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.
Notes:
This will either update every day or every other day. Originally, it was going to be twelve chapters, but I don't know if I'll reach that or go over it. For right now, until I can finish the rest of the chapters, I'm going to leave it blank. I will say I am writing chapter six currently and am hoping to finish this fic sometime this week. The goal is to post every day leading up to Christmas, though, so we'll see how that goes.
Chapter Text
The team was setting up Christmas decorations in the common room when everything went to chaos. One minute, the team was laughing as they argued over where the ornaments were supposed to go on the tree, and the next, weapons were drawn. It took Darcy’s brain a moment to realize that her father had just materialized in the common room, and she threw herself in front of him and the Avengers.
“Whoa! Whoa! He’s my dad!” She shouted, causing everyone to falter.
“How the hell did he get into this tower?” Tony asked. “Fri?”
“He materialized out of nowhere, sir,” came Friday’s smooth voice.
Everyone’s eyes landed on Darcy, who knew her cover was blown to hell now. “Fuck,” the curse slipped out before she could stop it, and she slapped a hand over her mouth.
“Darcy Elizabeth Lewis!” Her father barked.
She cringed, whilst amongst the humans she had picked up quite the vocabulary. “Sorry, Papa,” she turned to her father. “Slipped out, and forgive me if it did because you’ve just blown my cover!”
“Cover?” Natasha asked, voice devoid of any emotion. It was her scary Widow’s voice that sent a chill down Darcy’s spine anytime she had heard it. “You’ve been spying on us, Lewis?”
Her shoulders dropped, and she turned to see the betrayal on everyone’s faces. But the one that hurt the most was the look on Bucky’s face. Over the past year and a half, they had grown closer, not only as friends but as something that was turning into a little more than friends. She wasn’t sure when her feelings for him shifted, but they had, and it seemed he felt the same way at times. She wasn’t going to push him because, while he was doing much better than he had been when he had first arrived, there was still a lot of healing he was doing.
“No, not spying,” Darcy said with a sigh. “You’re not gonna believe me if I tell you.”
“Give us some credit, Darce,” Clint said. “I mean, we’ve got a god from space on the team, and aliens invading Earth is what brought us together in the first place.”
She felt her father’s hand on her shoulder. He gave it a gentle squeeze to let her know he was there and that she could do this. “So I’m an elf, and I work for Santa Claus.”
There was a beat of silence, and then Thor shocked them all by saying, “I knew it.”
Darcy couldn’t help the little laugh that bubbled out of her. She could always count on Thor to be open and trusting, never questioning whether she was telling the truth or not; he just believed her. “What, that I was an elf or that I was just not human?”
“I have come into contact with many an elf in my time amongst the humans,” Thor said. “When I was still a young god, we encountered them more frequently than now. I never could figure out why you were sticking with us as you were. Most elves would leave the area after a year or two and never stayed with certain people for long.”
“Santa,” Darcy told him. “He wanted me to look after you all. Help you. Also, I check in with the elves in the field whenever I go on missions with you.”
Tony pointed at her, “We are coming back to this later, kid. Right now, I want to know why your pops appeared in our common room.”
She turned back to her dad, who had a grim look on his face. “Santa’s been kidnapped.”
For a moment, it felt like the whole world had stopped for Darcy, and she felt someone steadying her. “That’s impossible!” She cried out. “How the hell was he kidnapped?”
There was another sharp look from her father at her swearing, but she wasn’t going to let him make her shrink like she was some naughty kid. “One of the elves in the field wrote to him, saying he needed Santa to come and see something with a particular child. You know how Nick gets sometimes when he hasn’t been around humans. He thought he’d pop in, see what was wrong, and come straight home. Only he didn’t. We can’t locate him, Darce. The tracker in his pocket watch isn’t working either. We need your friends to help locate him.”
They were three weeks away from Christmas; if they couldn’t find Nick before then, they were screwed.
“What about the usual suspects? Krampus? Jólakötturinn?” Darcy was desperate, and she knew her father would have checked with each.
“The Yule Cat is still locked up with the Council for several hundred more years, and Krampus is just as mad as the rest of us. He promised he wouldn't do that, not since the two of them came to an understanding.” Her father opened a portal, and she heard Tony make a noise at the sight before him. Santa’s workshop was right there, and the elves were still working, but Darcy could tell there was a somber mood. “Come with me, we can talk more at the command center.”
Jane opted to stay behind and watch over the Tower while they were gone, and she promised not to finish decorating without them. The rest of the Avengers followed after Darcy and her father, all of them a little confused and a lot curious. Darcy wished she had come clean sooner about her true identity, but working for Santa meant that keeping the secret was like the highest level of security the Avengers had. The only reason they would ever know was in a situation like this, when the North Pole was on DEFCON 1.
Elves watched them pass as they made their way through the halls toward the command center, where meetings were already underway. Mrs. Claus would be there, next in charge in Santa’s absence.
The moment Darcy stepped into the room with her friends, she saw every eye swivel toward them. Elves she had known all her life were grim-faced and unsure. Mrs. Claus was clearly trying to keep it together, but clearly wanted to be doing anything but having this meeting. Darcy immediately went to her side and hugged her. “We’ll find him,” she whispered.
Voices were beginning to talk again, and Mrs. Claus patted her back, “Why don’t you and I go get some refreshments from your mother? Everyone is getting a little hungry and cranky.”
Darcy saw this for what it was, an excuse for her to step out and breathe for a few minutes. “All right,” she agreed.
As they left the room, Darcy felt like someone was watching her, but didn’t turn to see who it was. She and Mrs. Claus made their way through the back halls to avoid most of the traffic from everyone else doing their jobs. The few elves they did cross paths with nodded at Mrs. Claus and murmured a polite, “Ma’am.”
“Everyone is treating me like I’m as fragile as a Christmas ornament,” she said. “I feel like the security team is trying to humor me in some way and are probably sharing their true thoughts now that I’m not there.”
That wouldn’t surprise Darcy in the slightest. As far as she was aware, this situation had never happened like this before. The few times Santa had been kidnapped, they always knew who was behind it. Krampus used to be the main culprit, but once he and Santa struck a deal, the two hadn’t crossed paths much since, unless it was at the yearly Council meeting.
“I was shocked when Papa appeared and told me that Santa had been taken,” Darcy admitted. “I was upset with him before he told me because he blew my cover.”
Mrs. Claus smiled, “You’ve managed well amongst the humans. It suits you.”
“They’re easy to love,” Darcy said with a shrug.
Mrs. Claus hummed, “I think one of them is easier to love than others.” Darcy’s head snapped up to look at her. “Nick isn’t the only one with talents, you know. I used to help him out, too, before the elves turned into the force they are now. I use it now to check in on the elves out in the field, see how they are, make sure they’re all right. Nick and I don’t have children, as you’re well aware, so the elves became my family. I’ve watched all of you grow from the children you were to the elves you are now.”
She really shouldn’t have been surprised, but she was. “I can’t believe you watch us.”
The first genuine laugh since Santa had been kidnapped escaped her. “I like to make sure you’re okay. Sergeant Barnes seems to care about you a great deal. I remember when he was a boy, he cared so much about his sisters. Saved up all his money to buy them sweets and make sure they had gifts on Christmas.”
Darcy tried picturing that version of Bucky, the one not quite jaded by time and what had been done to him. Wanting to be there for his sisters and family. “He’s a good guy,” her throat felt tight as she said the words. “I… the look on his face, though, when Papa arrived.” Tears blurred her vision. “I think I lost any trust I might have built with him.”
“I don’t think you have,” Mrs. Claus said as they paused outside the kitchen. “In fact, I think he’ll be more understanding than you realize if you are honest with him.” With those words, she pushed the door open and entered the kitchen, where things were still a flurry of activity.
Her mother and the other chefs wouldn’t slow down or stop in a time like this. Food often brought comfort, and right now, they all needed that. Liliana Lewis looked up as the doors opened, ready to ask whoever was entering what they needed, when she saw her daughter and Mrs. Claus.
“Darcy bell,” hearing the nickname her mother had given her as a child almost made her want to cry. “I didn’t realize your father was going to call you in.”
“He technically called the Avengers,” she responded as she let her mother wrap her in her arms. She smelled of gingerbread and sugar. “They’re with Papa right now in the command center. Mrs. Claus and I came to get food for everyone.”
“Right,” her mother pulled back and clapped her hands. “All right, people, we’ve got Avengers to feed, and we all know how the god of thunder and the super soldiers eat with their metabolisms. I want filling foods and cookies on carts ASAP!”
“Yes, Chef!” Came the response of the elves.
“Liliana, why don’t you take a break and come greet Darcy’s friends?” Mrs. Claus suggested. “I’m sure Chris and Iris can watch over the kitchen for a bit while you step out.”
Chris appeared out of thin air. His dark brown skin had a dusting of flour from whatever he had been making on his hands. Today, he had his locs tied back with red ribbons that had little reindeer on them. He towered over the three of them at six feet tall, while they ranged from five feet to nearly five feet six inches. “We’ve got this, Lili,” he promised, his voice soft and smooth. Darcy always liked hearing him sing in the off months when some of the elves put on little shows for each other before they got started on the next season. “Good to see you, Darce.”
“You too, Chris,” she smiled and gave him a quick hug. “You can come by later. I know you want to meet the Avengers.”
“Do you think they’d sign my trading cards?” He asked, a shy look on his face. “Santa got them for me last year.”
“Yeah, I’m sure they’d be happy to do that,” she confirmed.
He nodded and turned back to the kitchen, and began giving instructions to the elves still learning how to make certain dishes. The three of them left and headed back to the command center, where images were pulled up on the screen of the last images that had been taken of Santa. Tony was the one talking when they entered.
“These are the last images Friday was able to gather before he went off the grid,” Tony said. “He just vanished after that.”
“Could the person who had abducted him have a pendant like my necklace?” Darcy blurted out, causing everyone to look at her. “All elves are equipped with something that will help them get home, but it can also help them portal to other places. Whoever took Santa could have gotten their hands on the elf that initially reached out and knew how to use it.”
Her father rubbed his chin and said, “That’s not a bad theory. If the person who took Nick is within our circle of mythical beings, they would know about the pendants. It’s not a stretch.”
“What if we’re not dealing with one of us?” Ophelia, another senior agent for the elves, asked. They had grown up together, and for some reason, she always seemed to dislike Darcy. “What if a human found out about the existence of Santa and of us and used that knowledge. Your daughter has been spending a lot more time with them than most of us usually do.”
Everyone in the room stiffened at the insinuation in her tone. “Are you implying that I outed Santa?”
Ophelia shrugged; for her, this seemed like the simplest solution to their current problem. “Well, it is a possibility. I always thought you were wrong for the job you were given, but I was overridden in the decision to place you with the division that goes to the human world.”
Darcy clenched her fists together, “Not once have I ever spoken about this place with another human. Santa trusted me with my job, and I’ve taken it very seriously.”
“So seriously that you rarely come home anymore,” Ophelia shot back. “You’d rather spend your time with them. You even gave one of them a magical cat!”
Darcy slammed her hands down on the table, causing a few of them to flinch in response. “You leave Alpine out of this!”
Ophelia rose and matched her position, “Nick was always too soft with you!”
“Ophelia!” Her father barked. “Stand down, right now.”
Ophelia turned cold eyes toward her father. “We’re all thinking it, Elijah. She’s a liability to us and the safety of the North Pole.”
Tears filled Darcy’s eyes, and she felt Mrs. Claus’s hand on her shoulder, but she jerked away and started backing out of the room. “I know you’ve always disliked me, Ophelia. But that’s the cruelest fucking thing you’ve ever said. I would never put this place in jeopardy.” Then she spun and hurried down the hall, not wanting to take the abuse any longer.
Notes:
This fic wasn't originally meant to be a save Santa from whoever kidnapped him story. It was just gonna be about Darcy being an elf and the team finding out Santa exists, but the more I started plotting, the more I was like, "We're going to take some inspiration from Red One," and here we are. About the only thing similar to the movie is that Santa has been kidnapped, and he has a security team. I hope you've enjoyed the second chapter. Thanks for reading!
Edit to add: I don't know if I'll update tomorrow. This morning has been chaotic so far (it all started going downhill after I posted this chapter lol), and I'm unsure if I'll get to work on chapter seven tonight. If I don't post tomorrow, I will be back on Wednesday with chapter three.