The New Mexico desert stretched endlessly in all directions, the sand burning and the sun unforgiving. Harry adjusted his wide-brimmed hat and wiped sweat from his forehead. Three months in Puente Antiguo had taught him to respect the desert's heat.
"Dr. Potter!"
Harry turned toward the voice. A young woman with dark hair jogged toward him, her camera bouncing against her hip with each step. Darcy Lewis had enough energy to power a small town, and she seemed determined to use all of it before noon.
"It's just Harry," he called back. "And technically, I'm not a doctor."
"Whatever. Jane wants to know if you found anything weird over here." Darcy stopped beside him, breathing hard. "Also, do you have water? I forgot mine again."
Harry handed her his spare water bottle. "Define weird."
"You know. Ancient alien landing strips. Mysterious energy signatures. Thor's hammer."
"Thor's hammer?"
Darcy shrugged. "Jane's been reading Norse mythology lately. She thinks there might be connections between the atmospheric anomalies and old legends about gods coming down from the sky."
Harry kept his expression neutral. "Interesting theory."
"I think it's complete bullshit, but Jane's the scientist." Darcy took a long drink of water. "What do you think?"
"I think legends often contain more truth than people expect."
"Spoken like a true archaeologist." Darcy grinned. "So what are you really doing out here? And don't say consulting. Nobody consults in the middle of nowhere."
Harry looked across the desert. Over the past three months, he'd used every tool at his disposal to understand this place. His enhanced senses picked up traces of energy that didn't belong to Earth. The Resurrection Stone had shown him glimpses of the past, conversations with spirits who remembered when "sky gods" walked among mortals.
"I'm following patterns," he said finally.
"What kind of patterns?"
"Energy patterns. Historical patterns. Places where something significant happened or will happen."
Darcy studied his face. "You're being mysterious again."
"I'm being accurate."
"Same thing." She finished the water and handed back the bottle. "Jane wants to meet with you later. She has questions about your research."
"What kind of questions?"
"The kind that involve her thinking you might actually know something useful." Darcy's grin widened. "Also, I have a question."
"Which is?"
"Are you free tonight?"
Harry blinked. "Free for what?"
"Dinner. Maybe drinks afterward. There's this little place in town that serves decent Mexican food."
"You're asking me on a date."
"Very good. Gold star for reading comprehension."
Harry stared at her. In his previous life, women had either feared him or seen him as a weapon to be pointed at their enemies. The idea of someone asking him out for dinner felt foreign.
"I don't really date," he said.
"Everyone dates. Some people just haven't figured it out yet."
"Darcy..."
"Look, you're cute in a mysterious, brooding archaeologist way. I like mysterious. I like brooding. I especially like archaeologists who know things they shouldn't know." She stepped closer, a bit too close for comfort, and Harry's eyes could not help but drop to a certain desirable part of her frame. She didn't miss his attention either, as her smile turned teasing.
"Plus," she continued, eyeing him with mirth, "you haven't run away screaming from our research yet, which puts you ahead of most people."
Harry found himself smiling despite his confusion. "You're very direct."
"Life's too short for subtle." Darcy tilted her head, her smile coy. "So what do you say? Dinner and drinks tonight?"
Harry looked at her animated face, her expectant expression, and her complete lack of fear around someone who could level mountains, not that she knew it.
This was a new world. A new life. Maybe it was time to try new things.
"Alright," he said. "Dinner, and we'll see about drinks."
"Excellent!" Darcy bounced on her toes, grinning widely. "Seven o'clock. Meet me at Jane's lab."
She jogged away before Harry could ask for more details. He watched her go, shaking his head. In three months of careful investigation, Darcy Lewis had just accomplished something no government agency had managed. She'd caught him completely off guard.
xXx
Jane Foster's lab occupied a converted garage on the edge of town. Equipment tables covered every surface, astronomical charts plastered the walls, and computer monitors displayed atmospheric data in constantly shifting patterns. It looked like organized chaos, which probably meant Jane understood exactly where everything was.
Harry knocked on the open door. "Dr. Foster?"
"Come in!" Jane's voice came from somewhere behind a tower of equipment. "And it's Jane. We're all using first names now, apparently."
Harry entered the lab and found Jane crouched beside a bank of computers, cables snaking around her feet. Her brown hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she looked to be in intense concentration.
"Darcy said you wanted to discuss my research," Harry said.
"I want to understand your research." Jane stood up and faced him. "You've been in Puente Antiguo for three months, supposedly consulting on archaeological projects. But there aren't any significant archaeological sites in this area."
"Aren't there?"
"Not according to any database I can access." Jane crossed her arms across her chest. "So either you know something that isn't in the official records, or you're here for reasons that have nothing to do with archaeology."
Harry looked around the lab. "Dr. Selvig mentioned you're studying atmospheric anomalies."
"Don't change the subject."
"I'm not. I'm wondering if your atmospheric anomalies might connect to historical events in this area."
Jane's expression shifted from suspicious to interested. "What kind of historical events?"
"Events that wouldn't appear in conventional archaeological databases."
"Such as?"
Harry moved to the wall covered with atmospheric charts. "Dr. Foster, what would you expect to see if something very large and very fast entered Earth's atmosphere?"
"Energy discharge. Ionization trails. Electromagnetic disturbances." Jane joined him at the charts. "Why?"
"Because I've found evidence of exactly those phenomena occurring in this area throughout recorded history."
"What kind of evidence?"
Harry pulled out a notebook and flipped to a page covered with symbols and dates. "Native American petroglyphs describing lights in the sky. Spanish colonial records of unexplained atmospheric disturbances. Nineteenth-century newspaper accounts of mysterious energy discharges."
Jane studied the notebook. "These are all from the Puente Antiguo area?"
"Within a fifty-mile radius. All describing similar phenomena occurring at roughly twenty-year intervals."
"Twenty years?" Jane grabbed one of her computers and pulled up a file. "That matches the pattern I've been tracking."
"You've found a pattern?"
"Electromagnetic anomalies occurring in this region every eighteen to twenty-two years for the past century." Jane pointed to the screen. "I thought it might be related to solar activity or unusual geological formations."
"But?"
"But the energy signatures don't match any known natural phenomena."
Harry closed his notebook. "What if they're not natural?"
"You think they're artificial?"
"I think they're deliberate."
Jane stared at him. "You're talking about aliens."
"I'm talking about beings with technology advanced enough to manipulate atmospheric conditions."
"Based on petroglyphs and newspaper stories."
"Based on consistent patterns occurring over centuries in a specific geographical area."
Jane returned to her computer and pulled up more files. "Erik mentioned you. He said you understand things that most people don't."
"Dr. Selvig is generous with his assessments."
"He also said you saved his life."
Harry kept his expression neutral. "Dr. Selvig and the others could've been in a dangerous situation. I helped resolve it before anything could happen."
"By doing things that shouldn't be possible."
"Jane," Harry said carefully, "what would you do if you encountered technology so advanced that it seemed impossible?"
"I'd study it until I understood how it worked."
"And if understanding required accepting that your current scientific framework was incomplete?"
Jane met his eyes. "I'd expand my framework."
"Then maybe we should work together."
Before Jane could respond, Darcy burst through the lab door carrying coffee and a box of donuts.
"Science meeting!" she announced. "I brought caffeine and sugar."
"Perfect timing," Jane said. "Harry was just explaining his research."
Darcy set down the coffee and donuts and looked between Jane and Harry. "Uh oh. You both have that look."
"What look?" Harry asked.
"The look that means you're about to do something crazy in the name of science." Darcy grabbed a donut. "I've seen it before. It never ends well."
"We're just discussing historical patterns," Jane said.
"Historical patterns that Jane thinks might be connected to her atmospheric research," Harry added.
Darcy took a bite of donut and chewed thoughtfully. "So we're talking about aliens."
"We're talking about the possibility that unexplained atmospheric phenomena might have historical precedents," Jane corrected.
"Aliens," Darcy repeated. "Got it."
Harry found himself smiling at her endearing demeanor. "You don't seem concerned about the possibility."
"Honey, I work with Jane Foster. I stopped being surprised by impossible things months ago." Darcy gestured around the lab. "Besides, if aliens are real, at least that would explain why her research is so weird."
"My research is not weird," Jane protested.
"Jane, you're tracking energy patterns that don't match known physics. That's the definition of weird."
"Unknown physics," Jane corrected. "There's a difference."
Harry accepted coffee from Darcy and sat down in one of the lab's few chairs. "What would you need to prove your theory about the atmospheric anomalies?"
"More data points. Better equipment. A way to predict when the next event will occur."
"And if you could predict it?"
Jane's eyes lit up. "Then I could be ready. Instruments in position, cameras recording, sensors calibrated to capture whatever's causing the disturbances."
"And if the cause turned out to be beings with advanced technology?"
"Then I'd have proof that we're not alone in the universe."
Darcy raised her hand. "Quick question. Are we talking about friendly aliens or the kind that probe people?"
"We don't know enough to make that determination," Harry said diplomatically.
"That's not reassuring."
"Darcy," Jane said, "we don't even know if we're talking about aliens at all."
"But we might be."
"We might be."
Darcy nodded slowly. "Okay. So assuming we're dealing with potentially hostile extraterrestrials with superior technology, what's our plan?"
Harry looked at Jane. "First, we need to understand the pattern well enough to predict the next event."
"I can work on that," Jane said. "My data goes back far enough to establish timing patterns."
"Second, we need to be prepared for multiple scenarios."
"Such as?" Darcy asked.
"Peaceful contact. Hostile contact. Accidental contact. Technology that appears but doesn't include actual beings."
"You've thought about this before," Jane observed.
"I've encountered unusual situations before."
Darcy leaned forward, curious. "What kind of unusual?"
Harry considered his answer carefully. "Situations where normal assumptions about reality don't apply."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only answer I can give right now."
Jane studied his face. "Harry, what aren't you telling us?"
"I'm telling you everything I can without putting you in danger."
"Danger from what?"
"From knowing things that certain organizations would prefer remain classified."
Darcy's eyes widened. "Oh shit. You're a spy."
"I'm not a spy."
"Former spy?"
"I'm not a former spy."
"Spy-adjacent?"
Harry rubbed his temples. "I'm someone who understands that some knowledge comes with risks."
"What kind of risks?" Jane asked.
"The kind that involve men in black suits asking pointed questions about national security."
Jane and Darcy exchanged glances.
"Erik mentioned something about that," Jane said quietly. "He said he couldn't discuss his recent work with certain government agencies."
"Dr. Selvig is being appropriately cautious."
"And you're being appropriately mysterious."
"I'm being appropriately careful."
Darcy finished her donut and grabbed another one. "Okay, I've had enough of appropriate now. So we're dealing with potentially hostile aliens, government conspiracies, and mysterious archaeological consultants with classified knowledge."
"That's a fair summary," Harry agreed with a chuckle.
"Cool. So when do we start?"
Jane stared at her assistant. "Start what?"
"Figuring out when the aliens are coming back."
"Darcy, we don't know that they're aliens."
"Fine. When are the mysterious atmospheric phenomena with possible extraterrestrial origins returning to our immediate vicinity?"
Jane looked at Harry. "Can you help with that?"
"I can share what I've learned about historical patterns."
"And I can analyze the data to identify timing correlations."
"Perfect." Darcy clapped her hands together. "This is going to be fun."
"This is going to be dangerous," Harry corrected.
"Even better." Darcy grinned at him. "So are we still on for dinner tonight?"
Harry looked around the lab, at Jane's eager expression and Darcy's mischievous smile. Three months ago, he'd arrived in Puente Antiguo to investigate cosmic threats. Now he was planning dinner with someone who asked him out while discussing aliens.
"Yes," he said. "We're still on for dinner."
"Excellent!" Darcy bounced toward the door. "Jane, I'm borrowing your car. Harry, wear something nice. Not archaeologist nice. Date nice."
She left before either of them could respond.
Jane shook her head. "She's not subtle."
"No, she's not."
"She's also not wrong about you being mysterious."
Harry finished his coffee. "Jane, some mysteries exist for good reasons."
"And some mysteries exist because people are afraid of the truth."
"Which kind do you think mine is?"
Jane met his eyes. "I guess we'll find out."
xXx
Harry stood outside Jane's lab at exactly seven o'clock, wearing dark jeans and a button-down shirt that he hoped qualified as "date nice." He'd spent twenty minutes staring at his reflection, wondering when choosing clothes had become so complicated.
The lab door opened, and Darcy emerged wearing a sundress that made Harry forget how to breathe properly. The fabric was light blue, complementing her dark hair, and she'd traded her usual sneakers for sandals that made her legs look endless. He forced himself not to stare at the way her breasts strained against the dress, showing a hint of cleavage.
"Wow," she said, looking him up and down. "You clean up nice, Dr. Potter."
"Just Harry," he managed. "And you look..."
"Amazing? Gorgeous? Irresistible?"
Harry felt heat creep up his neck. "All of the above."
Darcy's smile could have powered the entire town. "Good answer. Come on, I'm starving."
xXx
Rosa's Cantina occupied a small building on Main Street, its neon sign flickering cheerfully against the darkening sky. Inside, colorful Mexican tiles covered the walls, and the scent of cumin and chili peppers filled the air. A handful of other diners sat at wooden tables, creating a comfortable buzz of conversation.
"Best Mexican food within two hundred miles," Darcy said as they settled into a corner booth. "I've done extensive research."
"By eating at every restaurant in the area?"
"Obviously. It's called being thorough." She grinned as she picked up her menu. "So, mysterious archaeologist, tell me about yourself."
Harry opened his own menu, grateful for something to focus on besides the way Darcy's eyes sparkled in the candlelight. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything. Start with the basics. Where are you from?"
"England, originally."
"I can tell from the accent. It's sexy, by the way."
Harry nearly choked on his water. "Thank you?"
"You're welcome." Darcy leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. Harry's eyes dipped for a moment. "What part of England?"
"A small village. You wouldn't know it."
"Try me."
"Godric's Hollow."
Darcy tilted her head. "You're right, never heard of it. What's it like?"
Harry found himself relaxing slightly. "Quiet. Old. The kind of place where everyone knows everyone else's business."
"Sounds suffocating."
"It could be. But it was also... nice."
"And now you're in the middle of the New Mexico desert, as far from nice and quiet as you can get."
"I suppose I am."
The waitress approached their table, a middle-aged woman with kind eyes and a warm smile. "What can I get you folks tonight?"
"Two margaritas," Darcy said immediately. "The good stuff, not the mix. And we'll need a few minutes with the food."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "You ordered for me."
"Trust me, you need a margarita. You're wound tighter than Jane's equipment cables."
"I'm not wound tight."
"Harry, you're sitting like you're at a job interview. Relax. It's just dinner."
Harry forced his shoulders to drop and leaned back in the booth. "Better?"
"Getting there." Darcy studied the menu. "So what made you leave your quiet little village?"
"I needed a change."
"From what?"
Harry considered his answer carefully. "From being someone I didn't want to be anymore."
"Heavy." Darcy looked up from her menu. "Good for you, though. Not everyone has the guts to start over."
The waitress returned with their margaritas, salt-rimmed glasses filled with pale green liquid. Darcy raised hers in a toast.
"To reinvention," she said.
Harry clinked his glass against hers. "To new experiences."
The tequila hit his system perfectly, loosening muscles he hadn't realized were tense. Darcy watched him with obvious amusement.
"When's the last time you went on a date?" she asked.
"Define date."
"Dinner with someone you're attracted to, with the potential for romance."
Harry took another sip of his margarita. "It's been a while."
"How long is a while?"
"A very long while."
Darcy's expression softened. "Bad breakup?"
"Something like that."
"Her loss." Darcy reached across the table and touched his hand. "Seriously. Any woman who let you go was an idiot."
Harry stared down at her fingers on his skin. Such a simple touch, but it sent electricity up his arm. "Darcy..."
"What?"
"You don't really know me."
"I know enough." She didn't pull her hand away. "I know you're kind, because you helped Jane and Erik. I know you're intelligent, because you actually understand their research. I know you're brave, because you came to the middle of nowhere to do whatever mysterious thing you're really doing here."
"And what if the mysterious thing is dangerous?"
"Then you're even braver than I thought." Darcy squeezed his hand. "Harry, I'm not asking you to be my boyfriend or marry me. I'm asking you to have dinner with me and maybe let yourself enjoy it."
Harry turned his hand palm up, threading their fingers together. "I'm out of practice with enjoying things."
"Lucky for you, I'm an excellent teacher."
xXx
They ordered food and another round of margaritas. Darcy regaled him with stories from her internship with Jane, painting vivid pictures of equipment failures, late-night research sessions, and the perpetual battle to keep funding for atmospheric studies.
"So there we were," Darcy said, gesturing with her fork, "three in the morning, standing in the desert with ten thousand dollars worth of equipment that just died for no reason. Jane's having a complete meltdown, Erik's muttering in Norwegian, and I'm trying to figure out if our insurance covers acts of God."
"What did you do?"
"I made coffee. Lots of coffee. Then I convinced Jane that sometimes the universe doesn't want to be studied, and maybe we should try again tomorrow."
Harry found himself smiling. "Did it work?"
"The next night, we got the best readings of the entire project." Darcy took a bite of her enchilada. "Sometimes the universe just needs to be asked nicely."
"You have an interesting relationship with the universe."
"The universe and I have an understanding. I don't try to control it, and it occasionally throws me something interesting."
"Like mysterious archaeologists?"
Darcy's smile turned mischievous. "Especially mysterious archaeologists."
Harry felt warmth that had nothing to do with the margaritas spreading through his chest. "What about you? What's your story?"
"Boring compared to yours, I'm sure."
"Try me."
Darcy launched into tales of her childhood in New York, her decision to major in political science despite having no political ambitions, and her accidental stumble into Jane's research program.
"I was supposed to be writing my senior thesis on campaign finance reform," she said. "Instead, I ended up measuring electromagnetic anomalies in the desert. Life is weird."
"Do you regret it?"
"Are you kidding? This is way more interesting than politics." Darcy leaned back in the booth. "Plus, the company is better."
Harry raised his glass. "Present company excluded, I hope."
"Present company especially included."
Their eyes met across the table, and Harry felt something shift between them. The playful banter had taken on a different quality.
"Harry," Darcy said softly, "you know I'm flirting with you, right?"
"I'm starting to figure that out."
"And how do you feel about that?"
Harry set down his glass and really looked at her. Darcy Lewis was beautiful, intelligent, funny, and completely unafraid of him. She was also looking at him like he was the most interesting thing in the room.
"Terrified," he admitted.
"Good terrified or bad terrified?"
"I'm not sure there's a difference."
Darcy laughed. "There's definitely a difference. Good terrified means you want to do something even though it scares you. Bad terrified means you want to run away."
"Which one makes you order another margarita?"
"Definitely good terrified."
Harry signaled the waitress.
xXx
By the time they left Rosa's, the desert night had settled around Puente Antiguo.
"God, I love the stars here," Darcy said, tilting her head back as they walked. "In New York, you're lucky to see five stars on a clear night."
Harry looked up at the celestial display. "It's remarkable."
"You can see why ancient people thought the gods lived up there."
"Maybe they did."
Darcy glanced at him sideways. "You really do believe in all that mystical stuff, don't you?"
"I believe the universe is more complicated than most people realize."
"And more magical?"
Harry considered the question. "I think magic and science are different words for the same thing."
"That's either very wise or complete bullshit."
"Maybe both."
They reached Darcy's hotel, a small building that had seen better decades but maintained a certain desert charm. She stopped at the door to her room and turned to face him.
"I had a really good time tonight," she said.
"So did I."
"I mean it. I know I dragged you into this, but you were actually fun once you loosened up."
Harry stepped closer. "You were right about me being wound too tight."
"I'm always right. It's one of my best qualities."
"I'm beginning to notice that."
They stood in the doorway, close enough that Harry could smell her perfume, light and floral that made him want to lean closer. Darcy looked up at him, her expression suddenly serious.
"Harry?"
"Yes?"
"I'm going to kiss you now."
"Okay."
Darcy rose on her toes and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was soft at first, tentative, but when Harry's hands found her waist, she deepened it. Her lips were warm and tasted faintly of lime from the margaritas.
Harry had forgotten how good this could feel. The simple pleasure of holding someone, of being held, of connection that went beyond words. Darcy's fingers tangled in his hair, and he pulled her closer.
The kiss grew more heated, more urgent. Darcy pressed herself against him, and Harry felt his carefully maintained control beginning to slip. She nipped at his lower lip, and he groaned softly.
"Inside," Darcy breathed against his mouth. "Now."
She fumbled with her key card while Harry kissed her neck, his hands spanning her waist. The door finally opened, and they stumbled through it together. Darcy kicked it shut behind them and immediately found herself pressed against it, Harry's body against hers and his lips sucking on her neck.
"You taste amazing," he murmured against her throat.
"So do you."
Their mouths found each other again, desperate now. Harry's hands roamed her back, feeling the soft fabric of her dress and the warm skin beneath. Darcy's nails scraped lightly against his scalp, sending shivers down his spine.
She pushed against his chest, and for a moment Harry thought she wanted to stop. Instead, she guided him backward toward the bed, her eyes dark with want.
"Sit," she commanded.
Harry sat on the edge of the bed, looking up at her. Darcy moved between his legs, her hands framing his face.
"I've been thinking about this for months," she said, her voice husky.
"Months?"
"Since the first day you showed up in town, all mysterious and brooding and sexy." She traced his jawline with her thumb. "I wanted to know what you'd taste like."
"And?"
"Better than I imagined."
Darcy settled herself on his lap, her legs straddling his thighs. The position brought them incredibly close, and Harry's hands instinctively found her hips.
"For the record," she said, her lips barely an inch from his, "I don't usually do this on first dates."
"Usually?"
"I'm making an exception for you."
Harry smiled up at her. "I don't usually do this at all."
"Lucky me."
"Lucky us."
Darcy grinned and crashed her lips against his again. This kiss was fierce, claiming, full of months of built-up tension finally finding release. Harry lost himself in the taste of her, the feel of her body against his, and the way she moved in his lap.
For the first time in longer than he could remember, Harry wasn't thinking about cosmic threats or ancient prophecies or the weight of responsibility. He was just a man kissing a beautiful woman who wanted him back.
Maybe, he thought as Darcy's fingers worked at the buttons of his shirt, truly living life wasn't so bad after all.
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