Hi, everyone, I'm Bella, and this is my first big story here ;)

Attention all Fandral&Darcy (Fandarcy) fans: this story is for you! But be warned: I follow the Thor/Avengers movie storylines, so it may be a while before I give you a happy ending. But nevertheless I shall update regularly, or let you know if there are gonna be AWOL periods!

I'd like to thank my betas RandomFanatic, BeautifulStormMunroe, Kell/KnightMistress, and BlackMarketTrombones for their help; and I'd like to thank all of them for their support, their tough and constructive criticism, and their encouragement, without which there may have been a great deal of slip-ups in this story!

Note: I do not own Thor, the Avengers, or any characters affiliated with either, though I wish I did :(

Chapter 1: A Growing Feeling

Loki was gone. The Bifrost was destroyed, Laufey was dead, and Asgard and Jotunheim were both saved.

All of Asgard spent the night feasting in the Hall of the Kings. Volstagg was regaling his listeners with tales of heroics on Earth, Sif's sharp voice cutting through his exaggerations every now and then while Hogun smiled and even laughed; but Thor was nowhere to be found. And as the first jokes and stories were exchanged, Fandral found himself taking less and less interest in what was going on; his plate was barely touched, his wine goblet still nearly full, and with Volstagg's chatter ringing in his ears, his gaze wandered around the Hall from one smiling maiden and to the next, and then to the next. He felt as if he were searching for something or someone—but he could not remember what or whom. Every time he settled on a maiden's face a jolt of excitement went to his heart, but there was always one thing or another that would throw him off.

Smile too dull…eyes wrong color…golden hair, not dark…dark…

And then the memory of the Midgardian—Earth maiden, the ally of Thor's Lady Jane—wandered across his mind. Darcy—was that her name? The Lady Darcy…

With a surge of admiration he remembered her kindness, her beauty, her spirit, her courage in the face of the Destroyer, her devotion to the Lady Jane, and a wish rose within him—that he could have grown to know her. But it was not to be so. The Bifrost was closed.

With a sigh, Fandral rose and excused himself, intending to find Thor. He could probably use the support of a friend; his absence alone said that much.

As he passed among the pillars of the Hall to the high, echoing corridors beyond, he heard Sif's distant voice saying, "My Queen, I am so sorry for your loss."

Frigga's response was laced with concern and sadness. "How is he?"

Thor.

Sif's sorrow matched the Queen's. "He mourns for his brother, and—he misses her. The mortal."

The Lady Jane.

Fandral's vague concern was confirmed. Thor was in pain. He needed a friend.

He moved forward down the high-ceilinged hallway, glancing between pillars and over the city below as he went. There was a distant hum of laughter and voices raised in cheer, but in spite of that a deep sadness seemed to hang heavy over Asgard. The scars left by Loki's actions would be slow to heal indeed.

In the distance, Fandral saw the tall, golden-armored figure of Heimdall standing guard at the shattered remnants of the rainbow bridge, its jagged edge reaching out into the great abyss between worlds that separated Thor from his Lady Jane.

Up ahead, a figure was approaching from the opposite end of the high, vaulted hallway. The distance closed, and Fandral recognized him instantly.

"All-Father!"

He saluted Odin with one fist over his heart and knelt on one knee. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see the All-Father smiling down at him.

"You are right, worthy Fandral. Go to him."

He nodded in the direction from which he had come, and passed on farther down the hallway behind Fandral. Rising, Fandral hurried on, and before long he could see a scarlet-cloaked figure standing at the balcony at the end of the hallway.

Thor turned at his approach and smiled faintly on seeing him.

"How do you fare, my friend?" Fandral asked gravely.

Thor's answering smile even weaker than the first. "I shall be better."

Fandral squeezed his shoulder and found himself using Sif's words. "I'm so sorry for your loss—your losses."

"Thank you, my friend."

There was true gratitude in Thor's eyes as he clapped Fandral on the back, but most of his heart was gone from the gesture. They stood in silence, gazing out toward the vanished Bifrost, each drawing comfort from the presence of the other. The sight of the broken rainbow bridge reminded Fandral once more that he would never see the lovely Lady Darcy again—that he would never know her.

"The Lady Darcy," he said at last. "The ally of Lady Jane…What was she like?"

Thor laughed, actually laughed. "Fandral, I know what you are thinking."

"Wha—have you become a mind reader of late? I assure you my intentions are—er, would be—honorable!"

Still smiling broadly, Thor turned back to face the rainbow bridge. "The Lady Darcy…is perhaps one of the most extraordinary and unusual women I have ever met. She does not fear to speak her mind and she is steadfast in her honesty. She spoke many times of a strange device she called an 'iPod'—"

"'Eye-pod'?" Fandral repeated.

"Do not ask me what it is or how it works, my friend. All I know is that Lady Darcy loved to keep it with her and that it made music for her. She has no lack of courage, as you saw for yourself. She carries on her person at all times a weapon of no mean sort; it incapacitates its target with a small thunderbolt. She used it on me, at our first meeting."

Fandral burst out laughing, and Thor couldn't help but join him.

"On you?" Fandral gasped as soon as he could.

"Well, I admit it was not wholly unmerited. I was dazed and stupid from the Bifrost, and exceedingly angry at Father. I must have been shouting all manner of wild things, and in her eyes I would have been behaving strangely indeed. She is clever, very clever; and she possesses a sharp wit all her own. But above all, she has a kind heart, and she is unswervingly loyal to Jane."

Fandral's admiration for the Lady Darcy was only growing, and he truly wished he could have known her. He felt a stab of jealousy of Thor, of the time he had spent on Earth in Lady Darcy's company. But his heart swiftly reminded him that the brief period spent on Earth was not his friend's choosing, and that Thor himself was yearning for a very different lady.

"Thank you for telling me, my friend. I know it must have cost you to recall these things for me."

Thor squeezed his shoulder. "Actually, it is I who should be thanking you. You are a good and faithful friend, Fandral. I fear I have taken that for granted for many years. I hope you can forgive me for that."

Fandral shook his head. "There is nothing to forgive, my friend."

They both fell silent, and Fandral's mind was drawn back to what Thor had just told him. By his friend's account, the Lady Darcy was kind, spirited, courageous, and loyal. And as he had seen for himself—beautiful.

He groaned inwardly.

It is only to be expected that the one woman I would take an interest in is the one I cannot reach.

Please leave reviews! They help to fuel the drive to write stories, and the more I get the more chapters I can leave for you guys!

-Bella