Darcy could barely even breathe, let alone move. Oh, she wanted to breathe. Her lungs were burning, desperately begging her to let them gain oxygen. But if she took in a breath, it'd be heavy, and he would hear her. Of course, he didn't make any noise when he moved this stealthily, but she knew he was looking for her. And it was nearly a fact that when he searched diligently, he would find what he looked for.

He'd gotten them already. Jane and Thor. It shouldn't have been a surprise, but it was. Jane was so good at hiding, because she was so tiny. Yet it hadn't helped her this time. He'd still gotten her.

Finally, she could stand it no longer and sucked in a tiny bit of air. He didn't pounce around the corner of the desk, so maybe she was in the clear—at least, for now. Taking the risk, Darcy peeked over the desk. He was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she could run for it…

So she ran.

She slammed into the door frame as she rushed out, into the hallway. Cringing at the pain in her shoulder and the knowledge that he'd certainly heard that, she threw open the front door of Jane's house and ran pell-mell into the front yard. If she could just reach the car—

Strong, lean, dangerous hands grasped her waist and swung her away from the vehicle. Screaming, Darcy kicked at him. She'd been so close, and now she was done for.

Darcy made one solid kick at his face. He grunted, but his hold on her didn't slacken.

"No! You can't take me!" she shrieked. "I'll avenge Jane and Thor!"

"You really don't need to do that," Thor said from the front porch, sounding confused.

"But I must!" Darcy cried valiantly.

Jane scoffed. "You get too into this, Darcy."

"Vengeance!" Darcy screamed, and threw her arms around Loki, pressing her lips to his. He seemed surprised, but gladly took her affection.

Behind them, Jane muttered, "I'm never playing hide-and-seek with you two again."