Wow! Thank you for all the reviews on the first chapter! I was NOT expecting so many! Anyways, this chapter is short since it's nearly 1 am here in NY and I have to get some sleep before finals tomorrow morning- or should I say later today. Anyways, I hope you enjoy and I will update soon! Thank you all! Xoxox
"Whoa, wait. Captain America is living in your townhouse?"
Claire glanced up from the gadgets strewn about on the worktable and glared at the man before her, "Yes. Steve Rogers is living in my townhouse," she snapped.
Tony snorted, "Is he your boyfriend now?" he asked, heading towards the bar for a drink.
Claire rolled her eyes, "Must you be so.. annoying?" she asked, brushing her fingers against the helmet that was propped up for repairs.
"Annoying's my middle name, sweetheart. And stop touching my suit," he said, pouring a scotch for himself. "Do you want anything? Tea? Juice?" he asked, setting the bottle down.
She made her way over to the bar and sat leaned against the counter, "Funny," she said, as he smirked at her. "Actually, I'm inviting you and Pepper over for dinner tonight. I also invited Natasha and Clint, but I'm not sure if they'll be able to make it. And I hope that you didn't scare Bruce off into hiding, because I like that man," she said.
Tony winced, "Do you really want the Hulk at your dinner table? What if he goes into one of his rage moments, and destroys the entire place?" he asked.
Claire growled, "He will be fine, Tony. You just need to keep your trap shut and avoid causing him any stress!" she warned.
The older man held up a hand, "Fine. Pepper and I will be there tonight for your dinner party. What time?" he asked.
She grinned, "Seven. And bring a bottle of wine, please. If I'm making the food, a nice bottle of wine will suffice. And you don't have to get all dolled up. It's a causal dinner, not a fundraiser!" she said, pushing herself away from the counter.
Tony stomped his foot, "Darn! And I was going to wear my new Dolce tux!" he pouted.
Grabbing her bag off the table, Claire made her way to the elevator.
"I hope you and Rogers have a splendid time living together. Have fun "educating" him on how we roll," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her.
Claire managed to give him the finger as the elevator doors closed, his laughter filling her ears and the elevator descended to the ground floor. Two hours and one subway ride later; Claire was unlocking the door to her home, struggling to carry several grocery bags. She managed to get the keys into the lock, resulting with a bag falling to the ground.
"Shit!" she muttered, trying to shift one bag into the other arm.
"Claire? Is that you?" a voice from inside called.
A few minutes later, the door swung open and Steve stood before her, looking at her with concern. She managed to smile at him, shifting the bag up in her grasp. He bent down and picked the bag off the ground, before taking the other two from her.
"How.. never mind," she said, shaking her head and he held all three bags as if they were filled with nothing.
Steve stepped back to let her in, and watched as she closed and locked the front door.
"How did you manage to carry all this home?" he asked, as he followed her into the kitchen.
"Not sure. I was doing good until I got off the subway and walked four blocks," she said, pointing to the table. "Just put them there.." she said, setting her keys and bag onto the chair.
Steve placed all three bags onto the table and watched as she started to unload them, "I'm going to make chicken- I hope your not a vegetarian," she said, pulling the packages of chicken out of one bag.
He shook his head, "Chicken sounds good," he told her, helping her unload the groceries.
While she was out, Steve explored the townhouse, looking in every cabinet and drawer of the kitchen. Some of the things on the shelves he could remember, while other things sounded foreign to him. He still couldn't get over the boxes of tea bags that lined the cabinet above the toaster. The variety of colors and flavors blew his mind, since he couldn't recall ever seeing mango and lemon infused tea in his short life.
"Good. I know Tony will find something to complain about it, but I know Pepper will control him. Have you heard from the others?" she asked, pulling a baking dish out from the cabinet next to the sink.
Folding the paper bags up he shook his head, "No. Fury called to see how you were doing and was surprised when I answered the phone," he said.
Claire laughed, "I bet he was. For some reason he thinks I like living alone, in this big old house. I remember the first time he came here, he was expecting to see fabrics and sewing machines flooding the rooms and every nook and cranny," she said.
He laughed, "Well, you did have a messy workplace on the Helicarrier," he pointed out, as she turned the oven on.
"I like having all my materials out in one place. That way, if I need something it's right there," she said, as she started rinsing the chicken off in the sink.
Steve grabbed the bag of potatoes and made his way over to her, "Can I?" he asked, nodding to the faucet.
Claire nodded, "Sure," she said, moving over a bit so he could stand next to her. "There's a bowl right there and a knife," she said, nodding to the dish rack in front of him.
As she set the chicken into the baking dish, Steve washed and cut the potatoes into the bowl. Seasoning the chicken, Claire set the tray dish into the oven and washed her hands off, before grabbing another pan.
"This is nice. Having someone cook with me," she said, watching as he cut a potato up.
He glanced at her, "You've never cooked with anyone before?" he asked, confused.
She shrugged, "When I was little, I would help my mother. By the time I was eleven, I knew how to make my own food and I cooked for myself after that," she said, as he set the knife into the sink.
Steve watched as she dumped the diced potatoes into the tray, sprinkling herbs and spices on them. Once the tray was in with the chicken, she wiped her hands off on a dishtowel and turned to him, smiling.
"That should take an hour or two. I'm gonna hop into the shower real quick and I'll come back down to keep and eye on everything," she said, before making her way out into the hall.
Steve only nodded, and watched as a blur of green and yellow dashed down the hall, before disappearing around the corner. Listening to her footsteps going up the stairs, he couldn't help but think of the sadness that consumed her face when she spoke of her mother.