I am so curious if you think that Darcy and Steve would have met in the it was rare universe. Like would Tony have even met Steve? Would Darcy have come back from Paris if Tony paid for some stellar cancer treatment?
Such an interesting question! I don't know that I'll ever explore this fully in fic form, so I don't feel bad about sharing the thoughts I've collected about this very thing.
Get ready, this is long and therefore under a cut to spare anyone who doesn't care :)
In this universe (and part of this will be explored in It Was Rare), Tony is still in defense development and will still go overseas and still meet Steve, Bucky, and Sam in the same way at the same time.
I think that Darcy and Steve still meet in this universe, but much earlier than in Good Madness. Why? Because they're meant to be together. (In everything I write, anyway.)
My thought is that, in the Good Madness world, Darcy went to Paris right after she graduated because she'd never been out of the country before and she had some deep wanderlust in her bones.
But growing up with Tony as her dad, I feel like she's done a lot more traveling by the time she's out of school. Maybe she doesn't feel the need to wander quite so much in this world. Or at the very least, not so certain about where she wants to go as she was in the OG universe. I think if she went to Paris (and I'm not saying she still wouldn't) she wouldn't stay for as long. Maybe just a year a few extra semesters to learn some new techniques or something.
She comes home and meets the trio of guys her father insists saved his life on a work trip to Iraq. They're acquaintances, not quite friends, but they see each other at the soirees Tony throws over the next few years. Sam becomes a cop; Steve and Bucky still become fire fighters, still get stuck posing for the stud calendar, and Steve still meets and falls in love with Peggy.
Darcy bounces around for a few years, working at the bakery and spending a few weeks and months here and there trying to decide if she really wants to be the heir to the throne, as it were, at QoT until Raina gets sick and she is needed back in the shop full time (just like in the other universe).
Meanwhile, Steve and Peggy get married and Charlotte is born. But when Peggy dies in this timeline, Darcy meets Tony to bring baked goods to the wake. She sees Steve looking totally dispondent and tells Sam and Bucky that if they need anything while they're staying with him, to call her. "I can bring food or clean the house or watch the baby--whatever you need. I'm serious. And if you feel weird about calling me, call my dad. Tell him what you need."
And I'm thinking this is an offer that, like most offers a grieving person recieves at a funeral, is not really considered.
Until about six months later when Darcy is at the shop and her phone rings with a number she doesn't recognize. She answers it and hears a baby screaming bloody murder in the background while Steve apologizes a million times before asking if she knows anything about babies because Sam, Bucky and Natasha are all working and Charlotte hasn't slept in two days and he's about to lose his mind.
Darcy knows nothing about babies. But she knows someone who does. She tells him to hang tight, she can be there in about twenty minutes.
Luckily Raina's had a good few weeks, new treatments are working, and she's healthy enough to accompany her daughter to visit this poor man and his wretchedly miserable baby girl. Darcy brings almond croissants and Raina goes into Mom Mode.
With some true Raina magic, she manages to get Charlotte to stop screaming, guesses her rage has something to do with her teeth, and gives her a cold rag to suck on while she puts some of her toys in the freezer for later.
Steve actually cries with relief. And a few days later, he and Charlotte come to the bakery with flowers for Raina to say thank you. Darcy falls a teensy bit in love. Raina goes to put her flowers in water and shoves her daughter back out front to talk to him, which she does, and tells him he looks much better than he did a few days ago and that he should get out of the house more often. "Like, y'know, to take a stroll to your friendly neighborhood bakery, for instance?" and Steve's like "Oh I see, this how you rope in all your customers?" "Yes, naturally. All of this is exactly according to plan; it's a long, intricate and deeply specific game, this business plan of my mother's but it's been working out so far."
Steve is NOT ready to start dating again and, as Raina's health takes a swift turn in the wrong direction despite the top of the line doctors Tony has provided for her, neither is Darcy. But she has to keep the lights on at the shop like she promised and Steve and Charlotte come in at least once a week aaaaaaand...
This got away from me. I think that's probably enough speculating for one night, eh?
To quote my favorite bookseller, Kathleen Kelly, "I...have...I've gotten carried away. Haven't I?"
Thanks for asking!
