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Darcy has been with the Atlanta group since her parent's town had been evacuated- a nice man in a Winnebago having stopped behind their vehicle to give them a lift when the engine of her parent's car overheated. Dale had two other women with him, sisters Andrea and Amy, and it was a little more than cramped in his vehicle, but they made do.
They eventually joined forces with others parked on the side of the road when the government started dropping bombs on the most populated cities, and camped out near a quarry where the Dixon brothers mentioned it would be hard for the dead to follow. That first night, while sharing a tent with her parents, Darcy had wished she had listened to Stark and taken him up on the offer of a Stark Phone. She had trouble getting through to anyone on her cell and service ended up cutting out days later. Not even Heimdall answered her pleas for help.
She ended up losing her parents one night when the quarry was overrun with the dead, so she stuck with the original group when they decided to move on. Throughout the months they ended up losing people, gaining people, and they even found people thought gone forever. They moved from location to location, and ended up settling down in a prison they did their best to clear and clean out.
But eventually the living get greedy and people want things that don't belong to them, and Darcy and her friends have to fight for what they'd worked so hard to make their own.
Which is why when Darcy is knocked unconscious and then threatened by the one man who practically frothed at the mouth to have the prison his men who were too chicken shit to clean out themselves, she's not that surprised. She is, however, surprised when her hands are bound behind her back and then shoved to her knees next to Hershel and Michonne in the middle of the field outside of the prison fences. Her people are forced to watch as the Governor stands behind them with Michonne's katana in hand and he offers Rick a deal- the prison or his friends.
She knows Rick will do everything to keep the prison, especially since a sickness had laid out a bunch of their people and were still on the mend, so her heart breaks for the man as he struggles to offer the Governor half the prison if he let the three of them go. Even when threatened with a goddamn military tank that the Governor found, Rick will not walk away completely. Not when he has Carl and Judith's future to think about.
But the Governor is not right in the mind.
Everything happens in slow motion next. From the corner of her eye she sees the Governor pull back and raise Michonne's katana, ready to strike. Beth and Maggie scream out in horror, clinging to the fence as they fear for their father's life, and Michonne cringes. Darcy wants to close her eyes from witnessing what's bound to be brutal beheading, but before she can close her eyes she sees a familiar red glow envelop the blade and stop it inches from Hershel's neck.
"What the-" The Governor grumbles.
Darcy shakily laughs when realization sinks in, she pulling her shoulders back and smirking cruelly at the one-eyed man. "The cavalry here's, buddy. You're fucked."
And before he can ask her what she means, the red glow yanks the katana from his hands. They watch it land several feet away, the blade stuck in the Earth and standing tall. The red glow then envelops the Governor and everyone watches in shock as the man is flung to the side, away from his own people and closer to Rick. When a gun shot rings out, several people sigh in relief when the Governor doesn't get back up. But that one gunshot kick starts a fight- the Governor's people angry and looking for revenge.
Just as Darcy's people start trading gunfire with those who came with the Governor, a woman cloaked in a dark red jacket and black pants lands in front of Darcy, Hershel, and Michonne- a large red shield surrounding them and protecting them from the flying bullets.
The military tank fires one shell at the prison, clipping one of the corridors that Darcy knows is empty, but it's still sad to see their shelter damaged. A roar sounds which causes Michonne and Hershel to glance around in fear, but Darcy only laughs. The Hulk tears through the treeline, jumping on the military tank and tearing off it's cannon in a rage.
Michonne looks at Darcy, eyes wide. "So you weren't lying? You really do know the Avengers?"
She smirks. "Yep."
Wanda, who had saved their butts, glances over her shoulder as she half concentrates on holding the shield around them. "You okay?"
"What? No hi, Darcy? How've you been, old friend?" She huffs, struggling to stand up. Giving up, she falls on her butt and Wanda's lips twitch. "I mean it's not like I missed you or anything."
"Hello, Darcy."
"Well I'll be damned," Hershel suddenly muses, startling a snort from both Darcy and Michonne. "That's Captain America." And sure enough there's Steve, tossing his shield around and doing his best not kill. After all, everyone was still a civilian in his eyes.
The gun fire finally tapers off, the Hulk slinks off, Wanda's shield drops, and Darcy flinches when someone grabs her wrists to cut the rope. Looking over her shoulder, she beams when Natasha winks and then goes about cutting her friends free. Then rubbing at her wrists, Darcy stands and hugs her two long time friends. "I missed you guys so damn much," she sighs with happiness. "How'd you even find me?"
"Thor came down for a visit," Natasha says, nodding in greeting to Michonne and Hershel, then stepping back when Maggie and Beth practically tackle him in a hug.
Darcy, Wanda, Michonne, and Natasha step around them, only to be met by Steve, Rick, and Daryl. Rick and Daryl take the time to check over Darcy and Michonne, Darcy catching Daryl's gaze and smiling to let him know she was all right. Natasha clears her throat gently and when she glances at her, Darcy narrows her eyes at the all knowing glint in the red head's gaze.
"So what did Thor say? I've been calling Heimdall since this all started."
"Crying sometimes too," Michonne mumbles. "But only when she got really drunk."
"Hey!"
Daryl snorts as Steve and Rick try to smother their smiles. They fail.
"Heimdall heard," Steve then says, "but he couldn't let his King or Queen come down to an infected Midgard and risk the health of all of Asgard."
"But he came down anyway?"
"Apparently Heimdall got defensive with them when Jane asked how you were. She picked up on it and demanded to know what was going on. When he told them, Thor volunteered to briefly come down and pass on what he knew."
"And here you are."
"Here we are," Natasha says.
"And just in the nick of the time." Steve glances around, sheepishly waving and smiling at those gathering around. "What exactly did we interrupt?"
Rick leads them all back inside the prison fences when the dead start coming around, explaining the drama they'd been putting up with while surveying the damage the Governor's group inflicted.
When all is said and done, and the group don't bother hiding their amusement at Carol trying to mother a very sheepish Bruce, Steve gives them an offer from Tony Stark.
"I know you guys probably put your blood, sweat, and tears into this place," he says, glancing around the dreary prison, "but we have a place for you- for all of you- if you'd like."
Daryl scoffs, but Darcy nudges him and tosses a smile at Steve. "Don't mind him. Daryl's just not a fan of the big city."
"S'not that," he mumbles. "It's just- is it worth even goin' to? Didn't the government bomb all big cities?"
"We're technically upstate at the Avengers Facility," Steve tells them. "Stark Tower was one of the first places people ran to when things went crazy and it was destroyed in all the chaos. The facility we're at now is surrounded by a tall, high voltage electric steel fence on one side and water on the other. There's woods surrounding the front of the facility to hunt in and we're constantly flying out to scavenge other cities for whatever goods we can't make on our own."
"How is your fence being powered?" Rick frowns. "The electrical grids-"
"Are no problem for a man like Tony Stark," Darcy grins. "I'm sure the facility is all tricked out thanks to Iron Man himself." Steve nods, chuckling. Rick suddenly looks apprehensive and Darcy softens her grin. "I know you don't know them other than what you've seen on TV or read in history books, but they really are good people," she says. "And we put a lot of work into this prison, but lets face it. We don't have the means to keep patching this place or the fences up. Eventually it will crumble or the dead will tear down our fences and then what? We're stuck inside a tomb."
"The kids will love it," Natasha then says. "Hawkeye has his own family at the facility, so at least they'll have friends to play with."
As if needing reminding that he had a baby of his own, Judith chooses that moment to start getting fussy. Rick sighs. Beth and Carol do their best to soothe the baby, but she wants nothing. Not even her father or brother.
"May I?" Wanda asks, wiggling her fingers as a red wisp of magic dancing between them. "I can see what is wrong with her." Rick grimaces, but at Darcy's assuring smile he nods. Then flicking her wrist towards the baby, a thin red wisp enters Judith's mind. Wanda hums. "She is.. hungry, but the milk is not filling enough anymore."
"We have baby food at the facility," Steve tells him. "Coming with us will only make your lives that much more easier. But if you want to be kept busy, you can do that too. There's plenty to do and we can really use someone who knows what they're doing when planting crops."
Wanda snorts and Darcy cringes. "You let Hawkass tend to the crops, didn't you?"
"I thought he'd know what he was doing," Steve complains, "but he's terrible."
"I've managed a farm all my life," Hershel says. "The girls two," he then gestures to his daughters. "If you got animals that need tending to, I was a vet before all this."
There's clear relief in Steve's gaze and just like that the prison group is won over.
"This is going to be so much fun," Darcy practically squeals, packing up her and Daryl's cell. "You're going to like it there. Trust me."
Daryl's eyes roll, but he manages a small grin in return. "You're just excited about the AC."
"Uhh.. duh!. And the hot water. You just don't feel as clean when you shower with cold as balls water, my dude."
"I'll take your word for it."
"Mhmm." She kicks aside her duffel bag, she walking up to Daryl and wrapping her arms loosely around his neck. "I honestly think you will like it if you give it a chance. And like Steve said, there's woods to hunt in."
"Steve, huh? You're awfully comfy on that first name basis." His own arms wrap low around her waist.
Darcy chuckles, squeezing the back of his neck and nipping the underside of his chin. "Don't be like that. I've been friends with them for a long while now. It's never been, nor will it ever be, like that between me and Steve."
"You sure? He's every woman's dream man, ain't he?"
"Shut up, Dixon. You're the only guy I want in my pants." He scoffs and she goes up on her tip toes to press a chaste kiss to his lips. "And besides.. Captain Dorito is totally gay. I'm sure you'll meet his boyfriend back at the facility."
Boots thumping have the couple turning towards the cell door, Steve grinning at them as he passes by. "Buck's in the quinjet, actually. He's excited to meet the man that's got Darcy all moon-eyed."
"Fuck off, Old Timer!"
"I take back my earlier assessment," Daryl mumbles. "Captain America isn't a tight ass like I thought."
"I heard that!"
Darcy snorts as Daryl's eyes widen slightly. "Yeahh.. did I forget to mention he's got the hearing of a goddamn dog?"
"Yes."
"My bad."
Daryl sighs and pinches her side before moving back. "Get movin', short stack. I need to see what type of guy is capable of keeping up with Captain America."
Grinning knowingly, she says, "You shouldn't be too surprised if you remember your history. It was eluded to in the history books."
He stops short, eyes narrowing. "Who?"
But she only shrugs in response. "You'll see."