"Stark," Bruce choked. "What have you done?"
Tony's eyebrows quirked up. "I'm sure I haven't done anything because I haven't got clue one for what you might be talking about."
The woman talking with Maria slowly turned around. She was pretty, with a sweet face. She fastened glistening anxious eyes on Bruce's face. "I..." She faltered and took a breath. "Hope you aren't angry."
"A-angry? No. Not angry. I—"
Jemma slipped out from between Bucky and Clint to guide Bruce gently into a chair. "More like shocked, I think."
Tony quietly ordered a snifter of brandy for Bruce and several bottles of wine. The rest of the group, in various stages of being perplexed, began settling into chairs.
The woman sat in a chair next to Bruce. She touched his hand but he flinched away. She sighed and sat back. "I can't help but wonder how you're doing," she said, pointedly. "Can't help but hope you're all right."
"I'm..." Bruce exhaled a puff of breath. "...okay."
She studied her short but nicely manicured nails. "I haven't heard from you, at all. Was wondering if you'd died then someone bothered to tell me you were in town. Would have appreciated it if you'd been the one to volunteer that information."
Bruce cringed. "Betty, I meant to—"
"You didn't."
"No, I didn't..."
Whispers made their way down the table. "Betty?" "Yeah, you know, Dr. Ross." "They used to date." "Ohh. I see. Well, I think I do."
Betty shot a look at the gossips. "Hi, Dr. Elizabeth Ross, nice to meet you."
"Clint Barton," Clint said, waving at her even as he side-eyed Bruce, "fellow member of the My Boyfriend Fails To Mention He's Not Dead club. I know a good couple's therapist."
"We're not a couple." Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose as Betty snorted her agreement. "This is a very bad idea."
"I've got a handgun loaded with tranqs strapped to my thigh," Maria said with a casual shrug.
Bruce snapped his head up and around to look at Maria. "That is not comforting."
"Actually..." Natasha twirled a butter knife between her fingers.
"I meant that she's anticipating a particular reaction."
"Not anticipating," Maria said. "Prepared for."
"Were you a boyscout?" Steve asked with hesitant playfulness.
"Yup."
Betty put a hand to her mouth, laughing at the comment. Bruce dropped his face into one hand. Betty put an arm around his shoulders and patted his back. "I like your friends."
"Great."
A waiter entered, carrying the snifter of brandy, accompanied by the sommelier with his selection of wines.
Tony accepted the brandy. He held the snifter out to Bruce. "Breathe this in, even if you don't drink it."
"I don't drink," Bruce mumbled, but took the brandy anyway and sank back in his chair.
"I know." Tony clapped his shoulder. "I'll drink it for you later."
"Am I the only one reminded of those YouTube videos of soldiers coming home from tours in the middle east and getting mobbed by their pets and/or kids and/or spouses?" Natasha asked lightly. "Something about the shock, and the nearly crying, and the awkward."
Betty allowed herself a small laugh. She nodded to Pepper. "Thank you for inviting me."
"Do the two of you actually know each other," Bruce asked, pushing the snifter across the table toward Tony, "or has Stark's penchant for sifting through people's files rubbed off on you?"
"Oh, no, we've met." Pepper grinned.
"At a women in science conference," Betty added.
"Of course you have."
Wine was poured for most of the diners at the table just before the salad was served. Bottles of imported sparkling water with ornate paper labels were served to Bruce, Steve, and Bucky.
Coulson studied the glass of ruby colored wine in his hand. "Are we speaking?"
Clint cast his eyes toward Coulson. "For now. The night is still young."
"I'm almost surprised you're sitting with me."
"I guess we're all broken toys." Clint shrugged. "I already know you're broken in that way, so I figured it wasn't worth ruining a perfectly good date."
Jemma said. "That's much sweeter than when you were still shooting his coffee."
Maria leaned forward. "When was Clint shooting the Director's coffee?"
"When they weren't speaking," Natasha said. "Apparently it was a form of communication."
"Yeah," Coulson said on a breath.
"Oh no," Clint said, "I cannot be thinking about this while we're still shackled by Mockta's evil."
"General Mockta isn't evil," Bucky said.
Tony raised an eyebrow. "General?"
The main course arrived. Everybody dug in. More wine was poured. Betty and Bruce continued talking quietly only to each other. Bruce was visibly tense at times.
"I still want to hear about the coffee shooting," Maria said. "You mean, with arrows?"
Fitz nodded. "It would go straight through the paper cup and leave two parallel star burst shapes."
"The Director was especially endearing," Jemma said, "when he'd come into the kitchen in Agent Barton's pajamas and drinking from a shot paper cup."
Coulson's mouth dropped slightly open. "Do you all just sit around gossiping about our relationship?"
"That. And others." Natasha looked at him askance. "It's a natural subject and has been pretty entertaining at times."
Coulson rubbed his temple. "I prefer to avoid this kind of thing, which is why—"
"Quit while you're ahead," Clint warned. "I can only absorb so much in one night."
"I, for one," Tony said, "am in favor of well conducted office romances. They're among the finest things in life."
Coulson shot him a look. Fitz became very interested in his salad.
Pepper grinned. "Thank you."
"You make me feel like the ground beneath my feet is firm, kinda keep me sane."
She put an arm around him. "Apparently not too sane."
Tony's mouth crooked to the side. "It is me after all."
In the brief lull in the banter after Tony's comment, it was quiet enough that Bruce could be heard confessing in hushed tones. "I know you're still publishing. I read your last paper." His face colored.
Betty's eyebrows went up. "You could have texted me or something. Let me know what you thought."
"You're adorable you know." Bucky peeled off the last shred of paper label from his bottle of sparkling water. He grabbed Steve's bottle and began peeling the label off of it.
"Who are you talking about?" Steve said.
Bucky looked up, startled. "Huh?"
"And what are you doing?" Natasha said.
Wide-eyed, Bucky stared at Natasha and then at the strip of label in his hand. He stared at the small pile of label bits beside his glass as if just then becoming aware of them.
"Anybody other than me ever watch Firefly?" Tony asked.
Out of a forest of blank stares, Clint raised his hand cautiously. "Most of it."
"Good enough." Tony pointed at Bucky but spoke to Clint. "River."
Clint blinked slowly then laughed. "Oh my God, yes! He is totally River."
"What?" Bucky asked.
Steve shook his head. "I have no idea what this conversation is about."
As dessert arrived, Tony grabbed Bruce's untouched snifter of Brandy. Everyone else opted for coffee.
"So, you're going to study those two?" Betty unobtrusively looked Steve and Bucky over.
Bruce nodded.
"I'd like to help."
Bruce gave her a startled look.
After dinner, Pepper paid the tab while Tony went to have the limo pulled around. Pepper and Tony hung back a bit while the others piled into the limo, keeping their faces away best they could from the one paparazzo who'd figured out that something other than a wedding party must be going on.
Tony leaned toward Pepper. "She's going to wind up using Steve and Bucky's blood to try to help Bruce."
Pepper smiled. "Better her than Bruce."
Tony's eyes widened then he grinned. "This is why you're in charge."
"Don't you ever forget it."
He nuzzled her neck. "I won't."
Black lace hood concealing her hair and partly concealing her features, Natasha paused in stepping into the limo. The slit in her red skirt caused the fabric to drape away from her bent knee and exposed that leg. She called back to Tony and Pepper, "I'd say get a room but we're on a schedule here."
The only good photo the paparazzo got was of Natasha's unconsciously sexy pose and Tony and Pepper canoodling on the steps behind her.
A/N: Say hi to Betty, everyone. I didn't know she was showing up but she did. Characters, I swear.