A/N: Hey there! Thanks to all of you who followed and favorited this story; it means a lot to me! As a heads up, these next two chapters will be the beginning of the party with flashbacks at the start, so don't expect full on Budapest until next month. Also, check out the new upload schedule in my bio; it will change in three weeks when I finish my A Derpy Tale fanfic. Thanks again for supporting me, now on with the story!

Chapter 2

Seven years earlier...

Natalia awoke, strapped to a chair in a deserted warehouse. She tried to put together the puzzle pieces of what had happened.

"Ran from the men, took out the target, shot the others..." she mused aloud, trying to recall what came next. For some reason, the Black Widow couldn't remember what had happened after taking out those pesky undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. They could not speak decent Russian even if their lives depended on it, the Widow thought, chuckling softly. Then it hit her. She remembered the figure of a man being cast over her, remembered turning around, and then, nothing.

Back in the present...

The limousine rolled up to Stark Tower (or the soon-to-be Avengers Tower) after a short car ride that involved Thor pressing every button in sight (thank goodness he didn't find the self destruct button!), Clint Barton somehow falling asleep (He's so cute when he snores, Natasha thought), Tony complimenting Pepper on everything (trying to make up for being a terrible boyfriend), Bruce Banner listening to opera music (through his BEATS headphones), and Natasha and Steve relaxing in relative silence. Pepper pulled up in front of the tower, and parked the car.

"Everybody out!" she called. Natasha nudged Clint on the shoulder, trying to wake him. Man, he really is passed out, she thought, grunting as she shoved him in another attempt to wake him.

"How's Sleeping Beauty and his princess doing back there?" Tony asked, grinning.

"Not funny, Stark," she said, giving up and just carrying him inside. She followed the rest of the Avengers into the tower. It really was an architectural wonder, made mostly of glass and with enough tech to keep a whole country satisfied for at least a year.

"Hello Mr. Stark, I see you have brought some guests," JARVIS, Tony's A.I. said through the intercom.

"As a matter of fact, I have. Give them all each their own room for now so they can shower and rest up," he responded.

"Certainly. Dr. Banner, you will be in room 3-a12. Captain Rodgers, 3-a14. Erm, Mr. Thor, 3-a16. Mr. Barton, to 3-a18. And Ms. Romanoff, you will go to room 4-a22. You doors will unlock by placing your thumb on the fingerprint scanner," JARVIS listed off the room assignments, and Stark nodded.

"Thanks old pal! Now, is there anyone else I should invite?" he asked the team.

"Maria?" Cap asked. Everyone gave him an amused look. "I mean, Agent Hill," he corrected himself. Stark gave a mischievous smile.

"Okay. Any other suggestions from the peanut gallery?" he said.

"Jane Foster? If she can come, that is," Thor asked hopefully. Natasha finally got Clint to wake up.

"What's going on? Why is Tasha carrying me?" he asked, confused.

"You fell asleep, Beauty. Your princess had to carry you in," Stark said with a grin.

"THAT joke's never gonna get old," Natasha said, her words dripping with sarcasm.

"As for Jane, the invite's sent. Any more suggestions?" Stark asked.

"FURY!" Clint burst out laughing. The rest of the team joined in, except for Natasha, who stubbornly rolled her eyes.

"Alright, no invite sent. Anyone else?" Stark said after everyone calmed down.

"If we're inviting Jane, we might as well invite Dr. Selvig and Darcy," Natasha suggested.

"Perfect! Now Avengers, prepare for a party!" Stark yelled, and they all inwardly rolled their eyes at his lame attempt at humor. The boys were on floor 3, so they all took one elevator and Natasha climbed up the stairs to floor 4, which was farther than she thought since they came in underground. She came to her room, and placed her thumb on the scanner. How Stark had gotten their fingerprints was anyone's guess.

"Access granted," JARVIS' voice hummed as the door clicked open and Natasha went in. Of course, even the small guest rooms were breathtaking, with giant windows on one side of the room giving a magnificent view of the city, a large red couch with plump pillows, a sizable wardrobe stocked with dresses and uniforms Nat's size (how did he do that?), and a little kitchenette stocked with all of Natasha's favorite snack foods. She decided to relax for a few minutes before getting ready. The assassin took some Pop Tarts out of the cabinet (maybe her and Thor weren't so different after all), kicked back on the couch, and turned on the large flatscreen TV on the wall. Footage from the Battle of Manhattan was playing, so she reached for the remote to change the channel, but the next segment caught her attention.

"Since the Battle, the Avengers have quickly become the world's favorite heros. Now, everyone wants to know who they are in their private lives, and how they function in a world so filled with paparazzi. However, one thing most take as fact is the relationship between Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff, otherwise known as the Black Widow and Hawkeye," the reporter stated at her desk. Natasha turned off the television, sighing. How did those reporters get paid so much to lie to the world? Grumbling, she got up off the couch and went to take her shower. As the hot water rained down, her mind was racing. Curse you, Tony Stark! You and your publicity stunts. Now I need a new codename. And I liked this one. Stupid Avengers. Why'd we have to save the world? It's not like it's done anything for me. Natasha thought. She turned off the water and stepped out to go look inside her wardrobe. JARVIS clicked on as she stepped outside the bathroom.

"Mr. Stark has requested that everyone dress in formal attire for tonight. Your wardrobes are fully stocked with plenty of options. Thank you," the A.I. said. Natasha opened hers and flipped through all the options. She settled on a strapless floor length dress in a crimson color, adorned with a black belt at the waist and ruffles on the skirt. (Think the dress on the cover of The Selection, but red.) Natasha investigated the bathroom drawers and found every kind of makeup she could ever want. She began to apply some when JARVIS clicked on once again.

"Avengers and others guests, your presence is required in Mr. Stark's central hub in fifteen minutes," he said. Natasha figured some of their friends must have come. She finished putting on her lipstick and headed out. Maria Hill joined her in the hall.

"Hey Nat!" she said. Natasha gave a small smile. Maria was wearing a strapless, empire waisted turquoise dress with a ruffle along the top, and a silk skirt that came to the knee.

"Hi Maria. I'm assuming Stark let you know that a certain Captain requested you be here tonight," she said teasingly with a smirk. Hill blushed.

"Yes, he not so subtly hinted that a certain blonde Avenger put me on the guest list, and I figured it wasn't Thor," she said. The women smiled.

"Will any other ladies be here tonight?" Maria asked.

"Pepper of course, and Jane and Darcy were sent invitations," Natasha said as they walked into the elevator. They rode down a floor before stopping briefly at the third floor to collect Captain Rodgers. He walked in and noticed the two women inside.

"Hi! Um, how are you doing tonight Maria? I mean, Agent Hill," he asked as he stepped inside. Natasha snickered. Rodgers really didn't have any experience with this kind of thing. Hill giggled.

"Maria is fine, and I'm doing pretty good," she said. They began to ride up to the central hub on the top level. A few floors were passed in awkward silence before Natasha broke the ice.

"So, what party game do you think Stark will make us play?" she asked. The other two laughed.

"Truth or Dare is one of his favorites," JARVIS answered, "However, he also likes replicating Iron Chef when he has enough attendees for cooks, judges, and commentators." The three burst out laughing.

"Typical Stark," Natasha said while trying to hold in a chuckle. Finally, the elevator reached the top floor. The trio walked out, and were greeted by Pepper, Clint, and Bruce.

"Hey guys!" Maria said. Clint got up and walked over to Natasha.

"You look great," he whispered into her ear.

"Thanks," she whispered back.

"Where's Tony?" Steve asked.

"Getting ready. He always takes longer than me," Pepper responded, which got a few laughs. As if on cue, the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist came out of the elevator, followed by Thor, Jane, Dr. Selvig, and Darcy.

"Hello! So everyone's here?" Tony asked.

"I believe so," Pepper answered.

"Let's get this party started!" he said. The team cheered, but Natasha was too busy mentally preparing herself for what was next to come.