Can't believe it's December already! It's almost Christmas! Can't believe we've gotten this far with the story either. It's been quite the journey. Oh, right, this is where I mention if you haven't read: "Sometimes Being Different is a Good Thing" and "Altered", STOP NOW AND GO READ THOSE! I mean…you will be rather lost otherwise.
And though I didn't do this the start of the last story, my reviewers left some reviews I felt deserved a reply to from the last chapter of the previous story.
Larryeneno: Maaaaaaaybe…:D (Hint: End of this chapter)
MorWolfMor: Awww, thank you!
harrylee94: Hope I answer those questions this story. And I hope I'll do a good job with James.
Xandrea: Thank you! XD
alleycat2834: SSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHH! Stop reading my mind! …*cough* end of chapter *cough*
Dr. Huff-Puff: Thank you!
*Not sure if anyone noticed my oopsie with the family's surname but I'm correcting it now. So embarrassing. Maybe I should start writing one story at a time instead of three.
CHAPTER ONE
Sitting on her back porch, Dianne took a deep breath of the sea air, relishing the feel of the cool breeze blowing across her face and through her hair. She loved her home on the coast, loved the cool, overcast weather. It was the perfect climate she could live in.
"Are we ready to go?" she heard her husband, Loki, ask from behind. She was guessing he was still waiting in the doorway.
"Yes, I'm just…savoring the last moments of nice, perfect weather," Dianne replied.
Loki walked over to where he was standing next to the chair his wife was seated in giving her a curious look, "Meaning?"
"Surely you haven't forgotten already," Dianne said, looking up at her husband, "Though…I guess you really haven't been to my parents' place in the summer so you wouldn't really know. It's hot there. And a dry heat. The high can be anywhere from the high eighties to the mid-nineties this week. Unlike here, which is a perfect, breezy, seventy degrees."
Loki smiled, "So that's the reason you've been sitting out here for the last hour."
"Yes. Just soaking in the last of the seventy degrees I'll be experiencing."
Bending down, Loki gave her a tender kiss on her lips, "We best be going though. We don't want to be late."
Dianne nodded, and got to her feet, heading back into the house after Loki, who picked up their suitcases to take them to the car.
"This is…all so surreal," Dianne muttered as Loki pulled out onto the road, heading for the interstate to take them west.
Loki glanced over to his wife for a brief moment, "Just what are you talking about this time?"
"It was just yesterday she was a little girl," Dianne went on.
Loki smirked, "Well, she's still little."
"Barely," Dianne said, then sighed heavily, "I can't believe Rosemary is graduating."
Dianne and Loki were hardly at her parents' place twenty minutes and Dianne was already wondering why she missed her sisters over the last eight months. Olyvia and Steve were already at the house when they arrived, and the last twenty minutes Olyvia had spent going from marching around the house behind Rosemary singing the tune of "Pomp and Circumstance" and dramatically throwing herself against something, usually it was a wall or the couch, wailing about wondering when Rosemary grew up. Needless to say, it was a little annoying.
"Livy! Stop," Dianne ordered when she started up with the graduation march.
Olyvia snapped her mouth shut, deciding it was best to not irk her sister, and plopped down on the couch between her and Steve, "Sorry."
"You better be," Dianne grumbled.
Olyvia smiled innocently at her sister before reverting to a normal face, "So…how was your one year anniversary?"
That put a smile on Dianne's face, "It was wonderful."
"Good to hear," Olyvia said, "But, speaking of things that happen in April—."
Steve groaned, dropping his head into his hands, but Olyvia continued on, "I have to tell you what I did for April Fools."
Now it was Dianne who groaned, "You know, I regret telling Loki what that day is all about."
Loki smiled, "I think it's a great idea."
Olyvia raised a curious eyebrow, "What'd he do."
"I'll tell you later," Dianne said, "You first wanted to tell me what you did."
"It wasn't funny," Steve growled.
"I thought it was hilarious," Olyvia said, "Anyway, you know how Bruce has been keeping tabs on my radiation problem to make sure the mutation doesn't come back?" Dianne nodded so Olyvia continued, "well, I stuck my hands into the icebox in the freezer for like…a minute or two, then I went running over to Steve in a panic, making him panic and go into full freak out mode. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him it was a joke."
"You are so mean," Dianne laughed.
"It was not funny," Steve repeated, shooting a glare at his wife.
"He still loves me though," Olyvia said, wrapping her arms around Steve's neck and giving him a peck on the cheek, "Besides, I made up for it, didn't I?"
Steve blushed slightly, "U-uh…w-w-well…"
"La-la-la-la, I don't need to be hearing this," Dianne said, plugging her fingers into her ears, "Too much information."
"Huh? I'm lost," Rosemary muttered.
"Good, let it stay that way," Dianne said.
"Midget is graduating tomorrow!" Olyvia exclaimed, throwing her arms up into the air.
"You start up with the graduation march again, I will make you a human torch," Dianne threatened.
"Not singing," Olyvia said quickly, snapping her lips shut, "So…what did Loki do?"
Dianne sighed, shooting a glare in Loki's direction who only smiled back at her.
"Well, not only did he steal my towels again while I was in the shower," Dianne said, continuing to glare at Loki, "which is getting old, by the way."
"I don't think so," Loki said with a smirk.
"He tossed glitter on me while I was in there," Dianne said, "Do you know how well glitter sticks to wet surfaces?"
Olyvia burst into laughter, "Oh that's hilarious! So how long were you a sparkly vampire?"
"I think I still have some on me," Dianne said, "But those weren't the only two. He spent the whole day playing pranks, and cheating with his Asgardian magic. He made me think we had thirty cats in the house at one point. And then when we were training, he made me think I burned him into a pile of ashes! Now that wasn't funny."
"I hope you got him back for it," Olyvia said.
Dianne crossed her arms with a huff and leaned back into the couch, "No, not really. I only got him when it was his turn to load the dishwasher. When he went to rinse dishes off, he was sprayed by the hose since I put a rubber band around it. It was the only prank I could think of."
"She just punished me by ignoring me for a week," Loki said, "So I think she got me back."
"I need to come up with an epic prank to pull for next year," Dianne muttered.
"I don't get the allure of pranks," Steve said, "It's not funny."
"Not when you're on the receiving end," Olyvia said, "but when you're the prankster, it's so much fun!"
Steve just shook his head, "It's just not my thing. I guess that means you're safe from any pranks being pulled on you. At least from me."
"Good to know."
As night fell, the visiting sisters and their husbands retired for the evening to the guest rooms that had previously been their own.
"It feels odd, being in here again," Dianne commented as she and Loki cuddled up together under the covers.
"At least I won't be shot for being caught in here now," Loki said, "Unlike when we first met."
"Seems so long ago, as well as just yesterday," Dianne said, giving Loki a kiss, "Even with everything bad that has happened in that time, the last year and…nine months, it has been the best time of my life."
Loki smiled, wrapping his arms tighter around his wife's waist, "Mine as well."
They kissed again, Dianne snuggling up even closer, trying to get as close as she could. After a few moments of silence once they were all settled in, Loki spoke again.
"So are you ready for tomorrow?"
Dianne nodded, "Yeah…I think I am. You?"
"I am."
The next morning was a madhouse in the Harris household. Rosemary was running around the house trying to find her graduation gown so that her mother could get it ironed for her, while everyone else was in the kitchen trying to eat breakfast. Allen made waffles, having to make a double batch in order to make enough to sate Steve's appetite, and everyone had crowded into the kitchen and dining area to wait for the food. The room just wasn't big enough to accommodate so many people.
After breakfast, the girls decided they wanted to go out and do a little horseback riding before Rosemary had to really get ready for her graduation. Loki and Steve were also going to join them since the girls' parents weren't going to ride so their horses were available. Steve was a little reluctant to go since he had never ridden a horse before, but Olyvia said she would help him. And then there was Loki, who was being awfully fretful over Dianne. Needless to say, they all expected it to be an interesting ride.
"Are you sure it's okay for you to ride?" Loki asked as Dianne mounted Blaze.
"For the fifth time, yes love, it is just fine," Dianne said, "I've ridden before, stop acting like I'm a porcelain doll."
Loki didn't look convinced, still worried and anxious, but he wasn't going to argue. Olyvia looked at them in confusion, wondering why Loki was being so…protective. He knew Dianne could take care of herself when it came to the horses, so what was going on?
"Think I can get a real horse someday?" Rosemary asked as she saddled up her pony, Kit, pulling Olyvia from her reverie.
"When you're tall enough to get your foot in the stirrup," Olyvia said as she mounted her horse.
Rosemary shot a glare at Olyvia for that comment, tightening the saddle belt so it wouldn't slide around and under the pony while she was riding, and opted to say nothing to avoid a spat.
The others mounted as well, Steve doing so hesitantly, and Olyvia helped him direct the horse out of the barn, making him the last one out.
"Think you have everything under control Steve?" Olyvia asked.
"I doubt anyone could ever have this creature under control," Steve replied.
"Let me rephrase then, are you comfortable?"
"I'm sitting on a hard leather saddle, what do you think?" Steve asked.
"I'll take that as a no."
"You'll get used to it," Rosemary said.
"Eventually," Dianne added, "He'll end up a little sore by the end of the ride I'm sure."
"If he doesn't go numb first," Rosemary quipped.
Steve groaned, "Do I really have to go?"
"No, you don't," Olyvia replied, "You said you wanted to try it out, and you have so if you want… you can stay here."
Seeing the look on his wife's face, he knew she'd like it if he come along, and he would much rather spend all the time he could with her rather than sit around waiting.
"No, I'll go ahead and come along," Steve said, "Just don't expect me to keep up."
Olyvia smiled, "Don't worry, I'll ride with you so you won't get too far ahead."
"Aww, then we can't race," Rosemary whined.
"You'd lose anyway, you have the pony," Olyvia quipped.
Rosemary shot a glare at her sister while Dianne laughed.
"Yeah, but it's so funny when she gets Kit running," Dianne said through her laughter, "it reminds me of that scene in 'Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows' where Holmes is riding the pony."
Olyvia laughed as well, "It does look like that doesn't it? That was a funny scene."
This time Steve actually knew what Olyvia was talking about since they watched all the movies in her growing collection in the last eight months they had been married, Sherlock Holmes being one of them. He had watched countless hours of movies, some of which he thought good, silly, and even a few he considered downright horrible. He couldn't even begin to sort them out himself, and couldn't fathom how Olyvia managed to memorize whole movies and know which quote was from which film. It was mind boggling!
Now that they were all organized…somewhat, they headed for the trail they usually took for their rides. Oscar whined plaintively from the deck where he sat, wanting ever so badly to go, while the Harris's family dog, Happy, just lounged beside him, having not a care in the world. With Steve and Olyvia owning a house, when they got back from their honeymoon they picked Oscar up, since he was Olyvia's dog, and took him to Ashland. Not wanting to leave him alone at the house with the cat, or find someone to look after him, they just went ahead and brought him down with them. As usual, he wanted to go with Olyvia, so when she heard him, went ahead and called him over to follow. Cara showed her distaste for this by walking sideways trying to step on the dog as he ran beside her.
"Hey now, behave girl, it's just Oscar," Olyvia chided, and Cara huffed before proceeding on straight instead of continuing her efforts to step on the dog.
Oscar ran ahead of the group, knowing the path well himself, but would come back on occasion to check on his masters, since they were in the back of the group, before taking off again. Steve was figuring out the mechanics of riding a horse slowly but surely so they weren't too far behind the rest of the family.
"You are such a city guy," Dianne commented from the forefront of the group.
"Hey, he's getting it," Olyvia rebutted, "Bet he's learning faster than Stark would."
"Stark wouldn't even get near a horse," Dianne said, "I doubt he'd trust them. Like Holmes."
Olyvia chuckled, because that sounded like Stark.
"Oh!" Rosemary suddenly exclaimed, startling the horses and her pony a little, earning a shush from her sisters, "Sorry, but I just remembered, about Tony. He told me the other day he and Pepper are engaged!"
"WHAT!?" the other four exclaimed, Steve being so shocked and unaccustomed to horseback riding that he fell off.
Pulling Cara to a stop, Olyvia jumped off and hurried over to her husband, just as Oscar was running over to check on him as well. Oscar got there first, and proceeded to shower him with slobbery kisses.
"You okay?" Olyvia asked, offering him a hand.
"I'm fine," Steve assured her, gently pushing Oscar away and grabbing Olyvia's hand as he pulled himself onto his feet and then wiped the dog drool from his face, "Just…shocked. Stark really proposed?"
Rosemary nodded, "Really, really. They're planning on getting married next spring or something."
"Well, I'm excited to hear that," Olyvia said, getting back onto her horse once she made sure Steve got onto his just fine, "It's about time they got married."
"Yeah, it's taken them how long?" Dianne asked.
"Years at least," Steve said, "They were together before I was found in the ice."
"Then yeah, it's been a while," Olyvia agreed, then looked to her younger sister, "So how did you forget something like that?"
"I just did, okay," Rosemary retorted, starting to become defensive, "If you haven't realized, today has been rather stressful already. I'm graduating!"
"All you're going to be doing is walking halfway across the football field, in front of hundreds of people, and then just sit there until it's time to get your diploma which is just more walking," Olyvia said, "What is so stressful about that?"
"The hundreds of people!" Rosemary replied, "I don't want to embarrass myself by tripping and falling."
"Out of everyone, you know that would have been me when graduating," Olyvia said, "Which didn't happen. Plus, you're walking with Juan aren't you?" Rosemary nodded, so she continued, "He'll make sure you won't trip."
"Wait, you're not walking with Ashley?" Dianne asked.
"No, why?"
"Why? You two practically grew up together, you're best friends, why aren't you walking with her?"
"Juan asked me first!"
"Poor Ashley, being left out, again," Olyvia said.
"Stop it! I'm not leaving her out, we're going to hang out together at Sober Grad tonight," Rosemary rebutted.
"With Juan?" Olyvia and Dianne asked in unison.
"Yeah…so?"
Olyvia just shook her head. It wasn't like she knew what her sister was going through so she wasn't one to talk. She never had a boyfriend to split time between her best friend.
Getting back on track, they continued along the trail, taking a break once they reached the ridge, mostly for Steve, before they were back on the horses and on the last leg of their trek. At the speed they were going, it took them an hour and a half to get back to the house. Had they raced like Rosemary wanted, they could have clocked it possibly just below half an hour.
"So…that wasn't so bad, was it?" Olyvia asked Steve as they left the barn after putting away the riding gear.
"No, it wasn't so bad," Steve replied, "Don't know when I'll be able to sit down again, but I did enjoy myself."
As they approached the house, Brenda came out the back door, "Livy, you have a visitor."
Olyvia's brow furrowed in confusion, "Who?"
Her mother said nothing, instead just motioned for her to hurry up and get inside. With a sigh, she picked up her pace and headed in. She groaned when she saw Bruce in the living room.
"It's June, it's time for another checkup," he said, seeing her expression.
Olyvia turned and latched herself onto Steve, "Don't let him touch me with the needles Steve!"
Steve rolled his eyes, "Now isn't the time to act childish Livy."
"I'm sick and tired of needles!" Olyvia exclaimed, this time being completely serious, "I hate them! Before I could handle them, but now…I'm just tired of being poked like a pincushion."
"We've been over this Olyvia," Steve said, "We need to make sure the mutation won't come back."
"And just how long do we have to do this before I'm in the clear?"
Steve didn't say anything since he didn't have the answer to that, so Olyvia looked over to Bruce.
"I think just a year since we started would be enough," Bruce said, "And August will be the last one. After that, I'll call it good."
"Good to know," Olyvia said, "Okay, where do you want to do this?"
"Not in the living room, whatever you do," Rosemary said, "The sight of blood is still icky to me."
Olyvia motioned for Bruce to follow her, since Rosemary didn't want them around, and headed into the basement, which she and Dianne had made into a gaming room when they were in high school. She was surprised her parents hadn't changed it around at all into something else.
Steve went with his wife of course, and like the last three checkups, Olyvia held his hand, to keep herself distracted from the needle. Steve didn't realize what a toll these checkups had taken on Olyvia's psyche, she really was starting to develop a phobia of needles. At least it would be over soon. If Bruce found no changes, that is.
"Okay, we're done," Bruce said as he finished wrapping the bandage around her arm.
"Thank you," Olyvia muttered, "So are you just here for that, or are you going to stay for Rosemary's graduation?"
"I just might stay, since its tonight," Bruce said, "I doubt I'll have an incident."
"Oh, you'd be surprised what some of the people around here can bring out in people," Olyvia said, "Not that I'm trying to convince you not to go, I'm just warning you."
"Noted," Bruce said, "And I appreciate it. I think I'll be able to handle it. If not…I'll make sure I'll leave before anything happens."
"Good plan," Olyvia said.
Heading back upstairs, Olyvia asked her younger sister if she was expecting anyone else from their Avengers group to be there.
"Oh yeah, Tony will be there, of course," Rosemary said.
Olyvia brought the palm of her hand to her forehead, "You know, you suck at this thing called 'informing others of what is going on.' When do you expect him to be here?"
"Around five…ish," Rosemary replied, "You know Tony, can't really depend on him to arrive when he says he will."
Steve agreed wholeheartedly with that.
"As long as he doesn't crash the graduation by arriving in the middle of it in his Iron Man suit," Olyvia said.
"I doubt he'd do that," Rosemary said.
Both sisters and their husbands rolled their eyes at that. They knew Stark would do something like that, if he felt so inclined.
As noon rolled around, the kitchen was once again crowded as people made themselves lunch. Rosemary finally found her white graduation gown, stuffed far back into her closet so it was in desperate need of ironing which her mother went to work on after eating lunch herself. It was in the late afternoon that Rosemary started getting herself ready, Olyvia helping her out with putting up her hair and testing out how to attach her graduation cap so the wind wouldn't blow it off, because the wind was always horrible the day of graduation.
"Do you have to use so many bobby pins?" Rosemary complained as Olyvia shoved another into her scalp, making her flinch.
"Yes," Olyvia replied, "Do you want to lose your cap?"
"You could stick magnets on my head you're using so many! Not to mention you're hurting me."
"Oh suck it up, they don't hurt that bad."
Rosemary rolled her eyes, "Why are we even bothering doing this now? I'll be leaving in a few hours, not now."
"I'm testing to see what works best," Olyvia replied.
Rosemary shook her head, pulling off the cap and sending dozens of bobby pins to the floor, "Figure it out later, I have better stuff to do."
Olyvia reached out to grab her sister, but she teleported away before she could get a hand on her. With a disgruntled growl, Olyvia chased after her sister who appeared outside the bathroom doorway, then disappeared again, reappearing at the end of the hall.
"I am not finished with you yet Midget!" Olyvia shouted as she gave pursuit, waving the cap around in air.
"Now what is going on?" Steve asked, poking his head around the corner Rosemary disappeared around.
"Grab the Midget for me would you love?" Olyvia asked, "I need to figure out how to keep the stupid cap on her head."
"Uh…," Steve left for a brief moment before coming around the corner as Olyvia reached it, grabbing onto his wife's arms to stop her from running into him, "She's gone already."
Olyvia sighed, "Fine then, if she loses her cap during the ceremony, it's her fault."
Steve smiled and brushed her bangs away from her eyes, "You're making this a bigger deal than it really is. I don't know why, but you are so you really just need to step back, and breathe for moment."
Taking in a deep breath, she held it for a few seconds before slowly exhaling. Steve then noticed her eyes started looking a little watery before she leaned against him, resting her head against his shoulder.
"I can't believe she's graduating," Olyvia said quietly, "It feels like it was just yesterday she was just a tiny little toddler following after Dianne and me. Now she's…just about a grown woman. Still small, but…eighteen! And graduating! I feel so old!"
Wrapping his arms around her, Steve gave her a consoling hug as he kissed the top of her head, "You feel old?"
"Okay, bad choice of words," Olyvia muttered, pulling back to look up at Steve, "But still, time has just flown by and she's going to be leaving for college in just a few months. I feel like I'll see her even less now."
"That's just a part of life, but you'll still see your sister," Steve said, "So you shouldn't worry about that."
Olyvia nodded, smiling up at him as she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. Steve wouldn't let her get away with such a short one though, and kissed her again. Olyvia wrapped her arms around Steve's waist, only to feel the cap be ripped away from her hands, so she pulled away from Steve to look around his shoulder to see Rosemary.
"Mine!" she exclaimed before disappearing again.
As tempted as she was to try to catch her, she didn't want to leave the warmth and comfort of being in Steve's arms so she just shook her head before snuggling up to Steve.
"Whatever, I'm too comfortable to chase now. I'll get her later."
Smiling, Steve pulled his wife in for another kiss.
It was just about time for the family to head to the high school for the graduation when Stark arrived at the house to offer his congratulations and well wishes to Rosemary beforehand so he wouldn't have to fight with a crowd to do later. Olyvia finally got her hands on her sister again after the Midget and Stark got through with their hello, which involved a lot of talking and hugs, and with Dianne's help, Olyvia and her older sister got the cap to stay on Rosemary's head. As they escorted Rosemary to the car, Steve stayed behind to talk with Stark.
"So I heard you and Pepper are engaged."
"Yeah…we're engaged," Stark replied, "What about it?"
"Just want to offer my congratulations," Steve said, "Married life is better than you may think."
"Sounds like someone has adjusted well to the change," Stark said, "Enjoy having no more rules in regards to your sex life?"
And that was the sort of comment Steve was expecting, but it still made him blush, "That is none of your business."
"Like I'd want to know anyway," Stark said, "I just want to tease."
Doing his best to not get all riled up as Stark aimed to do, Steve went to catch up with his wife, who was placing a fleece blanket into the back of her parent's vehicle.
"A blanket? Will we really need one?"
"Not us, Rosemary," Olyvia replied, "She's going to stay at the high school all night for their sober graduation party…thing, and believe it or not, it can get rather chilly at night during the summer. I'm making sure she's all covered…literally. Was that a pun? I don't know if it was a pun. I don't want to turn into my dad!"
Steve chuckled, "You're being silly again."
"But that's why you love me," Olyvia said, shutting the back door and grabbing Steve's hand as she headed over to his truck that they drove down in, "Now let's go."
Even though the family had arrived relatively early, parking was still a nightmare. Allen and Brenda dropped Rosemary off at the school before finding their parking spot, and once everyone had found one, met up back at the school before heading to the football field. Both Dianne and Olyvia were very excited to point out buildings and other areas pertinent to their own high school lives to their spouses. Things had changed slightly in the four to five years they had been gone, but overall it was still the same.
"Wow, this place feels tiny," Olyvia commented as they waited in the line trying to get through the entryway leading to the field since just about everyone would stop at the booth there to get a graduation program, which slowed it down a bit. Not to mention there were a lot of people trying to get in.
"A lot smaller than college, that's for sure," Dianne added.
"My university dwarfs this place five times over," Olyvia said, "It seemed so much bigger four years ago."
"It is rather small," Steve said, "Compared to the high school I attended in Brooklyn."
"Well, you were in the city not a itsy-bisty, teeny-weeny—."
"Yellow polka-dot bikini?" Dianne said in confusion.
Olyvia glared at her sister, but continued on with what she was saying before, "tiny, rural town. So I'd expect a city high school to be bigger. Bet though they still had the cheap, hard wood bleachers, especially way back then."
Steve groaned, "Ugh, sitting. So not looking forward to that. I'm still feeling sore."
"Regretting going on that ride?"
"Maybe just a little?"
Olyvia laughed and leaned into Steve, wrapping one arm around his waist as she whispered in his ear, "You know, if you need a massage or something, I think I might be able to help once we get back home."
Again, Steve couldn't keep himself from blushing, "You, my dear, are starting to turn into a Tony Stark."
"Oh as if you don't enjoy it," Olyvia rebutted, taking a step back and dropping her arm to place her hands on her hips, "And need I remind you, at home, you're sort of worse."
"What now?" Stark asked, turning around to stare in surprise at the couple, having overheard the tail end of their conversation.
"I am so not hearing this," Dianne groaned, "La-la-la-la!"
"And I'm not understanding this, but I don't want to," Loki added.
Steve's face was now a bright red as he turned away from the others, and Olyvia couldn't help but laugh a little by how embarrassed he was.
"Olyvia Harris? Is that you?"
Hearing her name, well, her old name, she turned around to see who was talking to her, only to have her stomach sink, all the way down to her feet. Great, she was hoping to avoid these people. Standing just a few people behind her, and making their way forward, was a thin, fake blond girl with a pretty face that was caked with makeup, but Olyvia knew she had a nasty personality. She was one of her old classmates who gave her hell all through elementary and high school.
"Chelsea, hi," Olyvia said with fake pleasantry, "You know someone graduating?"
"A few, but mostly I just came to check out the guys," Chelsea replied, "I hardly recognized you, you're looking great. No longer that dorky looking geek anymore. Looks like you've lost weight too."
Olyvia frowned. Of course she would have to toss in an insult. Though she had to admit she did lose some weight, but that was from months of intense training and it wasn't like she needed to lose it anyway. Regardless, Olyvia wanted to punch her.
"Thanks…I guess," Olyvia said tersely.
It was then Chelsea noticed something, on Olyvia's hand, "Oh, you're married?"
"Yes, eight months ago," Olyvia replied.
"And you're not preggers so that means it wasn't a shotgun wedding," Chelsea said, "Unless… you already had the kid."
Okay, that was it, Olyvia was going to hit this bitch. As she tightened her hand into a fist, Steve turned back to his wife, wrapping an arm over her shoulders seeing how tense she had become.
"Are you alright Livy?"
The look on Chelsea's face as she realized the hot guy was Olyvia's husband was priceless, and so worth not breaking it in with her fist, though it was still very tempting.
"Yes," Olyvia replied a little smugly, "Just fine."
"Your husband I assume?" Chelsea asked, stepping a little closer, "Are you going to introduce us?"
Olyvia bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from saying something rude, or just cussing her out, and taking a breath said, "This is my husband Steve Rogers. Steve, this is an old classmate, Chelsea Newton."
"A friend of yours?" Steve asked.
"Just a classmate," Olyvia replied under her breath.
Steve nodded in acknowledgement before holding out a hand to Chelsea, who was looking at him flirtatiously. Seriously, this girl was just begging to be hit.
"So what did Olyvia do to get a guy like you?" Chelsea asked, "Put a bag over her head?"
Steve ripped his hand away from hers, looking at her in disgust.
"Might do you some good," Steve said before turning Olyvia back around as he did as well.
As much as Olyvia wanted to turn back around to see the look on Chelsea's face, she resisted, not wanting to rub it in even more with the smirk on her face. She was better than that. At least, that was what she was telling herself at that moment.
"Oh my god, you are so fucking rude," Chelsea said, "Are you going to let your husband insult me like that?"
Now Olyvia turned around, but only her head and just enough to see her, "Uh yeah. Payback's a bitch isn't it?"
Facing forward again, Olyvia let out a content sigh. She felt so much better now, standing up to one of the bullies who walked all over her during her school years. Even though she could have stood up to them back then, and handed their asses to them, she just didn't have the confidence to do it. Now though, she had more than the guts to do it. But she wasn't going to resort to violence, just stand her ground. She just needed to keep telling herself that to prevent hitting anyone.
Not hearing another peep from Chelsea, thank goodness, they finally made their way to the bleachers and found a seat.
"I'm surprised at you Steve," Olyvia commented as they sat down, "Never thought you'd insult a woman."
"She insulted my wife," Steve said, "I wasn't about to let her get away with that."
Olyvia smiled, "Well, I appreciate you sticking by my side."
"Always," Steve said, "And you're far prettier than her anyway."
Olyvia continued to smile and gave Steve a quick peck on the lips. She felt like the luckiest woman in the world to have him as her husband, her best friend.
More people flooded in as the time passed until it became just a trickle as the time came closer to the start of the ceremony. Loki, Steve, Bruce, and Stark were quite baffled at how windy it was too, wondering how the students were ever going to keep their caps on. Stark even made a comment to Olyvia that perhaps they should have stapled Rosemary's to her hair.
Once the music of Pomp and Circumstance began playing the crowd quieted down somewhat, and the students began walking from either side of the bleachers, joining together beneath the 2014 sign in the middle of the football field and making their way to their seats.
"Any way to tell where Rosemary is?" Loki asked as more students made their way out.
"Look for the shortest one?" Stark suggested.
"They're all just about that short," Dianne and Olyvia said in unison, Olyvia adding, "This is the shortest group of seniors I have ever seen. And they just keep getting shorter by the year!"
"Now that is just…sad," Bruce commented.
"We'll probably notice her when she meets up with Juan in the middle, because it'll be the shortest kid with the tallest one in the class," Dianne said mostly to her husband.
Loki smiled, "Now that's quite humorous. Can't wait to see it myself."
"Does she carry around a stool so she can kiss him or something?" Stark asked.
"Aaaah! La-la-la, I don't want to think of my little sister kissing someone," Olyvia complained, slapping her hands over her ears.
"Look, there she is!" their mother exclaimed, pointing out her youngest daughter as she just about skipped to the sign.
Sure enough, it was her, and linked arms with her boyfriend at the year sign before they walked down to their seats. After a few minutes, all were seated and the ceremony began. The national anthem was sung, then a speech was given by the valedictorian. Finally, it came time for the students to be handed their diplomas. The whole family cringed as crowds of families screamed for their kid, relative, whichever the case being. Of course, when Rosemary was called forward to get her diploma, Brenda, Dianne, and Olyvia all whistled and hollered for her, nearly knocking the guys over from their lung power. Then it was "mosh pit time" as Olyvia put it as everyone in the stands went down to find their graduating kid, offer congratulations and take pictures. Seeing the crowd, both Stark and Banner said goodbye, saying they'd meet up with them at the car because they weren't going to brave the sea of people. Olyvia held Steve's hand the whole time they searched for Rosemary, and finally found her after a few minutes of weaving their way around and through people. They didn't stay long, only enough to take a few pictures and the parents taking her diploma so they could bring it home, because Rosemary was eager to get in line to get into sober grad, which first involved her having to wait in line at the girl's bathroom in order to change out of her dress.
"I remember all too fondly this process," Olyvia said as she and Steve headed back to the truck after saying goodbye to Rosemary, "But definitely worth it. Sober grad was so fun."
"I'll take your word for it," Steve said.
"Race you home!" Dianne called out as she hurried past her sister and brother-in-law, dragging Loki behind her.
"Right, going at a snail's pace with this traffic, so totally going to do that!" Olyvia shouted back.
Steve looked over to the parking lot where cars were turned every which way trying to nose their way in to the line of traffic crawling its way out of the parking lot and groaned. This was going to be fun! Not.
A half hour later, the family had finally made it home, Stark and Bruce saying goodbye again and hopping in their cars before leaving. The rest headed into the living room to sit down and relax for a while. Steve couldn't help but sigh in content as he sat down on the couch. It felt so cushy and good, it was great, compared to the hard bleachers.
"What a day," Olyvia sighed, flopping down beside her husband.
"I'll say," Brenda agreed.
From where Dianne sat beside Loki in another couch, she looked over to him, and the two had a silent conversation for a few moments, before Loki nodded, and gave her hand a consoling squeeze. Taking a deep breath, Dianne then disrupted the silence.
"So…Mom, Dad, Livy," Dianne began, "And Steve of course. Not meaning to steal the spotlight from Rosemary with her graduating and all, but Loki and I have something we want to tell you."
The others sat up a little more as they turned their attention to Dianne. Olyvia wondered what it could be that she wanted to tell them. She looked over to Loki for a brief moment before looking back to the rest of them, a big smile on her face.
"I'm pregnant."