Chapter Text
It all started in New Mexico, which for Darcy, was where everything seemed to start. She was just an ordinary girl, blissfully unaware of gods and other realms and then Thor dropped in and changed everything. To say Darcy was not a fan on Coulson in the beginning was an understatement. He was the man responsible for stealing Jane's research as well as her iPod, a truly despicable act that she swore would never be forgiven.
Perhaps part of her did hold a small grudge for that, but after spending some time with him, Darcy decided Agent Phil Coulson wasn't such a bad guy. Look, she even knew his first name was Phil! She would have bet money this wasn't something many people knew, all of the other agents called him Coulson, or simply, Agent. Of course, he didn't just tell her his name, Darcy was just the right brand of irritating and she hassled it out of him. She thought he was uptight and a stickler for the rules, for sure, but he had a snark that could match hers and every once in awhile she caught a look on his face that suggested underneath the perfectly pressed suits lay a man who actually had a sense of humor. Interesting.
Even more rare than these glimpses of mirth on the face of Phil Coulson were the glimpses of something else on his face. If she were pressed, Darcy would say that it almost looked like the good Agent was attracted to her. Yeah, right. He probably just had sand in his eye or something. This was New Mexico after all.
She was just pleased that she could get any sort of emotion out of him. Even though he was like, the head jack-booted thug, he always made time to stop by the lab and check on Jane's research. Darcy wouldn't admit it, but she looked forward to these daily visits, a chance to battle wits and do some harmless flirting with the agent.
She'd be lying if she said the suits and ties didn't do it for her. Phil also wouldn't admit that he enjoyed stopping by the lab. His and Darcy's little interactions were a welcome change from his usual rigid schedule. Not to mention that she was a pretty girl, all soft curves and sharp tongue. Just his type.
Perhaps if circumstances were different, there could be something there, Phil sometimes thought. If they'd met in a normal way, if he were younger and not the SHIELD man he was, if she were interested, maybe things would be different. But Phil had learned long ago that things were as they were and wishing for a change didn't accomplish anything.
Phil and Darcy only saw each other on his visits to the lab until one day he stopped by to say hello and saw she was arguing with the agent on watch duty. She stomped around the lab, cursing under her breath as he hesitantly approached, "Is everything alright, Ms. Lewis?" She glared once at the other agent in the room and then whirled around to face Phil. "For the millionth time, it's Darcy, And no, everything is not alright. I am losing my mind stuck in this building. I want to go to Izzy's and get some real food, and our babysitter," Another glare at the agent, "He won't let me leave. I have cabin fever and if Jane or I eat another poptart, we'll probably die. I am literally going to walk down the street, get food and come back. He is keeping me here against my will!"
"That's his job, Ms. L-- Darcy. We are keeping you under our watch for your own good. I get that you are frustrated, but we are trying here."
"Phillip Coulson. Do not talk to me like I'm a child. I know why you're here, but c'mon, I am dying stuck in this lab." Darcy whined.
"Ok, let's go." Darcy narrowed her eyes at him, instantly suspicious, "What? Go where?" Phil motioned towards the door, "Izzy's. You said you wanted food, right? Let me escort you. That way you get to leave the lab safely and someone will be here to keep an eye on Jane." Darcy hesitated only a moment before grabbing her jacket and purse and running towards the door, "Ok, but you're buying!" Phil followed behind, trying not to laugh at her enthusiasm.
Darcy skipped and whirled down the sidewalk, overjoyed to simply be out of the lab. She thought she was being dramatic to prove a point but she actually really was dying for a change in scenery. Plus, she was gleeful that she'd gotten Phil to loosen up a bit and accompany her to the diner.
She didn't know then that this would be their last day together, that Phil would be reassigned the next day. Neither one knew it though, so they ate their lunch making idle chit-chat, and surprisingly, enjoying each other's company. After Phil left, Darcy found herself actually missing his visits. The other SHIELD agents were all dreadfully boring.
Luckily, it was only a few weeks later that Jane was invited to Tromso, dragging Darcy along with her. From there, they bounced around a bit, back to New Mexico for awhile, and then to London. Which was where that whole pesky space elf thing happened and little Darcy Lewis helped save the world. Again. No big deal.
It was after this that Tony Stark invited Thor to stay in his Tower in New York, only partially so he could lure Jane into the Tower too. He had a bit of a science boner for her.
Jane leaving for New York put Darcy in an interesting position. She didn't have to go along, but Tony graciously offered her an apartment beside Jane's and she so wasn't gonna pass on being put up by Tony freakin' Stark.
It was a few weeks after moving into the Tower when Darcy had innocently mentioned something about Phil, she found out the horrible news. Thor had seen Phil die at the hands of Loki. She felt a deep sadness that puzzled her a little. Sure, the fact that he was dead was horrible, but really Darcy barely knew him. It didn't make sense for his death to hit her so hard.
On any account, Darcy threw herself into life at the Tower. She loved meeting the Avengers and getting to know them not just as superheroes but as real people. She especially loved being around Thor, she'd missed the big guy. Slowly, Darcy became a fixture at the Tower. Everyone liked how normal she was and her energy brought something new to everyone's life.
Officially, she was still Jane's assistant, although once Jane hired two new assistants, actual physicists, Darcy was mostly her babysitter. Of course SHIELD was still all up in Jane's work so she also served as the unofficial liaison between Jane and SHIELD. So, when Maria Hill showed up in the lab with the request that Darcy come to SHIELD to interview for a job, Darcy wasn't too surprised. She still didn't trust the organization but she figured they were just going to have her continue what she was already doing, but maybe with a fancy new title and a steady paycheck. Darcy was not going to say no.
On the day of the interview, Darcy walked into the nondescript office building that housed SHIELD and was escorted upstairs by Maria Hill. Darcy liked Maria. She reminded her of Natasha, they both had that no-nonsense super intimidating bamf-y thing going for them. The elevator stopped on one of the floors near the top of the building and Darcy followed Maria out and down the hall, past a secretary and through a closed door. Darcy's eyes widened when she saw that the person she was meeting with wasn't some random PR person, but Nick Fury himself. Yikes.
She had met the Director once, he didn't like to visit the Tower any more than he had to, but she knew all about him. Tony hated him, Bruce didn't trust him, Natasha looked up to him, but they all respected him. So why in the world was Darcy here in his office? "I'm sure you're wondering why you're here." Oh God, please don't let him be a mind reader. Darcy cleared her throat, "Yeah. Well, I mean I know I'm here to talk about a job offer, but I didn't figure I'd be interviewing with you." Fury shook his head, "This isn't an interview. SHIELD doesn't really do interviews. We've found it's better to get a read on someone when they don't know they're being observed."
"Ok... You've been watching me? That's really creepy." Fury just smirked, "I know. But it's efficient. Now, Ms. Lewis, you've been on SHIELD's radar since New Mexico. You handled that situation quite well, and then afterwards you kept quiet. A quality we admire here." Darcy nodded, "Well, the endless pages of non-disclosure agreements threatening pain and death did wonders in keeping my mouth shut."
"That's why we have them," Fury smirked, "Still, you showed remarkable ability during the attack and after. Then there is the situation in London. Another case of you holding your own and putting your own life on the line for a greater good. And now you live in Stark Tower surrounded by the Avengers, and you are remarkably well-adjusted. It seems you are drawn to big dangerous things, Ms. Lewis."
She gave him a little shrug, "Yep, it feels like that sometimes. I like to think they are drawn to my sparkling wit."
"Be that as it may, it puts you in a unique position. You are not a part of the Avengers Initiative, but it would be hard to argue that you aren't connected to it in many ways." Darcy nodded, not entirely sure what was coming. "The Initiative has gotten bigger, taken on a life of it's own. It's outgrown what we thought it could be. So, we are creating a team to better support relations between SHIELD and the Avengers. The AIST, Avengers Initiative Support Team. This group would include actual agents of course, highly skilled to do recon and also to assist during fights, but we also need someone to act as a liasion of sorts between our people and the Avengers. We think that person should be you." Darcy sat there processing his words. "Wow. What exactly would the job entail?"
"That we'll have to play by ear, but basically making sure that relations between us and the Avengers are copacetic, ensuring both sides are on the same page and that we both have what we need. Luckily, you'll be working close with the leader of the AIST and he is quite competent and familiar with this type of thing." Darcy was reeling, "Who is that?"
At this, Fury got a shifty look on his face. "That's classified until you've agreed to take the job. And of course we will iron out the details later, but that's one of the reasons you are here today. Are you interested, Ms. Lewis?" Darcy didn't know what to think, "You're just offering me the job right now? What if I suck at it?"
"Believe me when I say you've been well vetted. I have full confidence you won't suck. The leader of this team specifically mentioned you when we were planning this. He also believes you could be a great asset to SHIELD." Darcy thought for a moment, she didn't want to be a lab assistant forever, and Natasha wouldn't have pushed her to agree to the interview when she'd mentioned it, if it wasn't a good thing. She gave a hesitant nod and a small smile to the man sitting across from her, "Ok, yeah. Why not. SHIELD already owns my soul anyway, I'm pretty sure. Still sort of confused why you picked me, but I'm in."
Fury nodded, "Good. I'm glad. Now for the other thing. Your boss, the man we've chosen to take over the AIST." Darcy waited, starting to feel slightly uneasy. "Yeah, who is it?" He paused, looking almost unsure, "Well, that's actually why you were brought here for this. The Avengers got a chance to see him earlier and it was... eventful to say the least." Darcy narrowed her eyes, suddenly very wary about who Fury was about to trot out as her boss, "Who is it?" Fury looked down at his folded hands laying on the desk, "I learned from earlier that just having him show up isn't the way to go. What I'm about to tell you is quite secret. Many within SHIELD don't know this yet, so even though the secret is technically out of the bag for all intents and purposes, we still don't want it announced from the rooftops." He paused, glancing up at Darcy until she nodded, before continuing, "As you are aware, Agent Phil Coulson died before the attack on New York, stabbed by Loki." Darcy blinked, "Yeah, and?"
"Well, he isn't exactly dead. The details are above your clearance level, but he is still very much alive." Darcy blinked. "Umm, what?"
Darcy would like to say that when Phil walked in the room that she was calm and quietly grateful he was still alive. She would love to say that she didn't slap him across the face before letting loose every single curse word she'd ever heard, including some inventive Asgardian ones that Thor had taught her. She would love to say that's how it went down, but with her luck, lightning would most definitely strike her down for telling such a lie.