Darcy gestured for Jane's attention as she leaned in close, struggling to be heard over the din of the crowd. Her mouth brushed the shell of Jane's ear and a faint green haze snaked from between her parted lips. It clung to the light layer of perspiration on Jane's neck and chest, coiling around and up the column of her throat. It penetrated her skin and entered her system sending a wave of dizziness through Jane. Pupils dilate. She could feel every nerve ending as she breathed deep, her gaze unfocused and fuzzy. Her head lolled backward, eyes lazily scanning Darcy's face.

"I'm going to go home!" Darcy shouted, her hand resting on Jane's shoulder. Slowly, Jane nodded, every movement sending sparks of pleasure across her skin.

Natasha approached as Darcy pulled away, shooting her a clumsy salute. She gave a curt nod goodbye and sat with Jane. Still and quiet, Jane stared vacantly after Darcy's departure. Frowning, Natasha leaned in, her hand on Jane's shoulder, asking if she was all right.

Laying her hand over Natasha's, she smiled broadly and nodded. Even this slight contact sent shocks along Jane's body.

Standing abruptly, Jane pushed into the crowd.

"I need another drink!" she shouted, turning back to Natasha.

The Russian stared after her in bewilderment as the throng of gyrating bodies swallowed up the scientist. After a moment she too stood, intent on following. Her frustration grew as the crowd becomes increasingly difficult to move through and Jane moved ever further away.

The club had become less a gathering of people and more a roiling mass of hands and faces, bodies compressing as the music swelled. It was almost impossible to see Jane now, her head blending in with the other dancers. Frustrated with the obstruction, Natasha pushed more forcefully against the bodies in front of her.

A smiling sandy blond turned as she tried to move past, his arms snaking out to wrap around Natasha's torso. Fury burned in her veins at the invasion, but the crowd was so dense she could not maneuver her arm to strike him. Settling for a head-butt, she wriggled into a more advantageous angle. The blond swooped in for a sloppy kiss. She strained her neck back as far as the confines would allow, just barely breaking the seal of his lips on hers.

The mist that left his mouth flowed across the small chasm, filling her nose and mouth. A snarl disappeared as her senses flooded with the magic. Relaxed in the blond's arms, he swayed her in time with the music. The drums of the song creating explosions of light and color every time she blinked.

She opened her eyes again and her partner was gone, a lithe woman's arms taking his place. Natasha allowed her head to drop back against the newcomer's shoulder. The tempo increased as one song segued into another. I could stay like this forever.

The nagging little voice in her head demanding that she go and fight and protect grew more and more faint until it was nothing more than the barest whisper.