Epilogue – Hope for You Yet

Six months ago she probably would have been overjoyed to be at the fancy gathering, an event organised by one rich person or another, she couldn't remember who exactly, for everyone who had contributed to saving the world over the last couple of years. She had actually met the rest of The Avengers, her and Jane substituting for Thor. Of course they were all aware, if not before they got there, by the end of the night, what had exactly transpired thanks to one Tony Stark who had taken it upon himself to learn more about the younger woman when she hadn't let him get away with arrogance. To spite her he'd gotten Jarvis to learn her every dirty secret including Loki's visit to Earth. She had quickly scolded herself with a "Good one Darcy. Piss off one of the richest men in the world who also happens to be a superhero and a genius". But as the drink flowed freely this hostility seemed to lessen as everyone shared war stories and she realized she actually had input.

She almost felt like she was a part of the team. If she still had Smurf she probably would be. For now she had to settle with the martial arts lessons she'd taken and going back to the old not so fancy taser. She'd also have to keep ignoring the fact that she also missed Smurf. So here she was, dressed up in a beautiful black ball gown that put emphasis on how developed her chest was and looking like she'd stepped out of Hollywood. At first she had felt that silly rush she always felt to plaster photos of everything over facebook but something felt off and that was how she ended up outside in the fresh night air brooding away from the clatter of glasses, laughter and conversation. She wasn't like Jane. She couldn't get stuck in a conversation with all the other science types about one thing or another and completely forget that if invitations could be sent to Asgard and accepted, she would be a bit more like Pepper hanging off of Tony's arm.

In that moment Darcy wondered if on some really out there chance Loki would be invited to such a thing would she hang off his arm like an accessory? Not that Pepper was like that, Darcy had quickly noticed that if Stark wasn't careful with his words he would be the one begging forgiveness to get back in her good graces. Darcy was a bit too much of a tomboy really to be the pretty girl on the arm though but it would have been the perfect occasion to flirt with Loki if anything. Staring out at the city below, she tried hard to change her thought pattern and deny that she missed both the Asgardian and the creature he had taken with him. She stared longingly at the strange bracelet on her wrist, noticing that it was bizarrely alight with energy. Maybe Loki and Smurf were on some other planet, fighting. When it flashed brightly for a second she only became more concerned wishing more than ever that someone had invented a phone that could make a really long distance call.

So wrapped up in her thoughts was she that she didn't notice the man stepping out onto the balcony to join her. He glanced over his shoulder, checking that no one had noticed him appear through a faint blue light with a strange creature that had grown in mass since it was last on the planet mimicking the size of a large dog as opposed to a large lizard. He was dressed smartly, not in his Asgardian attire else he might have been a bit easier to spot and he wanted to minimize that.

He stared at her, cautiously. Even from the back he could tell the dress she was wearing looked magnificent on her which wasn't helping. He felt young and foolish in spite of his usual arrogance. It was hard to find his confidence and remind himself he had snuck away to see a friend, not a lover. He heard her sigh to herself and found he understood the action. He too had spent the last six months missing their easy companionship. No one tried as hard as her to make him feel welcome and better yet, like he wasn't someone to abhor. He didn't want to admit, even to himself that he had spent far too many days and nights trying not to think of her or the words she had said that made him feel for the first time since he learned the truth of his existence, that he was not a monster.

"The party goes on without you Miss Lewis." He offered being decidedly formal. She gasped, spinning on the spot as her straightened hair crashed about her face. She stared at him wide eyed, her expression enough to make him break his polite smile to a soft laugh.

"You!" was all she got out before she dashed across the balcony, pulling him into a tight hug before punching his arm. A frustrated hiss alerted her to Smurf's presence who she was soon scratching to satisfied clicks, commenting on how big he had gotten. When she stood again she tilted her head curiously at Loki. "So how did you get here?" she inquired.

"Well my theory that Smurf has similar origins to the Tesseract is correct." Loki began, smiling at the creature that looked between its two favourite people. "Apparently when it left one of its eyes behind it was leaving a way to travel back here. He should also be able to send us back." He explained as Darcy looked at the bracelet on her wrist. Her facial expression suggested she was impressed.

"That's a pretty cool new method of sneaking out through the window." She commented with a sneaky smile playing on her full lips. Loki frowned slightly. "So my good sir, should we ditch these losers for a bit?" she asked, already stepping inside but sticking to the shadows as she made her way for one of the exits.

"Apparently I am if I care to or not." Loki told mostly himself. He ducked his head in slight apology when he realized the metal creature with a glowing blue eye caught the attention of a few people. Obviously they had also spotted Darcy however and deemed her trustworthy of monitoring the man they didn't trust or just maybe they were so well relaxed that they didn't want to ruin that by chasing him down.

Either way he found himself outside a diner a few blocks away being treated to greasy food as they went and found a park. Smurf seemed fascinated by the place, running around and inspecting every tree like an excited alien dog. As gracefully as she could, Darcy dropped herself onto a swing holding out her tray of chips and a burger to Loki.

"One more entrée involving half a cracker and I think I would have screamed." She commented obviously famished. A smirk played onto Loki's face when he easily fell into the act of teasing her.

"Trying to compete with Thor are we?" he inquired having to duck as she threw her purse at him, hearing it land some distance away. In spite of the offence she had a smile on her face while they finished the rest of the food, Loki sitting on the swing next to hers with a lot more dignity than she had managed.

"How is Asgard?" she asked after a moment of silently swinging, staring at the sky. He knew that like Jane, she had a strong want to visit their marvellous city though he was a bit uncertain of her reasons. But she wasn't asking about it specifically, she was asking how he was going with his redemption.

"No one really talks to me other than my family. Everyone else avoids me. A few have even gone to Odin requesting I be locked up again." He replied. Darcy felt that if he had been telling her such things six months ago he would be overcome with rage at the insults but now he spoke of them only with tiredness. It was a long and weary road to replace broken trust. His eyes clouded over when he recalled that one of those people had been Sif.

"When Jane and I can eventually visit, you should point them out to me." Darcy told him with her lips pursed. While she had been the one encouraging him to ignore such things she was the one who chose to be offended in his lack of it. Loki smiled warmly at her for that.

"I don't know how you'd go fighting Asgardians." He commented sincerely. She protested, indignant, telling him all about the training she'd been doing to make herself a better warrior. He was told that if she wasn't in a long ball gown she'd drop him then and there to prove her point. He'd feigned fear and forfeited with a smile and a laugh that got a light punch in the arm in return. As their laughter died down he looked at her. She looked amazing. More than ever it was apparent to him that the one person he had become friends with since his fall was also someone he would love to court but he found himself uncertain, afraid not only of rejection but ruining what they had if he made a move. She glanced to him, obviously aware that he had been staring and he looked down at his hands like they could give him an answer. With a human expression in his mind, "to hell with it" being the one, he took a deep breath and took the risk.

"You're beautiful, you know?" he offered with such sincerity in his voice Darcy blushed and couldn't make the usual sassy comment she made to such statements. With a girly grin trying to force its way onto her face she gave him the look over, deliberately.

"You're not so bad yourself." She told him honestly. They laughed lightly falling again into silence until Darcy's phone buzzed from her purse somewhere out in the darkness. She pulled a thoughtful expression, not immediately going after it. "Probably shouldn't have done that." She commented before forcing herself up to stumble out into the darkness, finding her purse after a moment and retrieving the item Loki had once turned into a block of chocolate.

"Should have kept it that way." He muttered to himself just as Smurf ran up, returning from his inspection. Loki noticed he had a few agents trailing him and that his trust had worn out. It was time to head back. He sighed glancing to Darcy as she turned around.

"It's Jane. She's wondering where I am. Guess we're busted. Time to walk shamefully back in through the front door." She explained referring to her earlier comment about windows although she knew Loki didn't follow. She noticed his expression mirrored the disappointment she felt that their night of fun was ending before it had even begun although she was slightly thankful as well. He was obviously interested but like her, he seemed to have trouble getting around the friend concept. "Think you'll be able to do this again?" she asked after a moment.

"Maybe although I won't risk it often. Even now I'm worried that I've been caught by his golden gaze." He replied mostly to himself as he glanced to the sky. He didn't dare speak Heimdall's name in case that caught his attention if he hadn't yet glanced over Midgard and spotted him.

"Don't be too much of a stranger." Darcy commented, swinging awkwardly. Loki was oddly reminded of their last departure and how sad he had felt after it. He could still remember how hard she struggled to hold back tears and it seemed she was about to do the same. He smiled warmly at her before it changed to a smirk. He motioned to Smurf who wrapped itself around one of his legs.

"One thing before I go." He said in a tone that stressed it was absolutely crucial she listened to him. Darcy looked up at him with focus in her eyes as if preparing to remember something really important. That was what made the kiss he planted on her lips all the more satisfying. He felt her body tense in shock and knew even with his eyes closed that hers were wide open. Then he had pulled away with a grin she would only associate with the god of mischief, waving as Smurf transported them back to Asgard. Darcy stood there for the longest time, blushing at thin air before she took a brisk, humiliated walk to the hotel she was staying at with Jane, texting her a message that informed her friend that she wasn't feeling well. She felt if she returned to that party what had happened would somehow have magically tattooed itself onto her face for all to see and she didn't want to deal with that even if it was all in her head. She was completely unaware of the agents that had been watching them so thought it was best to brood on her secret in a closed room where the heat of her face could be muffled by a pillow. She had definitely not expected that.

Back on Asgard, a tall imposing man dressed in golden armour watched unnoticed, as Odin's youngest son crept through one of the pavilions with a strange creature running about ahead of him. It took all of Loki's being not to jump when he finally detected Heimdall watching him. He stood as still as a statue waiting for the man to say something. When he hadn't after a decent amount of time Loki gave in.

"Just out for a midnight stroll." He offered knowing that even though it was hopeless to try and talk his way out of it he was going to try anyway.

"Dressed appropriately this time." Heimdall commented and Loki could almost swear he saw the faintest hint of a smirk on his face. He didn't know how to respond so instead nodded uncomfortably and turned to walk less sneakily back to his quarters. He barely heard what Heimdall said next and even then, wasn't sure if he'd heard correct. "Maybe there's hope for you yet."

((A/N: Thank you all. Hope you enjoyed the fluff and fun. I won't have internet connection for a while so I'll hopefully be back in a fortnight or so with the next story. Constructive criticism is cherished. Jaquelinelittle: Thor and Loki need to return to Asgard. Thor more so, he is the successor to the throne. I'm also pretty certain S.H.I.E.L.D is worldwide although I haven't researched them so much. Smurf's offshoot is just for transport and to see Darcy but it does have another purpose that you'll just have to wait to find out. :D Again, thanks all.))