Warning: This chapter contains fluff! And I love it! I hope you do too! Once again, thank you all for reviewing!
Chapter Twenty-Five
It had been a week since Steve had proposed and we still hadn't decided on a date for the wedding. At the moment, we were sitting on the couch and arguing over which month we wanted to have the event.
"I want to have it in August." I said. The thought of a beach wedding made me absolutely swoon.
"December." Steve argued. "I love winter weddings."
"Umm no." I said immediately. "You're not going to be the one wearing a dress in freezing snow and blistering wind."
"I'll keep you warm." Steve said, wrapping his arms around me and I blushed.
"Of course you would." I said. "Now, August."
"December."
"Why are you two shouting out random months of the year?" Bruce entered the living room.
"We're trying to figure out when to have the wedding." Steve answered. "And I say December."
"August." I countered.
"She'll freeze to death if she's wearing a dress in December." Bruce pointed out and I looked up at Steve.
"See?" I said and he rolled his eyes.
"Speaking of wedding dresses...don't you have an appointment today?" Bruce asked me. This was true. Pepper and I were going to go pick out a dress...or at least look for one today.
"Yep. Pepper should be here any time..."
"I'm here." Pepper said as she graciously entered the room in a grey pencil dress and heels, but she was going to have to replace her tighter business clothes with maternity wear soon. She was staring to show and I didn't know how long she would put off wearing a looser wardrobe.
"Did you persuade him to have an August wedding yet?" She asked and I shook my head sadly.
"Why August? I thought you wanted to get married this year and that's a little more than a month away." Steve said.
"For one, Pepper wants it in August because she's doesn't want to show off all of Tony Jr." We had somehow concluded that this baby was going to be a boy. It was kind of a given since the past few Stark generations had had a firstborn boy.
"Don't make me sport a full-term baby under my dress." Pepper warned Steve.
"Awww...but I thought Junior should have a part in the wedding." Tony interceded as he walked in the room and patted her belly.
"Will you stop doing that? It makes me feel fat." Poor Pepper. She was feeling so insecure about having a baby poke out from her thin frame.
"Once again, you are not, may I repeat, NOT fat." Tony assured her.
"I'll be due in December, so I really don't want to look like I have a basketball under here." Pepper said to Steve.
"Exactly. So I think August is perfect." I concluded.
"I'd still like a December wedding." Steve pressed and we all groaned.
"What's everyone moaning and groaning about?" Natasha said as she and Clint walked in. Natasha was coming with Pepper and I to help pick out a dress. She was going to be my maid of honor since Pepper was going to have a hard time standing with sore ankles. No woman should have to go through that kind of torture.
"Steve." I said as I glared at my fiancee accusingly.
"All because I want a December wedding." He grumbled.
"She'll freeze in a dress in December." Natasha said. "And so will I for that matter."
Steve groaned as I unleashed at least a half-dozen "I told you-so's."
"What month do you want then?" Clint asked.
"August. And a beach wedding." I informed him.
"That sounds great...and much warmer." I laughed at his response. He was going to be Steve's best man since Natasha was going to be my maid of honor.
"Church wedding." Steve said and we all groaned once more.
"There's only one way to settle this," Bruce, as the group mediator, spoke up.
"And what would you suggest, bud?" Tony asked.
"A harrowing game of Rock, Paper, Scissors."
"Oh, please..." Tony started, but I cut him off.
"Actually, that just might work." Everyone looked at me.
"Really? The month of your wedding decided by a silly game?" Natasha asked, raising an eyebrow in question.
"Got any better ideas?" I asked.
"I was thinking a game of dodge ball..." Clint started.
"NO!" We all shouted in unison. We had played dodge ball down in the gym of the Tower a few days ago and it couldn't have been worse. Bruce had gotten a black eye, I had been hit in the head twice, and Natasha had almost strangled Clint for nearly hitting her in the face.
"Touchy." He said, avoiding eye contact with us.
"Alright, so any better ideas anybody?" I asked. Not one word was said, so I looked to Bruce.
"Well, ref, we're in need of your assistance." He took the position with ease.
"Alright you two, hands at the ready." We both formed our hands into fists and prepared ourselves. "Go." He ordered.
"Rock, paper, scissors!" We yelled. Steve howled in frustration as I pulled out a rock to smash his scissors.
"Sucker." I said evilly and he stuck his tongue out at me.
"Game's not over yet, kids. Round two!" Bruce said.
"Rock, paper, scissors!" It was my turn to growl when his paper covered my rock.
"Yes!" Steve said in triumph.
"Round three!"
"Rock, paper, scissors!" Steve whooped in joy as his rock crushed my scissors.
"No!" I shouted.
"NO!" Pepper's cry quickly followed. Now she'd really be pregnant at our wedding.
"Come on, girls. A church wedding in December. Doesn't that sound just lovely?" Steve smiled at us. We, as in Pepper, Natasha, and I, were ready to kill him. Bitter, freezing December...in dresses.
"I guess we'd better go find a dress." Pepper said, a little disappointed in our loss.
"Hey, at least everyone will be able to see Tony Jr. at the wedding." Tony joked and Pepper shot him a glare.
"Shut up." She mouthed as we made our way out the door.
Later...
"How did dress shopping go?" Tony asked us as we came back. The guys were all chilling out in the living room. Steve and Bruce were playing at the pool table we had just moved in and Clint and Tony were watching TV.
"No luck." Pepper responded. And that was true. I had tried on at least ten dresses and they were all the same; ugly.
"Sorry, dear." Steve said apologetically.
"And what were you guys doing all day?" Natasha inquired.
"Watching the tennis match." Clint said. "You really get into it after a while." I saw Natasha raise an eyebrow at him. He didn't seem the tennis-lover type.
"There was nothing else on." Tony explained and then turned back to the TV. Pepper and Natasha joined them out of pure boredom.
Not really caring for sports, I made my way over to my room to grab something.
"Ms. Stark," JARVIS addressed me while I was in my room, "if it's a dress you're looking for, there is one in the basement."
"What?" I asked him.
"There's a dress in the basement." He repeated.
The thought of a dress in the basement intrigued me. If JARVIS had suggested it, maybe it was worth looking into. No one would even notice I was gone. I walked over to another elevator and made my way down towards the basement. The doors opened and the room was filled with all of Tony's prized cars and behind some of the walls hid the Iron Man suits. But there was no dress.
"Walk over to the north wall, Ms. Stark." JARVIS told me. I did so and found a door I had never noticed before. I tried pulling on the handle, but it wouldn't budge. "You need to give a finger and eye identification." JARVIS informed me. When I did so, the door opened.
I gaped at what was in there. Boxes. Lots and lots of boxes. But there were some items that were out, including a baby bed that had been collecting dust for a while now. I noticed that some of the boxes were partially opened. One in particular was filled with baby toys, which was surprising. Why was that down here?
"The dress is in that trunk over there." JARVIS said and I looked to find an old wooden trunk christened with a thick layer of dust. I opened it and found a black and white picture of Mom and Dad sitting on top. It must have been their wedding photo because Mom was in a wedding dress. It was a gown made of lace and full-length sleeves. I had to admit, it was quite beautiful. I smiled at the old picture.
That was when I looked at what the other items that lay beneath the picture. I gasped as I realized it was the same dress from the wedding photo. I carefully took the dress out of the trunk. Not a speck of dust and not a trace of aging.
"It was Mom's wedding dress." Tony said and I almost jumped out of my skin. I turned around and looked at him in surprise.
"I didn't know you were down here." I said and he chuckled.
"I can tell." He smirked and then walked over to me. "These are all of our old things." He explained as he looked around. He made his way over to the crib. "This was your baby bed." He wiped off a smear of dust and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger. That's when I realized that the baby toys in the box were probably mine as well. He probably couldn't bear to part with them, even after all those years I had been missing. I would have to come down here with him again and look at the other old belongings. But not now. Tony walked back over to me and took a look at the dress.
"Not a speck of age." He commented. By the look in his eyes, I could tell he was thinking of Mom and Dad. I was filled with a pang of regret as well. I'd never get to know Mom or Dad. Mom never get to meet Steve or help me prepare for my wedding. And Dad would never get to walk me down the aisle. I felt a few tears roll down my cheeks as the loss suddenly became very real.
As if we both knew what the other was thinking, we held each other in that moment. It was a pain that we both shared. One thing we had lost that we could never get back.
"I miss them." I said softly.
"I know." He replied. "So do I."
There were a few moments of silence that passed in-between, but slowly, the pain started to ebb away and we could bear to look at the photo and dress again.
"I want to wear it." I told him, referring to the dress.
"I think...that's a great idea." He said, a smile creeping its way onto his face "Go try it on. I want to see how it fits."
He exited the room and I gently put on the dress. I was amazed at how well it fit my frame. And as I looked at my reflection in Mom and Dad's wedding picture, I realized I looked just like Mom.
I absolutely loved the idea of Abbey wearing her mother's dress. What do you think, folks?