Author's Note: I am thinking of taking her out of Iron Man 3 all together as I can't figure out where she would really fit except maybe in the background. Also it makes no sense to have her in any of the Thor stand alone movies. Will this be a filler chapter? Yes I think so, but it will encompass two years (aka the two movies) then we will move on with the story right after.

~The American Dream~

Chapter 17: Familiar Face

Two Weeks After the Attack

*Flashback*

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

"What brings you here?"

She tried not to squirm in her seat as she heard the pen tapping against the table from the woman around eight feet from her. She didn't know what brought her here, but the long nights that would not bring her sleep told her enough that she needed to go to get help.

"Tess, are you quite alright?"

"Y-Yes" she turned to look at her therapist sharply, feeling herself shrink as if she was already being judged.

"...When was the last time you got some sleep?"

Tess looked out the window as the therapist asked her the direct question. Silence fell between the pair and realizing that their session was timed made Tess sigh.

"Since the day before the attack happened" she whispered softly.

Some scribbles happened and she felt herself tense more.

"How does this problem typically make you feel? Do you reach REM?"

"I-I'm frustrated because when I close my eyes, I try to let my brain shut off, and for a moment I feel it, then I can see the explosions, t-the attacks in our city, and Tony. I-in my mind I don't see Tony surviving...when when I go shake him he doesn't wake up and I-"

She began to feel her eyes feel heavy, and soon the tears began to fall. She covered her face in horror at the admittance that not only was she dealing with some trauma, but Tony's mortality lumped in as well.

"What have people close to you told you about your moods? Have you told this Tony of your nightmares?"

She sniffled and tried to get a hold of herself. This was a lot more direct than she expected and her therapist was somewhat less emotional, but she forced herself to keep going.

"I-I haven't. Pepper still feels guilty she did not take the call" she sighed.

"The call?"

"T-Tony's last call before he...he destroyed what was coming was to her and she was too distracted to respond. She is dealing with her own guilt at the moment."

She tried to remain as vague as possible not knowing what was considered classified or not. Still as she wrung her hands over she wondered when she would get better.

...

June

Tess huffed as she twisted the tiny screwdriver onto the hard drive hoping that this would be the tweak that both Tony and Tess had been waiting for. They had been trying to update Tony's suit since the incident.

'It better be' Tess thought huffing as a strand of hair was falling on her side. Looking up at the digital clock, she winced seeing three a.m.

It seemed that since the attack nearly two months ago, Tony had called Tess many nights asking to help brainstorm ways to make sure that they would never fall into the situation as before. Her eyes straight from the drive and towards her best friend, who seemed to have fallen asleep on the reclining chair.

Her eyes softened; he looked so exhausted and it was clear that he wasn't sleeping. Pepper would text her often sharing her concern that Tony was missing from their bedroom and was up all night building. And in the beginning she understood. She had confided in Pepper how she was scared when she was fighting, her mortality never being in the forefront of her young life. She even told Pepper how worried she was once they let Tony fly up with the missile in hopes of saving their lives. And it had broken her, and Pepper cried too thinking about how she had missed his call. That was her own guilt that ate into her.

So into the early weeks, if he wasn't down at his penthouse, he was knocking on her door wishing to talk to someone. And they both knew that she wasn't sleeping. At the second ring, she would respond and open the door immediately letting him in. But as two months passed and her therapy sessions continued, she began to fall asleep at a reasonable time, but not Tony. He still knocked at midnight, waking her up and simply walking in and curling onto her couch to talk. But as she would doze off, he would nudge her to get up and help quiet down his mind.

But now he was asleep and she smiled softly as she began turning the screwdriver once more. She figured that if this was fixed, he would be able to calm down and realize that they were at a better place. Oftentimes he would complain that his brain just wouldn't shut up and it kept him up at night. And she knew the feeling. Since their healing, she was beginning to wonder if she should bring up her concern, but she never found the right time.

It was in the midst of her daydreaming, when she heard a scream. She jumped in surprise and turned to find Tony sweating, swearing and writhing in his seat. He looked very much like a cornered prey.

"Tony!" she cried out and rushed over trying to grab his wrists so he wouldn't hurt himself.

"No!" he cried out.

"Stop, Tony, it's me" she whispered softly, realizing he was still asleep.

As she struggled she hushed him softly, wincing as he bent her arms uncomfortably. Still at her insistence that he wake, she kept calling out to him only for him to slowly gain consciousness and stopped struggling. Their breathing was matched and she stilled as his fingers dug into her arms.

Inhale

Exhale

Inhale

Exhale

"Tess" he breathed out and let go of her.

"Tony? Tony you with me?"

He nodded, sweat on his brow. Shakily he sat up, trying to act like nothing was wrong, but neither of them could ignore the concern in the eyes. He sighed loudly realizing there was nothing he could do to get out of it.

"You're still having nightmares," she said softly. "This is why you say your brain won't shut up isn't it? It's to chat till you're exhausted" she ran her fingers through his wet hair, her tone filled with sympathy.

"S-some nights I'm still there" he murmured softly leaning against her. "I feel the suit breaking apart, the air getting harder to breathe, the knowledge that I'm going to die and then...then I see space. And the ships, and the realization that the portal behind me is closing. And I fall, and I keep falling and falling and I can't,..I don't" he trailed off.

"You don't make it" she finished for him.

He shook his head.

She sighed knowing it wasn't easy. Her own demons still lurked about, but never as severely as him. Gripping his hands, Tess simply sat with him as his breathing went back to normal and once exhaustion was winning, she led him to the couch where she laid him one way, and she took the loveseat beside him so they could both rest.

It was in the morning with Pepper shaking her awake, that she told her that Tony needed some help. A much bigger help than she could provide.

July

Her pen tapped against the conference table, as the typical white men talked over their shares and what would be happening to Stark Industries after everything. What was everything? Well...for one thing, ever since the Avengers boom happened, there was a popular opinion of how there needed to be an Iron Man suit in every home for security. Obviously Tony, Pepper and Tess did not agree in any way, but they just needed to get them into the heads of the executives.

"So for these reasons it's clear that we should manufacturer the suits as proper security, imagine if we would sell them, they would help immensely"

"You mean the one percent" Tess muttered after one of the old men spoke up.

"Excuse me young lady!?"

"She's excused" Tony spoke up. "You're telling me that you want me to waste our research on renewable energy and new technology for a smart ADT security system?"

"I still think you should consider speaking to the US Army Tony. Imagine how safe we would be"

Tess pursed her lips as she knew another argument would start between everyone. If we didn't want a security system, the army was still after the technology. They hadn't even waited a month since the Stark building was rebuilt before they were demanding a meeting.

"Please be serious James, we cannot simply fall into these kinds of businesses" Pepper spoke up clearly upset that they had to consider these types of meetings.

"I am over this" Tony drawled out as he kicked his feet up onto the conference room table, signaling he was really done with this.

Pepper and Tess knew that this was a sore spot for Tony, especially as Rhodes appeared out of nowhere pushing for his own agenda after he took the suit. But what they didn't think about asking was if he was okay. And Tess knew he wasn't.

"I think this meeting is going nowhere, let's table this topic to another time" Tess said softly as she got up.

Tony didn't need another hint and rushed off knowing that nothing could be done without his signature anyway. Pepper made a noise of agreement and made peace with the men that were about to protest. She simply told them to give her their proposals and she would be in touch. The finality in her tone was not to be trifled with and both left.

And as soon as the elevators closed between the pair, Pepper began.

"You know, I know you love Tony, and I do too, but you need to keep your eye on the business and not let your emotions get the best of you"

Tess nearly tripped hearing Pepper's short critique. Since their shift to normalcy, Tess happily took every lesson that Pepper provided her in hopes of being molded into a proper member of the executive team. There was no question that she was Tony's surrogate daughter; he praised her, protected her and defended her tooth and nail much like family would. She was one of the handful of people that people knew were untouchable.

"They're all idiots Pepper" she muttered petulantly. "How can they be requesting such idiotic things after everything we went through? That attack was not a beta test for a war"

"Yes, but it does bring in more interest than when we last spoke to Congress. You need to be level headed"

"Well they don't take me seriously!"

"Of course they won't. For one thing, you're a woman, secondly you're young and don't have that pedigree that gives them their air of superiority. And I get it, I was like you fifteen years ago. But this...you can't simply let your emotions and every displeased comment get the best of you. This is why Tony entrusts me and now you to keep the company's best interest at heart."

"I'm not going to be a Yes man" Tess pouted.

Pepper placed her hand on Tess' chin and tilted it up so they made eye contact.

"I would never ask that of you. But when ever displeased, simply take in what they say, take their so called plans, say you will mull them over and walk away. Tony is not made for business, that's why I'm here. You will learn to do both because eventually, I would like to take a vacation and take my boyfriend with me" Pepper grinned.

Tess had to smile at that.

"Well...when you put it that way, I-I will try"

"Thank you...now let's get some food"

"Smartest thing I've heard all day"

August

Life was starting to feel stale. This was the first feeling of restlessness that rose within Tess since she first started working for Stark Industries. It was not the job or the pay, but rather the pace that it went and how monotonous it was becoming. Tony wasn't in the mood to build something new but rather began mass producing suits for protection. She disagreed but stayed away after he got mad at her voicing her opinion. Pepper on the other hand was giving her assignments...boring ones that did nothing to stimulate her brain, but made her vision hazy with the numbers.

Her gaze began to drift towards the window as she took the New York skyline. Reconstruction was seemingly a success; it was hard for the city to rebuild but New Yorkers were nothing if not scrappy. She smiled as the skyline was slowly becoming normal, though her grin dimmed as she realized how late it was and she was nowhere near done.

A knock on the door made her jump.

"Coffee, Miss?"

"Yes" she breathed out with a smile. "Please come in"

She knew the routine; Pepper would always send an assistant to check on her. They would bring her coffee, a copy of tomorrow's newspapers along with any reports that were important for her to sign off on. And at first, Tess had tried to start conversations and tried to make small talk but it was clear no one was ever interested and slowly, the routine became one of allowing someone in for a minute, to drop off what they needed and she was in solitude once more.

"You really hate this don't you?"

She jumped in surprise of the tone. It was not proper whatsoever and there was a lot of bite to it from someone that did not know her. She turned her chair away from the skyline to look at the woman, only to realize exactly who she was.

At first glance there was nothing special about the woman; yes she was beautiful, curvy and fitting of what the Stark Industry personal assistants had. Yet at her second glance, Tess' lips twisted in amusement realizing who was still hiding in plain sight.

"Natasha? Just what are you doing here?"

"Did you miss me?"

Tess popped up and without thinking, she walked over and hugged the taller woman who while wasn't too fond of the hug, leaned into it if only for a second.

It had been four months since they had last seen one another and two months since Natasha had responded to a single text from her. She didn't take it to heart, but rather had assumed that her friend was too busy or on a mission. And from the small cut that she noticed from her friends shoulder, the latter was correct.

"Come! Sit with me" Tess pulled her towards the desk as she sat in her own chair waiting to catch up.

…

Natasha bit back a smirk seeing how her young friend had changed. Ever since the Avengers Initiative, she had grown fonder of the brunette. At twenty, she was growing more and more into someone that she barely recognized. For one thing her locks were slid up into a high ponytail, remnants of a bun was evident from the hair tie around her wrist. Her face was pink signaling she had wiped the makeup from her face as the normal business hours had ended, and her feet were bare, she noticed how small the girl looked as she approached her for a hug. The suit she wore fit very well yet the white blouse signified that she had kept tugging at it through the day giving her a disheveled appearance. It was weird to see her in this background of the bright lights of New York with a tired expression.

But as the girl talked animatedly, Natasha's lip curled in amusement. It was clear that despite her genuine glee at seeing her there, Tess was not happy with the surroundings she was in. Like a gilded bird, she was caged into corporate, something that she had not signed up for when beginning to work at Stark Industries. Natasha's eyes trailed from the large stacks of papers on her desk to the smaller table that had prototype designs that from the curled edges had not been touched in a while. Even the girl's hands were showing signs of monotony. From the previous clean, but rough fingers, now held an expensive manicure and acrylic nails that in no way would help in building anything.

"When's the last time you built something?" Natasha asked.

Tess paused and looked at her confused.

"I mean - when is the last time you got these hands dirty" she rephrased her question and grabbed the younger girl's hands with a hint of a smile.

"Oh...that" Tess sighed. "Well to be honest, I haven't had the time...or energy to do that. My muse is kind of dead I mean..ever since what happened...I'm just trying to patch up where I can in large reconstruction projects here and there and well…"

"Your partner in crime is unavailable" Natasha jumped in once Tess began to trail off.

A frowned etched her friend's face as she took in her comment. "Well...I mean I don't blame him Nat. He's barely sleeping as is and it's starting to worry me."

Natasha almost snorted at the nickname that the girl was using but instead began to get more intel than she was expecting.

"Yes I heard rumors of him creating a robot army?" the teasing tone diminished once the frown got deeper in the brunette's face.

"He says it's going to happen again and it'll take a lot than two suits to get the job done but I-I worry about him." brown eyes trailed to blue. "Nat, how do you deal with things like that? I can't imagine you had an easy life and...you're so strong" her throat tightened. "How do you sleep at night?"

Slowly the walls began to crumble before the woman; Tess' eyes grew heavy with worry and near tears. Her hands shook and the stress she was in was pouring out of her. She vividly remembered seeing her that way when Loki was tearing down the people around her for pleasure.

"I have learned to cope with things around me and...well missions are a distraction. I was built for this kind of life" Natasha calmly stated briefly remembering her young and trauma-filled childhood.

"Well I'm not able to. You know, I've done therapy and that helps me sleep but I can't fix Tony. So I try to fix things there" she signaled all the papers. "I don't care about budgets, patents, architecture, meet and greets, any of this shit" she slammed her hand down and sighed. "I feel trapped sometimes you know"

"You know you chose this right? Why didn't you just join S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Tess snorted.

"Be serious Nat"

"I am" Natasha lifted her brow out of character and took her hand. "Why didn't you join when given the opportunity?"

She tilted her head. "Nat - You and Fury attempted to blackmail me to get on your side and against Tony. They-you" she furrowed her brow. "You all used some serum to push me into cardiac arrest. You all tried to use the Tesseract to make weapons. And you're asking me why I didn't join?"

Natasha shrugged and pulled her hand back. "I never said it was perfect but we were there when you needed us."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. would trap me too" she signed another paper and for a moment let silence fall between the pair.

Natasha pondered how she would approach the next subject. It was clear that not only did Tess not trust S.H.I.E.L.D., she was unaware of the monitoring they had done and the agent who was assigned to be her therapist to keep things underwrap.

"Did Tony ask you to take all of this on?"

"Hm? No, Pepper did" she cursed as she crossed out a number and scribbled a note on the side of the pleading. "She said it would help immensely if I had knowledge on how to do the bureaucratic portion of the company." she huffed. "This is honestly not what I signed up for."

"And what does Tony ask of you?"

"Nothing really...we're not exactly in speaking terms right now since our disagreement."

"Oh?"

"Yes...I disagree that he would concentrate on mass constructing suits but rather concentrate on the day to day within the company and at least PR for New York as we're building. So he called me a traitor and now I'm doing paperwork."

"Sounds like a bitch"

She laughed.

"It is." She tapped her pen. "Sometimes I wish that adventure never happened you know? But sometimes...I miss the rush, the adrenaline, the excitement of being a part of something bigger. Even with the whole mortality thing happening."

"Come with me then" Natasha grinned. "One mission tops and it would revive you a little bit."

She scoffed.

"Please, and leave the comfort of this" she signaled at the papers. "I could never."

"You wouldn't be given permission?"

The question clearly caught Tess by surprise because now it wasn't a silly joke, but rather an actual proposition. Her smile disappeared.

"You're actually serious?"

"Why not?" I do have some missions I could take you on with. Nothing too dangerous. What do you say?"

"Why?"

"I-" that was a good question. Natasha had come to try to get information from Tess regarding Tony and what their work product was, but in turn she was offering a way out.

"Come with me" Natasha said softly.

The sincerity in her tone, echoed a tone that was similarly thrown from Steve before he left the retreat. Tess' heart clenched for a second, but she knew however responsible she claimed to be, her blood hummed at the thought of adventure even if brief. And without thinking she reached out and grabbed Natasha's hand as an agreement to the proposition.

"Deal"

…

Two Weeks Later…

Walking down midtown Manhattan she couldn't help but remember when she first was introduced to SHIELD. It was the beginning of a lot of her firsts; the first time her normalcy began to wane, the first time she realized she was special, and the first time she met Steve. Her smile quirked at the thought. She hadn't actually truly thought about him in a while, not wondering where he was, and what he did. Why? Because he never bothered to reach out to her since Central Park. She briefly wondered if he had been upset; she rebuked his offer to walk her home.

A part of her would admittedly wonder if her rejection was the best choice. Her memories flashed of his flushed cheeks as he pulled away from the hug. He never reached out, he had her number and more importantly, too much time had passed between them. But this wasn't the time to think about him. As she flashed her badge, at the reception desk of the seemingly normal lobby and once she was redirected she knew that things would soon be far from normal.

With a tap of the badge on the security box, she was immediately sent to the designated floor without a button needing to be pushed. Looking around it eerily reminded her of those old action movies with the evil scientists or Batman. She smirked at the thought. Still as she walked out towards the 'newer' lobby where she was going to meet a 'Patrick'.

Walking towards the center she paused taking everything in. There offices looked like a juiced up version of Tony's lab, with screens signaling the process of everything and people bustling through the lobby towards the respective elevator. It was in the midst of this that she noticed someone was beside her waiting for her attention.

"Oh"

"Hello Ms. Holmes, it's a pleasure to see you again. Now if you could please follow me" He signaled her to follow.

"Hi Steven" she murmured softly a bit awkwardly at the coldness in his greeting. Still, she followed, curious as to what brought on the mood change.

'Well maybe it was because you made out with him to get keys to a ship.' her brain sarcastically commented. She blushed prettily at the thought and slipped into the elevator behind him. The moment the door closed, he pressed the emergency button putting the elevator in limbo. When she turned to look at him only to see him staring back at her making her flush all the more. His grey eyes were staring intently and he had a firm expression on his young face.

"I-"

"Before we get through the walkthrough" he immediately interrupted her. "I want to make some things clear. One - my name is not Steven, it's Patrick. I was under a mission and could not use my real name during our interaction, which was solely given to me by Fury. Two - we will not discuss what occurred that day, it was highly unprofessional. Third - I am not going to give you special treatment because you're Stark's little prodigy or Romanov's friend."

The more he spoke, the more splotches appeared on her face from annoyance. He towered over her, almost as tall as Thor, and as he leaned over, she felt her stomach tighten as he mentioned that interaction on the ship. When he finished they were nose to nose and she breathed out angrily.

"I don't accept handouts anyway Patrick," she huffed. "And I wasn't expecting special treatment, all I want is to be taken seriously. I will listen to whatever you want to teach me."

"Then we'll get along fine" With that, he pressed the button and they were moving.

...

October

*Ring Ring Ring*

"Hello?"

"Hi Tony"

The soft voice on the other side made him smile despite his annoyance. It had been two months since he had last seen her, and a month since he had been using her apartment as a second home even if she was gone.

"Well, well, well if it isn't the little traitor remembering she has an old man at home who's been pining over her." He bit back a chuckle as he rummaged through the drawer.

"Tony" the voice warned. "First of all, while you are an old man, you are not my father. Secondly..I'm glad you're pining after me."

"It wounds me that you think so little of me Bunny, I practically raised you."

The giggle on the line made him realize that despite their distance, and despite the bruise to his ego that she chose S.H.I.E.L.D. over staying behind, it was clear that it had been the right choice.

"Is it really that exciting over there that you don't want to come back?"

"It's different," Tony could hear her frowning. "I-I've been in boot camp for the most part if I'm honest. And I've got my fair share of bruises too."

"You sound very happy though." Tony winced at the bitterness in his tone.

"I am... but I wish I was there."

"Come back if you want to be at Stark Industries so much"

"Tony...I miss you, I don't miss the paperwork and patents and the boring meetings that led to nowhere. Here I'm honestly feeling useful."

"Hm...you're building them shit?"

"Of course not" he chuckled at her indignant tone. "But here I get to test more than just my brain, though it is mostly what I do. I like getting their lessons about hacking and espionage. It just...it's crazy and not how I imagined."

"It's not the same without you, you know. Pepper got a new assistant and she's a brat. She's worse than Natasha was."

She laughed but then he heard her breathing change and knew that she was going to ask something she was mulling over.

"Do you forgive me for leaving? You were so mad when I left and we had fought before….I just want to know if you'd miss me too."

The tightness in her voice and the way her volume dimmed showed that she did indeed miss him and he himself felt guilt rise. He admitted that his lack of sleep had aided in his anger at her abandoning him for a mission. It felt like betrayal at first, especially since they had yet to make up. Plus since he had not given his blessing, she had been teary eyed and angry.

"I'll always forgive you Tess." his own voice went lower. "You're still my right hand girl even if you chose to stay with those super soldiers and don't come back. I'm sorry I didn't support you though, I was mad you were leaving me high and dry."

"Tony I love working with you and I miss you and Pepper and even my desk. Sometimes I close my eyes and I'm still working at home. And it's hard because I can't tell my grandparents about this or my brothers, who don't even text me! You're the only person I want to talk to you know? I was so guilty for leaving you. I wish I could be there but-"

"You need this" he interrupted her. "You need to be there, kick ass and not worry about anything over here. We got it handled and when you come back just know your apartment, your desk and your favorite chair are waiting, okay?"

"I miss you"

He took the hint.

"I miss you too Peepsqueak."

"And I-yes I know- I'm almost done...what do you mean now? Ugh, but Patrick said at three? Ugh fine."

He frowned knowing their conversation would be cut short.

"Something wrong over there?"

"No...just.. Patrick moved up our session since he came back early."

"Patrick?"

"Remember that guy you gave the tools to on the ship before?"

"I thought his name was Steven?"

"Same here, turns out, it's Patrick Stevens and apparently he never corrected you when you misunderstood." she laughed.

"The guy you made out with to get the keys?"

"I did not make out with him! It was just a kiss. Anyway, he's not like who we met back with S.H.I.E.L.D...I like him a lot better."

"So you like him?"

"Legitimately that's all you heard? Anyway, this is not the way I pictured our conversation going but I do have to go. Just again letting you know I'm alive, I'm okay, and I miss you all."

"But especially me?"

A laugh.

"Especially you Boss"

And with a click, the conversation was done. Tony sighed. If he was honest with himself, he missed the kid a lot. Especially when everyday it seemed like Pepper was angrier and more distant. He sighed and wondered when he would get a sleep filled life. Things had to get better right?

…

February 2013

Six months since she had left New York City and Tess felt like a totally different person. For one thing, she had put papers to the side and instead began to use muscles that she never knew she had. It seemed silly, but with the serum and Natasha's hard training had fine turned her into someone different.

Patrick certainly did. Her lip quirked at the thought of him. While he was once so peppy, so eager to be around her, she realized quickly it was a farce. He had quickly told her that if she had any fantasies of romance from him, to push that to the side because it wasn't happening. That had taken her aback but then a mutual respect grew and now.

"Will you actually pay attention to your aim?"

The snide tone behind the handsome face made her want to punch him harder. So she did, with a spin and a kick she got him top push back a few feet. She grinned in glee, only to be tackled down by him. She cried out in surprise.

"Get off of me" she growled trying to kick him off.

He was so hard on her, always leaving her with bruises and a bruised ego. And now he simply laid flat not even bothering to struggle with her.

"You're not even trying at this point" he grumbled.

...

A stab on his side, warm thighs squeezing his side and a cry of frustration was enough to have him laying on his back. His grey eyes looked up in surprise only to see a bright eyed protege grinning down at him. He was very surprised and somewhat amused seeing how gleeful she was.

Briefly he remembered the way she had pulled him closer when he had pretended to be interested. And he had made sure to seem as unappealing to her as possible, yet when they had kissed..that had been a surprise for it seemed like both of them. They had clicked and when she had waved goodbye with a coy grin and a promise for more if he ever appeared in New York. He had mulled it over the following night after he had gotten out of the handcuffs.

Yet the moment he met her he made it clear that it was just a game and nothing was real. She had seemed surprised but she rolled with the punches. And soon it seemed she was pinning him down.

"You know…." her soft voice brought him back to attention. "It's almost as if you like this"

The teasing grin made him get flustered and all the more when he heard:

"I agree, he likes this position a little too much if you ask me"

Natasha. Of course it was Natasha. A squeak, a huff and a roll and now Tess was once more on the floor and Patrick got up acting as if nothing was happening.

"Take a five Holmes, and not a word Romanov"

…

March

Sliding her hands down her sides, she flattened her dress and spun in front of the mirror. When she was told by Natasha that she was going to be doing her first mission, she did not expect it to be dressing up and attending a gala. Yet that's exactly what she was tasked to do: shadow Sana Amanat, make sure she is safe as there are threats to her safety.

So during the gala she was assigned to stay near Sana Amanat and make sure that she made her presentation and followed through with the agreement to send her defense codes to SHIELD. Looking at herself in the mirror though, she couldn't help but feel like she was playing dress up. For one thing she had a gun strapped to her upper thigh, which was already a wary spot considering the slit that fell beneath it. And the backless dress provided little protection from any sort of danger. Overall it was stupid.

But she wasn't just attending as a civilian but as Stark prodigy Tess Holmes, who was going to represent Stark Industries as a possible contract could be signed by Amanat Businesses. It was all a farce but it fit the narrative they wanted. So with that she grabbed her bag and rushed towards the limousine that was waiting.

"Holmes, can you hear me?"

She slid her hand up to her ear raising the volume of the ear piece. She knew Patrick would not be happy if she did not respond.

"Yes" she murmured.

"Good. Romanov and I will be observing overhead, you need to make sure that you are close to Anata at all times but if you need backup, press the side button of your phone or earpiece and we'll immediately jump in, don't be stupid."

"Got it"

After that he summarized what she was to do as she read over the notes of the gala. It seemed nothing out of the ordinary but she could not help but think that the last time she was in one of these types of gala, Loki showed up. She shuddered at the thought. She hadn't even thought about him since he had been taken by Thor.

"We have another person on deck at the gala, he'll escort you inside before both of you look after Sana"

"You got me a babysitter?"

"Call it whatever you want" Patrick chuckled. "All I know is that you're too green to do this alone."

"You could have just come along" Tess pouted.

"You'd love to see me in a suit wouldn't you?"

Her cheeks flushed.

"You think way too highly of yourself" she snorted.

"Say that to the red cheeks. You know I can see you right?"

Before she could guffaw another voice stepped in.

"Not that I don't enjoy the flirting but you're here"

"Thanks Natasha" Tess grumbled before sliding out of the car.

The flashes of the camera started and she tried not to be blinded by it all. Still, she smiled as she walked through, hoping no one would care enough to stop her; after all she had someone to meet at the entrance.

"I should have known what Natasha meant when she said she had a surprise for me" a deep voice said behind her.

Turning around, she found herself looking in surprise at the man she had absolutely tried to forget for the past six months. His hair was brushed back, his eyes hidden behind a pair of black glasses that while she at first thought they were silly, her stomach clenched at how handsome he still seemed. And worst of all-

"You're wearing a suit" were the first words out of her mouth.

And he was. Steve Rogers looked so handsome in his suit; it was incredibly unfair to see him as if he had walked out of a photoshoot. She could feel her face flushing as he moved closer, seemingly happily taking her in before he pulled her into a hug. Automatically her body relaxed, as his cologne seemed to soothe her into a sense of calm. It was horribly unfair.

"I missed you"

Her heart clenched and she cursed in her head. This was not a time to be distracted, because despite Steve being here she had to remember she was a professional….a professional whose former crush was working with her on an espionage mission.

'Former crush?' her mind chuckled. 'Whatever you say kid'