go from there." She nodded at that. "Does Foster know you're here?"

"She's busy being a new mom. She just had my nephew the other day."

"That's sweet. It healthy?" She nodded. "Good!" He sat down on a spare desk chair. "You got an idea where you're going?"

"Not yet. I haven't looked at the rental site yet. I won't until you can't see it." He looked away to stare out the window so she got into her phone to look at that. "Most everything is taken," she muttered. "Damn it." She got back to looking for specific qualities. Middle of nowhere, electricity. Alarm system. "I could move the lab to a rental apartment I guess."

He looked at her. "No more open labs?"

"No, someone's renting all the former HYDRA labs. There's no smaller lab type buildings open right now." She switched sites and looked there. Same listings. "So a house," she decided. "Should be somewhere safe."

"French countryside?" he suggested. "Pretty, open, small towns like this. Good food. Wines. Easy to travel there in most cases."

She looked at him. "That would probably endanger me more because I'd want to go out." She went back to looking. "Austria has a few but expensive."

"You could leave Europe," he suggested. "It might be a bit safer." She shook her head. "Why not?"

"Because the Chinese want Jane to work for them again."

He huffed. "Great. Will that end sometime soon?"

"If she blows them up. She will have hormone swings for a few more months."

"I look forward to that. Have you seen the baby?"

"Yeah. I went up for the blessing. No one expected me so they gave me looks like I was the evil godmother. Brunnhilde was a bit scared when I was holding the baby but he loved me and Jane agreed if something happened to her I was the baby's new stepmom. Thor's off again so he had no say.

"Brunnhilde agreed I'd protect the baby better if something happened to her and Jane. So we'll see what happens. They were making her name some local nobility as godmothers." She smirked a tiny bit at her phone. "The ones doing it were not happy that I showed up. They're still mad I ended the problems going on." She went back to her looking.

Jane appeared with Brunnhilde beside her and with the baby. "Darcy," she complained.

"What? They do give me looks like I'm your evil fairy godmother."

"They do," Brunnhilde agreed, handing over the child. It fussed for a second then went quiet. "They claim you did something."

"I'm not being overly emotional and I feel more squishy in the chest area. Sit, ladies. My minions are packing." She looked down. "Why hi there, Prince Eric. How are you today?" The baby made sucky faces. "No, I can't feed you. I don't have mommy milk like Jane does."

"Jane's not creating enough," Jane complained. "They hate formula."

"They'd rather he starve?" Darcy asked Brunnhilde.

She shook he head quickly. "They want a wet nurse."

"Which can be poisoned and kill him," Darcy said bluntly, staring at her then smiling. "Just like the godmother they wanted tried to stab him until I stepped on her leg."

"You did and we wondered until the woman sobbed that she had lost her knife when a guard asked her what she was searching for." She looked at the baby. "Why doesn't he like me then?"

"You're emo, Brunnhilde. Babies feel emotion and hear and smell best."

"Oh. So I smell sweaty and they can feel I'm not a calm person. Jane is calmer but has not enough milk. Understood."

Sally came out. "We have a can of formula in case he came to visit, Dr. Foster?"

"Please, Sally. Thank you, dear!" She gave her a quick hug. They fed the happy baby a bottle and he settled in to nap and eat. Jane sighed in relief. "So what's going on? Heimdall said you were in trouble."

"SHIELD wants me again."

"Why?" Jane asked patiently. Brock shook his head. "Fury things?"

"Hill things. She sent an order to capture Darcy and if she was hurt on the way in it'd make her complacent." He stared at her. "Thankfully I wasn't that far away."

Jane stared at him. "Why were you so close?"

"I was on Corsica."

"We came to Lipari after he went back to Corsica, Jane. It was a risk but safer than Paris was."

"SHIELD needs to die," Brunnhilde said. "And we can't find Thor again."

Darcy looked and pinched her, making her turn into Loki. "Really?"

"We cannot," he admitted. "Though the baby doesn't like me anyway."

"It's your cologne," Jane complained. "Where's Brunnhilde?"

"Battle. Hopefully going to kick my brother's arse," Loki said. "He deserves it."

Darcy grinned. "Is that a request I go find him?"

"No," Loki said, stepping back. "That would look weird, Lady Darcy."

She grinned. "He said I'm your acknowledged sister." She looked down, smiling at him. "Such a good boy. Want burped?" She did that and the baby belched then went back to sucking down all the formula he could. She looked at Jane then at Brock. "Can you watch the kids for tonight?"

"Will you be able to find Thor in a single day?"

"Yeah, we have ways of finding Thor." She smirked. He shivered but nodded. "Great! Sally, I'm bringing the formula for little Eric Ian." She stood up carefully and got things ready. Including her bag. And sharpening her nails. She put on a hat and they were off thanks to Heimdall. She gave him a one-armed hug. Jane took the baby back and Loki guarded her. "Let's go talk to Daddy, big guy?"

"I should not leave the bridge."

She clucked her tongue. "That's no fun, Heimdall." He shivered. "You can stop me from pulling Thor out of there by his balls."

"I should guard the bridge." She winked and he sent her then moaned in distress. Darcy intervening was never a happy occasion. Many thought she might be another incarnation of Hela.

Darcy landed and looked at the battlefield. Then she sighed and huffed. A familiar large wolf loped over to lap her. "Hey, baby!" She cuddled him. "Good boy, Fenrir. Take me to Thor?" The wolf let her climb on him to ride to where Thor was battling. She let out another sigh, drawing attention. The ones fighting Thor stared and backed away slowly. She slid down. "Be thankful I'm not Hela."

She looked at Thor, smiling some. The guys around him got out of the way. "Hey, Hogun, Volstagg, Fandril." They backed up farther. Darcy hauled off and punched Thor, making him moan and hold his face. "Behold, Prince Eric Ian Thorson is born!" she announced. "And blessed. And saved from the selfish ones your court wanted to be his godparents who were going to stab him and are now trying to starve him since Jane has tiny tits."

"He's early!" Thor demanded.

Darcy hit him again. "A *real* father is there when his son is born unless it's unavoidable and the end of the universe!" she yelled back. "How dare you leave Jane alone with those heathen assholes who think she's weak at the lowest point of her health and life!" She pointed. "Get your ass back there, Thor! Before I call your mother back from the dead!" Thor shrank back, pointing at the battle. "They'll die without your help. I'm pretty sure Sif is strong enough to fix all this by herself and you guys are just in her way!"

"Having help is a big help," Sif called. She was wisely staying out of the way. "I could but it would be more messy, Darcy."

She grinned at her. "Jane's got tiny breasts and they didn't want her to use formula. I stopped one from stabbing him during the blessing. Can you handle them or should I find a weapon? I do have the key to that traveling closet of weapons."

Sif nodded once, smiling at her. "Thor is more than welcome to go greet his son and save his wife. We can handle this without him." She looked at Brunnhilde, who nodded quickly.

Darcy looked at her. "Loki does a really good impersonation of you but his chest was lopsided." She stared at Thor, licking her lips. "Shall we?" He shrank back. "C'mon. Fenrir, wanna go meet the baby? Eric's very cute and people are mean to him. C'mon, we'll go pet the puppy and the baby." The wolf being nodded, going with her. She grabbed Thor by the beard and hauled him after her. He tried to struggle. "I can haul you by more sensitive areas," she offered. "Let's. Go. I have to worry about SHIELD again, I don't need to worry about Jane today."

"I would help with that battle," Thor offered.

She let him go, turning to glare at him. "You're going to leave your wife and child all alone and without protection?" she demanded loudly. "Is that what you think a father does?"

"Nay," he said, backing away again. She grabbed him by his dick and hauled on him. "Darcy!" he complained. She yanked and he fell to his knees with a groan. "Please!"

"Keep the fuck up then, Thor. Real fathers would be rushing to their wife's side, not hesitating and being a pussy. If I have to turn your mighty hammer into one I can look up that surgery. Because that would hurt Jane a lot."

He whined but did follow where his dick led him. He had to if he wanted to keep it attached. She had her longish nails sunk into him. He really should've worn the leather pants today. Heimdall brought them all back and nodded politely at them.

Darcy grinned. "She in her rooms?"

"Throne room, Lady Darcy."

"Thanks, Heimdall. Oh, Fenrir is going to pet the baby too."

"That's good for both of them. Many children like animals." She grinned and nodded, hauling Thor off by his dick again. Heimdall did not step in the way and Fenrir was following behind Thor, ready to bite him if he tried to get free. There was already a wet spot on his hind end from the wolf being's mouth. Heimdall was a wise man. He was not getting in the middle of that. Ever.

Darcy dragged Thor into the throne room, smiling at Jane. "Found 'im!"

"I can see that. Hey, Fenrir. Come meet Eric." The wolf being trotted over to sniff the baby and lapped him gently. Jane petted his ear with a grin. "Such a good boy. You're very gentle with him and me and we adore that." She let him keep sniffing and lapping the baby while she petted him. She looked at Thor. "Your son is born and nearly killed three times, Thor."

"I..." Darcy let him go and gave him a shove. "I was coming home later tonight."

Darcy snorted. "Really?"

He scowled. "I was!"

"I'm going to strand you on Midgard," Loki offered with a smile. "So you have the time to savor having a son for his early years. That way he grows up into a happy boy." He stared at his adopted brother until Thor nodded and moved closer.

"Guys, I can threaten him myself," Jane quipped. "I do have mood swings for a few more weeks." Fenrir lapped her. "Thank you, baby boy." She went back to petting him. "Such a good boy."

Thor looked at the baby. "You are quite tiny, young Bjorn."

"His name is Eric Ian Thorson," Jane said firmly. "He could've been named Bjorn but his father was not here to input his advice." Thor slumped but nodded. She looked at her son again, going back to petting Fenrir. Who took the baby to gently lift in his jaws. The guards shrieked but Fenrir laid down with him to cuddle the baby. "Let us know when he needs his diaper changed, Fenrir."

Loki smiled a tight smile. "He clearly loves the baby. He'll be a fine protector when Eric needs him to be." He looked at Darcy. "SHIELD again?"

"Yeah. They want to capture me, rape me to make me quieter, and then use me until I die. Hill sent the orders out apparently. Just like last time and that mission with Rumlow." She looked at Thor, who was staring at her. She stared back.

"I miss the happy young woman that incident took from my life," Thor said.

"I was this tough before, Thor. I just hid it behind the fun things. But I'm in the middle of moving to get away from them again. So I'll only be up here tonight."

Thor nodded at that, hugging her. "Let us know if you need to hide up here."

"I would. I know I make people nervous." Someone stomped in and paused at the sight of Thor. "Your head of Council."

"I see that," Thor said, staring at him. "We shall talk later." The man nodded and backed out still nodding. "Did you threaten him as well?" he joked.

She slapped him on the cheek lightly. "He knows what I'll do to him if he hurts Jane and Eric. You keep forgetting." She grinned. "So let's be a good father, yeah?"

"Yes, I shall be better than mine was." He looked at the baby. "He is very tiny."

"He had to come out of that area on Jane's body you enjoy so much," Darcy said dryly. "We women only stretch to ten centimeters, Thor." Thor slumped, looking at her. Jane nodded at that. "He'll grow as you did."

"Yes, Darcy." He moved closer. Fenrir growled. "May I hold him, Fenrir?" The wolf being gave him a look letting him know that if he screwed up Fenrir was going to eat him. Thor carefully picked him up, smiling when the baby yelled at him. "You are loud, my son." His son yelled louder. He handed him back to Fenrir and it calmed him down. "He clearly loves you, Fenrir. It is good for you both that you love him so." He petted the wolf, going to hug his wife. Who gave him a dirty look. "I'm sorry I was so busy, Jane."

"Uh-huh." He slumped, giving her the pouty look that usually worked. "At least I survived the labor and delivery. Even though I wasn't comfortable. Or happy. Thankfully your brother managed to fight off the assassination attempts too."

Thor looked over. "Thank thee, Loki."

"It was no problem, Thor. That baby will be a fit heir." To who was left off.

Darcy stared at him. "He'll be just like me, his favorite auntie." She grinned.

"He could have many worse role models," Thor told her. He looked at her. "Are you well beyond SHIELD interfering again?"

"Maybe. Not sure yet. I'm having to rely on Rumlow to help me." Loki grimaced but nodded once. "They'll stop sometime. The ones who believe in Fury will all be gone someday."

Someone ran in with a sword so she tripped them. "You dare come near my son with that!" Thor bellowed. "I should banish you and your whole bloodline!" Fenrir growled to back him up.

"That beast!" he said with a point. "He carries your son, King Thor!"

"Fenrir loves him as a proper uncle should," Darcy said dryly. That's when he noticed who she was and flinched away from her. "Do leave before I take that sword and plant it in you. Won't that be delightful?" The man ran off without his sword. "Boys, he was trying to attack Jane and the baby," she yelled. "Deal with him before I do!"

"Yes, Lady He...Darcy," a female voice yelled back.

Darcy rolled her eyes. "I'm not Hela in disguise." Fenrir barked so she got down to pet him again. "If I was, I'd bring you home with me. I could use a good puppy again. I just gotta find a house." The baby fell asleep on the wolf's paws and she settled in to pet him until she took a nap too.

Thor looked over then at Loki. "How many did she handle?" he asked quietly.

"Just you," Loki told him. "She was very peeved."

Jane nodded. "They're wanting to make kids with her too, Thor."

"They need to die," Thor said. "For a second time."

"Yes they should." She looked over at the sound of Darcy dreaming but Fenrir cuddled her so she calmed back down. She looked at Loki, who nodded he'd be watching out for her. He went to talk to Heimdall.

Jane looked at Thor. "I wanted her to kick your ass."

"I know you did. I'm sorry, Jane."

"Uh-huh. Prove it by changing the behavior, Thor." He nodded, settling in next to her to hug her.

***

Brock looked up as Heimdall reappeared, holding Darcy. He hopped up to take her from the warrior. "She not okay?"

"Sleeping peacefully for once," he said quietly. "Fenrir lulled her into it with the baby." He stepped back. "They will appear tomorrow." He disappeared again.

Brock looked at her then at the minions she had. They were all packed, had done the lab for her, and was waiting on where to tell the POD to go. "I'll take her back with me," he noted. "You three scatter. Tell us if you get caught." They nodded, Sally staring at him. "I'd never hurt her, Sally. Before that mission I wanted to date her. I realize I screwed up."

"Good. I'd hate to put on the armor just to beat you." She left after the boys. They could catch the last ferry to Sicily to make their overnight flights tonight.

Brock took her to his motorcycle, settling her across his lap so he could drive off. He could hide tonight and help her finish the move tomorrow. There were other ferries to other islands so they weren't all grouped together. He got them to another part of Lipari instead since they had missed the ferry, going to a small, romantic hotel. The valet came over to help him by holding onto Darcy for a second since she was snoring.

"Mi dispiace essere qui, ma abbiamo perso il traghetto per tornare e lei è esausta. Possiamo avere una stanza per favore? (Sorry to be here, but we missed the ferry back and she's exhausted herself. Can we get a room please?)" he asked in a quiet voice. The girl behind the desk smiled and nodded, checking them in.

"Grazie. Lascia che la porti di sopra. (Thank you. Let me carry her upstairs.)" He went back to grab Darcy and took her upstairs, letting the valet take the motorcycle he had rented for now. He put her on the bed and settled on the chair to watch outside just in case SHIELD got there sooner than he expected.

***

Darcy woke up in the middle of the night, staring at the man sitting there looking out at the ocean. She looked outside then at him again. She looked around, looking confused.

"The lab kids all got off fine," he said quietly. "We're in a nice little hotel across Lipari. They think you wore yourself out being a tourist." She nodded once. "Go back to sleep, Darcy."

She sighed. "I can sit up while you rest."

"No. I can nap once we get to Corsica tomorrow. I'm used to not sleeping." She rolled her eyes, going to the bathroom. He forced her back into the bed when she tried to look outside instead, tucking her in. "Rest. You've got to make plans tomorrow." She huffed. "I've got it. Really."

"I can't sleep around others."

"I'm not an other. So rest." She grimaced. He petted her hair, helping her go back to sleep. Or at least she pretended to until she did drift off. He went back to standing guard for now. Something was screwy with that order and he didn't know what. He had tried to find it in the system but no go. It was listed in the secret system Fury set up. And Rogers had seen it somehow because he had denied the order.

It was listed he had denied it. He might call Rogers but he'd hate to be beaten to death because Rogers still probably thought he was still evil or HYDRA. He glanced at Darcy since she had stopped snoring again. She really had to sleep better right now. Being exhausted was going to make her sloppy.

***

Sally was nearly stopped in Amsterdam. She noticed Jamie had been paused by an agent and stepped in. "Is there some problem with my fellow student?" she asked the agent, smiling some.

"I'm with SHIELD, miss. You shouldn't concern yourself with this."

"I doubt that. Produce ID please?"

"Ma'am...."

"I'm Dr. Lewis' main intern recently. I know about SHIELD, enough to know that you're not supposed to be doing this to my intern. Now, produce ID or I send up a fit to get you noticed." He glared but did produce his ID. She took it to look at, avoiding him taking it back. "Help, this guy is claiming to be SHIELD to capture us students! He's really a rapist!" she yelled. Security came running to handle it for them. Jamie relaxed again.

"His wife is meeting him here at their flight to Greece." The guards called in for her and they found her and brought her over to help this situation. The SHIELD agent didn't have paperwork to arrest them. Or any real reason to arrest them. His spluttering that they were astrophysics and engineers they were recruiting. She shook her head. "No. I'm working at Stark. Thank you anyway." She grinned at the guards. "I'm going back to take up my job. They're known for stealing academics."

"You called him a rapist?" the lead guard asked.

"A woman yelling doesn't get attention. We're Americans and we're taught that."

"Point. I taught my daughter that as well." He walked the agent off and got the kids to their connecting flights safely. They didn't want to know what SHIELD was doing now. They were known for being screwy.

***

Sally strolled up to Pepper's office. "Is my kinda stepmom in please, Gretchen?"

The secretary stared at her. "Do you have an appointment?"

"I'm Riri."

"Oh! She said you were coming in a few days, Miss Williams."

"Yeah and then we ran into SHIELD." She nodded. "Twice."

"Oh, dear. She's upstairs with Morgan."

"I can go up there. Thanks." She headed up there, hauling on an arm on the way. "I'm taking up bad habits from my predecessor." She grinned at him. "And they have you on a special list, Dr. Banner."

"Riri," he said, smiling at her. He hugged her in the elevator. "We're going to Pepper?"

"We are." She handed him the file to look over. He growled. "Yeah. Why I'm going directly to Pepper, and to see if she'll comp me a bedroom. Being an intern doesn't pay well."

"No it doesn't. Mine complained about the same thing." They got off the elevator. "Who were you interning under?"

"Dr. Darcy Lewis." His step paused and he stared at her. She grinned. "SHIELD came back again too. That's why I'm early." Pepper looked over at them. She grinned back. "Hey, kinda stepmom!"

"Riri!" She smiled, getting up to hug her. "Did you enjoy working with Darcy?"

"I really did. The boys were cute little guys who needed some confidence. Darcy was finally not paranoid and then SHIELD showed up." Bruce handed over the file. Pepper read it and huffed. "We do need to look on some secret servers to find the order against her this time too."

"I heard and we're helping stop it."

"Rumlow showed up to help guard her. She's back to paranoid land. But she did get to pull Thor back to his wife and kid's side by his penis. Because he was having a battle instead. Again." Pepper snickered. "No, I mean literally. She sharpened her nails. Some day I wanna grow up into Darcy."

"Me too," Pepper agreed. "She's always been a happy woman." She settled her on Morgan's other side. "Morgan, this is Riri. Your daddy worked with her."

"Hey, sprout." She held out a hand, getting it shaken. "I already know you're exceptional because you're a Stark." Morgan looked smug as she nodded. "So when you need to learn stuff you can sometimes ask me." She winked. She looked at Bruce, who was shaking his head. "The last boring Stark was Howard."

"True," he agreed, settling in. "Has anyone else seen that file?"

"Rumlow told a certain redhead not in this room."

"She'll have fun with that," Banner agreed. "How else was DC?"

"Okay until the conference and then we had to flee SHIELD again. We went to Thailand, then to Lipari. Which is beautiful. It's like a dream place to live. Kinda warm but lots of great food, fussy older women who thought we were all too skinny, and mostly who thought I was too cute to be smart." She grinned. "I've got to visit Jamie and his wife when they're working in Greece. Supposed to be just as pretty.

"Bill's going home to let his mother nag a lot about his unmarried state and introduce him to a lot of single women. He's scared she'll be illiterate. He had her on speaker one night and she was horrified that I was a woman who did science things and so was Darcy, plus his boss." She grinned. "But we think his niece'll still be safe."

"They're still trying to use him to get information?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah. But his niece is the daughter of a state senator sort. So he think she'll be safe. We hope." She grinned. "Half of Asgard seems to think Darcy's an incarnation of Hela. Especially after she brought Fenrir to meet Jane's son Eric Ian Thorson. I'm hoping Jane comes back down here if she and Thor keep fighting."

She looked at Pepper. "They tried not to call Darcy up for the baptism thing. Darcy said they were giving her looks like she was the evil fairy godmother. She blocked someone stabbing the baby at the blessing." Pepper shuddered. "Loki had to help and protect Jane through the birth."

"If she wants to come back, Jane would be more than welcome to come to our labs. Darcy might be if she wanted."

"I have no idea. I haven't asked." She looked at the staring kid. "You'd like Darcy. She bakes stuff and teaches people things and she's pretty neat. Just a bit paranoid."

Someone came off the elevator, staring at the woman he didn't know. "Hi."

She nodded. "Rogers."

"Do we know you, Miss?"

"Riri Williams." She smirked at him. "Intern from Dr. Darcy Lewis." He nodded once but you could tell he had tensed up. "I did learn a lot about how to handle the science community that think women are weak." She looked at Morgan. "My motto is take no shit but do no harm unless they start it. Can you say that, Morgan?" The kid's eyes went wide and repeated that. "Exactly." She gave her a hug. "Have you seen Harley recently?" Morgan shook her head slowly. "Huh."

"He's hiding," Pepper sighed. "He won't come out."

Morgan pulled out her phone to text someone. She grinned. "They'll show up tonight." She grinned at Pepper. "All the Stark adopted kids. Including Peter."

Pepper patted her on the shoulder. "It'll be good to have you all home."

She grinned. We're going to warp Morgan so she's the best Stark ever."

"I know you will," Pepper sighed but she was smiling. Two guys came off the elevator and Riri whistled, tipping her head.

"Eyes right, kid," Sam Wilson complained.

"I'm totally legal. Even by US standards, Mr. Hotty McFlyerson."

He paused to stare at her. "Riri!"

"Yeah!" She smirked at him. "I'm back!"

"Oh, hell." He looked around. "Darcy?"

"Moving today. SHIELD put out some sort of hunt order on her."

"I thought I ended that," Rogers said, considering it.

"We had the guy who had history with Darcy show up. Again. The last time got us to move out of the US because Hill had him come out of retirement to guard her and us. This last time he showed up to warn her and started us moving so we could evacuate. He promised to guard her or else I'd pretend to be Darcy and destroy him."

"Who?" Steve asked.

"Rumlow."

Rogers growled. "I'd like to have him under the ground, not in her face."

"Which Darcy can do herself," Wilson reminded him. "Girl took down a HYDRA team and got free before we could find her, Rogers." He sighed but nodded. Riri got into the files she had stolen from Rumlow's system, that Darcy had hacked. She held it up to him, letting him take the phone to read. Sam winced as he read, grimacing and shaking his head as he handed it back. "That fucker. Morgan, don't say that word."

"Rumlow? Could be," Steve said sarcastically.

"No, Nick Fury. He's the reason behind all that stuff." Steve took the phone to read over that file, grimacing as he read. He nearly threw the phone but she saved it. "Yeah, we gotta protect Darcy. I'm not sure Rumlow would be good enough."

"He's moping about her," Riri offered. "A lot."

"We'll see if we can help her," Sam said. "Any idea which way she's heading?"

"There's no labs for rent on the sites she showed us. I looked on the flight from Sicily."

"You were in Sicily?" Sam asked.

"Lipari." She grinned. "Little old ladies thought I was too skinny and too pretty to be smart."

"I knew a few mothers like that back in the day," Bucky said quietly.

Riri grinned at him. "I wondered if you were mute, handsome."

"Not at the moment. You're Riri Williams, one of the engineers following Stark's work."

"I am. And the other two are showing up tonight so we can catch up." She grinned. "Don't worry, I'm not the scary geek. This week," she quipped. "Unless I have to be."

He nodded. "That's a good idea," he agreed. "Makes good sense." He went to the kitchen. "Morgan, want some water?"

"Koolaid?" she called after him.

He looked at her. "It's not good for you."

"So? It's a special night!" She grinned at Pepper, who sighed but nodded. She looked at Riri. "Do you make cookies?"

"I can try sometime soon but I'm not great at it." Morgan pouted. "We can try tomorrow sometime." Morgan hugged her and ran to get her special drink. She grinned at Pepper. "I'm sorry about the mess I'll be making."

"It happens. I do the same thing. That's why I make tube cookies." Her phone beeped so she looked. "Natasha's here. She just got through security. And she had Peter hitch himself to the top of her car. The guards were really amused by that." She swiped that notification gone. "How long before Harley gets here?"

"He's about ten miles from here," Riri said with a grin for her. Natasha came off the elevator with Peter, who she got up to hug. "Oh, boy, you're a sight for sore eyes. I've been surrounded by too polite boys who're scared of strong women. It was like two Hindu brothers for you." He snorted but hugged her back. Harley came off the elevator and got hugged too. "I've gotta introduce you to Jamie and his wife. They're a neat couple and in Greece."

Harley frowned. "Greece? You were in Greece?"

"We were in the Italian islands. They're going to Greece. Bill's going home to get married probably."

"Poor guy. Being stuck with a woman." He walked them back to the couch, picking up Morgan to hug her when she squealed and ran at him. "Hey, shorty."

"Harley!" She leaned back. "Hi, Peter!"

"Hi, Morgan!" He patted her on the head. She giggled and decided to make them all sit together so she could wiggle around their laps and talk to them. Pepper smiled, watching her talk to the ones who were like bigger siblings to her. It was good to have the kids home.

***

Natasha looked at the gathered Avengers members, handing over the two files and one sheet of paper. "These things are ones that Rumlow found. One he's handed to me to handle before he had to tell the agents about it and they revolted. The second, the agents below Hill are trying to create us a new science team." She looked at Steve, who shook his head slowly.

"And the third is the hunt order on Lewis to join that. Specifically her. Based on some earlier orders from Nick Fury and possibly Odin. I unbent myself enough to ask him and he said he thought Odin may have stepped in to suggest it to keep her from backing Jane up.

"Though, Thor could use some manhood lessons, Steve. He was off fighting a fun battle instead of being with his pregnant wife who had to have Loki protect her and help her through the labor." She smirked at him. "Darcy sharpened her nails and pulled him back to Jane's side by his cock. Literally. And brought Fenrir to meet the baby. Apparently Fenrir is a fond uncle already."

"His mother must be complaining in the afterlife," Steve said. "Mine would've found a way to come back to take care of those lessons herself."

Bucky stared at him. "My Ma would've heard first, Steve. Your Ma would've had to wait in line."

Sam nodded. "My mother would've killed me and everyone who had to witness her killing me so she didn't have to go to a trial. A fun battle?"

"Against a not very serious threat. He left her at nine months pregnant to go get into pointless battles with his troop of friends. Rumlow said that they think Darcy is an incarnation of Hela again."

Steve nodded once. "She won't kill anyone."

"Probably not," she agreed. "But we must handle the three issues."

They took them to look over. Sam waved his. "Does this say SHIELD is breeding the gay agents to get future agents?"

"Yes," Natasha said. "I've ended much of it but I'm having problems finding the rest of the lab team. I've blown up the sample vault, the vault I found for cloning agents, and the other two I found from HYDRA related scientists who had samples of unknown origins." She smiled at them. "Bucky, would you like to help since your name's on that list as well?"

"Yes," he said with a nod. "I'll be damned if there's another Red Room started," he said in Russian. She smirked and nodded. "Great. How many lab people?"

"I think five originally. It should be in there." He took the file to read over. Sam scowled but let him. She looked at Steve, who was reading that order. "Is that the same one?" He nodded once. "Can we end it?"

"Yes I will even if I have to take out a few agents." He looked up. "Rumlow?"

"Pouting. Darcy's remaining uptight. Though she has a skinned, sprained ankle."

"Someone get her?" Sam asked.

Natasha smiled, shaking her head. "They have cliff side slides that naturally formed there. She went down one that had a bit of a gap and banged it on a rock."

"That sounds like fun," Sam admitted. "Where were they?"

"Lipari." She smiled. "A beautiful island to hear Riri talk about it. She found the open lab on a rental site that was doing rentals of former HYDRA labs. They had been at one in Thailand before my team was sent to raid the base. My sniper had an extra set of orders from Hill to seriously injure her so she could be retrieved from the hospital. He retired once he made it out of the jungle by himself without any weapons."

Steve and Bucky nodded at that. "Nice," they said together.

"Yes I was as I only injured him," she noted. "So how do we end that one?"

"Make sure they can't try it again?" Steve offered. He handed the paper to Sam, who scowled at the wording. "Yeah, that's offensive and horrifying."

She raised a hand. "The original mission that got her hurt by HYDRA and let her meet Sam for her rescue, she had been forced onto. Rumlow did not know that. Or that he was to hand her to HYDRA for their uses with Bucky." Bucky sat up. She pulled up a picture of Darcy from her facebook page. "This is Darcy if you haven't met her."

"She's pretty."

"She could look like a dame from our years," Steve told him with a nod. "So they were gonna brainwash her, make you believe she was yours, and then have your kids."

Bucky stared at him. "I'm barely fertile."

"They have ways around that," Natasha reminded him.

"They need to leave his dick alone," Sam quipped. "Okay, so he didn't know?"

"No. He used a lighter sedative than they wanted so she woke up sooner. That night she sedated him and stabbed him. Then she was leaving and went back to get the knife for evidence, which woke him up so she stabbed him a second time." She smiled. "Then she fled with the dog she rescued. HYDRA picked her up about ten days later at a motel she was hiding in and begging for extraction. Which Hill didn't send. The STRIKE agents who helped her did it against orders and didn't tell Rumlow," she told Steve.

"Darcy's a sweet lady and not too many hate her after they know her," he said quietly. He shifted to put his feet up. "How do we end this once and for all so she's safe?"

"Remove Hill," she said. "And stop all the background orders and servers. Or as Rumlow said, bring it down again."

He nodded. "I can see that."

Bucky nodded. "That's evil, we do fight evil."

"I'm going to ask the bad question," Harley said as he, Riri, and Peter walked in. "Could this guy be doing all this himself to bring down SHIELD or to get his hands on her?"

"He's been moping over her for years," Natasha said. "But I never put anything past him. He was the head of STRIKE when he was there, Crossbones when he was HYDRA, and turned on them to kill HYDRA and at Fury's orders."

"So if we had Wonder Woman's lasso," Riri joked. "We could find that out?"

Natasha nodded. "There are truth serums but he's probably immune as HYDRA gave him a version of the super soldier serum." She sipped her water, shaking her head. "That's too elaborate for him to have done all this. That specific order? She was under the other one and Maria Hill does have a lot of interest in getting Lewis into SHIELD."

"Should've heard her complaining when Hill asked her to help with that bubble problem," Riri said. "She came in to do orientation for geek helping and they tried to induct her as an agent. Even though she had an iron clad contract saying she was not going to do that." She handed over a copy of it with a grin for the older woman. Natasha read it and moaned. "Yeah, they owe her for that. She stuck to it, they did not.

"They tried to sedative dart her to do her intake physical against her will. The agent she got with her taser had to retire according to her." She grinned. "They screwed with her car's alarm in the parking lot. Sent an ex boyfriend as an Uber driver to talk to her when Hill failed at the coffee shop next door. And then Melinda May showed up to talk to her. Darcy agreed to help with the problem because a few of those geeks trapped up there were good, even though it meant saving Justin Hammer too. But she wouldn't come near them.

"And the next day, somehow Rumlow showed up from his retirement in Corsica. He said Hill called him back specifically. They had a few quiet, intense talks about their personal history me and the boys didn't hear." She got into the system and pulled up the backup drive for the former lab's security system. "That's our former lab."

Natasha found the first time he was there, letting them see it. And the other meetings. "He didn't look at any information."

"No, he didn't." She grinned. "And he was horrified by the X-task box." She giggled. "Pity!"

Natasha looked at her oddly and got into the hotel's security files for the conference to look at that incident. "Oh!" She blinked a few times. "Who made that?"

"Andrew. Before my time," Riri told her. "No idea other than that and there's a signed contract."

Natasha looked at her. "The Stark tech?"

"She won it in a poker game against Tony."

"That figures," Sam muttered, shaking his head. "Who was that guy?"

Natasha grinned. "The one who tried to discredit her by saying she stole from Jane's work so she sued him for six million dollars. It got him all but banished from all grants." She looked at Riri. "Was she sane before Rumlow got her?"

"Starting to finally relax again?" She shifted her stance. "She was awfully paranoid back in DC, Romanoff. Like I didn't even know where her apartment was. Anyone she spent the night with was in a hotel room. When she rescued Jane from someone, Jane stayed in a hotel." Natasha winced.

"I know she had nightmares. She fell asleep in the lab a few times. The first one scared Bill into nearly peeing himself. She didn't talk about the reason behind them. She was finally starting to relax again as of last month when nothing had happened for six months. And then Rumlow showed up in the store I was buying groceries in. He did apologize for making her paranoid. Oh," she snapped her fingers. "He did something to his scars. He looked different now."

Natasha looked at the old film. "Scar tattooing?"

"Oh," Peter said with a nod. "That started for abused wives and people with a lot of scarring. They can tattoo in skin colored ink into a scar to make them a lot less noticeable."

"Interesting." She looked at the airport in Italy. "Which airport?"

"We flew out of Catania in Sicily. If I got the name right. Something like that."

She looked up that airport and hacked it, nodding. "He did fix the scar issues. That's how he looked before he had a building fall on him."

Steve was moving his jaw around like he was using his tongue to check his back teeth. "How hard is that?"

"Tattooing," Peter said. "So lots of needles."

Bucky frowned at his prosthetic arm then at them. "They can do any scars?" Peter nodded. "Interesting." He looked at his arm again. "I have a few I'd like to make less noticeable." Sam looked at him. "Not like I can hide the arm but I hate the scars in my chest," he said quietly.

"Sounds like a plan. Will tattoo ink work on you?"

"Yeah," Steve said. "I have two." He looked at Natasha then at the kids. "How do we help Darcy?"

"Help her find a safe location to set back up?" Riri suggested. "I have no idea where she'll be renting this time. The rental site doesn't have many smaller corporate areas that she could turn into a lab. We're not a machine heavy one but there's a few and a soldering station and a lot of computers."

"What is she working on?" Steve asked.

Riri looked at him. "No comment. It is classified and I have an NDA. It would build on Jane's work but not duplicate or even be that closely related for her side project. The main one? The alarm system for future aliens."

Steve blinked a few times. "Has she presented?" Bucky asked.

"That one, yes. At the conference actually." That got a nod from everyone. "She teased a formula that would go for nanite cloning. To make them easier." Natasha shivered at that. "Which that kit proved." She grinned. "She's gonna be one of those mad geniuses some day soon. Not sure if she'll be the Doc Brown type or the insane type or just the really angry one."

Peter looked at her. "Does she usually have a temper?"

"I think there's a reason why parts of Asgard think she's an incarnation of Hela," she told him then grinned. "And I think when she wants to be she can be." Sam nodded quickly at that. "I don't think she *wants* to be but sometimes it's gotta happen as she said."

Steve blinked a few times. "The Darcy I remember cried over hurt kittens in the alley."

"She still will. But if the guy who hurt 'em tries to hurt her she'll beat an ass," Riri told him.

Harley grinned. "I want to work with her for a bit!" He sighed. "She can mentor engineers, right?"

"Yeah, Bill was an engineer. Jamie was a wannabe satellite maker so combined the two. Darcy combined some of the two. I'm me so of course I did a lot of everything." That got a nod from Natasha. She smiled at Harley. "She'd probably love to have another intern sometime. Not sure if now is a good time though."

"Maybe in a few months then." He sat down. "So how can we help?"

"You're children," Natasha reminded them. "You may not. Even Peter may not unless we need his specific skill set or webbing." Peter rolled his eyes. "HYDRA is not a minor problem, Peter. They're not the street level crooks you deal with most often. It's not even as small as the Kingpin." He nodded at that. "And Rumlow is slippery. He was a high ranking SHIELD agent. He was a SEAL. He was HYDRA and a terrorist that stymied people for months on end. The only one who could probably bring him in is Jack Rollins."

"He's in Thailand," Riri quipped with a smirk for her. "We nearly ran into his back getting takeout to go to the airport with. Him and his boyfriend."

"That's a good thing to know in case we need to ask for his help," Natasha said. "Is she going to head back this way or in any direction?"

"When we moved to Lipari, the options were there, Paris but it was up the street from a SHIELD office, or the Outback. It depends on what's up for rent. She was muttering about maybe a house because there's nothing open."

"The Outback?" Bucky asked. "Why?"

"She said it was by that town that they mine opals in."

He blinked a few times, looking that up. "Well, it's tiny so anyone new would get noticed very fast." Riri grinned and nodded. "Can she handle that?"

"She met Jane in New Mexico."

"Point. Huh." He put his phone back up. "So it depends on the rental situation. Which site?" She pulled up the one she knew about. They scanned it for likely rentals, finding a few.

"Too small," she said. "Not enough electrical." She pulled up the last lab, which was now being offered for rent in another month.

"That is nice," Natasha said. "Pretty views." Riri grinned and nodded. "Wonderful. The one in Thailand isn't open. The ones who took that are morons that should be handled by someone local." She looked over it for that criteria. "Hmm. That one in Paris is impractical." Riri nodded. "The one in Albania isn't. A bit big for her needs though."

"So she wouldn't have to rent an apartment," Peter said. "She could outfit the lab as an apartment too. Saves money."

"True," she agreed, looking at him. "What would you two pick?"

Peter looked and pointed at something. "Middle of nowhere. Former office building. No one would expect an American astrophysicist there."

"Within thirty miles of a body of water she could escape through," Harley agreed with a nod. "There's one in the more wild parts of New Zealand. Up in the mountains. Pretty isolated. That was a house but it was a former ranch so lots of areas to work in." Natasha looked at that one. "Solar and wind turbine so free energy."

Riri looked then nodded. "That'd do. Plenty of power. She could set up things in the barn. Nice tub." She enlarged that picture. "I'd like that."

Natasha nodded. "Me as well. Clint's farm needs one of those." She kept looking, finding another few that would fit the kids' criteria.

"Go back," Harley ordered. She scrolled back up. "The blue thing." She looked and then at him. "That area had a mad genius who did robotics about twenty years ago. I recognize the town name. That's in the US though so would it be safe?"

"I don't know," Natasha admitted, adding in that to the search terms she was building. That brought up a few more areas and one did have a small garage with a wood working shop attached. "I never thought about where you could put a lab."

"Hers in DC was in a small, three room lab area," Riri offered. "The one in Lipari we took over the extra rooms as apartments. The decontam area had our bathroom."

"Which saved money," Harley agreed with a nod for her. "The interns cute?"

"One was married to an engineer and flirting freaked him out. The other one was young. So very young." She sighed, looking at him. "They were like Peter and didn't know how to talk to girls. Jamie said his wife pounced him at a college party one night and she nearly proposed to him but they got interrupted so he finally got some sense and did it himself."

She smiled at Peter than at Harley. "It was so like two Hindu Peters a lot of the time. I nearly called Bill Peter a few times. He got so confused." She grinned. "They're good boys. Even if Bill is already fighting his mother's plans to marry him off to some girl who can't read. His mother hates smart women. She was horrified that I was a woman and so was Darcy."

Natasha nodded. "That can happen in some old fashioned mothers." She looked at Steve then at Bucky.

"My mother would've demanded they could read pretty well," Steve quipped. "In case something happened she might need to work and smart moms made smarter kids who didn't work menial jobs."

Bucky shivered. "My mother told my sisters that too. It was practical."

Riri grinned. "And we prove they're right." She texted Bill, getting angry texts back from his mother. So she told her who she was and she was checking on him about how his telecommuting was going to work. She could set up the system for him if he was having problems. His mother clearly had the phone taken from her and Bill answered he had it and he was escaping that night. He had turned down her ideal girl twice already.

She looked up. "FRIDAY, can you ask Pepper if we have room for my former intern?" The AI popped up a text message from Pepper, who said that would be fine and Bill seemed charming even though he was having to industrial spy to save his niece. She grinned, sending that to him. He sent back he'd be there this week unless his mother tied him up. She told him to be careful, honor killings happened to guys too. He pointed out he knew and was 'going to the store now' so he'd talk to her soon. She put her phone down, watching it. Bill wrote when he got out of the area safely. She grinned.

Natasha looked at her. "He's coming here?"

"Had to escape his mother. She was threatening to tie him up. He turned down her dream wedding twice."

Natasha nodded. "That's probably helpful."

"I'm hoping she doesn't try to have him arrested before he can get out of the country." She considered it. "How does Darcy do that?" She looked up.

Natasha smiled. "There's many ways." Suddenly a guy appeared, looking startled. "Hi."

"Hey," Riri said with a wave. "This is Peter, that's Harley, my fellow adopted kids."

"Heimdall is *really* big. I feel so scrawny next to him," he said, sounding awed. "I can see why Darcy hugged him so often." He sat down with a sigh. "Thankfully my laptop doesn't have anything on it. Or my phone." He leaned his head on her shoulder, getting patted. "Thank you for the saving."

"Did you thank Heimdall? I didn't ask him."

"Yes, I did. He's *really* big. Totally muscular and *huge*. Thor might feel tiny next to him."

Natasha smiled at him. "He was when I saw him, yes. But he's also a very strong warrior."

Bill nodded. "I can see why."

"Was Darcy up there?"

"I didn't get to ask." He pouted. "Can we check on her?"

"I have no idea where Rumlow has her. Corsica has a few towns."

"His apartment is in the Saline quarter of Ajaccio." She smiled. "The capitol city. That's a touristy area."

"I know he speaks Italian," Riri offered.

"Corsica is owned by the French," Natasha said. "But they're close to Italy so it's probably normal." She hummed. "French and Italian have a lot of words in common as well. They both come off Latin."

"I do Spanish," Riri said. "I was learning Italian but I was still on little kid words. And yelling at guys in bar words. They're less leechy than American guys in bars but a bit more slimy and talking to my breasts. They all seem to think being a decathlon athlete in bed is the greatest thing but they have shit for style beyond many."

"TMI," Peter sang.

"Sorry, kid." She looked at Bill, who was blushing. "This is the Peter I compared you to." They waved at each other. "So how can we help, Mistress Natasha?"

Bill sat up, staring at her. "You're the scary redhead that Darcy had the bad dreams about but not the nightmares."

"I could be," she agreed with a nod. "I did work with her and Jane a few times." She looked at the guys then at them. "Bill, do you have any idea where she's heading?"

"No. She was muttering about having to rent a house because nothing was open when we left to hit the last ferry of the day. Sorry?"

"It's fine. We have people everywhere who'll tell us where she is when she pops into a grocery store to feed her candy habit," Sam said.

Riri looked at her. "She orders it from a small batch company in the Netherlands. One that doesn't fall back to slave labor to harvest the cocoa. I do not remember the name though."

"We can look that up," Natasha assured her. "There can't be that many." She looked that up as well. "How often does she order?"

"Every two months," Bill said. "Small box, many candy bars. She got us the ones we liked so we could have a chocolate party with her one day each month. It was our party to music day." Riri grinned and nodded.

Natasha smiled. "She is very good to her students." She added that to her list. The more unique data points the easier it was to search one person among seven or eight billion on the planet.

***

Darcy woke up again on Corsica. She could hear a tv running in the background in French. She looked at the phone next to her. Not hers. His probably. It was two days later. She got up, checking her ankle. It felt fine so she limped out there, staring at Brock's back since he was in the kitchen. "Did you drug me again?" she demanded quietly.

He looked at her. "No. The paramedic that treated your panic attack on the ferry did." She scowled. "We hit some rough water, sweetheart. The paramedic on board sedated you for that part of the trip and you lasted all the way here."

"It's been two days!"

"Yeah, and I was hoping you'd wake up today." He stared at her. "I'm not going to drug you."

"Where's my phone?"

"Your bag," he said with a point. "It's rang a few times but I haven't looked." She limped over to get that. "Ankle okay?"

"Bit sore but not swollen anymore."

"Good." He handed her a cup of coffee. "With milk and sugar?"

"Thank you." She sipped carefully in case it was hot.

"I'm not going to poison you."

"I was making sure I didn't burn my tongue." She took a bigger drink.

He looked over from cooking. "Omelette?"

"Too early for food."

"Okay. I can make one later." He went back to making his own lunch.

She sat down to look at the news, frowning. "What happened?"

"The ferry almost sank on the way back there. We were on the trip before then." He looked over. "Which is why you got sedated and even I took a benadryl to get a bit tired."

"Okay. Thank you for watching over me. My lab's stuff?"

"It's in storage in Sicily, waiting to be shipped."

"Okay. Thanks." She finished that cup of coffee, going to get more. He handed the pot over then a plate with a half omelette. She frowned at him.

"You should be starved."

"I usually take about an hour before breakfast if I don't skip it for brunch."

"It's nearly one. It is brunch." She nodded, settling down to nibble slowly through it and inhale the coffee. She looked at the cup then at him. "Yes, that's Italian coffee. It's a lot better than American swill." He grinned. "Not espresso, it's too late in the day for that." She nodded, ducking her head down to eat another bite and drink another lot of coffee. He grinned, shaking his head. "Any idea on the moving stuff yet?"

"Not really. Unless new things opened up." She got up to get her phone to look up the rental site. "Hmm. A mad genius' house. A workshop for wood working...probably has enough power to do the computers." She considered it. "Albania? Upper eastern Russia?" She hummed as she looked.

He looked at her. "The last two won't be safe."

"I'm an astrophysicist. Not one they'd want to steal."

"Not necessarily the truth," he said dryly. "They could want you to come to them."

"They won't."

"They have."

"They didn't want Jane and she was a nobel winner."

"She had Thor, Darcy. You don't have Thor." She scowled at him. "Seriously. You won't have a guard or the minions."

"The intern kids weren't minions. I fed them good chocolate bars."

"You didn't bake for them?"

"I haven't had a kitchen in the lab." She ducked her head down to eat another bite. "Where are we?"

"Ajaccio."

She blinked a few times. "I think I've seen that name on a map."

"We can go sightsee if you want," he offered.

"That's probably not safe."

He nodded. "Probably not. The very few places you shouldn't go I won't let you near."

"I was thinking the teams that are out to find me."

"They're working to end those."

"That's good. Thank you." She dug into the food again, getting up to get another cup of coffee. He smiled but fed her addiction well. And her very well. She ended up napping on the couch after she ate.

He sipped his own cup of coffee, shaking his head. "Still paranoid." He wanted to help her change that but he doubted she'd let him. Which sucked. He had overplayed his hand before. He'd try for more subtle this time if she'd let him. He went to nap in his own bed since she had the couch. He had been a gentleman. Because she would've stabbed him again if he had curled up next to her to nap.

He woke up that night and she was gone. He had no idea where. She had left a nice thank you note in the bathroom on top of his hairbrush. He rolled his eyes at that move. He moved to search for where she had went. She had tickets to Albania but there was a connecting ticket to Paris, and from there he was stymied. The French wouldn't cooperate. "She's probably staying in Albania because I said it was dangerous," he muttered. "The ticket to Paris is probably a false lead."

***

Darcy got out of the cheap, used car she had found when she had gotten off the plane in New Zealand. So Brock had been right, they were false leads. It had just taken all her airline points to do that. But she was here for now. And it was gorgeous. No animals on the farm but a nice barn. Nice looking house with a slight roof tilt in one area. Which she could totally have fixed if the landlord wouldn't. She looked at the POD container, going to start her unpacking. She had gotten two outfits to travel in since all her clothes were packed but that was a very minor bag to carry inside. The computers were a lot heavier.

***

Riri met with Natasha and Steve the day after she officially moved into the lab with Bill helping her. She turned on her lab stool, looking at them. "What's up, guys?"

"We cannot find her anywhere," Steve said.

She nodded. "She's paranoid. I'm sure she's hiding as hard as she could. She did in DC. She almost never went out."

"Did she have a doorman on her last apartment?" Natasha asked. Riri shrugged. "You don't know?"

"No. I have no idea where she lived beyond not Arlington. She badmouthed the politicians that lived there."

Bill nodded from his desk. "She never mentioned anything and her driver's license had a PO box on it." He looked over. "She had all her GPS tracking things disabled. We had to try to figure out where she was a few times when she was late to something important."

"I've gotten an email but she uses a VPN out of Germany," Riri told them. "It said she's fine, she's free of Rumlow, and she's missing having interns to hook up stuff for her."

"May I?" Natasha asked. Riri pulled it up for her. She read it over, grimacing. "It has no substance." She tried to track it and ran into the VPN. She tried to track that account but it was a higher level of security. Which would bring attention Darcy didn't need or want. "Do we have any idea on where she went?"

"She used her airline points to make a ticket to Albania and then Paris," Bill said, straightening up to look at her. "But I doubt she used them."

Natasha sighed but nodded. "That is something many could do." She considered it. "So we can rule those areas out."

"She might like Paris," Steve offered.

"With a SHIELD office there?" Natasha asked. "Plus that would give them an advantage because SHIELD has always been in Europe. Being in the wilds of Asia would be a bit more iffy for them being nearby."

"Or South America," Bill agreed. "There's some great observatories down that way."

Riri nodded at that. "But they keep asking about Foster."

"True. Which makes Darcy roll her eyes and show off pictures of the wedding."

Natasha nodded at that, looking calm. "That does make sense." She went to look at the rental site. Most of the ones they had looked seriously at were taken now. Which was a problem. It hadn't even updated in a day.

They would never find her that way.

***

Darcy looked up as Jane appeared with the baby, taking him to cuddle since he was super fussy. "What's wrong?" she asked. "You look weird and he's got a fever."

"I think he got poisoned. Thor's...weird."

"Okay. Get a healer? A good one you might trust?" Jane went to do that and came back with one in Brunnhilde's hands. "Hey. The healer?" The Valkyrie nodded. "Okay. The baby's sick," she said. Jane was fretting and kicking a wall. She let the healer have him and she moaned as she tested him. "What's wrong with him? Is it something simple or easy? Something normal?"

"No, he's been poisoned," the healer admitted. Jane kicked extra hard.

"Jane, rental," Darcy said. She looked at the healer again. "Can you tell what poisoned him and therefore possibly who?"

"Nay, Lady Darcy. I can tell he has been. There's one better at them but the Queen does not appreciate her viewpoint." She glanced at Jane then at Brunnhilde.

"She tried to stab the baby at his blessing," Brunnhilde said dryly. "Is there another?"

"On Vanaheim?"

"Can you summon them?" Darcy asked. The healer nodded and Jane took the baby back before she could disappear with him. Darcy looked at her. "Where's Fenrir?"

"Back with Loki."

"They can both stay here for a bit. I've been bored," Darcy offered looking at Brunnhilde. "What's wrong with Thor this time?"

"He insists it's all a play."

"Have we slapped the living fuck outta him?"

"Yes." The Valkyrie smiled and nodded. "Twice now. Loki swears it is not his doing."

"Could it be the same poison?"

The healer returned. "Nay, the king's mind isn't muddled, he's just...being like his younger self," she complained. "He did this much as a child when things he didn't want to see happened." The other healer appeared and she was an old crone of a woman. "Healer Elmira, this is Lady Darcy, Queen Jane, Princess Brunnhilde, the regent, and Prince Eric. He has been poisoned."

The older woman came forward. "Let me see him," she ordered calmly and quietly. Jane handed her son over. She checked, grimacing. "Thrist leaves." She looked at the younger healer. "Why not ask for your senior healer?"

"I ended up tripping her during the blessing so she lost the dagger she was going to stab him with," Darcy said.

"The other one," Brunnhilde said. "The one with the red cloak."

"Oh, snotty woman. Yeah, I blocked her view as she started to mutter about how wrong the child was."

The older woman grimaced. "She was always a bitch," she sighed. "We can treat this, Queen Jane." Loki appeared and she guarded the baby from him. "What did you want?"

"I'm the child's guardian," he said. "Because Thor was off doing Thor things." He looked at Darcy. Who grinned and waved. "Fenrir, she has a yard you can borrow," he called. The wolf being showed up to sniff the baby and lapped him a few times. "What's happened?"

"Thrist leaves," the younger healer said.

"How on earth?" he demanded, looking at Jane. "Purple, spiny leaves?"

"I had one removed from his nursery. He hadn't gotten a chance to chew on it. He can't move himself yet. I saw it being placed and sent it off because it stunk and it was spiny so probably dangerous."

"So someone fed it to him," the senior healer said. "How? Is he not nursing?"

"I don't have much milk," Jane said. "Half the bottle is my milk I've pumped, the rest is a formula. They had a fit that I wouldn't go to a wet nurse for everything."

The older woman rolled her eyes. "They hate you for being from a lesser lived people, Queen Jane."

"I know that and I usually kick them around for it." She grinned. "Can it be cured?" She petted Fenrir. "Easily cured?"

"Yes. There's treatments. We'll do his usual checks to make sure he's healthy and progressing normally as well."

Darcy pointed. "I have some herbs planted but not that many if they'll help. I can run to get a clean can of formula too."

"Please, Lady Darcy," the younger healer sighed. Loki nodded that was a good idea so she grabbed her keys and shoes to do that.

Loki looked at the senior healer then at the younger one. "What's Thor doing now? I've only heard a rumor. I've been at my own house recently."

"He's thinking this is all a great play."

"His mother used to have him treated with enemas to cure that backed up state," Loki said dryly.

"There's home kits available down here so he can do it in the privacy of our suite," Jane offered with a grin. "If it'll help. That way no one can talk about him having to do that." She looked at Brunnhilde. "Who takes over if something happens and he's still doing this?"

"I do," she said. "I'm the baby's chosen regent." Jane sighed and nodded. "I will smite Thor if he makes me do that."

Loki grinned. "Have fun with that. I have." Darcy came back with a bag. "That was fast."

"The nearest store's only about a mile away." She gave Fenrir a ham bone she had bought. He woofed and laid down to chew on it. The healer took the formula to look over, nodding as Jane made a clean bottle. Darcy had a few spares in case she had to babysit. Not tampered with by anyone on Asgard. She settled in to feed the baby to keep him calm while they worked on the cure.

The healers gave it to him and it made him fuss at his tummy ache, plus cry at his runs it caused. By that night he was better. The healers were pleased. The old one was very grandmotherly and fussed at him and Fenrir. She did admit the wolf being was a good napping friend for the baby so the baby was happy with that.

Darcy went up there with the healers. She walked past Heimdall, patting him on the arm. "I'm about to call his mother back."

"She is gone," he said.

She smiled. "Jane miscalibrated her bridge once and out came the dead." He shuddered. She went to talk to Thor first. He was looking amused at her. "Thor, your son is healed."

"He was not ill."

"Bullshit."

"It was all a..." Darcy walked up to him and slapped him. "Darcy!"

She glared. "It was not a play, Thor. None of this is a play for your amusement! Your son nearly died. Again!" she shouted. "I don't know what's infected you but damn!" He scowled. She stared at him. "You know what I'll do to you if you hurt Jane or the baby."

"They are fine!"

"They are now! Since we had to get two healers down to work on him!"

Thor frowned. "Tis a play!"

"Tis not a play! And watch me call back your mother!" He shuddered, shrinking away from her. "Fuck it. Take me to Jane's bridge," she ordered. The guards stared at her. "Now, bitches! This take's a mother's touch. And maybe en enema according to the healers."

"She is dead, Darcy," Thor said, standing up.

"I know that." They took her to the bridge terminus again and she fiddled with it, then smiled and adjusted it a bit more. She stepped onto it and stared at the waiting spirit. "Not you, Odin. Where's your wife? It'll take a mother's hand this time."

"Who are you to make demands," he sneered. She hit him too, knocking him backwards. He shuddered, feeling Hela stroll closer.

Darcy looked at her. She had talked to Hela greatly to try to get her to stop killing beings, sharing history with her. Hela and she understood each other, and Hela knew she had to stop her to save Asgard, so didn't hate her at least. The smile on the Goddess of Death's face showed she was still amused by her. And maybe wanted to kiss her again, which Darcy might not mind. "Thor needs to talk to his mother. His son was poisoned and he thinks it's a play. Can we borrow her shade, Hela?"

"Yes. I think that would be amusing." She smirked at her. "You do me proud."

"Sometimes a woman has to be a bitch in the face of idiots." She pulled out her phone to show off something. "Fenrir has really taken to the little boy. They're cutely cuddly together. They share nap times."

Hela looked and smiled, melting some. "He was such a ferocious one."

"He still is; anyone comes near Eric they get eaten." A female walked over. "Ma'am, we need Frigga. Can you tell her that her elder son is thinking things are a play again? Before I assassinate a king?"

The woman nodded, floating off faster than she had floated over.

Frigga strolled over, staring at her. "Darcy!"

"I am. And your elder son's a moron I'm going to kill because he thinks his son being poisoned by Thrist leaves was a play."

"Hmm. He needs another enema."

"We can get him a kit to do it at home," Darcy quipped. "Midgard has plenty of them." She smiled at Hela. "Thank you."

"The bridge closes," Hela warned. Darcy held up something and pushed it. "What does that do?"

"It summons Jane Foster." She grinned.

Hela moaned. "You two do my history proud, Lady Darcy."

She grinned. "When a woman has to be, she has to be." They walked back through the portal. Hela let it close again but she looked quite amused. Heimdall was really pale for someone so dark skinned. Darcy grinned at him. "Behold, Lady Frigga has reappeared to talk to her errant son." People staring screaming and ran. "Sure, you do that," she called after them and waved. "We'll talk in a few minutes!" She smiled. "I'll follow as a handmaiden, Lady Frigga."

"Thank you, Darcy. Jane?" Jane smiled, letting her see her grandson. "He is quite adorable."

The healers bowed to her. "He grows as one of us, My Queen," Healer Elmira said quietly. "He is truly Thor's son."

"Of course he is. He's very stubborn." She noticed Fenrir. "Hello."

"This is Fenrir, Lady Frigga," Darcy said with a smile and a wave. "C'mere, she won't hurt you." He came closer to sniff her then plucked the baby to carry him off to cuddle and protect him. "Okay, come tell us if he needs changed or bring him to us if you have to protect him, Fenrir." She got woofed at.

The younger healer stared at it oddly. "He's protective?"

"He's very protective," Jane said with a grin. "They share nap times. Fenrir was trying to teach him how to play fetch the other day."

The healers smiled and nodded because that had to be cute. "A pet is good for a boy," the elder healer agreed. They followed the spirit queen, the present queen, and the omen of doom back to the throne room. Thor looked up and stood up suddenly, mouth open.

"Do sit down and hush," Frigga ordered quietly.

"Darcy, what have you done?" he demanded.

"I asked Hela if we could borrow her so she could see her grandson." She smiled. "That way he learns the good points of the family from someone who loves him." Loki strolled in, pausing at the sight of his mother. He licked his lips but Darcy grinned at him. "This way she can talk to her son and grandson and tell him family stories so he learns about the good members of the family."

Loki nodded once. "How did you do that?"

"Jane's bridge. She miscalibrated it once and got to talk to Eienstein."

"Ah," he said weakly, looking at Jane, who smirked and nodded. "I see." He cleared his throat. "The babe?"

"Fenrir has him."

"You cannot get much more protective than him," he said calmly. His mother stared at him. "Mother." He nodded at her.

She smiled, floating over to pat him on the cheek. "At least I never had to order you cleaned out so whatever body blockage was cured." She floated over to look at her elder son. "Darcy, do come hit him for me, dear?"

"Gladly." She came to hit Thor again until he ducked away from her and tried to get away. She smiled at Frigga. "I told him if he hurt her or the baby I'd be the last one he saw as I threw his barely living body into a deep lake."

"As true family would say to protect a sister," Frigga said, smiling at Thor. "You are having that problem with plays again?" she asked calmly.

"Mother, it must be. There's none who would harm the child. They all love that we have a prince!"

The senior healer stepped forward. "Thor, no one loves your wife's people. They think her weak because her people don't share our life essence. They think the babe weak for the same reason. They will never love a child not from an Aesir mother." He slumped, staring at her. "I treated your son for Thrist leaf poisoning. It was in his formula."

"He does not nurse?"

"A real father would know that," Jane noted. "And no, he's partially on formula too. I don't produce a lot of milk."

Darcy looked at her. "Might help if you put on weight again."

"I know!"

"We can go bake, Jane."

"Nay, she does not need it," Thor said. He scowled at her. "She is very womanly, Darcy!"

"Thor, she's ten pounds underweight."

"More like thirty," the senior healer sighed, staring at her. "Yes, you shall bake, Queen Jane."

"Yes, ma'am." She ducked her head.

Thor stared at the healer. "But..." The healer slapped him, making him hold his cheek. "How dare you!"

"Shut up before I have Lady Darcy do it for me," the healer ordered. "She seems quite fit for that." She stared at him. "I doubt an enema would actually cure your problems but if we must and your mother thinks so I'm game to try it." He blushed, backing away.

"We have home kits on Midgard," Darcy told him. "So you don't have to go to the healer's area to do one. You can do one once a week or so if it helps."

He scowled at her. "You are turning evil."

"Gay men do it all the time, Thor. Right before they have sex."

He slumped again, scowling at her. "That is mean."

"Uh-huh. And you've let your son nearly die and your wife suffer. I'm pretty sure Asgard has at least one deep lake."

"Five miles to the north," Loki said with a point. His mother gave him a look and he piped down again. A guard rushed in and he stared at him, shaking his head. "Do not interrupt," he hissed.

"That feral wolf has the prince!"

Darcy stared at him. "Fenrir isn't feral. He's a great guardian for the baby. He actually likes to nap with the baby. And if you touch either one I'm going to come out there to fix all this shit." The guard laughed until she grabbed his arm and walked him out there. "Let's go chat while Thor talks to his mother about his mental issue." The guards were threatening Fenrir.

"Hey." He handed her the baby. "Okay, come with me. I'll yell at the idiots." She let the guard go, letting him run off. She turned to scream at the guards. It was very stress relieving. Fenrir hid behind her for now. When she was down to panting, the guards were shrinking away from her. "Do not harm Fenrir. Or the baby!" she snarled. "Am I clear!"

"Yes," they called, sounding scared.

"Who be you?" one yelled.

"I'm Darcy. The Lightening Sister."

"Thank you for sparing us," that idiot begged.

She stared at him. "I don't like to kill people. Some people beg for it by harming my near-sister and her son, but I don't *like* to." They nodded so she walked off with the wolf. They gave her an honor guard all the way back there. Thor was sitting with his head on what would be his mother's lap, letting her pet over his hair. Darcy grinned. "We're okay."

She handed the baby to Jane and moved to check Fenrir. He growled at one point. "Is that an injury? Let me see, Fenrir." He whined. "Let me see." She moved the fur to look. "Someone stabbed you, baby. We gotta get that cleaned up and bandaged." She looked around. "First aid kit?" The younger healer came over to heal it. Darcy hugged her. "Thank thee, Healer."

"Welcome, Princess Darcy." She petted Fenrir. "I did not imagine you were that wise or that soft." She went back to stand beside her elder. A few other healers came in and Healer Elmira went off on them.

Darcy grinned at Fenrir. "I want to be a lady like her some day, only without being a healer. Insides are icky." He lapped her and cuddled her, whining at Jane. Who sighed and handed back the baby so they cuddled up together. Darcy curled up against them to rest for now too.

Jane watched her fall asleep then sighed in displeasure. "She's not taking good care of herself. Again." She looked at her mother-in-law. "If there's going to be such problems, I've been told Eric and I would be welcome back in the Stark labs." Thor stared at her. "I don't want people to try to kill me or him because they're hateful jackasses, Thor. I thought your people were more evolved. Turns out people are people and if we stay here they'll just keep getting mad."

"Nay, I will fix this," he vowed. "And nag Darcy for treating me like that."

"She knows I don't want to abuse you," Jane said firmly, staring at him. "I will if I need to over my son."

"Our son," he said just as firmly.

"If he was your son you'd be helping me with him," she said. "Walking him, cuddling him, reading to him, feeding him, changing him, bathing him, all that parent stuff."

He swallowed, looking at his mother, who nodded. "Even Odin had to change a few diapers, Thor."

He swallowed again, nodding. "I will do better, Jane. If I do not, you can go back and I will seek help for my faults."

"Fine." She looked at Frigga. "Are you staying? I could use someone to talk to."

"For now," she agreed. She smiled at the young woman. "I had many problems but they were never this bad. It will take a mother's hand to fix it. Before your handmaiden destroys Asgard in Hela's place."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Darcy is very concerned at social problems. And with our health."

"I understand what sisters are like, dear. I had one for many years." She stood up, floating over to her. "We will talk later. A lot of that will mean a staff change. Which would be a welcome gift at this moment." She glared at someone. "You harmed the baby's guardians?"

"They're evil!" she protested with a point.

"Evil is harming someone that has not harmed you," Frigga shot back. "Such lessons are not for my grandson to learn."

"He is weak," she spat. "His mother is weak." Jane punched her and knocked her down. "You'll pay for that, witch!" Which woke Darcy up and she got up to help Jane. "Two of you?"

Jane looked and held out a hand, getting the hammer to her. "Really? Am I?" The woman gasped and fled for her life. "Darcy, let me hit them?"

"Of course. My hands hurt. Thor has a rock jaw." She went to check the baby and Fenrir. "You are more than welcome to come where I'm staying right now, Fenrir. It's really boring there by myself. So you can come cuddle me whenever you want. Because you're a good boy no matter what bitches say about you." The wolf being doggy grinned, getting a hug back. "Good boy. Let me change that messy butt." She took the baby back to go change him. Loki escorted her to make sure she was safe. She grinned at him. "They're both very good boys. And you try awfully hard too, Loki."

He smirked. "Only as an act."

"Uh-huh." She found the nursery and changed him after checking to make sure things weren't poisoned. Then she walked him back there. "Here we go, one clean butt." She held him up. Thor was kissing his wife and his mother was sniffling. "Aww, they made up, Eric. Can you coo at mommy for that?" The baby squealed and bounced in her arms.

Brunnhilde looked at him. "That's loud. It's an excellent field command voice." Darcy laughed at that. "Many work their whole lives to get a voice that strong." She took him to hold, letting him curl up on her shoulder. "He begged for another chance."

"If Jane's happy I'm okay with that. I've still got a plan in case he hurts her or the baby though."

Brunnhilde nodded. "I'll make sure you have a cart to carry him so you don't have to drag him all that way." They hugged. Fenrir stole the baby again to cuddle with him and Loki went back to his seat rolling his eyes.

Jane looked at Darcy. "Thor says you're mean."

"For a good reason."

"Yeah, it was. Though he's worried Hela will come back."

"She thought Fenrir cuddling the baby was adorable too. She fully smiled at that."

"Dogs and kids should go together," Jane agreed, grinning at her. Darcy grinned back. "We need to get you up here more often. You're too alone."

"Yeah but SHIELD came back. Again."

"Heimdall told us."

"Hmm. They're still trying. I really do need to see if that agent did sneak off. If not, he's still locked in the old grain room." She considered it. "Did I leave him water?"

Loki sighed, looking at her. "Your mind is tired, Lady Darcy."

"Yeah, I can't risk anyone right now so I'm pretty much alone."

"That one that admires you would help you."

She stared at him. "There's history there, Loki. Including bad shit that got me tortured." He winced. "While he was good in bed before then. No. He drugged me, he was going to give me to HYDRA. I got tortured for a few days thanks to that. I'm tired of running but I'd probably never take him back. I think I'm just an unobtainable fantasy for him. The last time his life was really normal."

"Possibly. I can talk to him for you."

She smiled. "Thanks for the offer but not really needed. I can't really appear in places until they've fixed the order to capture me, rape me to make me quiet down, and then use my mind for their own ends." Jane growled. "And maybe I'm paranoid but I don't know if he had anything to do with that beyond being sent to mysteriously show up and flirt while helping me move."

Frigga looked at her. "He did aid you?"

"I'm some fantasy in his mind, Lady Frigga. He doesn't want *me* he wants the fantasy that he can go back to that point and make things better. He was the first person I stabbed because he drugged me so he could hand me over. Thankfully I woke up and escaped."

Frigga winced. "No, that is not a sound relationship."

"No. I'm happy he helped me get away this last time but I ...I'm not desperate and I don't do abusers."

"I agree, it's not wise," Loki said, frowning. "You need a guardian of your own."

"Yes but that would get them harmed. I don't want someone hurt because they were helping me." She shifted. "I hate people being hurt because of us."

Jane nodded. "It does suck greatly." She looked at Thor.

"She knows she could seek sanctuary up here."

"Yeah but then the accusations of me sucking off Jane's science will come back," Darcy said. "Even if we're not working on the same things. It nearly ruined my career a few times."

"They tried to do it to me too. Erik Selvig had to tell them off and they left him alone because he's a guy. Now they're looking at her like they looked at me." Darcy nodded. "It could be safer to have someone there to guard you though."

"Not really. How would I know if they're tainted by SHIELD? Any intern would be a target and they'd discredit them if they didn't give in. Hill tried that one on one of my papers and I came out swinging again. She's hating that lawsuit that's grown by more counts. The judge hates it too. He might try to dismiss it but I'll file it the hell again."

Jane gave her a hug. "You don't do well alone, Darcy."

"I know. But sometimes you gotta."

"Go back to Stark?"

"I can't. They don't want me. Pepper said it'd be dangerous for me because SHIELD's still there. I've avoided Rogers and Romanoff trying to find me a few times. Hill's thing is to give them a dedicated science team to take the place of Stark. Thankfully Riri knows that."

"She was a good scientist." She cuddled her. "We'll figure it out. You could have a vacation."

"This is one. It's a lot more fun than the farm sometimes." Some man stomped in looking like a priest. Darcy moved between him and the wolf being and kid. "Were you invited to this talk?"

"You have no place here," he sneered. She zapped him with her tazer, making him scream. "How dare you! Odin will damn your soul!"

"Oh well. Then again, isn't he dead?"

Frigga floated over. "Leave her be!" The man flinched away from her but tried to pray at Hela to take her back. "Do get hm again for me, dear." Jane took the tazer and used the hammer on the man, making him scream as it sent him out the window and onto the courtyard's bricks. "Well that will do. Though it may start rumors."

Jane smiled. "Whoever be worthy," she quoted. Frigga grinned and nodded, looking at her son.

"I find her very worthy, Mother." He took his hammer back. Someone else stomped in to complain. He kept Jane from taking it again. He lost because Darcy got him with a light zap so he had to let it go. Then Jane hit this one too, stomping out to go yell at people. They saw her with the hammer and fled because that meant she was worthy of the throne.

Darcy nodded. "I like her temper sometimes." Thor rolled his eyes, following Jane to calm her down. She looked at the baby, who was awake but happy being cuddled. "They'll be right back or I'll steal you for a few days of auntie time." She winked and grinned. "You can both come hang out with me."

Frigga stared at her. "You could have your own."

"Which would put them in danger. That would be a hostage someone could take to make me help them."

"True," she sighed. "That is a dilemma, my dear. Loki, can't you fix that for her?"

"I've handled a bit of it that worried Heimdall." Darcy stared at him oddly. "I have."

"Who?"

"A search team last week at the place you supposedly rented." He grinned. "They were most unsatisfactory. So now they wander a woods searching for a bunny named Darcy." She walked over to hug him. He grinned at his mother. "She thinks me good, Mother."

"I have hopes that you are," she shot back. "I know you can be, son." He rolled his eyes. Darcy let him go and went back to gather the baby and wolf being to go home. Jane was still yelling at someone out there and some people were screaming about being hit by the hammer. He made sure they got back to the farm, taking the tied up one to send him somewhere less hospitable and safer for the babe. Darcy was too soft hearted.

Frigga sighed, sitting on her former throne. They would finish working this out later and Jane would go snatch her son back from his aunt.

***

Jane looked around a few days later, frowning at the quiet in the room. "Are we missing the baby?" she asked Thor, who nodded. "I'll go get him from Darcy tomorrow then."

He pulled her back down beside him. "One more night won't hurt."

She looked at him. "Daddy time has to do some waiting, Thor, and we're not having another child for a good, long time if ever." He pouted. "Do you remember how sick I got with him? How much weight I lost and all that?" He pouted but nodded. "So yeah, it's going to be a while. I've got things I want to do and I can't do that while pregnant because you turned hyper overprotective and kept me out of the lab. I'm miles behind on my own work."

"You don't have to...." he started, staring at her.

"That's like asking you to give up fighting ever again."

"Oh." He nodded, looking at his hands. "I can understand that. I do not want you hurt or your mind to go stale." She nodded, settling in again. "How do other couples do such when they have a young child?"

"They often don't have a lot of time for things like personal matters until their child is a bit older." She stared at him. "Sometimes you hire a babysitter just to get a nap if the baby won't sleep." He nodded at that. "I realize we have more help than usual but I don't trust most of them."

"We will find ones that will not hurt the babe," he said quietly, cuddling her. "Thankfully we do have one who would love to watch our son often."

"She's got to work too, Thor."

"Yes she does," he agreed with a nod. "I agree with that. He needs his parents around more often."

She nodded. "He does. Both of them." He nodded, looking patient. "Even if we did, it'd probably be a daughter so she'd follow me into science. Our son may."

"He'll have to follow me," he reminded her.

She smiled. "He can do both."

"The hammer must find him worthy of the throne or we must have an heir who is."

She nodded. "I'm aware of that but what the hammer thinks is worthy isn't always what good people are. If Odin was worthy then the measurement device is skewed toward warlords and warriors instead of people who want their people to have peace and prosperity."

"I had not thought on that," he admitted. "Nor do I like it."

She stared at him. "You're very bored when your people aren't fighting, Thor."

"True." He considered it then nodded. "I am because I trained for wars and battles, not peace and quiet times." He cuddled her again. "We will work this out, my Jane."

"I know we will." She knew she could always go back to the labs if they didn't. He knew she was serious about that threat. He'd pout a lot but it'd be like a divorce. He'd either come around or she'd be with her son. She checked the time and sighed. "It's the middle of the night."

"Aye. Darcy can handle him for a few more hours probably." He looked toward the door. "Is there news from Lady Darcy?" he bellowed.

"Nay, sire!"

"Thank thee."

Down on Midgard, Darcy was looking at the non sleeping baby, who was a bit fussy but sighed and took him outside to show him the stars. His mom liked stars. His dad liked nighttime. Fenrir padded out with them so they were safe enough for now. The baby stared at the sky, looking surprised. Darcy grinned at him, pointing out constellations and that the trees at night were pretty.

The baby sucked on his fingers, liking this calm auntie time. She finally got tired and brought him inside so they could nap together. She didn't have a crib handy. Fenrir curled up on the bed around them so they didn't need a blanket either. This was a really nice night for the baby to giggle his way through. He finally drifted off, snoring into Fenrir's side and it was nice. Maybe someday Darcy would think about kids. If she ever felt safe again.

When Fenrir heard people he looked up and barked quietly. Darcy shifted to cuddle the baby, pulling him closer but didn't wake up.

"Go water a bush. I've got it," Thor told him. He smiled at his son being cuddly. "Good morning, son," he said quietly. His son woke up and screamed at him. "Well, that's not pleasant to your aunt." He ducked the stabbing from Darcy. "Darcy, it's me."

Darcy blinked at him. "Thor." She looked down. "I know, he woke you up." She sat up, cuddling him until he calmed down. "Is that better?" He huffed and glared at his father but cuddled into her shoulder. "He was being nocturnal last night."

Jane came in with his morning bottle, shaking her head. "He is?"

"Yeah, we talked about stars and how pretty the light made the trees for a few hours."

"You don't do that with me. You fall asleep in the lab."

"Lab time isn't night time."

"I didn't think about that." She took her son to look at. "You need a bath. You're covered in Fenrir's fur, Eric." She walked him off feeding him his breakfast. He was happy with that, kicking and wiggling. Fenrir looked over. "You need a bath too." The wolf being stared at her. "And brushed." She petted some of the loose fur off. "We can do that." She grinned. "Or you can ask Darcy to brush you if you want. Then come up in a few days? That way you get some time away from the baby?" Fenrir padded back inside and grabbed the brush for Darcy to hopefully use. He gave her the most hopeful look with it in his mouth.

"Of course I can brush you!" She sat up to do that then looked at his fur. "Let's do that outside so the birds can take the fur for their nests?" He padded out with her to do that. He got a thorough brushing, making him a happier wolf. Thor was looking confused. "It's what people who work with animals and have animal friends do, Thor. Not like he can do it himself and he'd get a hairball like a cat." Fenrir stared at her. "I know but he's never had a pet." Fenrir grinned at Thor, letting the nice one spoil him with attention.

Jane looked at him. "She did the same thing to me. Always fussing at you. It's why I kept on any weight for a few years." Fenrir leaned over to lap her on the cheek. Darcy was happy taking care of him.

Thor was still confused by pet ownership things that Darcy was doing but someone else had taken care of the hunting hounds the palace shared so he wasn't used to a personal pet.

***

Darcy looked up from trying the newest invention when Jane came back without the baby. "Problems?"

"Bored stupid, and Heimdall said you were testing the new thing?"

"I am getting ready to." She held up the caged guinea pig. "Just in case it's not safe for a person yet." She checked them again, having to hike off to the other plate. Then she came back to set the guinea pig on it and set it off. On the other plate, the guinea pig and cage manifested. Jane squealed, going to check on it, make sure it was safely all right. "I've done some weight tests with inanimate objects, mostly rocks, and it takes a bit longer after three hundred pounds." Jane grinned, petting the thing. "I know I don't have a distance skew under five miles."

"I can try it," Jane said.

"And have half of Asgard on my ass if something happens? Pass!"

Jane rolled her eyes and got one of the guards down there. "Test this for Darcy so I can."

He sighed, looking at the Princess of Asgard. "This invention does what?"

"Jane, put him down and press the blue button. The red is cancel."

She did that and the guard watched as it changed location. "All right," he decided with a nod. "We'd rather the queen not test this, Princess."

"Which is why you're going first," Jane quipped with a grin for him.

He sighed but nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"I've done a lot of safety tests," Darcy assured him. "There's a slight extra few seconds when you're over three hundred pounds but it's proven safe for the last few months."

He sighed but stepped onto the plate system, letting Darcy send him over. It took a few seconds but he did reappear. "That is a weird feeling. It feels like you're being twisted around but without pain." Darcy grinned. "And the time between I did not see anything horrendous."

"Did you have vision during it?" Darcy asked.

"Nay." He looked at the queen. "We'd rather you not test it until a few more have been sent, Queen Jane. The king would have our heads."

"Jane tested the bridge on herself first. She didn't even test with rocks, sheep, or guinea pigs. By the way, Jane, he's going to Eric."

"That's fine. He's a good age for a pettable thing in a cage to love." Fenrir came trotting over. "Hey, Fenrir." He barked and lapped her then strolled over to lap Darcy. He looked at the plate then her.

"It's not big enough for you to stand on and the only one that is, we have a weird wobble with three plates. We don't have a fourth one made. Later. I'll take one of these out and let you test it." He nodded, settling beside her by laying on the ground to stare at Jane and the guard. She looked down.

"The guinea pig is Eric's new pet so he learns to love all fuzzy things. Don't eat it." Fenrir sighed but nodded. "Thanks. I know you've had a lot of fun hunting bunnies." She reached down to pet him. "And the spider that got into my bedroom. Thank you especially for that." He doggy grinned at her. She grinned back and tested a few more things.

The guard noticed Jane moving toward the target and pulled her away gently. "My queen, perhaps Heimdall should test it first?" he offered with a smile. "There hasn't been many females through it."

"The guinea pig is," Darcy said. "And if it was female specific I didn't know that about Heimdall. Considering the way I've seen a few of the younger girls staring at his body, I doubt others do either."

He blushed but nodded. "We can have him appear with one of the maids."

Darcy sighed. "Let me get the bigger target for boxes." She came back with that set, removing the other set from the system and installing those. She plugged them in and finished the installation. "There, that should do. Fenrir, wanna go first?" He nodded, getting up to come be tested on. It took a few extra seconds beyond what it took the guard but he did appear. "Was that too weird?" she asked him, getting a doggy grin and him shaking his head. "You sure? I know you're a lot bigger, Fenrir, and I don't want you hurt." He trotted back to lap her and settled down again.

Heimdall appeared, looking at Darcy as he handed over the maid. "I made sure she is not pregnant and a healer will be right down to make sure it has no harm on a body." The healer appeared behind them and walked around to test Darcy first, then frowned. "She is not well?"

"I've got an IUD in," she said. "Test Fenrir? He just tested it for me. And the guard has too." The healer nodded, going to check him first then Fenrir.

"You're not like the hunting hounds," she said. "You have human internals. Interesting, Fenrir." She petted him with a grin. "It's rendered them spermless for a day but they're already regrowing them. Men are apt to do that daily anyway." Darcy nodded. She tested it on herself and let the healer check her over. "That device is odd."

"It's to prevent conception."

"I can see how it would do that. It irritates your lining." Darcy blushed a bit. "But it hasn't hurt your organs or fertility. It doesn't appear to bother anything but perhaps a mind chemical. You're a bit low on dopamine, Lady Darcy." She checked the guard, nodding. "As is he. Interesting but not very low, just a lower than average level." She tested the maid. "Try her to make sure." The maid squeaked.

"This is like the bridge," Jane told her. Darcy nodded, walking her over explaining what was going to happen. The young woman sighed but nodded. Darcy sent her the twenty feet to the other target and the healer tested her. Jane smiled at the healer's grin. "Did it do that to her?"

"No. No change in any bodily chemicals or even in her fertility. Though she's near her cycle so she's not at a high fertile point. I don't sense any difference at all." The young woman sighed in relief. "I would not want to see this used on a pregnant one, Lady Darcy."

"Me either. It's way too soon to try that."

"Good. That it may fuse into the uterus or some such. Heimdall, would you mind?"

"I'm not against testing this new traveling device." He stepped onto the portal target and Darcy reached down to send him to the other plate. "That's a weird feeling. It's like I ...squiggled and then undid that. Interesting." He checked himself and let the healer do so. He checked his sword as well, nodding it was fine. "Very interesting, Lady Darcy." She beamed at him. "When do you present this?"

"Probably in six months. I might ask Jane if I can borrow a bodyguard?" she asked her.

"I don't see a problem with that. People are going to scream that you got teleportation to work." Heimdall looked at her then sighed. "Yeah, it's like that or the transporters on Star Trek I guess."

"I have seen that show. It was most amusing that humanity would become that peaceful and optimistic." He looked at Darcy. "Our people would also probably like to see thus presented."

"Do you guys have science conferences?"

"I do not know." He looked at Jane, who shook her head.

"We'd have to make one for the various scientists to brag at. Plus do the testing up there first to make sure nothing in the air up there bothered the system." She canted her weight off to the side. Thor and a fussy Eric appeared. "What's wrong? Not liking Daddy time, Eric?" He struggled so Thor put him down to pout on the ground while she and Darcy talked about how to do the safety testing on a new plane or planet.

No one but Fenrir knew that Eric was now crawling. He was staring at the baby, shifting to get in his way. The baby cooed and petted him, ignored by everyone. He saw the shiny thing and crawled onto it, petting the buttons, because buttons were pretty things. He squealed as he disappeared, it appearing a second later on the other plate. Fenrir trotted over to sniff him and glared at the healer, who was moving to test him.

Jane took him to hold. "Son, you're not supposed to test science on yourself," she said dryly, staring at him. "It's not a good idea."

"He took no harm," the healer admitted. "It was nice his squealing reappeared too."

"Let me shut down the system," Darcy said, going to unhook the parts. "I've had a problem with the coding when I fully shut down the computer."

"We can figure that out. We're women in science, we can do anything," Jane quipped. "Because men think we can't." Darcy nodded at that. She looked at her son. "Was it fun?" He beamed and patted her then wiggled so she put him back down once the plates were in the bag again. He pouted but Fenrir nudged him with his nose so they wandered off together. Fenrir had spotted a few smaller birds so they could hunt those. Thor watched, looking confused as Fenrir leapt up to capture his prey, bringing it to Eric to look at. Then he showed him how to eat it, dropping some for the baby to chew on too with a hopeful look.

"He's too young for meat," Jane said, following them over there. Too late, her son had his first taste of bird. "Fenrir, most humans cook their meat, dear." She hugged the wolf. "You're a magnificent hunter and some day you'll teach him the best way to do all that. He should be able to walk first though." Fenrir stared at her. "I know but he's too little for more than milk and mushy stuff. Please wait until he can walk?" The wolf being rolled his eyes but nodded and settled in to clean the boy's messy face up for him. He had drooled out some of the blood. The healer was squeaking so she brought the baby back to let her test him.

"He seems fine. Thank thee for feeding him, Fenrir." The wolf being smiled and took the baby back to crawl off with him again. She looked at Jane. "He's a very good uncle."

"He is. And he's one of the few ways I can stop Eric from throwing a fit at times."

"He's very cuddly too," Darcy agreed. "And he runs warm so you never need a blanket when he's curled up next to you."

The healer blinked at her. "He sleeps with you?"

"Sometimes. Usually across the bottom of the bed. It's a bit cramped so most of the time he sleeps on the couch. I leave on a fan and the tv for him to the news station or MTV classic."

The healer blinked a few times but nodded. "Very odd, Lady Darcy. He has not shown...manly urges?"

"No. Not in the least. He hasn't even interrupted me in the bathroom like most lesser beings would."

"That's very sweet of him," she said, sounding amused yet awed.

Thor was following his son and the being many said was his nephew by his brother. He had no idea but he had never seen Loki pregnant either. He wouldn't ask, that would be rude.

The healer considered things then decided her mind was in a bad spot in public so shoved it away until later while the queen and her near-sister talked about her design work and all the issues she'd had to fix. Heimdall was looking amused but he got to see much that was strange in all the worlds.

"Son, you're too young to want to fish yet or swim," Thor said, looking at Fenrir, who pouted back. He sighed and took off his boots to wade out with them so the baby could play in water. He did love his baths. Fenrir apparently didn't mind being wet today so it was fun for his son to splash them both and play in the water with the rocks and such. The healer came to sit nearby in case something happened like the baby tried to eat a rock or he fell into the water or something.

Heimdall was asking Darcy and Jane about the new devices and something Darcy was working on in the barn so they got to look at that with the patient guard following along. The maid went to help the poor prince, who had no idea what to with a squealing baby.

***

Darcy looked at the upcoming conferences. The one she had thought to apply to speak at was going to be a problem. She hadn't realized where it was being held. And it was too late to back out. "Why is it in Italy?" she complained. "That's way too close to him and other SHIELD people." She pouted. She could hold off. Or she could suck it up and be protective. Sally was going to be there in her actual identity. The boys would be there. She did want to catch up with them.

Bill had sounded upset with his mother's ideas again. She considered it and how to hire bodyguards. Not that she had the money to do that right now. Her yearly funds were getting low. The trust she had set up for herself from that lawsuit were getting low too. Well...maybe someone would want to buy the plate system to work on. At the very last, the airlines were not going to be happy about it being around so they'd try to shut her up or down or try to buy it to hide it.

She looked up the University of Camerino to see where in the country it was. Middle part, closer to the eastern side, a few hours from San Marino but inward. She looked up the expected temperatures and realized it wouldn't be sweltering hot at least. She'd look crappy while speaking if she was sweating that much. She made her trip plans, wincing at how expensive it was. Even with it being a few months ahead it was a huge expense. Plus the checked bag fees probably. And taxes. She considered shipping things but she hated that UPS never found her present house.

***

Darcy walked around the campus, looking up at the buildings. She smiled at the man staring at her. "The students who go here must be very happy with how pretty it is," she told him when he walked over.

"It is very beautiful. They went to some trouble to make it so. Unlike so many office buildings." His english was accented, and he was clearly Italian by the way the vowels sounded. He looked like an average white guy to her, which meant he was probably some sort of agent.

She nodded. "Working or studying in those sort of buildings can suck all the life out of you so you get depressed and leave the field." She looked at a statue, going over to read who it was to.

"Are you in for the conference?" he asked.

"I am. I'm speaking actually." She smiled, strolling off to look at the other buildings. Her hotel was a bit away from the campus, because it was cheaper and the conference hotel was full. She grinned at him since he continued to follow her. "Are you going to tell me about the buildings?"

"I can. Where did you attend?"

"Culver mostly. In the US."

"Hmm. I've heard of that school. Don't they have weird things there like that being?"

"The Hulk? Someone messed with Bruce's experiment. Then someone military redid it to get that sort of power underneath them. Fortunately that one's getting some help."

"You act like you met him?"

"I have met him. When I was an intern under Dr. Foster she worked at Stark's labs for a bit over a year. He was a very nice guy. Very chill, very calm, liked teas." She shrugged but grinned. "Everyone has an internal ogre. His just has an outlet and is green."

"I had not thought about that." He spotted someone staring at her. "You're perhaps married?"

She looked then put on her sunglasses. "Exboyfriend and SHIELD formerly. Pain in my ass." He nodded, taking her arm to walk her off to show her around the campus. "So, which department are you with?" she asked with a smile.

"I'm in the history track."

She paused him to smile. "I've seen plenty of agents," she said quietly. "So who're you with and are you here specifically to look at me?"

He laughed. "You're paranoid."

"Yes I am because there's actually people out to get me. Including that ex. So who're you with, dear?"

He stared at her. "Interior Ministry. Who're you again?"

"Dr. Darcy Lewis. Former intern of Dr. Jane Foster." She grinned. He winced but nodded. "Are you here for me?"

"No. Just saw a pretty, lost girl."

She grinned. "Then let's get me unlost. I need to see more pretty things. I haven't seen pretty Italian things since we were on Lipari."

"That's a beautiful island." He glanced at the exboyfriend as he walked her off. "He does not seem pleased.

"He's not. And I don't care." She shrugged but grinned. "Personally I think I'm just a fantasy of his, to the point in his life when things were normal and usual for him," she said loudly. She looked at her escort again, winking. "SHIELD is many weird things all wrapped up in blankets of confinement."

"Hmm. I've heard it called worse."

"Yes but I only swear at them to their face. Not usually about them." He laughed and nodded, walking her off. The boyfriend was huffy but oh well. He could report in after he escorted her back to her hotel and watch what she was presenting. Her name was there but the title of her presentation was a set of coordinates for some reason. He wasn't sure why. Then again he wasn't a scientist.

He looked her up and found out that many hated her former boss for rebuilding the Rainbow Bridge and they thought this one was just as screwy but capable. And they hated that about her apparently. And his boss told him SHIELD was looking for her to confiscate her to force her to work for them so yes, she was paranoid for a reason.

***

Darcy looked over as her hotel room suite's window opened, staring at the man there. "I'm pretty sure my new taser will work on you, Brock. So why are you here?"

"Is that what you think?"

"Yeah. I think you're remember the past as some idyllic 'things were normal' and I think that you're wanting to go back there. Before the HYDRA reveal and the building falling on you. When you were just a SHIELD agent. Am I wrong?

"Yes!" He huffed, sitting on the windowsill. "That's not why I liked you, Lewis." She stared at him. "You were kind and nice and innocent back then." She snorted. "You were."

"I wasn't. You thought I was. I had already run into SHIELD a few times by then in case you forgot. I was well aware of how thug your people were."

"I..." He paused then adjusted his hair that was being blown by the breeze. "It's never been about that. I'd like you back in my life."

She nodded. "You were going to hand me to people to torture, Brock. Would you forgive that?"

"No," he admitted. Then he huffed. "But I gotta try, right?"

She shrugged. "I guess. But don't screw me up this weekend. What I'm presenting is super weird and very dangerous if it's tampered with." He shivered. "And could get more people to want to kill me or steal me to work for them."

"Great," he muttered. "Your *date* earlier?"

"I asked him who he was with since I figured he was an agent. He was too intentionally bland. He said Interior Ministry."

"He is." He grimaced. "I could play bodyguard."

She stared at him, shaking her head. "No. I don't trust you. Sally and the boys are all at another hotel. You can watch over them if you want, make sure Sally gets home again with them. Because she helped with a lot of this work too."

"I guess. I'd rather guard you." He looked her over. "You're skinny again."

"I've gained five pounds. Your eyesight is gone." She laid down. "Have a better night."

"Fine. I'll stalk you around tomorrow. SHIELD isn't here right now."

"Yet."

"Is it that big?"

She grinned and nodded. "Yeah, it is." He shivered, going back out the window to finish his descent to the ground. She got up to close and lock the window just in case he came back.

***

Darcy met up with the boys and Sally right before she was going to go on. "You guys got credit too." She hugged each of them. "The patent office in the Hague was most pleased. Riri, I put your full name but called you Sally in the paper."

"That's fine, Darcy. It is my middle name." She grinned at the boys then at her. "How's Jane?"

"Pretty good. The baby's good too. We've had some auntie time with Fenrir helping too."

The guys blinked at her. "Mythological wolf being?"

"Yeah! He's a sweetie. Loves little Eric a lot." They just nodded. She spotted someone and winked at them, squealing as she ran over to hug him.

"Oh, Darcy! It's you! I was worried about a fan experience," Dr. Erik Selvig complained. He looked her over, nodding. "You're dressed too seriously. So you've found something."

"I have. And Jane liked it." She pulled him back over. "These were my interns before SHIELD became dangerous again. These are Riri, Jamie, and Bill. Guys, this is Dr. Erik Selvig." They smiled and shook his hands. "Have you gotten baby pictures of your namesake?"

"I haven't." He grinned. That was the usual Darcy he remembered. She got to show all them the baby pictures she had. Including one of him hiding inside Fenrir's chest floof. Riri grinned at that one. The boys sighed. He grinned at her. "I'm glad this hasn't been wearing on you, Darcy."

"It has. But right now I'm working somewhere pretty safe. And I'm about to probably piss off some other geeks." She winked with a grin. "Coming to my talk?"

"I am. Is Jane here this weekend?"

"Nope. Thor's got some official thing. Jane had to complain she couldn't leave little Eric at home because she didn't trust the maids not to kill him. They've tried a few times." He winced but nodded. "Surprisingly, it was Loki who guarded her and him when she was in labor."

"That is shocking," he said, frowning. "Seriously?" She nodded. "Hmm."

"Well, kids are chaos sources," Riri said dryly.

"True," Erik agreed happily. "Which is why I don't have any." He checked his watch. "We should go sit, guys. Darcy, we'll see you afterwards?"

"Okay. I plan to reappear in the hallway." She pointed. "There."

He nodded. "Okay." The kids followed him. They were nice to talk to, very smart, a bit smartassed, and very good in their fields. Darcy had chosen well with them.

Darcy checked the plates and the computer, readjusting that one value again. She ran the checking program she had written and found one more change that she studied for a second before changing it. Then she started the system when they announced her. She smiled at the person watching over the one plate. "Don't let it be moved please?" He nodded slowly. She stepped onto it and hit the blue button with the toe of her shoe. She appeared on the stage. "Hi, people."

A few shouted. She waved a hand. "I know, but what better way to show it off?" She smiled, moving to go over the formula. A few were looking huffy. "I have patented it so others can look it over. Because I have found flaws. The computer program will eat a few values anytime the computer's turned off. We have a wobble if we add three plates to the system but not two or four. I haven't tested beyond four. We've tested it up to twenty miles recently. We do know that there's a slight lag for any hundred pounds over three hundred. We asked Heimdall to test it and it took him an extra two-point-five seconds." She grinned. "But I'll accept questions."

"Is that like the bridge?" one demanded, standing up.

"Nope. Hers is a direct transmission. Mine's a more folded wifi application."

"What?"

She put up the basics of the formula. "I started here." She pointed. Then she put up the other one. "That's the basics of Jane's bridge." He came up to look and frowned at her. "I know, the math isn't *elegant*. It's my weak spot. Sorry. I did great with it and let my interns help me when I lost all thoughts for a week thanks to the flu."

"I want to test this."

"That's fine. I have it hooked up to a nine-volt battery right now because the hotel didn't want us to use any excessive electricity. Let me change the battery out." She did that, checking the other plate in the hall, leaving the door open. She checked the program. "Hmm, someone's hacked me." She smiled. "Give me a second, sir." She fixed that problem. "Riri, can I have you come up and reenter those values?"

"Of course, Dr. Lewis. Always happy to help one of my mentors." She trotted up to fix the place the hacker had been trying to ruin. "Hmm. Two lines of code." Darcy looked and fixed it. Then she held up a hand, tried her purse. It worked. A new battery again in each plate and she waved a hand. Riri got out of the way.

"Hit the blue button," she said with a point.

He looked and hit it, squeaking as he appeared in the hallway. He stomped back in. "It takes a single battery?"

"Two. There's presently a nine-volt running the processor and one running the targeting part." She grinned. "The hotel said to not use too much electricity so I made it work at the lower level. At the longer distances you will need more power. Still cheaper and less polluting than a jet plane though."

He stared at her. "You're dangerous, young lady."

She grinned. "Only when I have to be." She winked and moved around. "So, people. Any other questions?" They all started to ask them and she answered.

Riri got one or two from a corner full of business people. She smiled at the one trying to get her to work for him. "Sorry, now that I'm not an intern I work in the Stark labs. Tony was my idol." That one moaned. She grinned.

"Is your name really Sally?" one of the other business people asked.

"I'm Riri Sally Williams." She grinned. "But I did love interning under Darcy. She's a great mentor." She noticed the probable agents were all stiff. "You look like you have a question, sir," she told the one who had been escorting Darcy around. She had seen them so she picked him.

"Can this be used to go other places?"

"Target to target," Darcy quipped with a grin. "And only target to target."

He nodded slowly. "So some day airports will have rooms of these plates?"

"Probably. Or at least we hope so. So much faster to fly across the world. My last one took over half a day."

Riri looked at her. "Only half a day?"

"No but I'm being generic there." That got a nod. She understood why Darcy was still paranoid and she had caught sight of Rumlow in the crowd. Darcy smiled at the next one. "Okay, we're about out of time. Two more questions?"

One of the business people stood up. "Are you associated with a lab right now, Dr. Lewis?"

"No. I'm presently not. I wouldn't mind it sometimes but I've had too many run-ins with people who didn't have their lab people's best interests at heart and people breaking in to steal things from the lab. Including one that sold it and created a problem I ended up helping fix because those agents didn't show back up for days."

He winced but nodded. "There's all sorts of labs available."

"And I'm looking at them," she assured him. "I just need to make sure I'm safe first. Thank you for reminding me." He sat down, nodding at that. She looked at the other one. "Go ahead, Dr. Chambers."

"Dr. Lewis," he said dryly. "Has Foster seen that?"

"Yes. She helped me test it at the five and twenty mile ranges. Actually, her son tested it before she did. He was crawling and we didn't realize it until his squealing disappeared for a second then reappeared on the other tile." She grinned. "That was when Heimdall tested it as well for us and we had a healer down to look over any side effects."

He nodded once. "Are there?"

"She said the men who tested it lost some of their sperm for the day. But it'd be replaced within hours like usual." He nodded once at that. "She noted two of us testing it had lower dopamine levels but it didn't appear to be changed in others so we might just have been low. Fenrir tested it and took no harm, or the guinea pig I got Jane's son that tested it for safety reasons. After many rocks of varying sizes and less animate things that were natural." She clapped her hands. "The guinea pig is safely being petted by her son and Fenrir is putting up with such a small bit of prey near his favorite nephew."

"Fenrir, the one from mythology?"

"Yeah." She nodded with a grin. "He's such a sweetie and very protective of Jane's son." She grinned. "He's huge and he's overly warm most of the time when he's curled up next to you but he's a sweet guy who just happens to be furry." Dr. Chambers, who had taught both Jane and Bruce Banner at Culver, looked confused. She smiled back. "Anything else, Dr. Chambers?"

"No, Dr. Lewis. You do your alma matter proud I guess." She beamed and nodded. "Foster and Selvig too I guess." He stared at her. "Are you hoping for others to update it?"

"I figured someone would. That's how science goes from what I've seen. Someone finds something great, we look it over, try to disprove it, find a way to make it easier and stuff, then we talk about it at conferences like this one." She waved a hand. "Don't we?"

"Yes, that is how it goes. Patented?" She nodded. "In the US?"

"Hague. I'm not in the US at the moment. I've submitted the forms anyway but that might be a slight problem."

He sighed. "What about the implications for airlines?"

"Some people will always prefer to fly, Dr. Chambers. I understand that. I totally get that desire. I like trains for that same reason." She grinned again. "But that doesn't mean we can't make traveling a less painful, intrusive experience."

"Is that how you're getting back to wherever?"

"No. I've got a flight starting overnight tomorrow night." He slumped but nodded once, sitting back down. "Thank you for coming to my talk, people. Please also applaud my three interns, Riri Sally Williams, Jamie," she said, waving a hand at him. "And Bill. They were magnificent interns while I was pulling my hair out." They smiled and nodded. "I really do need to mail them cookies soon." She picked up the plate, Riri got the computer, and they left to grab the other plate then go hide in her hotel room. Thankfully it was a mile away so away from all the bitching that was going to go on soon.

The agent looked at his phone, which he had been using to video call his boss once he saw how she appeared. His boss stared at him for a moment. "I'll guard her?" he asked quietly.

"Please. Where is she going?"

"No clue."

"Find out."

"If I can." He hung up and went to track those four. He recognized Riri by sight, if not by name. She was the heir to Ironman. The other two were nice seeming boys. "No wonder SHIELD tried to snatch her," he muttered as he walked. "They are thugs!"

Rumlow was back in a corner, shocked as hell. "They're going to come back so hard," he muttered, shaking his head. "Damn it, Darcy." He noticed the agent leaving and decided to follow him. The guy paused to stare at him in a small sidewalk open area. "Sto cercando di proteggerla, (I'm trying to protect her,)" he said in Italian.

"Ha detto che sei lo SHIELD e ora capisco perché è paranoica. Andare a casa. (She said you're SHIELD and I realize now why she's paranoid. Go home.)" He walked off again.

"Neanche voi ragazzi potete averla. (You guys can't have her either.)"

"Non è il mio dipartimento. Se ci vediamo più tardi, ti farò arrestare per la sua sicurezza. (Not my department. If I see you later, I'll have you arrested for her safety.)" He found the hotel and went up to check on her and her interns. They were talking quietly at least. No screaming, crying, ranting or anything. That spoke well of Darcy's pleasant nature. He knocked and one of the males opened the door. "I'm here to guard her," he said in English.

"He's okay, Bill. He's Italian Interior Ministry. He won't kidnap me," Darcy said. She grinned. "So, what did you think?"

"You should stay more paranoid," he said bluntly, walking in. "We will make sure you get to the airport safely, Darcy."

"I'm taking a commuter to Rome then flying out from there."

"I know you said not the US. May I know?"

"Southern Asia."

"Oh, all right." He nodded. "That is a long trip." She nodded. "We can arrange that." He took the tickets from her purse since they were sticking up, wincing at the fare. "That's expensive and we can make sure an agent is watching all those flights and the transfers. Including in Hong Kong." He handed it back. "Fifty-four hours of flight? I'd use the plates."

"You can't get stamped back into the country."

"True." He stared at her. "I ran off your ex."

"Thank you, Gawd!" Riri complained. Darcy smirked at her. "He's creepy, Darcy. He's all but stalking you."

"I know and I swore about this conference being so close to where he's retired. I was hoping it was the one in Russia. Shows me I have to pay more attention when I fill out forms." She looked at her escort. "We should be fine."

"We hope," he agreed with a smile. "I'm going to have coffee at the little café right outside the door. If you need something, yell?"

She nodded. "I often do after I tase someone."

"Good." He patted her on the cheek. "We'll keep you safe so you can run and hide from the scary ex and his people." He went back down there to have something to soothe his stomach. He sent his boss a message, getting back orders. He pointed out she had tickets leaving that night. It was going to be safe enough for a few hours. She had a slight five hour layover in Rome so they'd have to watch her there and pay attention to those flights. Maybe someone wanted to go on vacation to the islands?

Darcy looked at the kids, shrugging. "He was a really nice tour guide and ran Brock off." They grinned at her. "So, how's things going, guys?" She settled on the bed to talk to them again. She really did need to keep in touch with them and send them more cookies.

***

Riri walked back in Monday afternoon, staring at the people in Pepper's office. "We need to talk about the conference, bosslady." A few of the assistants glared at her.

"We can hear the report about it in a few minutes," she said with a smile for her but she looked exhausted. "Did you have fun and catch up with Darcy?"

"Yes, minutes before SHIELD did." Pepper winced but nodded. "Because she had something *huge*. She went nearly Tony-like to announce it." Pepper shooed out the others so Riri showed her the film she had taken on her phone.

"Oh, dear," Pepper said. She rewatched it then sighed and looked at her husband's protégé. "Is she safe?"

"By herself? With Fenrir sometimes admittedly. The Italians were guarding her before she left. One ran into her staring at the pretty campus and walked her around. Ran off Rumlow once or twice. SHIELD showed up as she was at the airport to get the commuter flight to Rome. Interior Ministry guy was very polite as he had them held indefinitely for invading Italy." Pepper winced. "Rumlow's still trying to stalk her. The Italians nicely escorted her out of the country and paid attention to the flights. I finally got an 'I'm home' from her because it was two days and a bit to get home with layovers."

"Ow. That's a stupidly long flight." She leaned back in her chair. "If it was safer, we'd bring her here but SHIELD is still hanging around."

Riri nodded. "Can we find a way to hide her better?"

"I'll figure out something if I can. Fenrir? Hela's pet?"

"Yeah, only he's sentient and cuddly and really loves Jane's son. Darcy told this great story how Fenrir was teaching him to hunt by catching things to feed him some." Pepper winced. "Jane was amused and told him to wait until the baby was walking. Dr. Selvig was in horrified shock at her presentation. And how she appeared. She had a plate in the hall and used it to appear. Very Tony-like. I had to fix the hacking going on at that time too."

"Any idea who?"

"SHIELD. It was someone in their labs. I noted the ISP and looked it up." She handed that over with a grin. "Someone there wanted to hire her to work in their lab but he's in Russia from what little I found when I took his picture to look him up. Jamie's scared that they'll come after him now because he worked with her. His wife told him to quit before she paddled him in the un-fun way. Her words not mine." Pepper smiled slightly. "They're going to try again."

"They are annoyingly persistent," she agreed. "Damn it. Any other good things happen?" Riri handed over two papers with a grin. She scanned them. "Oh! Yes, we'd probably like to have them here with us." She looked up. "Where is Darcy?"

"Newsies."

Pepper grinned at that code. "At least it's probably safe and Italy probably asked them about her protection."

"But will they be able to stop SHIELD?"

"That I don't know." She considered it. "I'm going to ask Barton. He's so retired no one will pay attention if we go visit his farm." Riri grinned and nodded, handing her the microSD card from her phone. "Thank you."

"Welcome. Have fun." She went down to the lab, Bill meeting her down there. "Jamie get home okay?"

"Yes, and his boss wanted to talk to him about Darcy but he had to admit she was hiding from agents because they were trying to force her to work for them. His boss agreed their lab wasn't the sort she'd need at least but he did note that to others so they could watch out for her being kidnaped."

"It's possible." She sat down. "Pepper was highly amused at her pulling a Tony to start her presentation."

"So was I. She was only here a year. She must've gotten it contagiously."

She laughed, nodding. "Somehow many picked that up from him, yes." They got back to their daily start of the work day duties.

***

Pepper got out of the rental SUV at the farm in Iowa, staring at the old lady she didn't know. "Isn't Clint here?" she asked.

"He's in the barn, Miss Potts. Why're you here?"

"Catching up with him. He has sanity, unlike our labs. Thank you." She hugged the kid that ran into her. "Hi, Nathan."

"Hi, Pepper!" He ran off. "Mommy, Pepper's here!" he bellowed.

She smiled and waved at Laura. "Looking for sanity. Again."

"Go ahead. He knows how insane it can get, Pepper. This is my mother."

"Ma'am," she said with a nod and a smile. "Have fun with the grandchildren. I'm looking forward to Morgan having some eventually. They have to be easier than your own kids." The old woman laughed but nodded. She walked that way, Clint staring at her when she came in. "Nathan is a great guard."

"All kids his age yell loudly at new things." He smirked. "Just sanity?"

"Mostly." He nodded once. "I wanted your opinion too." She sat on the stool by his work table. Then she put down letters. "From the ones there that wanted to send one but were chicken. Including one from Wanda." He grinned, settling in to read them. He found the small card in one and put it in his pocket for now. "I needed an opinion on how to guard Darcy. And maybe sink Rumlow."

"He's back?" he demanded. "He retired after getting pardoned."

"Longer story than that." She pulled up a report from Riri to let him read it. He winced but nodded. Then he ran the card in his phone, blinking a few times at what he saw. "How do we protect her?"

"Move her somewhere absolutely no one knows it's her." He looked up. "And make sure she's shielded from internet and things. They might still try though."

"Maria Hill stated she did not add that one line to the order but it is handwritten in her handwriting."

"That can be copied. Hers is very precise." Pepper nodded. "We think?"

"Hill hasn't ever liked her. I don't know. I know the little one there is paranoid."

"Where is she right now? Around here?" She shook her head, flipping through that report to the picture on the bottom of a map. Then she removed that file. "That's not a bad area. Not a lot of people so she'd notice new ones if she was in town. Which I doubt she is."

"No, Riri said a rental farm."

"Which makes good sense." He considered it. "That's more Tasha's thing than mine, Pepper."

"I know but she still has tighter ties. I'm not sure if I can trust her with this."

"True. She does work for her own interests usually. Though I doubt she'd give Darce up."

"No. Probably not, but would others beg to have that information?"

"Yes, they will be." He considered it. "Can we get her somewhere more quiet?"

"We don't have a lab that has that sort of protocol. If we still had Tony maybe but we don't."

He nodded at that. "This is one time I wish he was here too. He'd outflash her to protect her." He considered it again. "She needs to be in a safe, solo mostly place where no one can find her. Including Foster."

"She's taken in Fenrir a few times and watched the baby for Jane."

He nodded. "Will their people freak out?"

"Maybe. She did talk about Heimdall testing it."

He licked his lips. "Let me think?"

"Of course. I'm going to go get some sanity from Laura. The labs are driving me nuts." She got up. "Let me know?"

"I can do that later." She nodded, going back to the house while he read the rest of those letters. One had been left to him by Stark's will and he read it over, grinning at the playful asshole moments Stark had noted and how he had done something to protect his family. That left one worry, and she was a cute worry but still a worry.

He hoped none of his kids ever went into science. Being an archer was as weird as he wanted his kids. No spandex, no science! And hopefully no Asgardians!

***

Darcy got offered a chance to possibly sell her plate system and thought about it. She was running low on funds and it wasn't the main part of her research really. It was just a side project that had turned out great. She considered it then wrote to the Interior Ministry guy that had helped her last time. He had asked nicely that he tell her if she was going to be back in Italy.

He wrote back almost immediately that he would make sure she made it to the meeting at least. Though he did worry about that meeting. Darcy made the flight reservations and answered the email about the meeting, setting up an appointment for the day she'd be there. Long trip to be there for a day then turn around and come back. But maybe she'd have a better trust fund after this.

***

She was doing a bit of stress relief shopping in a little market in Rome when she ran into someone she didn't really want to see again. She walked around her rolling her eyes behind her sunglasses but went to look at the pretty scarf she had spotted. Why was Brock's mother in Rome? Shouldn't she be nearer to him if she was in Italy?

She greeted the stallkeeper quietly in Spanish, getting an odd look. "Sorry, don't speak Italian," she muttered in English. "How much?" She fingered the scarf. The shopkeeper smiled and named a price. Darcy considered it then bought it. "Thank you." She walked on, going to find something for lunch. Behind her, she heard the bitch whine.

"Oh, it's *you*," she heard. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "What? Too good for me now? You never were good enough, Lewis."

Darcy turned to look at her. "That's DR Lewis and you're just a bitch that doesn't matter. Have a great day. I'm busy." She walked off again, making a few of the watching women smile at that. The woman stomped after her to grab her but Darcy pulled her arm free, glaring at the elder Rumlow woman. "What do you want? Because I don't have time for this petty, childish shit you're trying." She walked around her. "Say your peace that I'll ignore again."

"You were never good enough for my son," she sneered.

"I'm too good for your son. *I* would never raise a kid who could pretend to be HYDRA well enough to fit in for years." She shot her a look. "Guess that's your fault, huh?" She walked off again, finding something cute. She picked it up to look at. "Can I pay for this over there?" she asked quietly with a point. That got a nod and she bought it, then walked off again. She ran into the Interior Ministry guy. "The ex's mother," she told him. He huffed. "Yeah, not my doing. I have no idea why she's here." She grimaced, holding up the trinket box. "Isn't that pretty?"

"Very. Come along, Dr. Lewis."

"Sorry, I was stress shopping. I just passed my international bar exam the other day." She grinned. "I deserved a new scarf."

"Those are hard. Congratulations."

"I bet you're just his mistress," Mrs. Rumlow called.

"No. Not in the least. He's not into me that way."

He looked at her. "You're very pretty but very paranoid."

"I am. For a good reason." They went into the hotel and she went up to the meeting room. "Sorry, I was buying a new scarf to celebrate passing my International Bars." She smiled and shook hands. "So what are we here to talk about, gentlemen?"

"Dr. Lewis, you have created something that is very world changing," he said.

"Yes. I have. I'm proud I managed it. It was just a side project for me really."

"We did not see a patent for it yet?" he asked.

"Oh, I've filed one at the Hague. I'm not in the US so I filed remotely there and it takes about four months to get through, if not six." She considered it. "I filed in England and Germany's specifically, and one in New Zealand." She handed over the paperwork from those. Most of them had been accepted already.

"You're very careful about that."

"I am. There's a lot of industrial espionage and theft within the scientific community. I've seen plenty when I was an intern and people stole from Dr. Foster. I've only had two things stolen from my own lab and both of those were by SHIELD. Which I then had to struggle to end myself because SHIELD was chronically late."

They looked at the forms. "We would like to hide this for a few more years."

"People need to know that the future is possible. Other scientists need to work on things and make things faster, safer, and better. Like what happened with planes and cars. There'll probably always been a need for planes and cars but maybe not the global need we have now with the pollution they can bring."

"That could be a bright future but someone could figure out how to not use the targets."

She nodded. "Someone probably will because that side of science is very lucrative. People doing the wrong thing always pay highly." She stared at the one speaking. "Being realistic it's probably going to be at least a decade before we're using them in a limited way, the way the Concords started out."

"You're old enough to remember that?"

She smiled. "Barely but I did a report on it once in middle school."

"Oh." He nodded. "That had a promising start as well. I can see the comparison between these two systems." She nodded. "We would like them to be hidden for a bit longer than that."

"Change always happens. Looking ahead means that you're right there to take advantage of it." He nodded at that. She accepted the papers back, putting them into their folder. That went into her bag. She looked at them again. "I'm not against selling the plans to industrial groups instead of scientists working from my original work in journals. But I'm not giving up my full rights to it. I have to fund my work somehow."

"You could hire on in a lab."

She nodded. "I could. I have in the past. Unfortunately that comes with the problems of people trying to steal my work. And agents at times and other things that I didn't like before. I'm paranoid because there's people out to get me. Including SHIELD and a few other labs trying to force me to work for them. So I'd rather be in my own lab for a bit longer."

"That's reasonable." He stared at her. "Many are disquieted by your discovery."

She shrugged. "A lot of them hate me because I'm female. If I had been a standard white guy from Germany or France or England no one would've said a thing. That's been proven a few times."

"That could be," he decided. "We would like to buy the rights and plans for your system. The full thing."

"I'm not into selling my rights for it. That would hamper my own work on later versions. I'm not selling the patents. I'll sell the entire work folder but I'm not going to hamper myself or other scientists. This could have great implications for space travel and the ISS's needs. It could have a lot of implications to getting to emergencies faster. Like the tsunami that happened in Japan a decade ago. We could've gotten rescuers and doctors there a lot faster if they didn't have to use the airport. I won't cripple that. I'll sell plans, I'll sell access to the side work I did on it. I'm not going to just hand it over to be hidden."

"Others could use it to try to discredit you."

She smiled. "Sir, that's happened at every single thing I've done because I'm a female and I interned under Dr. Jane Foster while she was building the Einstein-Rosen bridge." He winced. "I've seen all this happen before. And we worked through it then too. If it happens this time, I'll sue someone again. Just like the last time someone tried that." She smiled. "I'm a thirty-something white woman from the US with a PhD and a JD after my name. I know the meaning of the word lawyer."

He cleared his throat. "That is better than most scientists have."

She grinned. "I got bored while studying something else and took a law term class. Then it became my stress relief. I just passed the International law exam last week."

He nodded. "That is very well done, it's said to be quite hard. Harder than the one in the US."

"It is and I've passed that one already." She grinned. "It's easier to take the international after the US or English one." He nodded once. "But I'm willing to let some industrial group have access. They can hire their own scientists to make it better, faster, safer, all that. That way they're on the cutting edge."

"That is a good idea." He looked at the others, who showed no emotion. "We'd like to think about that."

"That's fine. I'm staying in this hotel until I leave tomorrow afternoon." She smiled and packed up her bag, taking it with her. "Have a good talk." She went up to her room, looking at her guard. "They want all the rights to hide it."

He nodded. "It figures. Car peoples did the same thing to anything not their standard engines." She nodded at that. "Are you well?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Why?"

"You look flushed."

She checked her own fever with her wrist. "It could be traveling."

"I hope so. It would look bad if you got poisoned here."

She nodded. "I'd hope not. I had that as a nightmare." She got into her room and smiled as she closed the door gently, going to shower and lay down for a bit. She had been careful not to touch anything that could be poisoned. She was wearing a skin coating lotion that would keep it out. So hopefully there wasn't something in that room.

***

Brock broke into her room that night, staring at her. "You insulted my mother."

Darcy moaned, flipping over to look at him. "She started the shit, I just gave it back. I have no idea why she was there but oh well. She shouldn't flap her gums if she doesn't want others to hear it." He rolled his eyes. "I'm trying to sleep off the cold I caught on the flight over. Do you mind?"

"You sure that's what it is?"

"Pretty sure. Unless this is my nightmare where Asgard's out of time, I have Fenrir and the baby to watch over, and the guys I was meeting with poisoned all of us to get us to quit making science. Which led to us getting back with Stark and them fixing the temporal problem Asgard had."

He blinked a few times. "Very detailed nightmare, princess."

"I know." She grimaced. "I'm hoping I'm not suddenly prophetic." She yawned. "Have a great night and quit staring."

"You really think she raised me that wrong?"

"Do you have an oscar? Because even the best actor, even Olivier himself, could not pretend to be HYDRA non-stop for over eight years without having to break cover sometimes. So either you leaned slightly at least or you're a better actor than any one ever." She stared at him through squinted eyes so he was only mildly blurry. "Which is it?"

"I... I broke cover; I just had to do it in private."

"Uh-huh." She blinked a few more times. "Do you really believe that?"

He huffed again. "Yes!"

"Well, then maybe it's still her fault that you're a great actor. Can I sleep now please?"

"Fine." He snuck back out. The Interior Ministry guys got him on his way out, walking him off. "La stavo controllando! (I was checking on her!)"

"Sono sicuro che lo eri, (I'm sure you were,)" the Interior Ministry agent agreed. "Hai ancora fatto irruzione in un hotel. Nemmeno gli agenti possono farlo legalmente. (You still broke into a hotel. Even agents can't do that legally.)"

"La lascerò in pace. (I'll leave her alone.)"

"Sì lo farai. Prima di doverti cacciare dal paese, Agente Rumlow. (Yes you will. Before we have to kick you out of the country, Agent Rumlow.)"

"Sono in pensione in Corsica. (I'm retired to Corsica.)"

"Il che significa che sei in arresto perché non sei con nessuna agenzia attualmente riconosciuta. (Which means you're under arrest since you're not with any currently recognized agency.)" The agent grinned at him. "Buono a sapersi. Grazie! (Good to know. Thank you!)"

The other agents watching over that perky one shook their heads. They had seen other obsessed former lovers doing odd things. This one clearly needed a bit of help somehow. Probably his mother as well.

***

Darcy walked into the meeting room then backed out to sneeze in the hallway. "Sorry, apparently I caught a cold from the flight up here." She came back in using some hand sanitizer." She sat down, staring at them. "So, did you make a decision?"

"We think it's dangerous. Probably a security problem as well. I'm sure various governments would be wanting that technology to disappear, Dr. Lewis," he said smugly.

"Yeah, they've been trying to stop me since I worked for Dr. Foster and kept her sane and alive as an intern. It won't work, but they do try." He gave her a smug look. "That's fine then. You have a great day." She got up and walked out. Someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into a closet, putting a hand over her mouth. She looked then jabbed them in the eye, making them shout and let her go. She walked out, looking at the agent watching that. She shrugged. "Grabbed me. I poked him. I'm happy I have my taser on me though."

He blinked a few times then nodded, going to check who that was. He got them arrested and sent off while he went to help that perky young doctor of science. They got her evacuated to the airport a bit early but it was safer there. There was security there who would watch over her just in case. They could talk to other airports to get her the same watching over on all her layovers.

They might not understand why, he barely did, but people were sometimes idiot about scientists. He asked his boss later about why they wanted her so he showed him the film from the conference. He went to pray in church that night. He had survived weird scientists who had proved their weird ideas. His mother would be proud.

***

Darcy made it back to the new rental. It wasn't quite as remote as the farm was, but it was pretty remote and anyone getting near there would set off her new security system. She had designed it using some commercially made parts and some other things she had written the code for. She managed to collapse while sneezing and it was nicer. Her alarm went off once and she looked then sighed and went to meet the local minister at the door. She blinked at him. "I'm sick," she said as he got out. "I was just flying halfway around the world."

"You poor thing. Do you want to talk about our church? We can pray for you."

She smiled. "No thank you, Reverend. I'm pretty good without the prayers. I'm hoping it's not one of my grody colds."

"That's sweet, dear. Are you here by yourself?"

"I have a security system that tapes everything and downloads it once a day to a secure server." He winced. She smiled. "Thank you for coming out here but I'm not really interested in churches at this moment. Have a good day. I need to go take cold medicine." She walked back inside and shut the door gently, leaning against it. He was looking inside the windows but none of them looked her way.

She did set off a shock plate she had installed by the door when he tried the knob. He yelped, making her smile. He drove off again so that was nice. "I can ask the sheriff tomorrow," she muttered. She went to the kitchen to get some water, her chosen cold meds, and then went back to the couch to watch some tv over her internet connection. She heard the car coming back and put up the anti-tire strip. It popped the tires on his car.

He got out swearing but was hiking up to the house. She called the local sheriff. "Hi, I'm Dr. Lewis, I just rented the farm on the east side of town. I'm getting a visit from someone wearing a reverend's collar for the second time today. I just set off my security system to pop his tires. No, not older. Middle aged, white, brown hair with very little white or gray hairs. Blue eyes.

"That figures, but he's here right now, stomping up toward the house. He's about half a mile out. Yeah, I can disable the anti-driving strips. Please." She hung up and went to check the doors and windows, then find her taser. Someone tried to jimmy a window so she zapped him, making him scream and flail as he hit the ground.

"Dude, I have the word no tattooed on my forehead," she said dryly. "I don't care who you are really. And if you're an agent, fuck off." The man stared up at her. She grinned. "Did you think I was helpless?" He nodded. "I'm not. I haven't been in many years. Don't make me call for more help." She saw the cop car slowly moving that way and waved. "Hey, Officer." The guy got up and Darcy got him again, making him scream but reach for her. She got out of the way, staring at him. "No."

"Miss," the officer called from his car.

"Come get this guy before I have to really hurt him."

"Of course. Is that a gun? We have some pretty strict gun laws."

"Taser. I have an older note from the FBI authorizing me to carry it."

"Okay. We don't mind those. They're not fatal." He came over to pull the other man out of the way. "Who're you? The local reverend is sixty if he's not seventy and he's barely able to walk. So who are you?"

"Don't know," Darcy admitted, relaxing some. The officer pulled a weapon on her. The tines of her tazer were still in the first guy. "Huh. Cute. You an agent too?" He smirked and nodded. "Which country so I know who to sue?"

"It won't make it, love."

"Oh, you're Brits. Yeah, we ran into you after Elves invaded London." She stared at him. "You might want to look up my name before you do anything else. They have a file on me too." He called that in. The other guy, probably also an agent, struggled. "Shut up, dude, before I set it off again! Making me paranoid is a really bad idea." That one shrank away from whoever was behind her. She looked, nodding at Heimdall. She turned to hug him. "Hey, Heimdall."

"Princess Darcy, are you having troubles?"

"Apparently the guys I wouldn't let me screw over for the plate system decided to hire some agents to kidnap me. Probably to kill me." He scowled. "And I'm not into that sort of playing." She turned her head to sneeze. "Sorry, long flights."

"It was." He stared at them. "She is the acknowledged sister of Thor. She is a princess of Asgard. Do you really wish this diplomatic incident?" The 'reverend' shook his head quickly.

The British agent hung up and looked at her. "You were Foster's intern."

"And now I'm a doctor myself and a lawyer." She grinned. "But yes I was."

He nodded. "We'd like to talk about that system."

"I think you overplayed your hand by trying to kidnap me. I'm really not into that." She stared at him. "I thought SHIELD was bad, dude." He winced at that. "Hell no and I'm going publically release that thing so *everyone* can have one for all of this shit I've had for the last few days. Am I clear?" He nodded, backing away and taking the other guy.

"Please, take him with you. Take his crappy rental car. Just...go. Before I work on the death ray." He laughed. "Seriously, my work is for alarms and weapons against the next alien showing up here. Do you think I don't have one started?" He winced but nodded, walking off with the other guy. "And if there's others, bring them home too? The only ones I trust right now are from Italy's Interior Ministry."

"Understood. Where is Dr. Foster?"

"Queen Jane is with her husband I hope."

"Is that going to happen again?"

"Every two thousand years the convergence happens naturally. That wasn't science, that was astrological. We just watched it in awe."

"All right. Do you really have a death ray?" She grinned and nodded. "Will it take out single people?"

"No, it's got a wide spray because it's meant to go against space ships." He swallowed, taking off with the other guy. They could have a talk in town. She looked up at Heimdall. "Thank you for saving me." She gave him another hug.

"It is not a problem, Lady Darcy. We would all hate for you to go evil for real." He gave her the cuddle she wanted, letting her stress cry on his shoulder. It was good for her. She wore herself out so he put her down on the couch, covering her with the blanket on the back. He went back to his post to report to Thor and Jane. She was not going to be happy.

***

The agents decided to share notes about what was going on. The British one pulled out their file on Darcy and her former boss. The German one pulled up what they had been told.

"The ones who sent me talked of SHIELD," the German agent said.

The British one asked that question to his team and they found it, sending it over. That file was very sparse but there was a warning that they had made her paranoid by wanting her to work for them. A copy of that order was included. "She's paranoid for a good reason." They went over things. His team found out *why* she was wanted and they watched the film from the conference. "Oh, dear."

The German agent nodded. "This is not going to make anyone happy." They talked to their people, and the Italian people. The German's team called someone one of them knew to get them a contact, who came on to swear at them in multiple languages. They shared their file on her. And her stalking ex-boyfriend. Their communication gear, down to their phones, all got shut down.

The locals showed up, smirking at them. "Howdy," one said with a grin. "Why are you bothering someone taking refuge in our great country of Greece?"

The German agent waved a hand. "Someone important asked us to pick her up. She came up with an idea that is actually very far fetched but she managed it."

"They're fully peeved," the British agent agreed. "Another group, same sort of one though, asked us to come pick her up." He showed them the film from the conference. The Greek agents winced. "She's not willing to be shut up. SHIELD is hunting her because her ex was one and they want her to work for them. She told us she's working on a death ray because she's been working on things in case aliens show up again." The Greek boys all groaned. "We saw what had to be an Asgardian. Huge guy, gold armor, scary as fuck. She called him Heimdall."

"The Bridge's guardian," the German agent put in. He leaned on the table. "He told us she's the acknowledged sister of Thor so a princess on Asgard." He looked at them. "This is not the assignment I want to die on. And her tazer is quite mean."

The Brit one nodded. "I started to pull a weapon but that Heimdall guy showed up."

"All right," they agreed. "What's that from?" He pointed at the phone.

"Conference in Camerino few months back. The Italians said she had met with an airline group that wanted to buy her invention to shut her up."

The Greeks shared a look then two of the trio went to talk to her. They could watch over her until she woke up.

"My rental is in her driveway. She had a spike strip," the German said.

"I came in as an officer so she let me through." More files came in from Italy so they looked them over, sharing them around. The Greeks were highly amused. They hadn't known anything about a high profile target. The orders from SHIELD were grimaced at. The German growled at the full plot file that they got from Italy's SHIELD office.

The British agent called his team back. "We're a no-go, we were lied to, blokes. Tell the head boys that and we'll be back to report tomorrow late. Flight time basically." He hung up, looking at the Greek agents. "We'll make note of this so she's protected if she shows up around us again. Where has she been hiding?"

"Her paperwork for her Visa said she had been working in New Zealand on the South Island on some rental farm. Very far from people." The Greek agent looked at the German one, who was shaking his head. "And yours?"

"I will note this. It is not right that we work for corporations instead of the government." He stood up, wincing some. "She is quite mean with her tazer."

"Her SHIELD files list a warning about her using that on agents," the Brit quipped. "Including former Director Fury."

The German spit. "May he roast." He looked at the Greeks. "May I go home?"

"Yes you may. Thank you for that kind offer." They left, gathering their people on the way to the airport. The Greeks took the files they had back to their head people, who were highly amused in the worst possible way. New Zealand had been watching over her subtly and shared what they had.

Yes, she had a death ray.

Multiple agents wished that Tony Stark was still around to fight off Dr. Lewis when she went evil because they had pushed her there.

Maybe they would talk to that ex, see if she had a better former lover who would calm her down more. It really would be stress relieving for the agents if she was less paranoid.

***

Brock Rumlow looked up from his trek back from his gym via the grocery store, when someone walked up next to him. Nice enough clothes, sunglasses. "SHIELD agents usually wear dark suits with white shirts."

"Yes, we have seen them looking like Mormons." The agent stared at him. "May we speak?"

"I guess. Let me check out." He did that and they walked off. "HYDRA problems?"

"No. They have one lab but we simply blew it up," the Greek agent said. He handed over copies of those files and the 'capture for us' requests. Brock snorted at what he saw, getting into something on the agent's phone to pull up a better file on her. He read it, grimacing. "Is there one who can calm her down so she is less paranoid so we quit wishing that Tony Stark was still alive to protect us from her going too paranoid and turning to the dark side?"

Brock stared at him. "Darcy would hate herself forever if she hurt people."

"She gave the German agent heart palpitations with her tazer."

"She does like to use that toy." He went back to reading, grimacing. "Stark's protégé, Williams, was her intern." He looked at him. "Can you keep people from bothering her for a bit? She'll naturally calm down. She's usually one of those happy, bouncy young women that you have to smile at because she's got so much energy bopping along to her music. Unless my mother is trying to sneer at her again."

He handed the file back. "If we could get SHIELD to give up, it'd be safer and she'd calm down once she heard. The airline guys? They're gonna try to end her to stop her from destroying their profits. Car companies did the same thing to energy saving and alternative energy people."

"I heard. Is there perhaps an ex who could have a fling with her for now?"

"She briefly dated someone that worked with her and Foster. They broke up after a week. She had a few girls in there, some boyfriends in there, but nothing steady. We were together thanks to SHIELD forcing her on a mission and HYDRA trying to grab her to control Foster. She hates me because I'm the first person she stabbed. That mission got her tortured." He stared at him. "I've flirted a few times when I was trying to protect her. She turned me down and downright insulted me. And my mother when she accidentally ran into her in a market in Rome."

"I see. Are there better choices who would know more?"

"Foster maybe. She's somewhere on one of the other eight realms being Queen Jane Odinson and raising the prince to the realm."

"So no hope of speaking to her?"

"You can ask their embassy if they can. Last time I heard gossip from their area of the worlds, she had taken Thor's hammer to a few people who thought she was weak. Some had tried to poison her kid. Darcy went to Hela to get the shade of Frigga back. Real lots of fun from what I heard."

"I can try that. Is there any known way to calm her down?"

"I fed her into a nap a few times? She does like food. I know she's probably worn herself out. She apparently recently passed some international lawyer test." The agent winced but nodded. "Foster would probably feed her chocolate and let her cuddle the baby or something. I know she talked about petting Fenrir a few times. He's a huge dog thing."

"That could help as well. Is she settled enough to handle living on little money?"

"She's living on a trust she set up for herself after winning a settlement against some geek that tried to discredit her. She's nice, sweet, gentle, all smiles and weird scarves and beanies, until you fuck with her. SHIELD did the ultimate version back then and kept it up. She's probably gonna snap. I'd hate to be in a SHIELD office but she is suing them as well for all the hell they've put into her life."

"Could she win that?"

"If the judge doesn't keep letting it drag on," he offered. "But Maria Hill's gonna look bad so she's had it stalled."

"We'll talk to someone about that. Did you know she was building anti-alien weapons?"

"Her, weapons?"

"Yes, the agents in New Zealand said she did have that death ray she quipped about."

"She was in New Zealand?"

"Yes, on the South Island."

"No wonder her flight was so long to the conference." He considered it. "Deal with SHIELD for her. Make sure no one comes near her for a bit unless they're friendly locals. She's a nice lady, very sweet girl. Little old village ladies love her. Especially since she bakes. But get SHIELD off her ass, keep the airline people off her ass. Which countries?"

"UK and German agents."

He snorted. "UK agents came near her after that elf thing? They vowed to never come near Foster or her again. And Selvig too." He considered it. "Treat her like she's just stressed. Make her have some fun, protect her backside. She's lone wolfing a team job because people would threaten her interns."

"I can see that. Thank you, Mr. Rumlow. Have a good day." He walked off making notes to report on. Could they get SHIELD off her? Perhaps. He could only hope so. And perhaps her former intern would like to talk to her as well? Any heir of Tony Stark had to be a hero in the making at least.

***

Riri looked at the official letter that had been delivered to the lab, frowning at it. "What is that?" She opened the envelope, reading the stuff. "Wow, Darcy," she sighed. Bill's head popped up. She waved the letter, letting him read it and laugh. "They're still going and now that last thing got her the wrong sort of attention."

"Tell Pepper?" Bill suggested.

She nodded. "Going to tell Pepper." She got up and took the letter with her up to the office. Pepper's secretary glared at her so she stared back. "Have a great day, dear." She walked around her to get into the office after a quick knock. Pepper looked up, looking upset. "You want a laugh?"

"Please. It's been a long week." Riri handed over the letter, making Pepper read it, looking confused. "A death ray?"

"She's been working on anti-alien protections for anyone non-Asgardian."

"So a death ray?"

"Could be. She's been paranoid and mostly alone." They shared a look. "Can we make SHIELD stop?"

"If I could, I would've already done it. Darcy deserves some beach time fling. Especially in the Mediterranean. Why is she in Greece?"

"People kept wanting her to fly to Italy."

"That makes sense."

"She also thinks she made the Italian Interior Ministry people pouty about the extra work she caused."

"I doubt they are." She considered it. "I want to buy the rights to the plate thing."

"She's said she's not giving up the patent rights or anything like that but she will sell the plates to some corporate entity for them to become cutting edge tech."

"Which Stark labs are known for," Pepper decided. "It could go into her trust fund so she's not feeling panicked about money too." She frowned. "Does she have a lawyer?"

"She is a lawyer now. Contract law." She grinned. Pepper moaned. "Yes, really." She walked off. "Let me know when you're going over so I can ride along?"

"Of course. And Bill too if he wants to go so you guys can catch up with the other one."

"His wife has him locked down because they screwed up on the birth control."

"That poor woman. It's always nicer when you plan that." She checked her schedule. She had no free afternoons, much less few days. She had to work that out.

***

Darcy looked up from sitting on her porch with a notebook of ideas and some coffee, blinking at the SUV rolling slowly up the driveway. It hadn't set off her security system so something had happened. She started to shift but a familiar arm came out a window to wave. "Did you cut my security system?" she called as Riri got out of the SUV, and Bill quit driving, then Pepper Potts got out of the back. "Hey, guys." She came over to get hugs.

"The Greek agents have control of most of it," Riri said. "They met us at the airport to see why we were coming in with plans to come bug you, bosslady." She looked at her. "You're skinny."

"I just had an airline cold." She hugged Bill again, getting a grin back. "How's your mother?"

"Don't know, I haven't spoken to her in over a week thanks to her plans to marry me off to some illiterate child again." He grinned at her. "The Greek agent asked me nicely if I was your boyfriend so I could calm you down."

"You're like my little brother, Bill. Doubt it'll happen without AIM's sex poison stuff." She hugged Pepper. "Hey, Pepper. What's up?"

"Death ray?" she demanded.

"Anti-alien attack and remote viewing things? Why yes, I am." She smirked. "That's what I'm actually working on. The plate was meant to be a side project to get extra stuff up there to fight them."

Pepper sighed, shaking her head. "Tony would be so amused, Darcy."

"I know. C'mon in, it's hot out here." She let them into the house, going to make more coffee. "I've got a pods system, Pepper. Want something?"

"I'm good, Darcy." The kids made their own and settled around the living room area. "I've decided to side-swipe all the problems the airlines are giving you by buying the plate system for Stark Industries. We are cutting edge and would need to work on anti-alien things ourselves really." She stared at her.

"I'm not selling the patent rights. The work, yes. Including all the little side projects on it. I'm not outright selling my rights. I might need it to live off of some day." She came back with her fresh cup of coffee. "They can't really stop it from going forward. It's been printed in a journal or two."

Riri took a drink as she nodded. "And they've gotten hell for it. Did you get the request to put out more information on it?"

"I did. I've sent in a better portfolio on the mechanics." She got up to get that paper from her desk of stuff, bringing it back. "That's the extra I submitted. That answered all but one demand."

They went over it, Pepper smiling. "That's not bad. Still somewhat hidden but not totally. It proves you didn't build it on the bridge too." She looked up. "It hints at using a monitor?"

Darcy got up to get that full file. "That's the full file on that. I pulled it together in case the airline's offer was legit." She handed it over. "The monitor isn't anything spectacular. I did plan to integrate it into the early warning sensor system I'm still working on." She let Riri have that one with a grin. "Which your name is going on, yes."

"Thank you." She read it over, nodding. "You improved that a lot, boss." She looked up. "Over half of my work is gone now."

"Not likely. It's more hidden. You had the engineering chops I needed to create that thing to go on a satellite."

"True." She grinned. "I'm so modest but it is mostly your work and my case design stuff." She went back to it, letting Bill see. "Did you take his not-a-transistor thing?"

"It won't work in this. In the monitoring orbital platform it does work a lot better." She got that whole box of stuff to bring back. "It's actually the brake on the system, the failsafe to keep it from firing at the planet." She grinned at Bill. "You and Jamie got full credit for that."

"Thank you." He looked that over, nodding. "That's the intent. I was going to try to market that."

"Go for it," Darcy agreed with a nod. "I'm putting your name on that anyway."

He grinned. "Jamie must be pleased."

"I sent him a letter. His wife's paranoid. Her boss wanted Jamie to talk to me about coming to a lab he knew about. They may be switching soon."

Pepper smiled. "We can talk to them since we're over here."

Riri grinned. "Jamie and his wife would work great in the satellite division, Pepper. That's really more his field of study." She took the stuff from Bill to look over, moaning. "Oh, that's sweet, Darcy! You created that Tower thingy from that comic book."

"Well, we'll need it to monitor the satellite feeds and to respond to threats. The International Space Station is science and engineering, not 'look, aliens are invading' capable." She sipped her coffee, getting comfortable. Pepper looked at something then handed it to Darcy, who looked then tucked that behind her.

"Sorry, Pepper. That was actually a sleep deprivation project. It was that or bake science." Bill looked at her. "Various power sources that would super power a vibrator to cure Jane's grumpiness." He laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, that project Jamie found and told me that wasn't right for atomic power sources."

Pepper looked at her. "They used to be steam driven."

"Yeah. And this one has a tiny little atomic engine." She showed it to her. "Jamie thought his fiancee at the time could really use that help too so he worked on that part while he was frustrated with the wedding plans."

Pepper snickered, nodding. "I can see why." She handed it back." She looked over the rest. "This is a lot of work that's connected." She looked at her. "When are you presenting this part?"

"When I'm less in danger probably. But that would be corporate pitching instead of conference bragging stuff. I've got patents filed for a lot of it." She heard a car and looked out there, wincing at who got out of that car. "Great. Kids, don't get in the way of the ex. She's deadly and the director of SHIELD." She walked out there, staring at her. "Hey, Melinda."

She stopped far enough away to be out of range of the taser but also unable to grab her. "Darcy." She sighed. "I've fired Maria Hill."

"Great. I'm still suing her and SHIELD."

"I'm here to talk settlement. It's clear to everyone it's a bad idea to make you paranoid. Death ray?"

Darcy grinned. "I've been working on alien sensing capabilities and defense projects."

"You should get a DARPA grant to help pay for it."

"I had one."

"I didn't see that. They didn't admit it." She nodded. "May I?"

"Pepper Potts is here."

"She'll smack me around if I do more than kiss her on the cheek, Darcy. I can fight a whole HYDRA base and not win against Pepper." She nodded, rolling her eyes but letting her inside. "Morning."

"Director May," Pepper said with a nod. "Have you met Riri Williams and her assistant Bill ...."

He waved a hand. "It's Indian, Director May. Call me Haps. Everyone does."

Riri looked over at him. "I call you snuggly because you keep falling asleep on my shoulder. I'm requisitioning us a cot for the lab."

"I took a lot of naps on Fenrir," Darcy quipped. "He's very comfy." Bill blinked at her, staring oddly. She grinned. "He is!"

"I'm sure he is." He nodded. "The pictures of him and the baby showed him to be enormous."

Darcy showed Pepper those. "Jane's son Eric and his favorite snuggly uncle."

"Awww." She smiled, flipping through them. "That's so sweet!" She laughed at the picture of Eric covered by the chest floof, except one foot sticking out. "Wow. He is huge."

"He is but he's sweet. And very warm when he's napping next to you. I watched Eric for a few days while Jane and Thor worked on stuff because he thought dads didn't do much. So Eric curled between us on the bed. Fenrir's great to nap next to though."

Riri stared at her. "You need a beach fling, bosslady. The Italians were right."

"Yeah but I think that's trashy and from romance novels I don't read. Go ahead and sit, Melinda. Pepper's talking about buying the plate system from me. With full credit given to my intern team."

Melinda looked at her. "Good. It'll hopefully keep you safer. Three top German people and one British agent all got to retire quietly by force for taking corporate money to snatch you." She blinked a few times. "Italian Ministry?" she asked Riri. "Why?"

"At the conference in Camarino, Darcy ran into someone Interior Ministry and he guarded her from Rumlow," Riri said. "Then he helped her get out of there before they snatched her for showing off like she caught some Stark cooties." Bill snorted into his cup, nearly choking from laughing. Pepper was grinning but shaking her head.

"When I went back to talk to the airline people, they guarded me then too," Darcy said. "I think they ran into Brock a few times though. He's retired to Corsica."

Melinda May looked at her. "You're pining for him?"

"No and I still think he's focused on me because I'm one of the last pieces of a normal life as an agent he had. Hill sent him to the lab in DC to guard us to that one conference. He showed up when we were in Lipari to warn us SHIELD and others were coming so guarded us. And got me out of there while knocked out thanks to turbulence on the ferry. I snuck away then to go to New Zealand."

Melinda May nodded. "We didn't track you to New Zealand. We saw French countryside and Albania."

"Airline miles," she said with a grin. "Rented a house for a month but I was never there. Loki did say he spotted them and decided to have some fun. They were hunting Darcy bunnies according to him." She sipped her coffee.

Melinda May stared at her. "The German agent that tried to snatch you thought you may be going evil. His last report, on that situation, stated that they were hoping that someone became the next Tony Stark to defeat you."

Darcy grinned. "I'm not that evil. I'd only take out greater evils. So certain terrorist groups would probably be gone but most of humanity would be okay. And Bill's idea with Jamie would keep me from using any of the anti-alien stuff I've been working on toward the planet."

"The Italians wanted her to have a beach fling but she's against that," Riri told her.

"That's because most of them have been agents," Melinda said dryly. "Though fun." She smirked at her former short-term lover, who grinned back. Darcy showed her the pictures of Eric and Fenrir. "He is a very large canine being." She smiled. "Would his former mistress like that?"

"I showed her those when I went to get Frigga's spirit to nag her son. She was amused but said he had been such a fearsome warrior. I pointed out he still was, just over Eric."

"Did you talk to Hela?" Pepper asked, looking concerned.

"When she showed up on Asgard, yeah. We had a long talk over some wine about things. Including feeling threatened for being female and about how I understood the urge to destroy because it was all tainted and making you worse. I even kissed her but Loki snatched her from me and threw her off the bridge."

Pepper blinked a few times. "Wow, Darcy."

Darcy shrugged. "I feel for Hela. Her daddy used her, turned her into a killing machine like Barnes was made into, and hurt her greatly. Then he threw her away because he couldn't control what he created." She stared at her. "It wasn't her fault."

"No, it wasn't her fault. I didn't know about that." She made a note to herself. "Go over Melinda's offer while I see what we can offer for most of this."

"A lot of that is ongoing, Pepper. Especially the orbital platform and the monitor. It's being a pain in the butt this week." She looked at Melinda again. "So you fired Hill. Is she still wanting me to come in to be Rogers' geek?"

"Probably but she won't and Rogers knows now too. So does Romanoff. They may come begging but they wouldn't want you forced or abused and then forced. He saw that memo and threw a fit that destroyed two rooms, across the hall from each other. He threw a table through them by accident instead of out the window."

She winced. "That's nice of him. So what does SHIELD want now?"

"To not have to go to court. We don't need the bad press. You don't need the paranoia. It's a win-win to solve all this, Darcy. Can we?"

"As long as it quits happening. I heard Rumlow tried to get someone to grab me to protect me the other day?"

"Rollins about chewed him a new one for it. He still thinks you're sweet and innocent?" She nodded. "You haven't been that way since you met Foster. He apparently doesn't remember you're the one that got into Coulson's face about your i-Pod."

She grinned. "That had sentimental value."

"I'm sure it did." She handed over the legal envelope. "That's our settlement offer. It's lowballed of course because of the World Security Council. They laughed about it. Even after seeing Hill's plans." She grimaced but read it over, frowning as she read. "Also, I hear congratulations are in order on getting your JD?"

"And passed the US national bar and the international. I haven't taken a state one yet," she admitted, then looked up with a grin. "I'll do that once I settle in an area. Hopefully I get to settle in an area." She went back to the paperwork. She heard a crinkle. "Don't open that. That's the anti-theft device, Pepper, not a leftover poptart."

"Good to know." She carefully put that aside. She didn't want to know what a dye pack would do. Or if it wasn't a dye pack. "That box at that conference outside DC? Where did it come from?"

"A guy named Andrew." She grinned. "I bought it off him." She went back to reading, shaking her head and picking up a pen to make a few notes on the margins. Melinda sat back and let her work on it. She made a few more notes, including critiquing the language used. Weird word choices that were ambiguous. She crossed out three things completely and added to the amount, handing it back. She smiled. "Try that."

She read the notes over, then frowned. "Ask for more, Lewis."

"I can do that."

"The three clauses you deleted, they were for your protection."

"With the way they're written it would've obligated me to give SHIELD access to my work. Or force me to work for them."

She read those over, nodding. "Two would have. The third was to stop agents from being anywhere near you."

"No, your people steal stuff again, I want them to come fix it instead of me." She stared at her. "Unlike the last few times."

"Point." She put it back into the envelope. "I'll have it drawn back up better and bring it later. I'll be at the local SHIELD office." She stared at her. "Are you okay otherwise?" she asked more quietly.

"I'm fine. Bit lonely but they'd have hurt an intern as a power move or tried to discredit them like they keep trying with me. Oh, you can tell your Dr. Bloomers I am suing him for his stupid. I hope he enjoys it."

She smiled. "I'd like to kick that old man in the ass personally. But suing hurts him in other ways." She shook her hand and left to go back to the nearest office. The World Security Council wasn't going to be *happy* but oh well. They had started the problems. She could also casually mention that Lewis needed to talk about their present orbital platform versus her ideas.

Pepper looked at her. "Is there one presently?"

"It's twenty years old," Riri said. "And it's sucky. SWORD runs it." She got up to get more coffee, coming back to sit back down. "I took some of the kit from the conference to work with me and they decided to fix the building."

"They're for electrical work, Riri. Did it hurt something?"

"Took out a few spots that were eating power. Turned on Banner's lab then shut it back down since he's not in residence. But it tuned up all the electronics in our floor." Bill nodded at that, looking up again. She looked up. "Rainbows."

Darcy looked then got up to move a few things, leaving the bridge to come down. Fenrir trotted off. "Hey, Fenrir. I was hoping you could find me again since we moved again." She pulled him over to cuddle. "Come see Riri and Bill and meet Pepper?" He barked, coming over to sniff the interns and then stare at Pepper before lapping her hand gently.

Pepper smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Fenrir. Darcy's said you're a great friend." He doggy grinned, going to curl up around Darcy. She settled on the floor to give him cuddly space and petted him while Pepper looked over things. Pepper finally put things back, staring at her. "I didn't even think you'd become that sort of scientist. I thought maybe a backup to Jane's bridge work, maybe taking it in another direction. Not creating an anti-alien system."

"No one wants another Thanos."

"True." She smiled. "That's a lot of good work. It'd work on most other aliens. Including that one if somehow he comes back." She looked at the notes she had made. "Well, my initial offer was just for the plates but I can see how they'd be integrated. Can you put this out there?"

"Yeah, I can submit it tomorrow." She grinned. "It wouldn't be published for months though. Then they'd be expecting corporate or NASA offers. The one thing under a DARPA grant is the monitor I can never get to work. It does pick up all the streams of energy but powering it is becoming a problem. I'd need to find an energy source that would work in space and on earth but isn't super dangerous. The only one I found was nuclear rods but that's not a good idea in orbit."

"No, it's not," Riri agreed. "Arc reactor power either." She considered it, looking at Bill, who shrugged. "Jamie might know better. He does like satellites."

"Solar?" Pepper guessed.

"It'd take more power to constantly monitor," Darcy said. "If it were intermittent it'd be okay but that's not going to be good enough. We have something like that but it's weaker, doesn't get as much scanning done, and it's not picking up all sources of energy. This reads the whole spectrum so people like Jane could take the readings and work on stuff and so NASA or whoever could work on any spikes. It's just the power core."

Pepper nodded. "Arc reactor won't work, Riri?"

"It needs to be self recharging or recharging on the solar available. And to be the best at it, it'd have to sit farther out, out by or past the asteroid belt."

"If I wanted to make it the size of a quinn jet, we could do that," Darcy said. "I could totally have recharging batteries and the like in it. But it needs to be tinier."

Pepper considered it. "When is the grant done with?"

"Six more months. I've shown what I've gotten done and they were happy with it, it's better than what they have. I pointed out the power problem I had and why, and they agreed it was a problem. I noted I'm still working on it but it's stuck at that point. They wanted tinier than I think it can be. I thought maybe large boulder sized but I think I undercounted." She got up to find those plans. "The various energy options and how large, how much mass it'd have."

Pepper looked it over, frowning. "We'd need the batteries to recharge the arc reactor and to power each other along with the solar." She looked at the options. The best option wasn't safe. "What about a photosynthesis system? I read something about algae power?"

"That's on the second page. It might work but you'd have to go check on it every two years to recharge the algae mother to grow from."

Pepper looked at that idea, nodding. "Have they seen this?"

"No. I've been thinking out loud." She leaned against Fenrir, petting him. "I could link the sensors to an observatory down here but that would only last for six months until they were too far out of reach to work due to different orbiting speeds." That got a nod from Bill. "So I'm trying to figure out a power source that works better. The basics of the design are sound and they agreed they were sound. And that I had more than earned that grant. I did reserve the right to keep the patent rights to that as well because I pointed out this was actually part of a much larger project. They drooled a bit but I didn't tease anything else."

"What needs that sort of energy?" Pepper asked. "If we put it on the ISS for nearer readings would that keep it powered?"

"Yes. Most likely it would. They might have to adjust some of the solar output specifically for it. But to make it to an area where it would pick up incoming alien traffic, it'd have to be further out."

"Which does make sense," Pepper agreed, nodding slightly. "Even at this level, it's going to help a lot of scientists in your field and others get the data they need. I need to talk to the DARPA people about that." She made a note on her notes. She smiled. "You've done a lot." Darcy grinned. "You deserve cookie making time. Let me leave the kids here for the day while I go back to call around to our board?"

"Okay. I didn't have any plans for the next two days."

"I'll see you by tomorrow morning. Behave, kids." She got up and hurried out to talk to their people. This was fantastic. This was Stark's level of tech and it was needed. She wasn't going to let her people lowball Darcy either.

Riri smiled at her. "Is it baking science time?"

"Yeah, we can do that." She got up to start on some dog treats for Fenrir and then human cookies for them. Bill and Riri came in to help. Fenrir padded in to lay just out of the way since they were doing food things and he did like food. Especially the cookies Darcy made for him.

***

Pepper met up with Melinda May, who was blatantly waiting on her. "What's our orbital platform look like?"

"SWORD's domain. Why?"

"The thing Darcy's working on is the whole system."

She considered that then called that in to her new assistant director, who talked to SWORD, who got back to conference call them in an hour with what they had about it. Pepper compared and showed them the basics of what Darcy had built up. "The only problem she's having is the power for the monitor for the long distance ones." They considered the ideas.

The head of SWORD, stared at her. "Miss Potts, who designed this and did they have access to ours?"

"I have no idea what sort of access Dr. Lewis had."

"The one with the plates?" he asked.

"Yes. That's to aid that system. That was a side project to all of this. Because she said we'd need a lot more warning in case something like Thanos came back."

"This is definitely updated from ours but not on the same plans. And it's a bit bigger on the platform, which the occupants would like. We do need to design the next generation. A lot of her ideas aren't exactly practical but they're not fanciful. The," he cleared his throat, "weapon isn't really practical."

"It works but it's got a large spread," Pepper said. "She had testing video of a smaller version. And it has a failsafe to not be used on the planet."

He blinked a few times. "If Stark Industries could secure that, we could see our way to working through them to update it. It's my understanding that young scientist is fairly paranoid thanks to the people next to you."

"Hill wanted her to become the Avengers geek squad," Melinda agreed. "Including having to capture her if they had to. I'm just happy she didn't use it on us."

Pepper looked at her. "Darcy hates hurting people."

"Until SHIELD steps up," Melinda reminded her. "Then we're fair game because we made ourselves be targets. Which is an appropriate response to what she's had to handle thanks to our people. I fully admit SHIELD messed up with her." She looked at her counterpart, who was smiling. "Maria Hill's fault mostly."

He just nodded. "No comment, Director May." She smirked at that. "Is Stark Industries going to be working on furthering this?"

"That's one thing we were thinking, yes. I do know the monitor is under a DARPA grant."

"We saw. We agreed it's a great idea and the power problem is stymying us as well."

"She has a list of what various sources would require but she's thinking the longer distance ones as well."

"Which could be of great use to us for that very purpose, and for the scientists like Dr. Foster I'm sure." Pepper nodded. "If you do secure it, we could probably contract with Stark to build us a new platform system. Especially if it had a failsafe to make sure it wasn't used on the planet itself."

Pepper smiled. "Her male interns did that part specifically. They and Riri were her interns for a few years."

He moaned. "That's great news. We've heard rumors some were worrying she would turn into the next great evil we'd have to fight."

"Only if she's pushed there."

"Even better. Send me the details on what a contract would entail, including preliminary costs to formalize a plan for it and all that. I'll expect it within three days." He hung up.

She looked at Melinda May, who smiled. "My bosses want her to just go away. Quietly."

"With their luck she's going to find a way to open up alternate realities."

"Don't tempt her, Pepper. She might. Oh, if she's baking, she's thinking hard. If she messes up the baking, she's in a science rut." She walked off. "Let me know. SHIELD would like the plans for that failsafe so we can trip if it we have to."

"We'll see." She talked to her people and they all agreed it was a good idea. They could even put Darcy on as the project leader. She didn't have the qualifications but it was her design so she should get to continue it. They worked out a contract and she went back there. They were all napping off the various cookies.

She smiled, settling in to turn off the beeping microwave timer and checked the oven before turning it off as well. She looked around the space. It had clearly come furnished as this wasn't to Darcy's tastes, but she had put her own touches on the rental with all the bright pillows and throw blankets. Riri woke up to stare at her. "It's good, kiddo. I've got a great contract for her."

"Good. She could use it. Someone SHIELD showed up to nag her until she threw hot oil on his face." Fenrir groaned and flipped onto his side with a sigh of pleasure. "He ate a whole plate of Fenrir cookies."

"Sometimes you need 'em." She came back to wait on Darcy to wake up. Darcy would hopefully be pleased. The New York upstate facility wasn't near the ocean but it was a pretty enough area. And it'd give Fenrir a place to run and play too.

***

The guards at the upstate facility looked over as a rainbow came down. "Bridge," one announced. The guards came out to make sure it wasn't a threat. It was two PODS. And then a large canine, and a woman petting him. Then their boss, Potts, and her interns. The bridge disappeared but came back with a baby, who squealed and chased after the dog thing, making it run around looking like an extra large labrador while they played tag. Then Queen Jane appeared.

"Son, quit bothering Uncle Heimdall," she ordered. "You may not use the bridge without permission and going around him is sneaky and mean to Uncle Heimdall. You will apologize." She smiled, cooing and petting Fenrir. "I wondered if you were back with Darcy to get more Fenrir cookies." He barked and got chased by the baby again, the woman that had landed with him joining in.

"Oh, no, Eric the Fierce is going to get us, Fenrir. Whatever shall we do!" she squealed, grinning at the baby. He squealed back and chased after both of them. When he fell, he got back up and looked even more determined. "I think your daddy had that look on his face anytime he was hunting for cakes."

"Yes he does," Jane agreed then sighed. "Still." The baby caught Fenrir's tail, putting it in his mouth. "Don't eat your uncle," Jane said patiently, going to save him. She petted Fenrir before picking the baby up. "Say thank you for playing with me?" He babbled noise mostly. "Close enough. Fenrir has all speak." She looked at Pepper, who was grinning. "Sorry. He snuck past Heimdall. Twice today. At least this time he landed somewhere nicer than the dwarves, who were most amused by him." She hugged Darcy. "You're finally back here?"

"Yeah, they wanted the whole anti-alien system." She beamed.

"Wow. Yeah, that's going to be great science." She walked off with Darcy and Pepper. Lab grunts came to get the PODS to put up. "Do not unpack the boxes," Jane ordered. "She has anti-theft dye kits or something. It'll destroy everything and mean redoing all the work." They sighed but nodded. "Just put the personal stuff wherever Pepper says and the lab stuff wherever Riri says."

Riri, who had helped Darcy pack everything, got the POD for the lab taken closer to that area. Less distance to carry it. The personal items went up to her apartment in the living quarters with Darcy, Jane, Pepper, Eric, and Fenrir following it. Fenrir barked at the kitchen, looking at them. "Soon, dear. Let Darcy rest. She's tired from the trip," Jane ordered.

"He's got some leftover Fenrir cookies. Which are edible by humans but they're kinda spicy." He got them out when the kitchen stuff was unpacked, taking his plate over to let the humans deal with that clingy stuff that he hated. It got stuck to his fur and he hated that sensation. He got two cookies and settled in to nibble and rest from the playing baby. Eric tried to snatch a cookie, like his father he loved cookies, but his mom gave him one he should eat instead. He was happy enough with that, it was still a cookie. Darcy put those back into the kitchen and got back to arranging things.

Over in Corsica, Rumlow, who had hacked into the security system, was amused that she had went back to Stark. It was her life's work and he got that, but he was highly amused she had given up the ocean-side villas for that. He got to be amused all the way up until Maria Hill kicked in his door. They shot at each other and he got her. She barely got him. He smirked. "Not nice, Hill. Really."

He got up to grab a few things so he could leave the safehouse for a better one. She was slowly dying in the hallway. Police showed up. "She had been SHIELD," he told them. "I'm a former agent. I'm going to an emergency fallback while they deal with their own people." He stomped off. Maybe some of his plans had gotten a bit out of his control but overall, not bad. Darcy was fairly predictable but now and then.... But he could talk to her about that later.

The End.