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.
***
Sensible but Problematic.