Utter Darkness

She could hear Tony, Pepper, and Jane all talking at once. Loki lay heavily on top of her, and though he appeared completely unconscious, she could feel the tension in his muscles. His face was still buried in the crook of her neck. She quickly whispered in his ear, “I got this, follow my lead.”

There was an almost imperceptible whisper, “Use caution.” She nodded; she could feel him trying to gather his magic.

“Hey!” she grunted to get their attention. She squinted against the harsh fluorescent lights. Someone floundered with something on the bedside table and then Jane came into view as she slid Darcy’s glasses on. “Hi,” she grinned at Jane. Jane gave her a watery smile in return. Tony stood by glaring at Loki’s back. “Hey could I get a drink of water? I’m hella thirsty,” she rasped. Jane gave her a sip from a small cup with a straw.

“Who’s the guy?” Tony sounded more serious then Darcy had ever heard before.

Darcy wrapped her arms around Loki, holding his head gently. “You guys may want to sit down this is kinda a long story.” She sighed.

Jane sat, Pepper vanished to parts unknown, and Tony remained standing with his arms crossed. “Give us the short version. When a random unconscious guy appears laying on top of a coma patient the docs tend to call the cops, who will call SHIELD.”

“Okay, umm remember the weird ass dreams I was having about a guy with a stitched up mouth in a dark void? Well, here he is… ta daa” she laughed weakly.

Tony’s eyes narrowed, “He’s also the ex-con, isn’t he?” Darcy nodded. “Talk fast kiddo, I don’t feel like being real calm about this, and Fury’s gonna be worse.”

“Ok, yeah so he’s an alien ex-con who did some terrible stuff like three thousand years ago. He was locked up, with his hands and feet bound, his mouth stitched up and floating in this pitch-black anti-grav void, all alone for 3250 years, it was totally cruel and unusual, but he’s done his time and he’s a good guy now. Please Tony you gotta believe me,” she pleaded.

“Is he why you stole the bolt cutters?” Tony shook his head, “Sorry stupid question, of course he was. It’s a good thing he’s unconscious, cause otherwise I might follow through with that promised ass-beating.”

Darcy felt a subtle tensing in Loki’s shoulders, and she ran her fingers through his hair trying to calm him. Fortunately, Tony was on a roll and noticed none of it. “I’m gonna go see how long we have till Agent Hill arrives, I’m sure she’s already on her way. We’ll get him a separate bed till he wakes up; and after he does I have some questions for him. Pepper’s already taking care of the doctors and the nurses. I don’t understand how any of this happened, but I’m gonna figure it out. You got a lot of questions to answer too.”

He turned to Jane, “If he wakes up, or if he seems dangerous at all, use Darcy’s taser.” He pulled out his cellphone. “This shouldn’t take too long I’ll be right back.” As he left the room, Tony was already on the phone.

Jane looked hurt and angry. “Darcy, why didn’t you tell me what was going on? This is so crazy! I mean you hardly know the guy. You’re breaking a murdering ex-con out of some kind of space jail. You could be breaking universal laws or something! You could be putting the whole Earth in danger!” Jane stood and began to pace. “Dammit, Darcy don’t you ever think before you do these things? How could you be so stupid?”

Tears pricked the edges of Darcy’s vision, “Well there’s your answer Jane. You wanna know why I don’t talk to you about important stuff? Because, I don’t really like being called stupid. You’re making a lot of assumptions here and not really giving me any reason to tell you jack shit! I just woke up from a coma, I don’t need this. Get the hell out and come back when you’re able to take the stick out of your butt and try to trust me before you judge me.”

Tears flooded Jane’s eyes as her words caught up with her, “Oh Darcy I didn’t mean…”

“Save it. Why don’t you come back when I’m ready to hear it. Cause right now, I am way too pissed off to hear a goddamn word you say.” Jane turned abruptly and left the room.

“That went well,” Darcy, sighed heavily.

When the door slammed, Loki raised his head. “This was poorly timed. I would have much rather finished what we started.” He had a devious look on his face.

“You and me both.” She agreed and then sighed heavily. “Hey can you magic us out of here? Cause I’m not gonna lie, we are in some deep shit. Tony’s pissed, we’re gonna have SHIELD here soon and I’m not really feeling up to running for it.”

He shook his head. “No, sadly there’s not much I can do right now. I am severely weakened from my time in the void, physically and magically.” He dropped his head to her shoulder.

“Can you do anything with your magic? Cause if you can at least disguise your face that would probably be a good idea.”

She felt his grin against her neck. He lifted his head and she let out a small gasp. His face looked a little like Orlando Bloom. His hair was slightly lighter in color and he had a goatee. It was startling to see the far different face on him. He shifted a bit, taking most of his weight off her body. He lay mostly beside her and watched her with his piercing green eyes. “My magic is almost depleted, but I should but able to maintain this small glamour until it becomes unnecessary to do so. We are both weakened; we should rest until they return.”

She nodded and closed her eyes. “What do I tell them your name is?”

“Tell them my name is unpronounceable for humans, that you just call me Tom.”

She giggled a bit, “Okay,” she yawned and began to relax until a terrible thought occurred to her. “If we go to sleep will you disappear, like will you get sucked back into the void? Cause you know it’s was nice seeing you in my dreams and all, but I really like having you here with me in real life, and I don’t think I could handle it if I lost you now, I mean I totally lost my shit when I thought that scaly S.O.B. had killed you and I really…”

He lay a gentle hand across her mouth, “Min elskede, please calm yourself. It will be all right. I promise I’m not going anywhere.” He smiled and laid his head on her shoulder again.

“You keep saying that… mean elks kay da… what does that mean?”

He looked up at her and dropped the glamour, his face scrunched up as he contemplated his answer. “Hmm, I thought you knew… I thought the All-speak would translate it… Uh it means,” he stammered.

She giggled; it was funny to see the god of lies blush. “Hey, it’s all good, don’t worry I won’t be embarrassed by a nickname, so long as it’s not a dig about the gap in my teeth or something.”

He smiled and dipped his head a bit. “It means My Beloved,” he whispered. He heard her small gasp. He looked up to see her eyes well with tears and a bright glorious smile stretch across her face.

“You love me?” She whispered, she really, really needed to hear him say it to her.

He nodded, “Of course I do, you silly girl.”

“It’s just you never said it to me, and I didn’t want to push or anything…”

“I love you Darcy Lewis. Until I die, until the end of time, until Ragnarok. I love you.” Darcy pulled him to her and kissed him messily, joyously. She felt his face shift under her fingertips.

“Seriously I can’t leave you two alone for five minutes.” Tony grumbled.

Loki buried his face in the crook of Darcy’s neck as she groused, “Tony, you have awful timing.”

“Do I want to know why Jane is out in the hall crying? Never mind, I have more important things to deal with. Okay ex-con I know you’re awake. We have less thirty minutes till SHIELD arrives and I want answers before I turn you over to them. Get outta her bed. Now.” Tony demanded.

Loki scowled but stood slowly and sat in the chair beside her bed. Darcy pressed the button to raise the head of her bed so she was sitting.

“Tony…” Darcy whined.

Tony frowned at her, “Hush kiddo, the grown-ups are talking. So who are you and how did you convince her to break you out?” He turned his back on her as he continued to interrogate Loki.

Darcy hardly heard anything else as she slowly painfully pushed herself to standing. She pulled the oxygen tube off her face and wrestled with the IV line. The room spun around her and her shaky legs felt like they might fail her but she walked up behind Tony and shoved with all her might. He hardly moved, but turned to see Darcy wobbling behind him. He reached out and grabbed her elbow to steady her. She tried to slap him, but her movements were slow and uncoordinated and Tony caught her hand easily.

“What the hell, Darcy?” He attempted to help her back to her bed but she resisted.

“Damn it! I am a grown woman, you do not get to treat me like a child Anthony Edward Stark!” she growled.

Tony stumbled a bit. “How do you know my full name?”

“I googled it ages ago.” She hissed as he quickly picked her up and plopped her on her bed.

“I’ll tell you what, you stop acting like a child, and I’ll stop treating you like one.” He grinned at her and turned back to Loki.

Loki stood tall and squared his shoulders, Darcy could see the slight tremor in his limbs, but he seemed imposing none-the-less. “Do not manhandle her.” Loki’s voice sounded deeper and raspier than normal.

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

Loki took one long legged step, towered over Tony and nearly growled, “She was recently wounded whilst under your care, and is still in a fragile state.”

“You think I don’t know that? I’ve been here by her bed the whole time. While you been what… making out with her in la-la land?”

Darcy could see the rage building in Loki’s manufactured features, “When she arrived in the void she was unconscious and I healed her, you imbecile.”

“Nope, that would be Doctor Jones.”

“Wrong, your physicians were not truthful with you. She had a hemorrhage in her brain, internal bleeding, and a hairline fracture of her skull, combined with dangerously low blood pressure and severe swelling. They would not operate for fear of her bleeding out on the table. They choose not to inform you or her friend, but she was dying as you sat at her bedside. I healed her injuries whilst still in the void, which is the only reason she is awake now. She was severly injured, on death's door and you did nothing, you did not even attempt to contact her family. Your physicians did nothing; they were allowing her to die.”

Tony was momentarily speechless. There was a rustle of papers behind them. A gray haired doctor stood in the doorway gaping at Loki as Jane stooped to pick up files he had dropped. The doctor and Jane had come in during Loki’s diatribe. He looked at Loki in shock. “How could you know the extent of her injuries?”

Loki rolled his eyes and huffed, “Is no one listening? I healed her injuries! Approximately twenty-four hours ago, her vital signs became erratic and then evened out correct? And you have since overseen the scans yourself to confirm she is healed?” The doctor nodded as Jane handed him his files. “Shortly after her arrival, there was a discussion between yourself and a Doctor Hinkler about the good fortune that she was an organ donor. There is a high-profile politician in residence here in need of a heart, and Darcy is a perfect match is she not?” The doctor paled and dropped the files again.

Everyone stood silently for a moment. Tony walked over to the computer, placed a small silver disk on the side of the hard drive, and rounded on the doctor, his voice low and deadly, “Is that true?” The doctor fearfully shook his head.

Loki hissed, “He lies.”

Tony turned toward Loki, "How do you know?"

Loki smirked, "Magic."

"Seriously?"

"It is also how I healed her."

Tony shook his head, “JARVIS, is what the ex-con says true? Was she dying? Is there a politician here that was gonna get her heart?”

The AI spoke from one of the hospital’s loud speakers. “Yes sir, it seems before Miss Lewis’ recovery there were two operating rooms being prepped for a heart transplant, and Miss Lewis was listed as the donor.”

Jane slapped the doctor as Tony and Loki advanced on the now trembling man. Then Pepper returned with Agent Hill following close behind.

“What’s going on here?” Hill asked briskly.

“Hill, you better get this piece of shit out of here now before me and Will Turner here kill him.” Several SHIELD agents stepped between the doctor and the infuriated men.

“Seriously Hill, if your guys don’t get him out of my sight right now I’ll mow them down too.” Tony growled.

“Agents Clancy and Yates, take the doctor out to Agent Sitwell and don’t let him leave.”

The men removed the doctor from the room. Tony paced angrily and Loki slumped in the bed beside Darcy.

Hill turned to Tony, “Stark! What the hell in going on here? You allowed Lewis to become injured, we get a hit from the radar that looks like Puente Antiguo, there's a report from a doctor of a random unconscious man appearing out of nowhere, and when we show up to investigate you’re threatening one of the most influential doctors on the board of directors at this hospital! So I repeat WHAT THE HELL?”

“Tony’s pissed because Dr. Lecter out there wanted to carve me up for spare parts!” Darcy snarled.

Tony sat heavily on the end of Darcy’s bed and stared at everyone in the room. The billionaire felt older than ever before. He scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “Hill, a lot’s happened in the last week. I know Lewis was injured on my watch, thank you so much for reminding me. As if I don’t feel guilty enough, second reminder in less than an hour by the way. I don’t know about your hit on the radar because we’ve been a little busy here. Lewis finally woke up; her sleeping beauty routine was getting a little old. Her boyfriend here figured out the doctor's crazy plans, which JARVIS confirmed. And then you showed up.”

Tony stood up and stalked towards the agent. “Look, I followed SHIELD’s protocol concerning Lewis, but this is bullshit. I’m done. She’s conscious now, and I’m taking her back to STARK Tower and my personal doctors are going to monitor her recovery. Are we clear?” he growled. Tony stood nose to nose with the agent, and for the first time Hill appeared just a tiny bit unsure of herself.

She narrowed her eyes at Tony, squared her shoulders and Darcy wondered if she had imagined the momentary lapse in badassery. “Crystal,” she bit out.

“Good then I’m going to need you to sign some papers so I can get her released, and take her back home.” Tony and Agent Hill headed for the nurses station.

“But what about…” Jane began. Tony and Pepper made brief eye contact.

“Jane, I’ve been meaning to ask you a question about the requisition forms you gave me last week.” Pepper expertly maneuvered Jane right out of the room and down the hall away from the agents.

Darcy fought a yawn as she looked around, “Hey, alone at last.” She said softly. “Babe?” Loki snored softly in response. He was slumped over, head resting on her shoulder. “Crazy week right? But I think you might be right, a short nap sounds good.” She curled around his sleeping form her arm wrapped possessively around him. He still had his Orlando Bloom face on but it would be a short nap, Tony would be in soon, then she could finally go home. She smiled, she was taking a half-naked Asgardian god home.

Notes