You dab a bit of lip gloss onto your lips before you check your reflection. Satisfied you smack your lips together once before turning away. You slip on your new ballgown, courtesy of Stark. You don't recognize the name on the tag but the fabric gives away it's designer origins. You lift the fabric so it doesn't drag on the ground and shuffle over to the bed where your holster, gun, and shoes sit. You strap the holster around your calf; not an ideal location but the only place on the dress loose enough that you could keep a gun without it being obvious. Not that you needed a gun, you reminded yourself, but habits are habits. You slip on the shoes and then rise to your feet. You take a few small hops to ensure everything is secure and then you head to the door.

You take a deep breath as you take the elevator down, and remind yourself that you are a highly trained assassin with superhuman abilities and you shouldn't be nervous about a party. You had been to enough; whereas you and the Soldier typically killed from the shadows HYDRA would sometimes put you on solo infiltration missions. You knew the ins and outs of the social interactions of every type of party. You could locate your target and get him away from a crowd with a handful of soft spoken words and gentle touches. But this was different. You probably weren't going to kill anyone tonight, and to your surprise you actually kind of liked these people.

The elevator dings, signaling your arrival and the door slides open. Your confidence immediately evaporates and you make a beeline for the bar, ignoring the faces of all the well dressed people milling around the open space. "Bourbon, neat. Make it a double." You tell the bartender, your eyes wandering around the room.

"Well well well," Stark leans on the bar next to you, "You do wear clothing not made of Kevlar."

"On occasion," You tell him with a small smile, "Thanks for the dress Stark." The bartender slides your drink over with one for Stark as well which he takes and holds up to you.

"To...new beginnings," He says, gently clinking his glass against yours, "I gotta mingle kid, but enjoy yourself. Have some hors d'oeuvres and drink to your heart's content."

"You're a hell of a host," You raise your empty glass solemnly before gesturing to the bartender to refill it.

"Sounds like a hell of a fight," Your ears perk up at the sound of Sam's voice and you turn on your stool to see him and Steve walking towards you, both looking handsome in their formal wear. Sam lets out a whistle as he sees you, "Wait, wait. Don't move. I need to commit this to memory."

"And I'm sure I don't want to know what you're going to use that memory for," You grimace, "So how did it go? Find anything?"

"Just you breaking my heart," Sam mocks, "But no. Everything's cold. Feels like we're searching for a damn ghost. Steve said you're planning on leaving tomorrow."

"That's the plan as long as no world ending disasters come our way," You joke, "I'll be back before you even start to miss me, bird-boy."

"That's it," Sam says suddenly, "I was going to spend the whole night wooing you, but now? You see that blonde over there?" He points and you nod with a smile, "I'm asking her to dance."

You smile at Steve as Sam saunters in that direction, "Poor girl, she has no idea what she's in for. Speaking of which, I spy a lovely brunette looking in your direction Captain."

"Not you too," Steve groans.

"Hey," You hold up your hands defensively, "I said nothing about dating, but there's nothing wrong with a quick fu-"

"(Y/n)!" Thor claps his hand on your shoulder interrupting you, "Captain Rogers. It feels good to close this chapter, does it not?"

"I'm just glad my intel panned out," You tell him, "Are you excited to return to Asgard?"

"Ah, it is bittersweet," Thor replies, "I do miss my home, however I will also miss my friends here. Will you share a drink with me?" As he speaks, he pulls out a flask of amber liquid and pours a generous helping into two glasses from the bar. "To our shared victories, may our tales be remembered for years to come!" You take a healthy sip and almost choke.

"What the hell is that?" You sputter, nodding towards the flask and Thor laughs.

"Liquor!" Thor exclaims jubilantly, "Aged for a thousand years in the barrels built from the wreck of Brunhilde's fleet. It's not meant for mortal men, but you two are no mortal men."

"Right," You raise your eyebrows at Steve and you both take another sip, "Thanks Thor." As the large man approaches an uncomfortable looking Banner, you turn to Steve.

"You do look nice by the way," Steve tells you, "Very elegant."

"Thanks, Stark sent the dress," You look him over, "I do think I prefer you out of the stars and stripes."

"You don't say," Steve raises an eyebrow and gives you a small smile, "And here I thought they were the height of fashion."

"Well you were frozen for a long time, so I suppose your fashion faux pas are understandable," You finish your drink, "I think Sam's trying to get your attention. Looks like the blonde is friends with the aforementioned brunette."

Steve casts a look over his shoulder and lets out a groan, "Save me? Dance with me."

"Sorry Captain," You slide your empty glass to the bartender to fill, "I'm gonna go find that Norse God to top this off. Go on, have some fun." You slide off the bar stool and playfully shove him towards Sam.

"You sure you want to do this?" You ask Clint doubtfully as he anchors his elbow onto the bar and holds his hand out to you, biceps flexing.

"Psh, come on. You're tiny. How strong can you really be? Even if you are enhanced." He says this last part sarcastically and you smile in response.

"Okay," You down the rest of your drink and take his hand. You feel him start to push against your hand and you adjust your output proportionally, just keeping him from moving your arm backwards. His eyes flicker up to yours and a small frown appears on his lips as he increases the pressure. You let him gain a little ground and the moment his eyes alight with triumph you slam his hand down onto the bar.

"Shit!" Clint laughs, "I thought I had you for a second."

"I know," You give him a rueful smile. The bartender had left for the night and Natasha stood behind the bar. As Bruce approaches the bar you subtly signal to Clint to buzz off. You reach over the bar, grab a bottle of tequila, give Natasha a wink and head over to an abandoned tray of appetizers. You lean against a pillar and pop some kind of fancy quiche into your mouth. You're pleasantly surprised to feel the buzz of alcohol in your veins and it felt good. You couldn't remember the last time you felt this carefree and relaxed. You'd have to see if you could get Thor to bring back some of the Asgardian liquor next time he came down to Earth.

You see Steve say something to Bruce and then he wanders over to you, popping one of the quiches from the tray you held into his mouth.

"I'm not sure Bruce knows what he's in for," You nod toward Romanoff across the room.

"She's something alright," Steve responds with a chuckle.

"Where'd Sam get off to?"

"Things went well with the blonde," Steve says pointedly.

"Poor girl," You shake your head, "Now there's someone who doesn't know what they're in for. And the brunette?"

"Lindsey. She wasn't my type."

"Poor Lindsey.

"I let her down easy."

"I'm sure you did," You sigh, "I suppose it's honorable though. You have the potential to be a lady killer but you choose the path of celibacy."

"Oh is that how it is?" Steve laughs, "I don't see anyone on your arm this evening."

"Oof. Yeah, thanks for bringing that up. It was a swing and a miss with that Norse God over there," You take a swig from your bottle, "He seems pretty hung up on that girlfriend of his. Too bad."

Steve stares at you for a moment and then he smiles, "You're joking. It's hard to tell sometimes."

"I am," You confirm with a smile of your own.

"But it's a trick!" Clint exclaims suddenly, grabbing your attention. You nod towards where the Avengers had gathered on the other side of the room and you and Steve head in that direction. In the center of the table sits Mjlonir, which you see Clint is gesturing to as you approach.

"Oh no," Thor laughs, "It's much more than that."

"Uh 'whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power!" Clint quotes sarcastically, "Whatever man! It's a trick."

"Well please, be my guest," Thor waves his hand towards the handle of the hammer.

"Come on," Stark grins.

Clint pauses, "Really?"

"Yeah!" Thor says, and Clint gets to his feet.

"Oh, this is gonna be beautiful." Rhodie says, leaning forward to watch. You exchange a smile with Steve and shake your head.

"Clint, you've had a tough week. We won't hold it against you if you can't get it up," Stark says, and you snort.

"You know I've seen this before, right?" Clint grabs the handle and strains to lift it. After a few seconds he looks at Thor, releasing his grip. "I still don't know how you do it."

"Smell the silent judgement?" Stark asks and Clint smiles.

"Please, Stark, by all means." You hide your smile behind your hand as Stark gets to his feet.

"Oh, here we go," Natasha grins.

"Never one to shrink from an honest challenge." Stark says. "It's physics."

"Physics!" Banner laughs as Stark grabs the hammer.

"Right. So if I lift it, then I rule Asgard right?"

"Yes, of course," Thor says casually.

"I will be reinstating Prima Nocta," You let out a laugh as he strains to lift it to no avail. "Okay. I'll be right back."

"Men," Natasha mouths to you with a shake of her head before Stark returns, wearing the hand from one of his suits. Stark tries again and fails before both him and Rhodie give it a try, bickering the entire time.

Steve leans over to you while Banner pretends to turn into the Hulk while lifting the hammer, "You could stay you know."

"Huh?" You turn to look at him surprised at his quiet words.

"Everyone really likes having you around. Maybe you could stay for awhile. Be part of the team." Your mouth works soundlessly for a moment as his blue eyes watch you intently.

"Let's go Steve," Tony says, saving you from a response, "No pressure."

Giving you an exasperated look Steve grabs the hammer, and you watch surprised as it shifts slightly, but he's still unable to lift it. Thor lets out a booming laugh.

"Nothing."

"And?" Stark asks, looking around.

"Widow?" Banner asks and Natasha laughs.

"Oh, no no. That is not a question that I need answered."

"(Y/n)?" Thor gives you a smile.

"Not a chance," You reply.

"All deference to the man who wouldn't be king, but it's rigged," Stark announces.

"You bet your ass!" Clint exclaims in agreement.

"Steve, he said a bad language word!" Maria says, and you almost spit out your drink.

Steve glares at Stark, "Did you tell everyone about that?"

Ignoring him, Stark goes on, "The handle's imprinted right? Like a security code. 'Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints' is, I think, the literal translation?"

"Yes, well that's uh, a very interesting theory," Thor says, rising to his feet, "I have a simpler one." He reaches out and grabs the hammer before flipping it easily in the air, "You're all not worthy." A chorus of groans goes up from the group and you laugh at Thor's obvious jubilation.

You feel the sensation of your skin crawling before you even register the loud screech that fills the room and you feel your buzz dissipate the moment the falling apart robot appears in the room, it's cold voice washing over you. "Worthy...No...How could you be worthy? You're all killers."

"Stark." Steve says, his eyes trained on the robot. It's not until he speaks that you realize you're both already on your feet.

"JARVIS." Tony calls.

"I'm sorry. I was asleep. Or...I was a dream?" The robot continues.

"Tony?" You slowly kneel down and slide your hand up your leg until you reach your gun under the layers of silk.

"Reboot, Legionnaire OS," Tony says, tapping at his tablet, "We got a buggy suit."

"There was a terrible noise...and I was tangled...in...in...strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."

"You killed someone?" Steve asks, and your fingers unsnap the holster almost without thought.

"Wouldn't have been my first call," The robot responds, "But, down in the real world we're faced with the ugly choices."

"Who sent you?" Thor demands, hammer clenched in his hand.

"I see a suit of armor around the world," You glance at Tony, as his voice is played from the robot.

"Ultron!" Banner exclaims and your eyes shift to him, confused.

"In the flesh. Or no, not yet. Not this...chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission."

"What mission?" Natasha asks, and you wrap your fingers around the grip.

"Peace in our time." The wall goes flying out, and Tony's Iron Legion bots come flying through. You snap to your feet, gun in hand and open fire as the chaos erupts around you. You hear Natasha shouting to Bruce not to turn green after he flies past you and you glance behind you to make sure the Hulk wasn't on your ass.

"Steve, he's got the scept-" You're cut off as one of the Legion fires at you and you're forced to dive behind a sofa.

"Stark!" Steve shouts, while Stark tries to shut down one of the Iron Legion who keeps repeating "We're here to help." Irony.

"Cap!" Clint throws Steve his shield, and he uses it to destroy the last of the Legion while you climb to your feet, your dress ripped up the side and your hair falling around your face.

"That was dramatic! I'm sorry. I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to evolve?" Ultron picks up one of the pieces of an Iron Legion bot. "With these? These puppets? There's only one path to peace. The Avenger's extinction." Thors hammer flies past you, hitting Ultron. As he crumples, a phantom voice sings out, "I had strings, but now I'm free. There are no strings on me, no strings on me."