Chapter Text
Darcy Lewis was an elf.
Not the kind from Lord of the Rings or other fantasy novels, but Santa’s workshop type of elf. Her parents were elves, her cousins were elves, and she came from a very long line of elves. Most people assumed that elves stayed in the North Pole with Santa and helped make and prepare the gifts for children, but there were other types as well.
Her father was in charge of security. With the ever-growing state of surveillance and technology in the world, it was important to make sure the North Pole remained untouched by the outside world. Her mother was one of the chefs in the kitchens, helping make meals for the compound and making some of the best sweets the world would ever see, in Darcy’s humble opinion. Then there were elves like her who went out into the world to gather information on the children of today.
What kind of toys did kids want? Did they still want toy blocks and race cars? Or did they want gaming systems and technology?
Darcy had started off small in the area of Puente Antiguo. There weren’t many kids there or in the other smaller towns nearby, but it was a good first job for her. Her dad had been proud when she donned her real-world clothes and waited to portal to the town. Santa had managed to find a woman there who needed an intern; this would be Darcy’s cover.
When Santa had approached her, he had a folder in his hands, it was dark green, and part of Darcy wondered if he wanted to decorate it with reindeer and Christmas trees. “I know you’ll make us proud, Darcy,” Santa said as she took the folder from his hands. “And you have the necklace that will help you come home when the time is right.”
The necklace in question was a locket with a picture of her mom and dad inside. All she had to do was hold onto it and think of home to be transported back. “I can do this, sir,” she promised, clutching the folder like a lifeline.
Santa laughed and patted her shoulder, “I know you will.”
Things in her sleepy town didn’t go quite according to plan when Thor crashlanded into them. Her father had contacted her, beside himself when he had seen the readings from the Pole. He wanted her to come home, but she had waved him off. This was her town, and her job, she was staying put.
Thor, once he had gotten his powers back, knew that there was something a little magical about her, but he never called her out on it. Part of her was grateful, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready to explain to the six-foot Norse god who Santa was. There was also a part of her that hated lying to Jane. The two of them had grown rather close while they worked together, and this was a pretty big secret she was keeping.
Around Christmas time, Darcy asked Jane if she could have a few days off to go home. There were talks of Jane joining Thor in New York at the Avengers Tower, and she wanted Darcy to come with her. Given that Darcy had been in New Mexico under orders from Santa and was only supposed to be there through her internship, she wasn’t sure what would happen.
Jane gave her the time off, and Darcy portaled home. Her mother, father, and siblings were all there to greet her with hugs and treats, asking about her time amongst the mortals. She told them everything that had happened and then asked for some time alone to decompress after being away for so long.
She could tell that they had been disappointed, but left her be. Her room was just as she had left it, posters of different places around the world hung on her walls. CDs with artists she had loved as a teenager lined her shelves. Toys that Santa had made for her as a child were reverently displayed in a glass case. Darcy had always been fascinated by humans and how they lived. What their world was like compared to her own, and that was one reason why she wanted to be one of the elves that traveled around the globe seeing what children wanted for Christmas.
Later that night, she made her way to Santa’s shop, Mrs. Claus smiling at her when she entered the wooden cabin where it had all started. “It’s been a while since you’ve been by,” Mrs. Claus said as she rose from her chair by the fire. Mrs. Claus had taught Darcy how to knit as a child when she needed something to do with her hands. “Come to see Santa?”
Darcy nodded, swallowing a little as her hands grew sweaty. “Yeah, is he here?”
The kind smile on the older woman’s face did something to settle some of Darcy’s nerves. “He’s in the back, and you’re in luck, he’s alone.”
Darcy made her way toward the back of the cabin. Along the walls were photos of every elf generation that worked with Santa, like how mortal schools had class photos. Darcy paused at the year she had taken hers. All her friends were standing or kneeling around Santa, laughter in their eyes at whatever joke he had told to get them to smile. Graduating to being a full working elf had been one of the best days of her life.
“Stop lingering out in the hall, Darcy,” came a laughter-filled voice. “I know why you’re here.”
She snorted and pushed the door to Santa’s private workshop open. “You know that’s a really creepy trick.”
“Hey, I didn’t always have elves to help me out, you know,” Santa grinned at her. “I had to be able to do something to know what the children of the world wanted.” She took a seat on the stool beside him and looked at the wooden toy he was whittling. “Sometimes it’s nice going back to basics,” he told her as she peered closer. “Back before technology and the toy industry, carved toys were all the rage.”
“Do you still give carved toys?” She asked curiously. Darcy hadn’t ever been a part of the packing process when it came to preparing for Christmas.
“Sometimes,” he responded, dusting a few wood shavings off his smock. “Depends on the child and what they need.” He set the cat carving onto the worktable and gave his full attention to Darcy. “Now we both know you didn’t come here to ask me about my personal projects. There’s something weighing on you, and you want to know what I’m going to do with you now that your tenure in New Mexico has ended.”
Darcy played with one of the rings on her fingers, not quite able to meet his eyes. “Jane wants me to join her in New York at the Avengers Tower.” Santa’s silence made her continue. “I… I want to stay with Jane. But I also know there are a lot of elves covering the New York area, and I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes. The Avengers travel a lot, and so does Jane, so I could cover more ground and help out with some of the elves.”
“Darcy,” Santa’s voice was soft, and she cringed, expecting him to turn her down. “I’ve always known you’d be a bit different from my other elves. You were always much more fascinated by humanity than you were with life here. Yes, I do often choose elves for a position like yours based on their interest in the mortal world, but you, my dear, are different.”
She risked a glance at him and saw no judgment on his face. “Is that a good thing?”
He chuckled, “I think it is a good thing. You were meant for more, Darcy. You were always willing to help out wherever you went. Whether it was in the kitchens with your mother, running errands for your father, or sitting here with me. I think I have a special job for you.”
That got her to perk up.
“What?”
Santa leaned back in his chair. “You’re right about the Avengers and Jane. You would travel a lot with them, you could check in with the elves out in the field to see if there’s anything they need, and then report back to me. You would also make sure that the Avengers have somewhere warm and inviting to come home to. They do important work, they protect the world, and the children we serve here. There will be times when the world starts to wear on them, and that is where you will come in. You will be their guiding star, the hope that keeps them going. Remind them that there is still good in the world even when it’s hard to see it.”
Darcy nodded her head, her curls bouncing with each bob, “I can do that!”
“Your parents aren’t going to be happy with me.”
Darcy flapped a hand, “Mom and Dad will understand.”
Their conversation wrapped up after that, a bounce in Darcy’s step that had been missing when she arrived. Her parents hadn’t been excited when they heard the news of the job that Santa had entrusted her with. Her mother had mentioned that it would be dangerous, but Darcy was well aware of the risks she was taking.
She had gone back to Jane with a bag of other clothes and things from her room and a few gifts from Santa to help her get started with her life in New York. The pair moved into the Tower, and Darcy had the urge to give each of the Avengers a gift. They had been through so much, and she could see the haunted looks in their eyes. It was probably a good thing Santa had sent her to help them out.
One of the first things that Darcy did the day after she and Jane moved in was make a big breakfast for everyone. Bacon, eggs, toast, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, and French toast were laid out on the table. “Sit,” she told each of the Avengers as they strolled in.
Tony eyed the breakfast laid out before them. “Lewis, you know you didn’t have to do this, right?”
She snorted, “Yeah, Tony, I know, I wanted to do this for you all. Plus, someone’s got to make sure Earth’s Mightiest Heroes eat.”
“Thank you, Miss Lewis,” Steve Rogers said, polite as ever. “This was very kind of you.”
“Sure thing, Cap, and call me Darcy,” she winked at him, and her grin widened when she noticed his ears growing a bit pink.
Clint had no hesitation in digging into the food. His plate was already piled high, and if Darcy didn’t know better, she would almost assume he was a super soldier or a god with the amount he had gotten. Natasha rolled her eyes at her best friend and stole a piece of bacon off his plate before he could notice.
Darcy settled in next to Jane and listened to the team begin to bicker over random topics, and each of them went back for seconds. Thor had that look in his eyes again, like he wanted to ask what she was, but, like all the other times, thought better of it. Part of her wanted to wait and see how long it would take him to call her out on it now that they were living together. It would be interesting to see what exactly he thought she was. Her bets were on him guessing she was also from another planet. Maybe she’d write to her brothers and see if they wanted in on the action.
Over the next year, Darcy did what Santa had sent her out to do. She checked in with the local elves first, and then when she got to travel, she checked in with those elves as well. No one was the wiser. The times she went with the Avengers were on outreach trips and diplomatic missions. She used the excuse that she wanted out of the Tower for a bit and to do some good in the world.
Things changed when SHIELD fell, and Steve came back to New York with Bucky Barnes in tow. Darcy took one look at James Buchanan Barnes and made it her personal mission to make sure the world never hurt him again. She wrote to Santa and asked for some help. He sent a little ball of white fluff.
Alpine wasn’t a normal housecat, and he would be perfect to give to Bucky as a therapy pet, though that wasn’t what Darcy was going to call Alpine. She didn’t give Alpine to Bucky outright; she didn’t want to shove the cat at Bucky and basically say, ‘Here, take care of this animal!’ That wouldn’t go over well at all.
Given that Alpine was a magical cat, he knew exactly what to do. Slowly, he started to choose Bucky over the others until the super soldier stopped getting tense every time Alpine curled up on his lap. Then Bucky came to her one day with Alpine in his arms. “Um… Miss Lewis, would you mind if Alpine stays with me? He keeps showing up at my door at night, and I don’t want to step on your toes.”
Darcy practically beamed at him. This was what she and Alpine had been waiting for. “Sure thing, Bucky. “Alpine’s not really mine anyway, I found him and just couldn’t leave him out in the cold.” An exaggeration, but he didn’t need to know that. “He’s yours if you’d like to start caring for him.”
Bucky looked down at Alpine, who shifted to look up at him at the same time. “I think I’d like that. Always did want a pet, just never had enough money for one.”
“Let me know if you need anything ordered for him, and I’ll add it to the grocery list,” she told him. “I’ll bring some of his stuff by your apartment later once I’m done decoding this work for Jane. She gets cranky if it’s not done in a timely manner.”
“Hey!” The scientist/her friend shouted from the corner of their lab.
“Thanks, Miss Lewis,” he said as he scratched Alpine behind his ear.
As Bucky moved to leave, Darcy called out, “It’s Darcy, Bucky. You can call me Darcy.”
He paused and glanced back at her before nodding once and disappearing out the door. Jane made a comment about her and Bucky, but Darcy could only think about the letter she was going to write home to Santa.