Darcy was grumpy when she rolled into her office on Monday morning. Her face still hurt, which was one reason to be grumpy. Another reason? Having to separate herself from Loki and be a normal person for the week. It was becoming increasingly more difficult to do so. He made her feel like more than she thought she was. He perpetuated the crazy life she had fallen into. Best of all, he looked at her (when he thought she didn't notice) like she was a reason to wake up in the morning.

The idea that a college intern from Nowhere, New Mexico could cause a being who was centuries old to feel that way...nah. It just didn't make sense. But she'd pinched herself multiple times, and it hurt, so she wasn't dreaming. He was real.

The paintball date had been...wow. So amazingly cool it went beyond words. But after had been maybe even better? They had ordered take out food after pulling themselves out of the Jacuzzi. After eating, they had watched television for awhile, sprawled together on the sofa. Darcy was very tired. At the time, she had felt guilty, because she didn't feel energetic enough to wrestle around in bed with him (and her face just ached). But she felt guilty about it. He had done such a damn good job finding something to do that she loved. He should be rewarded for that. Being tired sounded like an excuse.

When she had reluctantly expressed that she should go home, since her eyes kept drooping shut, Loki had looked at her quite comically and asked why. With her face flaming, Darcy had managed to stutter out that she only felt up to sleeping. Loki's blank expression had indicated his complete lack of understanding and he had asked, once again, why that meant she had to go home.

She had stumbled and faltered while trying to explain it to him, and finally, it came out bluntly. He had been so fantastic to her with saving her and then the paintball date, and she felt guilty for continuing to hang out without putting out (as one of her attempted high school romances had worded it when he told her to hit the road).

His expression had been truly priceless as he finally figured out what she was trying to say. Then he had looked offended.

"You do not have to 'buy' time with me with sex, Darcy. If I did not want to share your company, I would not. While I certainly enjoy the sex (his shiver-inducing grin!), it is not the only reason I want to spend time with you. Are men of this realm so...crass?"

She had practically melted on the spot, and because she was so tired, her defenses were down, so the tears had started. Loki had been so confused, and then concerned that he had hurt her feelings by telling her he didn't like her just for sex. He had stared at her helplessly, looking a little twitchy as if he wanted to bolt to safety, somewhere away from the weepy woman on his sofa.

Darcy had finally been able to tell him that he was the most wonderful person ever (he had looked like he wanted to disagree, but wisely kept his mouth shut), and had squeezed him tight. At some point, she had fallen asleep (clinging to him possessively), and he had apparently carried her to his bed, because that's where she had woken up this morning. Still clinging. Because she didn't want to let go.

Loki had been a little nervous that she might burst into tears again, but Darcy had assured him that she was fine, and he was awesome. But it was almost sheer torture to tear herself away. So she was grumpy.

That did not dissipate when she walked into the building, surrounded by normality and banality. It was just so surreal to be a 9 to 5-er when she was dating a god. Well, okay, she actually worked 8:00-4:30, but still...she wasn't sure which was real anymore. The boring office worker (even though it was a secret government agency's office, it was still an office job), or the girl who hung out with superheroes. Her closest friends? A billionaire ex-playboy child (he really had devoted himself to Pepper), the Norse God of Thunder, a guy who'd been frozen in ice for 70 years (and also happened to be a war hero from way back when), a lethal Russian beauty who could kill or incapacitate in a second, a mild-mannered scientist who turned into a green monster when he got a little excited, and the world's greatest marksman. Not to mention the normals of her group: a brilliant astrophysicist and the CEO of Stark Industries.

Who was Darcy Lewis?

Before she even got to her cubicle, someone tapped on her shoulder and Darcy turned. Sheila was behind her, looking quietly radiant, and as soon as Darcy was facing her, the other woman hugged her.

"I can't ever thank you enough," she said, drawing back, eyes shining. "Steve is a wonderful guy." She blushed. "He holds door open for me, and calls me a lady, and treats me like I'm special!"

"Um...you're welcome," Darcy stuttered. She couldn't stop the sly grin that slid across her face. "Do you do things nice things for him?"

Her friend's face went beet red. "Maybe, but I'm not going to discuss that with anyone."

"Shame." Darcy started toward her cubicle again, motioning for Sheila to join her. "Steve needs a good woman. He's a super nice guy."

She stopped abruptly when she reached her cubicle. All of her stuff was packed into boxes, and the computer had been dismantled. What the hell?

"Do you know what's going on here?" she asked in a tight voice.

Sheila grinned. "You've been reassigned. I think you're supposed to see Coulson."

Reassigned? Reassigned? No way. Darcy was picturing some remote outpost, because where she went, Loki was likely to follow, and Fury would probably sleep easier if Loki were chilling in Alaska or something.

All the craziness of the past month seemed to bubble up inside of her, and grumpiness turned to fury. "Talk to you later, Sheila." Darcy stalked away, lips pressed together and eyes flashing fire. Anyone who saw her coming scattered out of her way, and greetings died on the lips of those who were going to give them.

She stomped into Coulson's office without even knocking. "What. The. Hell?"

Coulson looked up from his computer. There was no expression on his face, of course. The man always looked strangely serene, even when he was threatening people. Standing over him was Fury, who raised an eyebrow in question. Darcy didn't care. Her face hurt, her life was a whirlwind, and this wasn't the way she wanted to start her Monday.

"Reassigned?" she hissed. "Seriously? What the hell?"

"Miss Lewis."

She pointed an angry finger at Coulson. "No. I don't want to hear some stupid justification. You forced me into this job because I'm a security liability. You made me move to this big ass, loud, smelly city. You forced me to be around super agent and superhero beefcake all the time, which really gives a girl a complex, let me tell you. You're not going to stick me in some shithole in the middle of nowhere!"

She kicked Coulson's desk, ignoring the pain that shot up her leg. "I think I've been good about all of this, really. Hanging out with superheroes and their girlfriends, ducking stray supervillain fire, working for a secret government agency...it's all a little crazy part of my life now. I'm still spinning from it, but I've gotten used to it, and now you want to reassign me?"

Both Coulson and Fury were not even looking slightly worried, as if the thought that Darcy Lewis might go postal either never occurred to them, or wasn't important enough to worry about. After all, all the super agents and superheroes in the building could easily bring her under control.

"I'm not gonna be your shithole pencil pusher!"

She had to pause to breathe, and that gave Fury the chance to talk. The director folder his arms across his chest and stared at her with his one eye. "You're being reassigned to the Avengers."

Darcy stopped in mid breath. After a moment, she realized breathing was important, so she resumed. "What?"

"You're being reassigned to the Avengers," Fury repeated slowly. He was watching her carefully, like he expected her to freak. Again.

Darcy wanted to freak, more than she just had, but her brain felt like it was encased in molasses. Thoughts were not coming to her. "I don't understand."

Coulson rose to his feet. "You've been around the team for awhile, right?"

"Yeah?"

"How often have you seen them doing team building exercises?"

Darcy had to think about it carefully. She'd seen them sniping at each other, maybe grudgingly working out together, but team building exercises? Their fighting style reflected their individuality and they all tended to go into a battle doing their own thing.

"Um...never?"

"Exactly. So what were they doing yesterday?"

Yesterday? Was Coulson on crack? "Are you on crack?" she had to ask, ignoring his calm. "They played paintball yesterday!"

"In teams. Working toward a common goal."

Oh. Darcy stared up at both men in sudden understanding. "Okay. I totally see that. But what does that have to do with me getting transferred to the Avengers?"

Fury frowned down at her. "You, or you and Loki, seemed to have inspired them to work together as a team. I'm not taking any chances. I'm going to exploit any possible advantage if it makes the team better. Agent Coulson will go over your primary responsibilities." He grinned suddenly. "You have self defense training with Agent Romanoff at 3:00."

Darcy gulped. Oh shit. "I don't have anything to wear for self defense training."

Coulson's creepy little smile gave her chills. "Agent Romanoff will be dropping off appropriate clothing for you this morning."

Oh shit. "She's gonna kill me, isn't she? All this reassigning bullshit is to throw me off the real plan – assassination."

Fury tilted his head, with the strangest look on his face. "Why the hell would I order you killed? Loki would tear this agency apart if that happened, and I'd be number one on his hit list. Do you think I want to die?"

Wow. That was so true. "I guess that would be really stupid, huh? Okay, so you ordered Natasha to teach me self defense?"

Fury seemed very confused or frustrated. He looked at Coulson, then back at Darcy. "Ordered her? No, she informed me that she would be training you. I value my manhood, so I didn't argue with her."

Darcy choked on air, and then started laughing. There was a slightly hysterical feel to it, after the events of the last few days (month). She clapped a hand to her mouth, staring up at Nick while still giggling. Damn. That made her face hurt. The look on Fury's face kept her giggling, while Coulson's creepy calm really made her want to bust a gut.

After a few seconds she managed to get it under control. "Sorry. It's been a busy and weird time in my life. I really needed to laugh. Sorry I yelled. A little on edge."

Sympathy, no matter how slight, looked very odd on Nick Fury's face. "That happens a lot around here." He stared at the bruised side of her face. "It will help when you're able to defend yourself. You'll feel more in control." He nodded shortly at both her and Coulson, and then walked toward the door. He paused right beside Darcy, and looked down at her.

"I know you never asked for this, so we're trying to make things as easy for you as we can. It isn't always an option, and for that I am sorry." He nodded, and left the office.

Darcy turned a questioning look on Coulson. "So...where am I going? What am I doing?"

Fury's minion stepped out from behind his desk and motioned for her to follow him.

***********************************************************************************************************************************

It had been a whirlwind of a day so far, and 3:00 came too fast. Darcy jumped a little when a knock sounded on her desk. It was strange, because when she'd heard she'd been reassigned to the Avengers, she hadn't been picturing working at a desk. But then again, it wasn't like she was suiting up in spandex to go fight the good fight. She looked up to see Natasha standing there in workout clothes, hair tied back.

Darcy blinked, and then checked the time. It was 2:55. Crap. "Give me five to get changed."

The older woman nodded. "Meet me in the gym."

"Yeah." Darcy jumped out of her chair and scooped up the workout clothes Natasha had delivered earlier. There was a nearby locker room for women only, and she made her way there to get changed and pull her hair back into a pony tail. She was hellishly nervous. Natasha was very serious when it came to kicking ass, and Darcy wasn't really a contact violence girl. She preferred distance violence, like tasers. But her bruised face was a testament to the disadvantage of using something other than herself for her own defense. Without the taser, she'd had nothing. She didn't want Loki to have any excuse to go evil again, so learning to defend herself was a good idea.

Natasha had even thoughtfully included a sports bra in Darcy's size. That was a good thing because the girls would probably knock her out if she tried to do any of the jumping that Natasha seemed to incorporate into her fighting. Darcy couldn't even imagine trying to explain that situation to, well, anyone. Of course, she immediately began to imagine Stark's reaction, or Coulson's...stop!

A welcome sight greeted her in the gym. "Jane!" she cried in relief. Jane was standing next to Natasha, also dressed for action with her hair pulled back. Both women turned at her arrival.

Natasha's smile was considerably softer than Darcy was used to seeing. "Since Jane also needs to learn self defense, I thought it would be easier for both of you to train at the same time." She bit her lip. "I've been told that I can be intimidating."

Darcy's bark of laughter was louder than she thought. "Uh, yeah? I totally watch the footage from the public fights, you know. I saw you take out six guys in a matter of seconds. Yes, you are intimidating." She saw the redhead wilt a little, and decided to try to cheer her up. "Thanks for the clothes, by the way. It would have been tough to get physical in office clothes. Oh yeah, and thanks for the sports bra. Ohmigod! The girls would have totally knocked me out if I tried to jump or anything with a regular bra."

She dimly registered Jane's resigned sigh, but apparently could not stop her mouth today. "It's thoughtful little things like that that make you a good person. Plus, teaching me and Jane self defense. Why is Jane here? Jane, why are you here?"

From the look on Natasha's face, the Darcy ramble disturbed her for some reason. The redhead opened her mouth to say something, but Darcy's mouth wasn't done yet.

"Not that I mind that Jane's here, because it's nice to have the company, and it sets my mind at ease that Natasha isn't going to kill me. That's what I thought when they first told me about being reassigned, and then self defense training, and I just figured that Fury was eliminating civilians so his operation would be more secure. Uh-oh. Jane, I think that means that you're on the hitlist too. Wow. Thor will be pissed. So I guess that we're really are here for self defense, because Fury doesn't want to die or lose his manhood, so killing us would be a bad idea."

Jane was laughing, a girlish little twitter that always slightly annoyed Darcy. "You get used to it," the scientist told Natasha. "It happens when she's stressed."

Darcy found herself on the receiving end of a very speculative look from the redhead, and then Natasha broke out into hearty laughter. "What?" Darcy didn't like when she wasn't in on the joke.

The Black Widow looked down at her, eyes crinkling in mirth. "I'm trying to picture Loki's reaction to that."

Jane clapped a hand over her mouth. "Poor Loki. I don't think he'd handle that well."

"He didn't run!" Darcy told them proudly. "He looked at me a little funny, but he didn't run or anything." She managed to shut her mouth and took several deep, cleansing breaths, trying to get herself back into a Zen place where her mouth was not disconnected from her motor controls. She breathed for a minute, and finally exhaled explosively.

"Mouth now under control. Let's do this."

She was completely confused when they spent over 30 minutes stretching and warming up. It was a little embarrassing to realize she was in such poor shape, because her body just didn't stretch in some of the ways that Natasha wanted her to. Jane had no problems, and seemed to be double jointed, but Darcy really struggled. She didn't see the point to all the stretching, and finally had to ask.

"What's with all the stretching?"

Natasha raised an eyebrow at her. "What happens if you're attacked by more than one person, and you put the first one down but pull or tear muscles in the process because you've let them tighten and atrophy, and then you can't defend yourself against the others?"

Good point. "Stretching is good," Darcy agreed. "And I think I really need it."

She watched Natasha bite her lip again, and gave the woman points for not agreeing with her statement.

When the Widow was satisfied that they had done enough stretching, they finally moved into very basic self defense moves: what to do if someone grabbed your shoulder from the front or back, or if someone grabbed your arm, or gave you a sinister bear hug. Darcy really liked that one. She easily escaped Natasha's hold several times, and varied between running or taking the attacker out.

A small sound at the gym's entrance caught their attention, and Darcy looked up to see Stark watching them in appreciation, while at the same time typing on his phone.

"Ladies," he greeted with a big shit-eating grin.

Natasha's sigh was loud. "Tony, this is not an exhibition training session."

"It's about to be," he quipped, pocketing his phone.

Loki was the first to arrive, popping out of nowhere to stand beside Stark. He wore that smug little not-smile that drove Darcy nuts, and folded his arms across his chest, while watching the three women. Barton was the next to arrive, followed closely by Thor. Banner and Cap were a little slower, but soon they were all clustered around the gym entrance.

Darcy felt extremely self-conscious, and was considering asking Natasha to stop. Jane's wide and twitchy eyes said she felt the same way. But when Darcy saw the twinkle in Natasha's eyes, she knew things were about to get interesting.

"Gentlemen, I can't have you disturbing my students, so you just volunteered to be attackers. Get in here."

Somehow, Darcy didn't think that was a good idea. But when she watched Tasha slam Barton into the floor hard enough that everyone felt it, she revised her opinion. It might be fun to beat up on the guys a little.

Poor Bruce didn't move, earning him a wicked look from the Widow. "Bruce, I meant all of you."

The scientist spread his hands in an apologetic gesture. "Natasha I can't. If someone throws me on the floor...well...you know."

Darcy kept looking back and forth between the two of them, waiting. Bruce had a valid point. He wouldn't lie on the floor, trying to catch his breath like Barton. He'd swell up and go green.

"No throwing," Natasha promised. "Disarming practice, and general hold escape. Think you can handle that? You'll be my partner."

Darcy thought that Bruce was being very brave when he swallowed hard and nodded. Then he looked to his male teammates. "If...if it happens, make sure I don't hurt anyone, okay?"

Thor was boisterously excited. "Do not worry, my friend. I have fought off your dark side before." He was grinning, eyes almost flashing in his excitement. Darcy rolled her own eyes. Show the man a little action, and he turns into a puppy. How Jane possibly found that attractive...

Loki surprised everyone. "Do not fear, Dr. Banner. If you 'get your freak on', I can contain you." He tactfully did not point out that he'd done exactly that when he'd made his bid for world domination.

Bruce was delighted. "You can! I remember that." He heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you Loki. That makes me feel a lot better."

Barton finally picked himself up off the floor. "Shit. Then you're officially on call for Hulk-subduing duties, Loki. He broke one of my ribs the last time. A little explosion in the lab, and all of a sudden, everything needs remodeling." He grinned to soften his words. "At least it's never boring around here. Why didn't you volunteer before this?"

Darcy's man had the strangest look on his face. "Would you have trusted me with that duty prior to now, Clint Barton?"

The archer stared at him thoughtfully. "Probably not. I'm not as forgiving as Stark, and I never really trusted your so-called reform. But you've saved our necks a couple of times, and I honestly can't believe that Darcy is that poor of a character judge, so I guess I'm okay with you."

Natasha used Barton as her toss toy, and Banner for the less active moves. Jane and Darcy got to practice with Stark, Rogers, and Barton mostly. The Widow seemed a little hesitant to use the Asgardian duo. Thor was so big, and Loki was a reformed super villain.

Loki was the first to notice that he was not being used. "Agent Romanoff. When are you planning to use me as an attacker?"

"I..." It was the first time Darcy had ever seen Tasha at a loss for words. "I wasn't sure if you would tolerate being used in such a manner."

Loki smirked at her. "You think I prefer watching other men put their hands on my woman? Or wrap their arms around her?"

Rogers, who currently had his arms wrapped around Darcy's torso, pinning her arms to her sides, released her and stepped back quickly. "No funny business intended, Loki."

Darcy laughed as Loki slid into place behind her, sliding his arms around her. "You did that on purpose," she accused in a whisper.

He bent his head to whisper back. "Of course."

Stark groaned. "Seriously you two? You make out during paintball, and now you're getting all touchy feely during self defense training?"

Darcy raised her chin. "Deal with it, Stark."

He shrugged. "I'm just waiting for you to try to toss Loki." He rubbed his hands together. "This should be way more entertaining than trying to toss Bruce. You don't toss gods casually, you know."

Loki apparently didn't believe he could get tossed. Darcy caught a glimpse of his face as he tumbled over her shoulder, and it was priceless. Wide eyes, open mouth and total shock. He uttered an inelegant bleat of surprise, and then blinked out of the air before he hit the floor to stand behind Darcy again.

"That is so unfair," Barton groused, picking himself up off the floor from where Natasha had thrown him.

Darcy turned slowly, afraid to see Loki's expression. He was...laughing? Really? "You're not mad?"

He slid his arms around her from the front this time. "Of course not. I knew what the move entailed. I just did not believe you would be able to do it."

"I want to try," Thor announced, with a huge grin. "I find it unlikely that a woman other than Sif could toss me to the floor."

Natasha's grin was feral, and Darcy had to press her face into Loki's chest to hide her grin. Apparently, the floor underneath the gym mat was not rated for Asgardians, because she heard a loud crack following the deafening thud of the God of Thunder hitting it. Loki was laughing with her.

"Oh Thor. Your face!"

Darcy lifted her head, and tried not to laugh at this sight of Thor, sitting in the middle of a depression, shaking his head. Jane was not so restrained, and she did laugh at her man's misfortune.

Thor jumped to his feet, and bowed to Natasha. "I stand corrected. You are a formidable opponent, Natasha. I had avoided sparring with you because you are female, mortal, and delicate. I must apologize for underestimating your skill at combat."

Natasha didn't even look flustered. "Jane. Darcy. Even the biggest man, god, or supervillain can be taken down if they underestimate you. It's a powerful weapon for a woman." Then she turned her blistering gaze on Loki. "You are not permitted to teleport, or whatever it is that you do, during this training. Actually, you could probably use some hand to hand training as well."

"I prefer to work from afar, as Agent Barton does," Loki replied loftily. "I have magic and blades, and I am skilled with both."

"What happens when you're drained, and out of knives?" the Widow asked sweetly. "Barton has extensive hand to hand training. He might prefer the ranged weapon, but he can take people apart with his hands when he needs to. Can you say the same?"

Darcy saw by the expression on his face that Loki could not. He had suffered grievous wounds in the battle with the green skinned aliens, while trying to rescue Stark from their midst.

Thor had folded his arms over his massive chest, and was giving Loki a goading look. Darcy got the feeling that the blond god had tried to make the same point to his brother countless times before. She watched Loki's shoulders slump in defeat.

"You are correct. Although I believe that my minion requires the same training. He relies on his suit of armor too much."

Stark squawked a protest that Natasha smoothly overrode. "I agree, Loki," she purred, looking at Stark like he was a bowl of cream, and she was a very naughty cat. "Tony definitely needs hand to hand training."

Loki slapped an arm around Stark's shoulders as the billionaire tried to escape. "I am very relieved that you will be sharing training, minion." He winked at Darcy. "I will not be the only male to be abused by our relentless teacher."

Stark tried, for several minutes, to wiggle out of Loki's reach, but Darcy's man had a firm hold on him. The billionaire finally gave up, shoulder's slumping.

"This sucks, you know," he told them all. "Bruce...help a friend out?"

Banner only shook his head. "You're on your own for this one, Stark."

The Iron Man gave in to defeat. "Fine. But if you hurt me, you have to deal with Pepper."

Natasha winked. "Pepper likes me. I'm sure it won't be a problem."

The jibes, threats, and joking continued through the end of the training session, and then everyone scattered with light hearts.

♾️ ♾️ ♾️

Did you guys check out "Assassin" yet? Check it out fam!!

Vote and Comment.

Love,
InfinityHaze ♾️