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Chapter 4

Natasha left her bathroom and decided to use the gym that day. Chances were that it was empty. Not such luck, Steve was there working out. "Captain Rogers how are you feeling this morning."

He looked up from the punching bag. "Agent Romanoff good morning to you. All is well."

"Care to join me in my training." Natasha tried to punch him, Steve moved to the side.

"Ok but just tell me when it's too much ok." Steve said and prepared for the Widow's next move. He could never underestimate her but the fact was that he had an engineered body.

After two hours of training Natasha took a break. "How's Stark?" she asked while waiting for Steve to catch his breath.

"Hung-over or at least that's my guess. I went to his apartment before coming down here. He was groaning and asking for Pepper. I gave him some aspirin and made him some coffee. He drank it and went back to sleep."

"Jane's taking care of Thor, Darcy said that the big guy was heaving his guts out." Steve chuckled.

"Captain, I could never believe you had it in you. Enjoying the misfortunes of your friends."

"Hey, Bruce and Tony wanted to get me drunk or stoned. Those were their words." He laughed, "Bruce's actually very funny when he drinks. I think he even tried drugs." Steve looked concerned about that.

"Don't worry Cap, Dr. Banner is fine, he should be having the headache of his life though." She said smiling devilishly.

They laughed and then left the gym together. They walked, Steve told her all about last night, "Bruce smoked something called pot. He started singing "I want to hold your hand" by the Beatles."

Natasha looked puzzled, "Darcy and Tony have been helping me to learn more about music. Bruce was so relaxed and we watched Psycho, for a demigod Thor can be easily scared. Tony and Bruce added a new drinking game. Have a shot every time Thor jumped."

They got to Tony's kitchen and saw Bruce nursing some coffee. Tony had his shades on; Jane was giving Thor a massage. "I'm dying Jane, I need to return to Asgard and make sure my father breaks the news to my mother."

"Shut up Thor, you're not dying, you just have a bad hangover." Tony grouched and rubbed his temples.

"Gentlemen." Steve went straight to the fridge and prepared himself a sandwich.

"Why are you not suffering like the rest of us?" Tony tried to move from the couch but became dizzy.

"His body already processed the alcohol. He has a very high metabolism. That's why he eats more than Thor sometimes." Bruce gulped his black coffee. He avoided her gaze. Natasha knew this would happen, that it would be a little awkward but Bruce would come around sometime.

"Jarvis call Pepper." The AI did so with high efficiency. In less than twenty seconds everyone could see a struggling Pepper trying to hold her phone and three folders at the same time."

"Hey beautiful." He said quietly to the screen the rest of the Avengers never ceased to be amazed by how he transformed around Pepper. "I miss you." He tried to smile.

"You must have a terrible hangover." She said crisply. "I do. Any suggestions? I could use one of your brilliant ideas." He said miserably.

"Aspirin and sea food. Are the others fine? Bruce are you ok?"

"Thanks for asking Pep, my head's about to explode. I'm fine though." He smiled and pulled Steve to the screen. "This is amazing." He examined the screen and greeted her politely. "I apologize for any inconvenience Ms. Pepper."

"Don't worry Steve, I have a favor to ask you though. Darcy has an interview today. Could you please pick her up at Columbia University? She doesn't know how to drive around the city or take the subway." Steve agreed and gave her one of his winning smiles.

"Ok, this is my Pepper, my screen, my time. Steve, get your own girl." He was grouchy. Tony turned the screen to himself once again, "baby I'm dying." He pouted.

"You could take some Motrin love." She laughed when he heard his speech about Motrin and pain once again.

"How long until you come back?" he was desperate to have her back. He made up his mind, next time he was going with her to any business trips.

"Four more days love. Tony I have to go, the meeting's about to start." She blew him a kiss and said bye to everyone.

Thor managed to fall asleep in one of the couches. "Guys I'm going down to keep up with the data analysis." Jane whispered to Tony and Bruce.

"Great idea Jane, I'll meet you once this headache goes away." Bruce sipped his black coffee.

"Don't even propose to me anything about work. All I want right now is for death to take me or to sleep for a whole week. You two are a bad influence on me." Tony got up and went to his bedroom.

"I'm taking a shower and then heading off to pick up Darcy." Steve practically skipped out of the room.

Bruce could feel the tension rise. It was only he and Natasha in the room. "Stop it, we are both adults. We had sex; I didn't torture you or anything. Let's continue as friends." Natasha finally said.

"Ok, I'll see you at dinner." He left the room without looking into her eyes.

Tony dreamed about Pepper cuddling him, kissing him and dressed in the skimpiest red lingerie. He woke up unsatisfied and aching. "Damn you Pepper Potts." He groaned and went back to sleep.

Dinner was as always loud. They had take out tonight, Steve and Darcy stopped by a Chinese restaurant and bought food for all of them. Tony woke up to the wonderful smell of Lo mein. He was a wreck, unshaven, bed hair and the same black wife beater and grey sweat pants. "You look like a hobo." Darcy smiled sweetly when he made a rude gesture. Fortunately Steve didn't see it. That would have caused a scene.

Thor was already eating his ribs and General Tsao Chicken. "My heartfelt congratulations to the servant who cooked this." Bruce laughed and ate some more egg rolls. Natasha ate her chicken broccoli and took some wontons Natasha put on his plate. He noticed how the spy put some mushrooms he seemed to like on his plate too. Tony ate his Lo mein and happily discussed Steve's desire to take some college courses.

"Are you sure buddy? It could get tough, with you being Captain America and all." Steve seemed touched by Tony's concern. "That's why Darcy thinks it's better that I take online classes.

"That's an excellent idea." He liked this girl; she was spunky and smart.

"Steve is planning to take history and some arts." She discussed the reading material they had purchased. "You could come with us to the lab and we could teach you how to operate the computer." Bruce shrugged.

"No offense but I will do that. I have no doubt that you are geniuses and all but Steve doesn't need that kind of pressure on him right now." Darcy bluntly said.

"Oh, come-on Steve. She's not right, we're your pals and we could teach you a lot." Tony tried.

"Not happening, you are both like math kings and I was never good at math. Darcy is patient. Don't even try to deny it. Bruce and you have had whole conversations about the tesseract and other things without even slowing down so that Natasha and me understand what was going on."

"Whatever Capsicle, we would have been great together." They continued eating until Thor proposed to watch a movie without the drinking game. Jane stood up and turned the TV on. The screen showed the opening credits of Titanic. "No please anything but that." Tony groaned.

"What about this film?" Steve looked puzzled.

"It is the most female film ever made." Bruce answered; he didn't want to watch it either.

"Betty made me watch it years ago when we started dating. I thought it would be interesting, needless to say I was sorely disappointed."

"Funny, Ms. Pepper Potts forced me to watch it. Get this; I interrupted one of her dates because I needed her advice on something. Truth is I was jealous of her date. I crashed her date and she stopped talking to me for a whole week. I couldn't take it so I did what any male would have done in this situation. I said, "Pepper if you forgive me I'll do anything you ask of me." She obviously asked for a movie weekend. We watched Pretty Woman, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Titanic, Sense and Sensibility and The Notebook." Bruce and Natasha laughed.

Steve and now Thor looked puzzled, "Those are the most romantic and sappiest movies of all times. Dude you must really love her, even I couldn't take that much estrogen and I'm a woman." Darcy said while looking at Natasha and Jane.

"A night of Leo with Billy Zane on the side, what do you say girls?" Darcy asked her boss and the Russian Spy.

"I could go for one of those." Jane said dreamily.

"I haven't seen it in years." Natasha shrugged and settled next to Thor.

The four men and three women watched the film. Steve heard of the Titanic from the nuns in the orphanage. He was following the plot and did not need any assistance but Tony was right this was ridiculous. Thor paid attention to the film while Tony and Bruce commented on the film. The three females smiled and sighed at the right times even Natasha seemed entranced by the romance in it.

"You can't be serious, Romanoff do you seriously like this tripe?" Tony said when at last Rose threw the diamond into the ocean.

"I do, it's romantic and beautiful." She glared at Tony.

"Even the part where the old lady throws a fortune away."

"Yes." The three ladies answered simultaneously.

Thor had to speak, "I happen to have liked most of the film but Rose did not have the best decision making skills. That was something foolish to do."

"It wasn't, that piece of jewelry represents her suffering, and the last link to Jack and Cal. That night she let them both go." Jane said, earning encouraging sounds from both Natasha and Darcy.

"Ok but you can't dispute the fact that Hockley was a better choice for a husband." Steve said logically.

"The guy had the money, he obviously had feelings for Rose. She could have made it work with him." This time it was Tony who spoke.

"That might be true but it doesn't eliminate the fact that she was in love with Jack. She would have been miserable with Hockley." Natasha pointed out.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing. Natasha do you seriously believe that Jack and Rose would have worked." Bruce said a little too condescendingly.

The spy frowned, "I believe so why?"

"She asks why?" Bruce snorted, "First, he didn't have anything to offer her. They were too different and lastly how can they have been so in love that they would forget about the harsh situation they would have faced as a couple."

"Very well articulated Bruce." Thor clapped him in the back.

"He gave up his life for her. He would have made it work." Natasha said as answer.

"She's right, Jack would have been wonderful." Darcy sighed again, Jane smiled and Natasha nodded.

"It's so tragic and beautiful, the way he protected her above his own welfare," Natasha said and they laughed. "It's so sad, I cry every time I see it…" Darcy dabbed her eyes. They talked about the movie while Steve and the others muttered around them.

"They're insane." Thor said while gesturing for them to leave the room. "I need to train, that film made me want to engage in warrior-like activities."

"Yeah, we need some estrogen free environment." Tony led them to the gym where they trained for three hours straight.

"I don't get the fascination these maidens have with that Jack gentleman. He was weak; obviously he couldn't survive the cold waters for her. He wasn't a good candidate for her love." Thor noted while lifting weighs.

"It puzzles me too, not for the same reasons. I could understand a woman liking a weaker guy. I mean Peggy liked me before the serum but I just don't understand how this Rose could fall in love so quickly." Steve tried to land a punch but Tony blocked him.

"Don't try to understand them. They're insane." Tony kept boxing with Steve.

Bruce was running in the treadmill, "Did you see Natasha's face when Rose let go of Jack? I think she wanted to cry."

Thor let out a booming laugh, "She's a warrior but she's still a Lady. She's delicate and has feminine wiles."

"Right about that, she's a catch she is." Tony wheezed, trying to keep up with the Cap.

"I had a crush on her when I first met her." Steve smiled remembering.

"She pointed a gun at my face in our first meeting." Bruce kept jogging.

Thor and Tony laughed, "Jane says that she met Natasha before."

"Where?" Bruce said interested, "I don't think they have a lot in common."

"She called it a show. There were musicians and a crowd." Thor tried to remember the name.

"You mean a concert." Steve answered, both Tony and Bruce looked at him. "What! Darcy is teaching me. I'm a quick study."

"Darcy huh," Tony took advantage and punched him.

"You two seem pretty cozy, is there any fonduing Cap." Tony smirked when the Cap blushed and sputtered something about respect.

"Steve, take it easy. We're your team and friends." Bruce stopped the treadmill and moved to the weighs next to Thor.

"She's pretty and smart. She's not awed that I'm Captain America. Darcy is becoming my friend and I don't want to ruin it."

"Your call Cap." Tony knew about that fear.

Soon all of them were sweaty and ready for bed. As expected Thor was the first to leave the gym. Well I would leave early too if Pepper was home, Tony dreaded going to bed without her. He tried to engage Bruce in the lab. "I'm beat, I just want to sleep."

Tony went up to his room, took a shower and tried to sleep. He couldn't, he needed her weight against his chest, her smell, the sounds she made when she was sleeping.