Author's Note – This series was written to be read in order. If you have not read the previous stories, then this one probably won't make much sense. All of them have Winter Shock and a number starting their summary.

Time to Go

A tense silence enveloped the room. Darcy and Jane flanked Bucky on one side of the room as they faced Coulson, Romanoff, Barton, and Rogers. SHIELD flunkies had come and gone, loading their equipment and personal belongings with a silent efficiency despite the numerous looks being shot towards the two unspeaking groups. They departed with only Coulson's quiet instructions on loading the plane.

Darcy's eyes narrowed as she considered Steve Rogers once more. Something niggled at her mind, trying to come to light, and she coaxed at it. Why was the Boy Scout the one setting off some kind of… Wait a minute. Steve referred to Bucky like a friend, like he expected Bucky to recognize him. If Bucky had disappeared during World War II, why would he recognize anybody below retirement age? She didn't understand the red-head's recognition either, but the woman hadn't been so…so…hopefully expectant. So why was Steve? Rogers…World War II…Steve Rogers…oh my god!

Her eyes went wide and she snapped her fingers before pointing at the blond. "You're Captain America." A frown furrowed her brow as Bucky stiffened beside her. "Talking about blasts from the past," she muttered, glancing over to Jane, who stared open-mouthed at the slightly abashed Steve. Her gaze swung to Coulson next. "What? Were you guys keeping him on ice or something?"

A flash of a smile seemed to touch Coulson's face only to disappear as Bucky suddenly hissed. Both women looked up at him. His right hand came up to his forehead as pain etched over his features. They reached for him, trying to guide him back to a chair. He refused to move that far, only conceding enough to lean on the desk behind him. Steve stepped forward, but stopped as pale blue eyes pinned him. A light, barely noticeable tremor seemed to shudder down Bucky's frame although his eyes remained steady. That coolly assessing gaze flickered over the group before settling on Steve once more. Steve's gaze held a painful hope, but Bucky merely looked at him.

"We need to go see the onsite team and pick up our ride," Coulson interjected, clearly attempting to break up the frozen tableau. "Ladies?"

Darcy did not need the sudden weight of Bucky's hand on her shoulder to know that idea was not going to fly. "Nice try, Agent," she chuckled. "I don't think that's happening." She gestured towards the door. "Why don't you and your lot lead the way?"

"No." Natasha's flat tone drew everyone's eyes. Her own remained focused on Bucky.

"Oh, this could be fun," Darcy rolled her eyes.

Coulson took a breath. "Agent Romanoff doesn't like having unknown factors at her back."

"Good for her," Jane huffed. "You do realize she is the only one who has actually threatened any violence so far, right? Give me one good reason we would want her at our backs." She waved a hand in emphasis. "She threatened to shoot one of us."

Darcy held up a finger, "Technically-"

"Right," Jane interrupted, nodding at Darcy, "technically she threatened to shoot two of us. I don't trust her."

"Speaking as one of the threatened, can I just say 'ditto'?" Darcy agreed immediately, raising one hand in a small wave.

Natasha shifted, the flash of something that might have been pain in her eyes, but remained silent. Clint's face grew unhappy and his eyes shifted to Coulson who appeared to be thinking hard about something. Steve scratched the back of his head and seemed to come to some kind of conclusion. He stepped forward once more, ignoring both Natasha's hiss and the flare of suspicion in Bucky's eyes. His gaze locked on to Bucky's as he stopped just outside of arm's reach. "I won't let her hurt you," he said simply, but forcefully. "You or the ladies."

Bucky stood up, slipping between Jane and Darcy, and took a single step forward.

The two men stared at each other as the silence drew out. It must have only been minutes, but it felt a lot longer to Darcy, and then Bucky finally tilted his head in slight approval. "If something happens to either of them because of any action from your people," he stated bluntly, "you and I are going to have a problem."

Steve nodded gravely. "Understood."

They eyed each other for a long moment.

"Shall we go?" Coulson asked.

"Darcy, Jane," Bucky gestured them towards the door, obviously intent on keeping himself between his people and Steve's. Darcy glanced back as she walked out the door and saw him moving towards the door at an oblique angle, keeping an eye on the other four while possible. He stayed behind them all the way to the building SHIELD was currently using as their 'offices'.

Clint slipped around to the front of the group. "Chesil!"

"Thorn in the backside," Jane muttered.

Darcy repressed a grin. "'Ass', Jane, just call it like it is."

Chesil stepped out of the office and caught sight of the group. Shock, dismay, and fear flashed across his face. Clint came to an abrupt stop. "Who the hell-?"

The other agent made some kind of signal and chaos erupted. Shots rang out. Darcy and Jane ducked, shrieking in surprise, before Bucky swept them along in front of him to take shelter behind the front desk. Clint, Natasha, and Coulson all returned fire as they dove for more protected spots.

Steve crouched down near the Tromso trio. "That's the last time I let someone convince me to travel without my shield," he muttered, pulling his own gun and waiting for a clear shot. He began to fire, waiting to have a shot before taking it.

The tide of the fight turned in less than five minutes. After their initial surprise, Steve's team managed to take down the attackers handily. The room was pronounced clear. Bucky rose slowly, eyes scanning the room, and then assisted Darcy and Jane to their feet. The group of seven looked around, trying to find some explanation for what had just happened. Bucky kept Darcy and Jane with him, away from the bodies. They didn't argue.

Clint turned over one of the bodies. "Damn it."

His weary tone, laced with anger, drew Coulson to him. "Barton?"

"It's one of Loki's mercs." He kept his head down, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

Jane and Darcy exchanged wide-eyed looks. "Loki?" Jane demanded, striding forward. Bucky caught her and pulled her back, keeping her away from Natasha. The other woman flicked an eyebrow, but said nothing. Jane absentmindedly patted his hand while continuing to glare at Coulson. "What about Loki?"

Coulson sighed. "Loki orchestrated an attack on New York City. In order to get the supplies he needed to do that, he gathered a rather large group of mercenaries. It appears as though he sent some of them here."

"They were probably under orders to grab Jane," Clint added quietly.

"I'd never have guessed," Darcy replied, but her sarcasm was a little muted. It struck her how often she had reamed out one or more of these men…and they weren't even SHIELD. What if Bucky hadn't been there? Her heart pounded and she slid a little closer to him.

He glanced down at her and something in his eyes sharpened. "Didn't happen, Darcy," he told her softly, his voice a low rumble.

"Yeah," she agreed, but she couldn't stop her hands from trembling. "But-"

"No buts." Taking her shoulders in his hands, he turned her to face him. "Nothing happened and it's over." He looked towards Steve. "It is over?"

Steve nodded, watching them carefully. "It's over."

"See?" Bucky stared at her, only letting go in order to grab Jane's arm before she could wander off again. Darcy nodded, offering a small smile. He let her lean against him as he turned to look at Jane. "Where are you going?"

"I wanted to find out how they managed to stop Loki," she replied. "Not to mention where they put him. I'm not sure there's anywhere on Earth that can hold him for long."

"Thor took him back to Asgard," Steve told her.

Darcy caught the wince from the SHIELD agents even as Jane surged forward. "Thor? Thor was here?"

"Briefly, Dr. Foster," Coulson replied, breaking into the conversation. "Merely long enough to help stop Loki and take him back home."

"He didn't…" Jane trailed off. She bit her. "How?"

"And seriously," Darcy frowned, "I know Thor's not really up on Earth tech these days, but someone at SHIELD couldn't just knock off a Skype call or something?"

"Things were a little busy, Miss Lewis," Coulson pointed out. He turned to Jane. "Apparently his father sent him through some manner in order to deal with his brother." There was a pause and then he added. "He did ask after you."

Jane nodded, slipping back beside Darcy who put an arm around her waist. Bucky turned a firm gaze on Coulson. "Are we leaving or staying for clean up?"

"We're leaving," Coulson nodded.

"Good." Without another word, he ushered Darcy and Jane out the door and back into the street. Steve followed them. Darcy watched as Bucky eyed the blond man for a moment, but relaxed when Steve merely moved to protect their other side.

The three agents stepped outside. A short drive later the entire group boarded a private jet. Darcy and Jane followed Bucky over to a set of seats on the side of the plane. With his back to the window he could keep an eye on both of them as well as the other team. Darcy took the seat beside him and pulled Jane down next to her. Natasha and Clint moved to the rear of the plane while Coulson and Steve sat across from their guests.

Coulson took a breath. "We will need to go by SHIELD headquarters to report-"

"We're not leaving Bucky," Darcy interrupted him, directing a frown in his direction.

"Miss Lewis-"

"No." Jane's simple word caused Coulson to stop, a thoughtful look crossing his face. Her face grew more resolved. "We would have been gone or dead months ago without Bucky, and we are not going to leave him to SHIELD's questionable mercies now."

Natasha sat forward. "SHIELD-"

"Is not really at the top of our A+ list right now," Darcy interrupted, eyes snapping as they shifted between Natasha and Coulson. "They've stolen our stuff, spied on us, tried to copy Jane's work, dumped us in Tromso, and then apparently never bothered to double check on their own people." She shook her head. "Then you guys show up and immediately start off with the threats and now the attempt to separate us."

"It's not looking promising," Jane agreed. "Let's not forget you stole Erik already and we haven't heard from him since, not even before Tromso. If you think I'm letting you walk off with another of my team, you've got another think coming."

Bucky sat back, his crooked smile struggling to emerge. "Good luck," he told Coulson before letting his eyes fall into heavy, almost closed state. "They're tag-teaming you." He gave a soft snort of amusement. "Game's over. You lose."