Darcy almost wanted to cry with relief when she felt the familiar buzzing of her cell phone vibrating in her coat pocket.
She was amazed she'd even managed to get a signal out here, but she had, and she thanked God for the small -- and very timely -- miracle.

Wobbling precariously back to the foot of the steep hill, she struggled to pull the phone free.
Jeez. Climbing mountains wreaked havoc with her calves, and climbing back down with jelly legs, was equally punishing.

"Hang on, sorry. I've got a call coming in." She shouted to Greg, who was already a good halfway up the small mountain.

He stopped, turned, and frowned at her. "But we came out here to relax. How are we supposed to enjoy ourselves and unwind if you have to stop to take calls?"

Relax? Yeah right. That was a good one.
She was so tempted to tell him that trekking up hills and through forests, wasn't exactly her idea of unwinding, or enjoying herself.
In fact, she'd rather stick pins in her eyes, or peel her own skin off and eat it.

But she couldn't bring herself to tell him.
After all, when he'd raved about his love of walking on their first date, she had responded enthusiastically. Claiming to love nature, and the outdoors.
And she did. In paintings and on documentaries.
She could appreciate a beautiful view, and enjoyed looking at stunning scenery. However, having to hike for two hours in order to achieve it, didn't really seem worth the effort or pain.

She couldn't really understand it.
When she was a kid, she considered herself to be a fan of the great outdoors. She was a real tomboy, and was all about tree forts, camping, and playing in the woods.
Now, she wasn't sure what had happened.
All she knew was, having to hike up mountains made her want to kill herself.

She hated it. Everything about it.

Getting all sweaty, and sticky was a big no no for a start. She couldn't even take a selfie once she'd reached the top, to prove her accomplishment, because she looked like shit.
Not to mention the way she felt her lungs were collapsing on her.
She'd been huffing and wheezing her way around the hiking trails, while Greg strode on, looking all fresh-faced and annoyingly not out of breath.

And God how she wished he would run out of breath, because if he gave just one more pep talk -- encouraging her to 'keep going' -- she was at risk of shoving him off the top of the damn cliff IF they ever reached the top.
Though she had to wonder if he'd be worth the jail time.

He certainly deserved to suffer like she was suffering.
Without looking, she knew she had blisters on her blisters, where her recently purchased 'hiking style' boots had rubbed her feet raw, and she was dreading having to peel her socks off later -- that is, providing her feet didn't come off with her boots,

Why had she lied like an idiot, just to impress a guy?
It was so out of character for her. Normally Darcy prided herself on being herself.
So what if she told a few little white lies now and then, who didn't? It was harmless enough. But she was paying dearly for this apparently harmless lie.

For some reason, she didn't want someone as active and adventurous as Greg to be put off by her being a bit of a slob. Admittedly, she spent most her time attached to her laptop or her bed -- preferably both. However, her idea of 'enjoying a walk' differed greatly from his.

When he'd suggested they make the most of her time off work and spend the day together, she didn't expect him to mean, hiking around The Greenbelt.
But even then, she was willing to give it a go.
She figured it might even be nice, getting some fresh air and a bit of gentle exercise, taking a stroll in the parklands.
In actual fact though, this was like slipping into the seventh circle of hell, and she realised now that she wasn't as in shape as she liked to think.
Nor was she capable of hiking like a pro, and this type of pastime she now realised, was most definitely not for her.

But how could she admit that to him now?
It seemed like admitting defeat, and she didn't want to seem like a quitter.

Fortunately, her phone ringing, was now providing her with a perfect excuse to take yet another much-needed rest.

"I have to take this, it could be something super important." She shouted back. Then muttered under her breath. "Like the hospital calling to say they've found an organ donor match, for the lung transplant I'm going to need!"

Briefly she glanced at the caller I.D, then hit answer and raised the cell to her ear. "Sup' Jane? You do realise you're interrupting some really hot sex right now? I hope you're happy with yourself. I hope you feel bad. Even though you get to have God-sex, which is probably way better, but I'm not bitter about that at all. Honest."

Even from a distance Darcy saw the way Greg visibly flinched at her joke, and she had to suppress a laugh. Especially as she pictured Jane's bemused expression too.

-- silence --

Darcy frowned, perhaps the reception wasn't all that great after all. Either that or Jane had actually fallen for the joke, which was dumb. She knew Darcy well enough by now to know when she was messing around.

"Helloooo? Jane?"

"Guess again." Came a distinctly smooth, eerily familiar voice. "And might I just add that God-sex needn't be ruled out. Thor has a devilishly good-looking brother."

Oh crap, no.
It couldn't be? Could it?

"Uh, you're not Jane."

"Thankfully, no I'm not. How perceptive of you to have noticed, Miss Lewis."

Darcy closed her eyes, silently praying to the Lord to give her strength and patience. "Why have you stolen Jane's phone you thief?"

"I haven't stolen anything. My brother kindly permitted me to use it." Loki explained simply. "Must you always think the worst of me?"

"It's probably safer that way. Anyway why are you calling me?"

"Well, I couldn't help noticing you haven't been in 'work' these past two days now." He stated.

"Yeah, well done for noticing, Captain Obvious. So what?"

She heard him draw in an exasperated breath. "Your absence is disturbingly ominous. One can't help but take it personally."

Darcy absentmindedly kicked at the ground with the toe of her boot. "Well you shouldn't. I am entitled to days off you know. I'm not a slave. It's sweet of you to miss me and all, but I'm sure you're managing just fine without me. There's gotta be someone else there for you to annoy, and make your coffee."

"No one makes it as well as you do."

Darcy immediately stopped kicking. Surprised by this tiny, yet touching, compliment.

In spite of Loki being a slippery customer, renown for lying through his perfect teeth, she knew there was probably some element of truth in his proclamation. After all, he was a bit of a coffee snob, who insisted on drinking nothing but pumpkin-spiced lattes. Fortunately for him, Darcy had once worked at Starbucks, and had therefore acquired some awesome coffee-making skills.

"Well, that's hardly surprising. But don't panic just yet, I haven't skipped town. I'll be in tomorrow, and I'll make you as many coffees as yo-"

"Miss Lewis, I need to speak with you." He interrupted.

"Um, isn't that what's happening right now?"

"No, I mean face-to-face. And I'm afraid it won't wait."

"You're kidding, right? You mean you want me to come into work today? On my day off?" She exclaimed incredulously.

"No Miss Lewis, I don't expect you to come into work." He said leadenly. "I'm asking you to come and visit in a social capacity......as a friend."

Darcy's grip on the phone loosened, and it almost accidentally slipped from her hand, like in a scene from a film when someone receives startling news.
She couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. There was no trace of detectable sarcasm in his voice.

"Loki, as honoured as I am, I'm over in Staten Island right now. That's like an hour away from Midtown Manhattan!"

"And your point is?"

Reaching up, she tugged on her hair in sheer frustration. "My point? My point is I don't have a magic hammer or a metal suit that I can just use to fly over there!"

"But you do have some form of transportation, yes?"

"Well yeah."

"Then what does it matter? As long as you can get here, the length of time is inconsequential. I'm wiling to wait."

"Gee, thanks. You're too kind." She ground the words out, filled with indignation. "If you can wait, then why can't you wait until tomorrow?"

"Because it is imperative that I speak with you as soon as possible. Time is of the essence."

Knowing that she was being an enormous idiot -- but also deeply intrigued by his vague proclamation --Darcy sighed, feeling her resistance crumble. "And you can't just tell me, whatever it is that's so important, over the phone?"

She already knew the answer, but figured it had to be worth a shot.

"Unfortunately, no." Came the reply, just as she'd anticipated.

Darcy cast an apprehensive look up the hill at Greg, who had seemingly grown tired of waiting, and carried on. He was now another anorak-ed, indistinguishable figure in the distance.

Hell.
He was bound to be pissed at having to leave.

"Fine." She said after a lengthy pause. "But you better not be dicking around, or I swear I'll whip your snooty ass!"

"Best not." He replied, and she could detect the audible smile now in his voice. "I might like it."

"Pervert!"

"Ehehehe." He laughed softly into the phone, and she smiled.

She liked hearing him laugh. It made a refreshing change. And it was a cute laugh too.

"Anyhoo, I'll just get clearance from Tony and then-"

"No! That isn't necessary."

"But I should really-"

"Miss Lewis, I'm entitled to visitors. Permission from Stark isn't necessary. So no phone calls, do you understand? I'll anticipate your arrival."

"No wait, Loki?" Darcy was about to protest further, but then the line went suddenly dead, indicating that he'd ended the call. "Ugh, you complete pain in the ass!"

Hastily she selected the option on her phone to call him back, but it just rang until going to Jane's voicemail.

"Shit!"

"Hey, everything alright?" Greg asked suddenly, having reappeared at the foot of the hill, making Darcy jump.

"Yeah, I mean no. Well not really." She smiled at her boyfriend apologetically. "I gotta go into work. Something has come up. Sorry."

Greg's kindly expression drastically altered. He looked thoroughly, and quite lengthily, pissed off by this news. "Why? What's so important that it can't wait until you're due in?"

"It's....it's all top secret. Important Avengers stuff. Sorry. We can do this some other time though, right?"

"Just because you work for Tony Stark doesn't mean you should be on-call 24/7" He blustered, stomping away. "You could've said no, Darcy. You're entitled to refuse."

"Mm, not really. You don't get it, this job is important. So I'm going to go in if the Avengers need me." She explained, proudly.

But Greg was far from impressed. "Just what exactly does this job entail? You won't even tell me!"

Darcy scuttled after him, feeling like she might pass out from heat exhaustion due to the chunky sweater and ugly weatherproof coat. "I can't. I've been sworn to secrecy. If I told you I'd have to kill you."

And in that moment, as Greg stormed away grumbling, Darcy was actually quite tempted to.

**********

By the time Darcy reached the Avengers Tower, her head was thumping. Overloaded with various, conflicting thoughts.

The drive back had been excruciating awkward, due to Greg having sulked for the entirety of the journey.
Whilst he was giving her the silent treatment, she had gotten lost in her own thoughts, which was never a good thing at the best of times.
But she'd found herself wondering what could possibly be so important that would drive Loki himself to call her up and ask to speak to her.

Then of course, there was the matter of Tony having given her yesterday off, even though she was supposed to have been in.
He'd taken the trouble to call her up at home, saying that he thought she deserved an extra day off, as a thank you for all the effort she'd put in with Loki.
But due to the friendly warning he'd given her, she couldn't help thinking that something was a little off.
Perhaps he really did doubt her capabilities.

Now here she was, showing up at what was formerly Stark Tower, when she had no real business being there.
Okay, so technically she wasn't breaking any rules that she knew of, but Loki's invite in itself seemed a bit funky.

Luckily, Darcy always kept her I.D pass in her wallet, so she was able to enter the building without any problems from security.
The place was noticeably lacking 'Avengers' and when she reached the lounge she found a rather disgruntled Loki being babysat by two burly guards wearing heavy-duty black combat gear, rather than suits.
Both regarded her stonily, as she trudged in moody-booted, and red-cheeked from rushing along the maze of corridors.

"What kept you?" Loki hurled at her by way of a greeting, which immediately riled her. "It's been three hours since I telephoned you!"

The man had some gall.

"Yeah? You're lucky I'm even here at all. It was almost a frickin' two hour walk back to the car, then Greg had to stop for gas, and like I said it's an hour's drive away....so this better be worth it, or you're in for it Mister-"

"Who's Greg?" He demanded, throwing her completely.

"He...he's my boyfriend." She admitted somewhat reluctantly, though she couldn't quite work out why she was hesitant to disclose this.

Loki quirked a dark brow in amusement. "You mean there's actually a man fool hearty enough to subject himself to your company full time?"

She could tell his jibe wasn't cruelly meant, but she still had to resist the urge to grind her teeth. "He's lucky to have me and he knows it."

"Ah yes, no doubt all the 'hot sex' goes some way to compensate." He smirked, blue-green eyes dancing with mischief. "I would apologise for having interrupted that, but I'm not actually sorry at all."

Darcy darted a look at the guards, who stood on either side of the door, completely expressionless. "We weren't actually doing anything like that. We were out on a hike!"

"Really? Sounds riveting. However that does explain your dishevelled state at least." Loki looked her rather rudely up and down, not even bothering to hide his distaste. "It's not a very flattering look, Miss Lewis. I confess I have seen you look more ravishing."

Subconsciously she attempted to smooth down her tangled locks of hair, which the damp February air had frizzed to oblivion. "Yeah thanks. Even you'd look like shit if you'd been forced to climb over hills and mountains all day."

"If you don't enjoy it, why participate?"

This straightforward question hit a nerve. She didn't know how to answer, and she wasn't obliged to.

"It's none of your business. Now are you gonna tell me what all this is about or what?"

Loki nodded almost imperceptibly in the direction of the guards, indicating that he was unwilling to talk in front of them. "Miss Lewis, I value my privacy even if no one else does. So I'm not prepared to discuss my affairs in the presence of the 'Brothers Grimm' here."

Fighting to conceal a giggle, Darcy moved purposely toward the one on the right, who had the controller clamped in his meaty fist.

"He doesn't mean anything by that. He gets grouchy when he hasn't had his afternoon nap. I am his usual nanny you see, uh?" She leaned closer to read the man's I.D badge, only to find no name written on it. "Agent....okay. I can run with that."
She turned to look at Loki, who sat elegantly sprawled on the long couch. His arms folded defensively. "Loki, be polite and introduce your minders to me."

"I forgot their names within minutes of Stark introducing them to me." He replied, waving his hand with aristocratic authority. "Just send them away, please."

Darcy smiled apologetically at the guards. "Can you give us a minute, fellas? Me and 'real power' need to have a little talk. He's a bit of a diva." She flashed her I.D pass for good measure

The guard relinquished his hold on the controller, but looked at her unconvinced. "Are you sure about this, Miss?"

Darcy placed her dainty hands on each of their shoulders, guiding them out encouragingly. "Yup. I'll be fine. Don't worry I can handle the big bad God."

Once they had left, she turned to him expectantly. "Well?"

He stood, rising to his full, impressive height, and fired a disarming, dazzling smile across the room at her, straight into her eyes. "Coffee first?"

Darcy tried to be mad but couldn't, as she blinked through the dazzle.
Jesus, his charisma was lethal, and didn't he know it.

"I do not get paid enough for this." She grumbled, pretending to feel martyred.

Making her way into the kitchen area, she hastily set about brewing a pot of fresh coffee.
Fifteen minutes later, the pair sat companionably at the large dining table, Darcy clutching a much-needed cup of sweet, frothy mocha, and Loki contentedly sipping his pumpkin-spiced latte.

"Miss Lewis, you are an angel." He crooned.

"Listen L, flattery will get you everywhere....but if you don't get to the point of why you dragged me all the way over here real soon, I will be forced to beat it out of you."

"As you wish." Setting his cup down, he rested his arms against the tabletop. "It has come to my attention that you've been given a file containing certain information regarding my past. Therefore I think it would be safe to presume you're aware of my dealings with the Tesseract."

She stared at him blankly. "The what?"

"The Tesseract. It's an infinity stone. Granted I wielded it as a weapon, but-"

"Wait let me just stop you there....I haven't read through all your file yet. But to be fair, in my defence, there's a lot. You know it should come in volumes. And I'm a slow reader."

Loki's jaw tightened and flexed in agitation. "Fine. So where are you up to?"

"Mm, the only weapon of yours it's mentioned so far is the basket of awesome winters."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"The basket of awesome winters, or something like that."

"You mean the Casket of Ancient Winters?"

"That's the one." She nodded, blowing on her drink to cool it.

Loki rolled his eyes at her rudely. "Well, you are aware that when I led the attack against this city I wielded the sceptre? Please tell me you know of that."

"Duh! Your magical space glow-stick of destiny? Sure. Everyone knows about that."

"Right. Well the Tesseract was the source of it's power. It was the Tesseract which enabled me to teleport to earth, and my mission was to retrieve it. However, I failed and Thor locked it away in our father's weapons vault."

"Right. So what's the problem?" She urged, undeniably intrigued now.

Loki drew in a deep breath, and she could see the way his large hand tightened around his cup. "The point is....I have it in my possession. And it is only a matter of time before the mad Titan who sent me to retrieve it, locates it's whereabouts."

Darcy's eyes widened, and whilst she admittedly did not know exactly what he was talking about, she knew it couldn't be good.
On the contrary, it could only be very un-good.

"And....what happens if he gets to it?" She croaked.

Loki grew even more uncomfortable, his body language growing perceptibly twitchy. Which made Darcy even more concerned.

"Believe me, Miss Lewis, you wouldn't want to know. In order to prevent global catastrophe, and delay the destruction, I must rid myself of the Tesseract. Keeping it, I fear will lead to my untimely demise."

She swallowed hard, and took a nervous glug of her coffee, which burnt the back of her throat.

"I must entrust it to someone who truly understands its power." He continued. "I know of a man, but unfortunately I haven't yet been granted privileges which would allow me to leave this compound."

"Can't you just give it to Thor, or Tony?"

Loki shook his head. "S.H.I.E.L.D will misuse the Tesseract, as they have done before."

"But they'll be able to come up with a plan or something, to keep it safe. To keep you safe. You're one of them now. Like, part of the Avengers family."

"I highly doubt it. If they trusted me, they would've removed this damned thing." He reached around and attempted to pick at the obedience disk, which stubbornly refused to budge from where it was deeply implanted in his shoulder. "And if I confess to having taken the Tesseract from Asgard, they will regard me with even greater suspicion. Due to me not having told them sooner."

"And why didn't you tell them sooner?" She exclaimed accusingly. "You shouldn't have taken it at all."

"Perhaps not. But I've been trying to formulate my own plan. One that would keep Thanos-"

"Who?"

"The mad Titan."

"Right. Sorry."

"A plan that would keep him away, whilst simultaneously ensuring that my brother and his band of merry-men never discover that I had it in my possession."

Darcy sat back heavily in her seat. Her headache had upgraded from thumping to splitting, and she felt weighed down. Weighed down with responsibility, and Loki of Asgard's fucking confessionals.

She should not be left in charge of someone like him.
It was seriously hard, scary, work.

"So where do I fit into all this?" She asked cautiously, after a lengthy pause. "What can I do? I'm just your sitter-"

"Precisely." He interjected smoothly. "I need your help, Miss Lewis. Without your cooperation, I cannot leave the complex."

Darcy felt her guts beginning to twist into anxious knots. "If you're asking me to remove your disk-thingy, you can forget it! I don't care what deep shit you're in. Jane would kill me, or worse still, Tony would fire me!"

"No, I'm not asking you to remove the obedience disk. I'm merely asking you to accompany me on an excursion." His eyes locked onto hers pleadingly, filled with apprehensive hope.

"You want me to...to take you out of the tower? To go find this dude who you want to give the Tesseract to?"

Loki nodded again, and then quite unexpectedly reached across the table to place a reassuring hand on hers. She stared at it, surprised by his tactile gesture. Then she stared at him, unsure of how to reply.

"Miss Lewis, I know this is a lot to take in. So I'm not asking you to make a decision now. I can't expect you to believe me, or take such a risk without doing your homework first. All I ask is, go home, read the file, sleep on it....then give me your answer in the morning."

To her immense surprise he didn't remove his hand, instead he curled his long fingers around hers. The contact felt intimate, but definitely a little desperate. This was a vulnerable side to him she hadn't seen before, which only seemed to add validity to his claims.

"And what if you don't like the answer?" She asked bluntly.

He thought about this for a moment before eventually replying. "I suppose I'm going to have to have faith in you, and trust you'll make the right decision."