Utter Darkness

He fell to his knees before her and whispered, "The Avengers have fallen."

She sank to her knees in front of him; certain she'd heard him wrong. "What did you say?"

His voice was raw, "Central Park was a desolate warzone."

Darcy's hand flew to her face as what he'd said sunk in. "Fallen… as in…?" she couldn't bring herself to say the words. Loki nodded. "All of them?" Again, he nodded.

"The Captain, Hulk, and… and…" his voice broke... "…Thor."

"But SHIELD is still there, surely they can…" Darcy pleaded, tears in her eyes.

Loki shook his head, "No, they are all gone Darcy. There is no one left to stop him. We could go to Vanaheim. Perhaps he will not venture there for a while and we can pretend to have a life of peace until he does." He stood as he spoke. "Stark told me to use this, he managed to get this to me just before he… before he…" Darcy began to cry as Loki spoke about Tony.
He turned the glove over and inhaled sharply in surprise. "They managed to take the other stones…"

A distinctly non-human sounding machine flew past the coffee shop. The explosions had stopped; there was a lull in the fighting. The aliens seemed to be looking for something.

He clutched the glove to his chest and began to pace frantically as he muttered. "It is complete… I could…" He turned to her; a fearsome light gleamed in his narrowed eyes. "It is complete, the only weapon in all the Nine Realms that could be used against him and they completed it before they... I could set it all right. I could restore life to them, destroy Thanos, I could… I could..."

Something had lit in him and it alarmed Darcy. She stood slowly and began to back away from him.

He saw her movement and rushed to her, caught her by the waist, and pulled her to him. "If you were to ask it of me Darcy you would be my queen. With this gauntlet I would conquer all who oppose me; you would be the highest goddess in all the realms and I would be the god of all." There was a ragged edge to his tone.

She shook her head, tears pricking the edges of her vision, "Loki…" her voice seemed small and timid. The mad look in his eyes lifted some as she spoke. "Hey, I'm pretty sure, that when I fell in love with you, you weren't a bat-shit crazy megalomaniac. I don't want to be a queen. Right now, I'd be happy with you kicking that Thanos guy's ass, and saving our friends. Tony…" she choked on his name. "…Tony died to get you that gauntlet. You need to use it. Okay?" He still seemed on edge. "Loki, you still here?" She gently laid her hand on his cheek. "Hey Magic Man?"

His whole body shuddered, he dropped the gauntlet and stumbled back away from her and it. "I cannot… It is not a weapon for one such as I. I've held it for mere minutes and its loathsome power began to sway me. I have too many demons. I cannot wield it. We have to find someone who can. Someone strong, noble, and wise."

"We don't have time for a talent search, Loki. You're gonna have to be the one! You are all of those things already you just have to believe in yourself. Look, I'll carry it till we get there, then you put it on, fix the guys, kill Thanos, and then you take it off. Five minutes and you're done. It'll work, it has too." She reasoned as she heard another alien machine pass by.

"It is far too dangerous; I've not kept you here away from him merely to allow you to risk your life now."

"At this point we're all Earth's got. We have to do this and we have to do it now." She pleaded.

"And if in destroying the monster I become one far worse?" he asked softly.

They stood in the middle of a ruined city, in a coffee shop with shattered windows and no power, surrounded by frightened civilians. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. "Not gonna happen. You're freakin tough as nails and I'll be there for you. I won't let you go super-villain."

There was a catch in his voice, "And why would you do that? Why would you willingly endanger yourself like that?"

"Because, stupid, at some point you're gonna figure out how to fix my memory and I'm gonna realize just how much I love you. So till then I gotta be careful with you. I don't want you getting hurt or dying until I get a chance to figure all this out." She stepped closer her body almost flush with his, the gauntlet lay on the floor between them. She stared at his ornate armor; her voice was a barely a whisper, "Besides, there's been some other stuff I've seen and I think I'm beginning to understand why I fell in love with you."

He hooked his finger under her chin and made her look at him. "Darcy, I would travel to hell and back for you, but I beg of you, do not ask this of me. I am not strong enough to bear this burden. I will be corrupted by it."

She took both of his hands in her own. "I watched the last hour of footage before you took my memories." He blanched and tried to pull away but she held tight to his hands. "I saw what they did to you. I saw how you protected me, how you defended me. You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for. I did a lot of thinking last night and I think I got this one figured out. You were so angry when you fell from the Bi-Frost. You landed in the middle of some folks who wanted to fuck shit up, and you gloried in it. At some point, they began doing stuff you weren't comfortable with and then they began to force you to do those things. I saw some of the footage of New York. You were crazy as hell and your eyes were blue. I think you were just as controlled by Thanos as Barton and Selvig were controlled by you." This time when he pulled away, she let him go. His actions confirmed her theory. "You never told anyone." She reached for him. "Why, why didn't you tell someone, anyone?"

His voice was harsh and cutting, "And who would I tell? Who would have sympathy for the disgraced prince? In a warrior culture, who would have compassion for the weak fool who released the Mad Titan and then was enslaved by him? Oh, I know; Thor would have thrown himself at Odin's feet begging for mercy on my behalf. Perhaps Sif or the Warriors Three may have petitioned for…"

"Shut up! Shut up! Forget about the past. None of that matters anymore. You are so twisted up about that shit that you don't see how people can still care about you no matter what you think about yourself! You are so ready to believe the worst about everyone, especially about yourself. I know the truth, I have seen what you're capable of, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and yet I believe in you. Right here, right now I know that you can do this, you are the only one who can. Unless you want me to do it. I'm tired of this; you're sulking while people are dying. Either you man up and do it or I will."

He sneered at her, his lips curling in anger. "You know not what you ask. If I am truly turned and corrupted while wearing the gauntlet there will be no one capable of stopping me. I will bring Ragnarok, and enjoy every terrible moment of it. But you choose to push me to the brink, so I shall go. As my Lady commands." He gave her a mocking bow and picked up the gauntlet from the floor. A shiver of revulsion passed over him when his skin made contact with it.

He quickly grabbed her and transported them to Central Park. The trip was seconds but with her eyes open it was the most disorienting thing she'd ever experienced. Seeing everything move so quickly, even moving through solid objects. Her stomach was twisted in knots and her knees were weak, it was no wonder he had told her to close her eyes before.

Loki stepped away from her, knelt down, placed the gauntlet on the grass in front of him, took off his helmet, placed it beside him, then his hands were glowing green, and he was muttering.

When her stomach settled, she hissed at him. "Okay Snape, I get that you're pissed at me but you gotta warn me before you just apparate us around. Cause next time I might just puke on your boots."

He glared at her. "Be silent and allow me to finish this spell." He looked back down at his hands and she stuck her tongue out at him. "I saw that." There was a tiny quirk in the corner of his mouth. He was suppressing a smile.

She took a chance and moved closer standing behind him so she could watch. His hands moved in a graceful, intricate pattern; he seemed to almost be weaving the green magic. "So whatcha doin'?" She whispered as she leaned over and placed her chin on his shoulder. "Is it another one of those cloaking spells you were talking about earlier?"

He shook his head. "No, I relocated the cloaking spell I cast earlier so it will cover us here. I am trying to create a magical barrier over my skin so that the gauntlet will have less effect on me."

Darcy smiled, "See I knew you'd be the right guy for the job. Nobody else could do that. They'd just have to fight the gauntlet's influence with plain old willpower."

The green magic coalesced and looked like a misty green glove. Loki pushed his hand into it and it absorbed into his skin. He turned his wrist and flexed his long fingers. Wholly inappropriate thoughts flooded Darcy's mind and she blushed. The man's hands were damn sexy. 'Focus Darcy, bad time for sexy thoughts.' She stepped away from him hoping her flushed cheeks would cool. "So what do we do now?" her voice squeaked a bit.

He stood as he continued to move and twist his hand and arm. "We do nothing. I will 'apparate' as you called it, and gather the bodies of your fallen friends. You shall remain here in this copse of trees, where you are safe, the cloaking spell will hide you from everyone with the exception of myself. After I gather the bodies of the Avengers, I shall put on the gauntlet and revive them. You will stay here under the cloaking spell with them because they will be weak and vulnerable for a time after they are revived. And I then I will destroy Thanos and all those who are a threat to this realm."

She nodded, and swallowed sharply. "You can do this. I know you can. You're gonna come out of this one the hero."

He rolled his eyes, "I will be fortunate to come out of this one alive." He looked so defeated, as though he'd already accepted the fact that he would die.

"Loki," she tried to make her voice sound confident. "You're going to live. You have every reason too. Please don't be worried or afraid. I know you can do this." She walked boldly up to him, reached up, tangled her hands in his hair, and pulled him down; kissing him with every bit of emotion she could, hoping desperately that he would understand what she couldn't yet put into words.

His arms wrapped around her pulling her close, he stood straight and tall, his grip pulling her up off her feet. Her legs wrapped around his lean hips and his hand slid under her butt, effortlessly supporting her. Through his armor and all the layers of leather, she could feel how desperately he still wanted her.

He was smiling she could feel it in his kiss. He held her tighter and began kissing along her jawline. She moaned as he came to a sensitive spot right below her ear where her jaw met her neck. He bit and sucked breaking the capillaries below her skin. "Ohmygod," she whined as her body responded to him. She pulled away from him resting her forehead on his.

He had a wicked smirk on his face. "Yes, yes I am."

"Don't brag." She panted

"It's not bragging if it's true." He smiled but there were tears in his eyes.

"We've had this conversation before…" he nodded. "After this is all over, you're gonna figure out how to fix my memory and I'll remember too. I'll remember everything. I…"

An inhuman roar shook the park.

"Damn…" Loki's head dropped to Darcy's shoulder.

"What the hell was that?" Darcy squeaked.

"I fear we've come to the end of Thanos' patience. He knows I took the gauntlet. He allowed
The Other to search for it but now he will tear this realm asunder to find it."

He carefully set Darcy on her feet. "Stay here no matter what you hear or see, stay here." He snatched up his helmet and put it on. She nodded but he saw a hesitation in her stance. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to deal with her reluctance. "Stay here," he demanded again.

He disappeared and reappeared with the bodies of Agent Barton and Romanov under each arm he set them down carefully and disappeared again. In rapid succession, he brought back Steve, Bruce, several agents she was unfamiliar with, and a big guy with an eye patch that she knew by reputation was Nick Fury.

His last trip he returned with Tony. Tony was still in the Iron Man suit and Loki was levitating him. He stopped and took a deep breath. "Stark's neck was broken; reviving him may prove far more difficult. Thanos simply removed the souls of the others." Loki picked up the gauntlet.

Darcy looked around, "Where's Thor?"

"I could not retrieve him." Loki looked angry beyond reason.

"Why? What happened?" "They have him. He is not dead, as I had thought. They know I have the gauntlet. They're hoping I will trade the gauntlet for Thor. They're torturing him."

Loki shook his head and put on the gauntlet. "I will retrieve him." His body tensed and shook as a sickly golden glow radiated out from the gauntlet and then enveloped him. He fell to his knees and his body convulsed slightly. Darcy ran to his side.

"Do not touch me." He ground out. "The gauntlet recognizes that I am not its master. I must subdue it and force it to answer to me." She could hear the pain in each word. A green glow pierced through the gold and began pushing the sickly glow back towards the gauntlet. Loki's teeth were grit in concentration. The green overwhelmed the gold and Loki stood. There was a different air to him; he radiated power and authority.

He turned and waved the gauntlet over the fallen. They came to with a gasp. They lay on the ground blinking and trying to get their bearings.

Loki walked over to Tony, removed Tony's helmet, and placed the gauntlet beneath Tony's neck. Loki's eyes closed in concentration, his arm shook slightly as Tony's eyes popped open, and the billionaire gasped in pain.

"What happened?" Tony's eyes were wild as he tried in vain to sit up.

Loki grinned at him. "You were dead; I revived you. I believe that the customary response is 'Thank you Loki'" "What the hell do you mean I was dead?" Tony asked in confusion.

Darcy moved to sit next to Tony as Loki propped Tony in the suit in a sitting position against a tree. "Hey, how you feeling?"

"Awful, weak as a kitten and I can't seem to get my limbs to cooperate." Tony groaned.

"You've been mostly dead all day." Darcy grinned.

"Yeah right, next you'll tell you had Miracle Max make a pill for me." Darcy threw herself on Tony and began to cry.

"Hey, no tears on the Arc Reactor. You don't want to short circuit me."

"Don't be an ass; I thought you were dead and gone. Loki said your neck was broken and he wasn't sure if he could fix you." She sat up and swiped at her tears. "I am so glad you're okay."

"I see you and Loki have been getting along well." She gave him an odd look.

He nodded at her neck. "He marked you again."

Darcy's hand flew up to the side of her neck. She blushed profusely as she squeaked, "Yeah I guess we're doing pretty good."

"Where is Rock of Ages?" Tony asked.

"He was right…" Darcy looked and Loki was gone. She jumped up and ran beyond the copse of trees, and into the clearing. She could hear Tony calling her back. Loki was facing off with a giant purple guy and a super pale human sized guy mostly covered by a black cloak. Loki held his right arm slightly behind himself hiding the gauntlet in the folds of his cloak.

"So the bastard prince has returned." The cloaked guy hissed.

Loki hardly looked at the smaller guy but addressed the big purple guy. "Thanos, you and The Other will release my brother and leave this realm now!" Loki demanded.

"The arrogance of the Asgardians. Yet you are not truly an Asgardian are you, foundling." Thanos' voice was huge. Like the sound of an oncoming train or a hurricane. "Will you submit and return what is mine or shall I have The Other break you again? It would so much more enjoyable this time, what with your audience watching." He gestured to Darcy and the copse of trees behind her that hid the Avengers. "I could kill your brother, or perhaps I could break the girl and you could watch."

Loki glanced over his shoulder and saw Darcy at the edge of the tree line. "You will do nothing of the sort. You will return Thor to me and I shall grant you a merciful death or you can fight me and when you lose, I will destroy you." Loki raised his right arm and aimed it at Thanos.

Thanos laughed, it was a terrible sound, cruel beyond measure. "You cannot believe you have truly mastered my gauntlet?"

"I have and I will… I will" and Loki began to chuckle. "I will destroy you with…" he threw his head back and laughed out loud. "I can't continue this ridiculous façade." Loki was nearly in hysterics as he walked over to Thanos and The Other. He was nearly doubled over in laughter as he patted The Other on the back with the gauntleted hand.

"Loki, NO!" Darcy screamed and ran towards him.

His left hand flew out and his green magic encased her. She couldn't move or speak but she could see and hear everything perfectly.

Thanos looked at her like a scientist inspecting an insect. "So much fire and life. There is more in her than meets the would make an excellent sacrifice to my mistress don't you think, godling?"

Loki looked at her with a wicked gleam in his eye. "No, I would like to keep this one. She has become an amusing plaything. She is but a short-lived human, your mistress Death will claim her soon enough."

"Why did you revive the heroes?" The Other asked crossly.

"Because what is a grand betrayal, without an audience." Loki bowed like a showman.

Notes