Work Text:
Haven
Darcy Lewis & Vince Teagues
Darcy Lewis/Phil Coulson
Troubled!Darcy AU
xXx
“She’s scaring the scientists.”
Coulson sighed his pen stuttering across the page at the interruption to his concentration. “Who?” He replied pinching the bridge of his nose.
“The Lewis girl.” Agent Jasper Sitwell answered sitting across from Coulson at his desk.
“And how exactly is she doing that?” Coulson sounded skeptical. He’d met the young Miss Lewis and while she was competent and fierce he doubted she could intimidate an entire contingent of scientists who’d gone toe to toe with secret agents and alien technology at the various S.H.I.E.L.D. labs.
“They won’t tell me, something about it being too ridiculous.”
Coulson finally looked up from his paper work. “So let me get this straight, ten astrophysicists, six engineers, two mathematicians and four field researchers are afraid of a political science major with a worrisome obsession for gourmet coffee, and none of them will tell you exactly why she scares them, only that it’s too ridiculous to talk about?”
“That about sums it up.” Sitwell responded. “What do we know about this girl?”
“Not much, her ID is fake. We haven’t located the real one yet. As far as we can tell Darcy Lewis didn’t exist until about a year before she started school at Culver.”
“Maybe someone should go down there and look into her.” Sitwell stood from his seat. “I’d be happy to go but Director Fury wants me to oversee a mission.” With that Sitwell turned and left. Coulson watched him go, eyes hard on Sitwell’s retreating back.
“Guess I’m going to New Mexico… again.”
xXx
“Phil.” Clint Barton greeted, eyes firmly planted in his binoculars pointed at the filling station. From his place on the roof across the street he had a perfect view into the makeshift lab.
“Agent Barton.” Coulson replied stopping beside the younger man. “Have you been keeping tabs on Miss Lewis like I asked?”
“Yes sir.” He replied. “I haven’t really seen anything that would bother the scientists, but they watch her sometimes when they’re not distracted with work that is.”
“Anything else you’ve noticed?”
“She’s pretty intuitive.”
“Yes, I noticed that the last time I was here. Always seemed to know just what everyone needs just when they need it.”
“She’d make a pretty good handler with a skill like that.”
Coulson hummed a reply.
“You going to recruit her boss?”
“We’ll see.”
xXx
“Fitz, a word please?” Coulson called pulling the young scientists attention away from Darcy.
“Yes sir.” Fitz replied coming to stand beside the older man, every so often looking back at Darcy where she stood across the lab.
“I’ve had some reports come in. Something about the scientists being afraid of a certain lab assistant?”
Fitz looked back at Coulson his mouth opening and closing as if trying to find the words to answer his question. “Well, I—uh—um,”
“Is there something I should know?”
“Well—really sir--- I don’t think it’s anything—substantial.”
“Really? Well then, in your honest opinion do you think she’d be a good addition to the agency?”
Fitz froze eyes wide. “It’s really not my place sir.”
“I’m making it your place. Now tell me what’s going on.”
Fitz looked everywhere but at Coulson, shifting nervously on his feet. He finally looked back up at the older man. “It’s kind of hard to explain sir.”
“Try.”
“She--- knows things.”
“She knows things? What kind of things?”
Fitz shrugged. He took a deep breath. “Well— things--- like--- events. The other day two of the other scientists Michaels and Waleburn, were standing by that book shelf over there,” he pointed to the shelf holding equipment across the room. “They were talking and drinking coffee on their break. Miss Lewis was explaining something to me when all of a sudden she sets her file down and heads toward the shelf. When she gets there she grabs Waleburn by the arm pulls him out of the way just in time to miss getting hit in the head with a falling machine part off the top shelf. She even caught it as it was falling.”
“Are you sure she didn’t just see it from across the room?” Coulson questioned.
“She was looking at me or at the paper work the whole time.”
“So she wasn’t paying attention to anything in the room but you and your conversation with her, stopped mid-sentence and bolted across the room to save one of the scientists from getting hit in the head with a blunt object? No indication that anything bad was about to happen?”
Fitz nodded.
“Alright, thank you Fitz. I’ll look into it.”
xXx
Phil Coulson spent the next three days in and out of the lab watching Darcy Lewis in all her dealings. Within a day of watching the young woman however, Coulson had already seen exactly what had the scientists on edge with his own eyes. In the hour after speaking to Fitz Darcy was passing Dr. Selvig’s workstation where a coffee cup was perch precariously on the edge. Her nose was in a file not paying attention to anything around her. Coulson watched as she passed the work station, stopped a few feet away and back tracked using her toe to push the waste basket from under the desk to under the mug. She turned and walked away and a moment later, Eric reached across his desk, knocking the mug off and into the waste basket.
Around lunch time Darcy walked out of the lab and returned with lunch. Before she reached Jane’s desk the scientist looked up. “Hey Darce, how about…”
Darcy set the plate of food in front of Jane before she could finish her sentence.
“How do you do that?” Jane questioned. “It’s amazing how well you know me.”
Darcy smiled batting her eye lashes. “What can I say, it’s my trouble.”
Jane chuckled as Darcy walked away back into the little kitchen. She returned again with lunch for Eric and then once again went back into the kitchen where she stayed for about thirty minutes before coming back out with a tray of sandwiches and a large pot of homemade soup. She set it on one of the only empty tables and then made yet another trip to the kitchen for plates, bowls and utensils. “Alright guys,” she called out. “Eat or no more science.” She threatened before heading out the front door with a full tote bag in hand.
Coulson watched as the group of scientists crowded around the table and took their share of lunch. “No one seems to be afraid of her now.”
Fitz looked up at him wide eyed his mouth full. “She’s a talented cook.”
xXx
Coulson stepped out of the filling station in time to catch Darcy walking out of the alley across the street. He looked up to the roof of the building to find Barton lounging on the edge of the roof stuffing a massive sandwich in his face and washing it down with a thermos of soup.
Coulson looked back to street level to find Darcy heading for another hidden location for the S.H.I.E.L.D. guards. She was gone for a few moments and when she came out she headed to the third location down the street.
She came back soon enough to find Coulson standing outside the front door, arms across his chest. “You’re an interesting woman Miss Lewis.” He told her as she approached.
“Why thank you Agent Coulson, I like to think I’m just the right side of average.”
“Just the right side?”
“Sure. Not so average that I fade into the background, but just average enough not to raise suspicions.” She smiled at him, the kind of smile that reminded him of a politician placating donors at a benefit. It wouldn’t surprise Coulson in the slightest if her future found her in the highest offices of government.
“Is that so? That sounds like something one of my agent might write in a report.”
“Oh yeah? Are you going to write that in my file Agent Coulson? Or maybe you’ll write up a little report for your director. I bet he’d loved to hear about me.”
“Really? And what exactly would he love to hear about you I wonder? Could it be your talent for taking care of eccentric personalities, or your incredible cooking skills? Maybe he’d love to hear about your inexplicable talent to see things before they happen?”
Darcy smiled at him, her eyes glittering with mischief. She nodded at the bodies milling about the lab. “They’re afraid of me but I think you’ll find them coming around, especially when I pull out all the stops around meal times. I find fear usually comes second to hunger around here.”
“That’s interesting Miss Lewis, I seem to have observed that very fact.”
Her smile this time was sweet and Coulson couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was when she smiled that way, her whole face lighting up. Darcy stepped closer, her smile never wavering. “Agent Coulson, you look like the kind of man who could really appreciate a home cooked meal. Why don’t you let me cook for you? I think conversations like this are much more enjoyable over a good meal.”
“And what kind of conversation would this be, Miss Lewis?”
“The kind where I answer your questions off the record and you show me how much discretion you secret agents are really capable of.” She replied. “Jane, Eric and most of the team will be going out into the desert tonight and won’t be back until late morning. The rest of the team will go back to wherever it is you keep them when they’re not spying on us and won’t be back until the day after tomorrow. So, by the time night falls the whole place will be empty and I can tell you everything you want to know without anyone listening in.”
“I suppose I can work that out.” Coulson answered her, taking note of the way she stressed how private she expected their meeting to be.
“Good, I’ll spare no expense.” She walked passed him, stopping with her hand on the door and turning back to him. “How does seven sound?”
“That’s sounds good, Miss Lewis, I look forward to it.”
Darcy left after that and when she was gone his phone started ringing in his pocket. He answered it.
“Did you make a date? Way to go Phil.” Clint’s voice sounded from the end of the line.
“I will push you off that roof.”
“I’ve fallen farther.”
xXx
Coulson stepped into the filling station, the lights low enough to be intimate. He took a deep breath, fully savoring the amazing smells wafting around the small building. The flickering candle light on a small round table off near the kitchen drew his attention to the beautiful spread. He heard the clicking of heals moving closer and looked toward the kitchen in time to see Darcy walk in a large platter in hand.
His heart nearly stopped as he caught sight of her appearance. A tight black evening dress, sleeveless, that hugged her breast and flared to at her hips. Her long legs looked even longer in the matching black pumps, and the bright red lip stick on her smirking lips brought to mind things he ought not to be thinking of.
“Agent Coulson, your timing is impeccable. Please, make yourself at home.” She greeted with a charming smile as she sat the platter in the center of the table. The platter was filled with perfectly cut slices of beautifully cooked pot roast. The rest of the table was filled with rolls, mashed potatoes and various other delicious delicacies.
“This all looks amazing Miss Lewis.” Coulson complimented. “And if it tastes as wonderful as it smells I believe I’m in for a treat.”
“You’re quite the charmer agent Coulson, and please call me Darcy, I’m sure you’ve already established my last name isn’t Lewis. My forgery skills are pretty good, but I have no doubt they didn’t fool a seasoned agent such as you.”
“Very well Darcy, but if that’s the case I insist you call me Phil.”
Her smile, mostly coy as they sat down, brightened. “Phil it is, now please, let’s eat. I practically had to fend the scientists and agents off with a wooden spoon today to keep them from ravaging my pot roast. I had to make a second one to send back to the barracks with them so they wouldn’t pick the kitchen clean.”
Coulson chuckled helping himself to a little bit of everything. Darcy did as well and they soon fell into a contented silence as they ate. When they were finished Coulson helped clear the table and wash the dishes despite Darcy’s protests. They laughed and shared stories as they worked and when all that was finished Darcy poured them both some coffee and pulled a cheesecake out of the refrigerator. Coulson took both mugs of coffee while she carried the cake and plates to the table. Darcy sliced up the cheesecake and dished out a piece each.
“I hate to spoil a perfectly good evening, Darcy.” Coulson began, “However I do believe you promised me some answers.”
“You’re absolutely right Phil, I did promise you some answers and I’ll be honest I was kind of stalling you a bit. Just wanted to be sure you were alone.”
“Are you satisfied that I am?”
She nodded. “I am. Now, where should I begin?”
“I find the beginning to be the best place to start.”
Her smile brightened again. “You know I always knew you were the witty kind. I could just tell.” She chuckled more to herself. “Well, let’s see. I was born Darcy Teagues in a small town in Maine called Haven. Now, Haven is a very special place, where people can do extraordinary things for no reason at all. I don’t like to call myself clairvoyant simply because that’s not really what I am. I can’t control my visions, and if your scientists were any less prone to mass hysteria they would have noticed that I hadn’t predicted every little occurrence.”
“Visions?” Coulson questioned.
“Flashes really, never more than a minute long, on rare occasion closer to two.”
“What’s it like, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“It’s kind of like being on the outside of a moment. Like everything around me is moving but I’m standing still just observing everything.”
“That’s incredible.” Coulson told her.
“Thank you.” she smiled shyly.
“You said there are others like you?”
She nodded. “Yes, my home town is filled with troubled people.”
“Troubled?”
“That’s what we call ourselves. Mostly because a lot of the ‘gifts’ those of us have aren’t the kind of ‘gifts’ we want. Some of us even say that we’re cursed.”
“What kind of other troubles are there?”
“Well, this kid I grew up with, he’s a police officer now, he can’t feel anything, not even the slightest touch. A woman there can control the weather, and there’s a man who’s a bullet magnet.”
“A bullet magnet? That’s…unfortunate.”
“Yeah, well, most troubles are passed down through generations. His father was troubled and didn’t bother to tell him that he was troubled too even when he went off to war. Hell of a way to find out.”
“I don’t understand.” Coulson continued. “How has S.H.I.E.L.D. not noticed these people, your people before?”
“It’s kind of hard to explain but I’m going to try so bear with me. The troubles aren’t permanent. They’re always with us but they aren’t always prevalent. You see the troubles only come back to Haven and its people every twenty or so years. I don’t really know why, but it has something to do with an old barn and a woman, that’s really all my father would tell me he’s not a big fan of sharing.”
“I see, and for how long do the troubles last?”
“About a year or so….” She hesitated.
“What’s wrong?” Coulson asked.
“My trouble came back two years ago.”
“You just said that troubles don’t last more than a year, though.”
“I know, I think something might be going on back home but I can’t really say for sure, I haven’t talked to my father in a while and even if I had he doesn’t really ever tell me anything. That’s one of the reason’s I left.”
“Oh yeah? Don’t really get along, huh?”
Darcy shrugged and sighed. “I just…” she paused for a moment before putting out her arm for him to see. After a moment a tattoo shimmered into existence on the crook of her arm. “My father is the oldest Teague sibling of his generation which makes him the heir to the leadership of an organization known as The Guard. The Guard is a well-organized band of troubled people who work to protect other troubled people from those who don’t understand us or would seek to hurt us. I’m the eldest sibling, the only sibling, of my generation and so when my father steps down and or dies it’ll be my responsibility to take over and lead them.”
Coulson couldn’t help but notice how unfavorably she spoke of her familial responsibility. “I take it you don’t want to take over.”
She sighed again. “That’s his life, not mine. Maybe it’s because my trouble isn’t as bad as other’s but I just want no part of Haven. The death rate in Haven alone is enough to turn anyone off of that place.”
“I can imagine.” He replied.
Darcy shook her head after a moment as if to rid the room of such dark thoughts. “Anyway,” she began taking a big bite of cheesecake. “You have to tell me what you think of this cheesecake, it’s a new recipe.”
Coulson chuckled and took a bite. “This is delicious Darcy, all of it was.”
“Thank you. I’ll wrap up the left overs for your men’s lunch tomorrow. I’m sure Barton will appreciate it.”
Coulson laughed. “Careful, he’s like a dog, if you feed him he doesn’t go away.”
Darcy laughed as well. “So I’ve noticed, but he’s a sweetheart so it’s not so bad.”
“You say that now, just wait.”
xXx
One Year Later
The flash came so abruptly, so violently that she nearly collapsed from the shock of it all. She didn’t know where she was but she recognized Phil immediately. She hadn’t heard from him since S.H.I.E.L.D. shipped Jane off on a consulting job and despite knowing the man could take care of himself and having been warned when they had started this, whatever it was, that he could die at any given moment, she still worried about him.
Phil was standing along some sort of catwalk in front of a man she was fairly certain wasn’t human. Phil had a cannon like gun in his hands and he was saying something to the other man, but she couldn’t hear him no matter how hard he tried.
The man Phil was talking to disappeared in the blink of an eye and the next thing she knew Phil was bowed forward, a spear sticking through his chest. The last thing she saw before her vision ended was Phil on the ground, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, eyes glassy as he seemed to stare right through her.
“Darcy! Darcy! What’s wrong?” Jane’s voice cut through the fog. Teary eyes turned to look at the older woman.
“He’s dead.” She breathed. “He’s... gone.”
xXx
Eight Months Later
“Darcy, where did you go? Did you have another vision?” Jane asked laying a hand on her friends shoulder. Darcy looked up at her best friend confused.
“Tahiti?”
Jane looked back at Eric confused. “Like the island?”
Eric shrugged. They turned to Darcy questioningly only to find her looking dazed.
“It’s a magical place.”