A/N: Some speculation from folks about what Pepper's secret might be and that will be answered soon enough. Some mixed opinions on whether or not it should be a baby for the two of them. It's great fun reading all of your thoughts on the subject.

In the meantime, one of my reviewers commented that they felt like the Avenger's needed a bonding type chapter and I already had a cunning plan for that up my sleeve. ;) And this is the chapter which reveals it. Hope you all have fun with it and see you in the next chapter...

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Bruce peered through his glasses at the lap top screen in front of him. A series of formulas ran past him as he perused his work, engrossed in what he was doing. Tony had given him every resource to look for a cure for his gamma radiation issue and Bruce was going to utilise it to the fullest. Mind you, Tony had also felt the need to say he didn't think Bruce needed any fixing, that the Hulk was his favourite thing about him. The raging green beast inside wasn't Bruce's favourite thing however, and the need to get rid of the thing was still a huge driving force in his life. He understood what Thor had been trying to tell him when they'd talked earlier, but the thought of the Hulk actually being an ally in his life seemed like a pipe dream, at best. It was far better and safer to see the end of the creature altogether, if that was in any way possible. A quiet knock on the door interrupted Bruce's musings. "Come in," he said, without asking who it was.

The door opened and Steve stepped through. He gave a lop-sided smile. "Got a moment?"

Bruce leaned back in his chair and nodded. "Sure, I was just about to take a break anyway." He stood up and walked into the self-contained kitchen. "Do you want a coffee?"

Steve shook his head and walked over to the sofa. "No, just had one at lunch, thanks."

Bruce watched the other man take a seat. "You're walking funny, what's up with that."

Steve wrinkled his nose and shook his left foot. "I've got sugar in my shoe. I can't seem to get it all out."

Bruce smiled, already having an inkling as to how or rather who might have caused that problem. "Had a fun date with Olivia, did we?"

Steve smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it was really nice and we-". He paused abruptly and looked up at Bruce as the other man came to join him on the sofa. "How did you know her name was Olivia and that we went out to lunch?" he wanted to know.

"We spied on you," confessed Bruce blithely.

"We?"

"Tony, Thor and I."

Steve scowled. "How is it that we live in a building with thirty-two floors and yet have absolutely no privacy?"

Bruce took a sip of his coffee. "Just unlucky, I guess." He lounged in the corner of the sofa and regarded Steve with interest. "So, you had a nice time with Olivia?"

"She's really sweet and easy to talk to." Steve smiled. "I liked being with her. I didn't feel so out of place when we were talking."

"And the sugar in your shoe?"

"There was a mishap with the sugar bowl," said Steve vaguely.

"I have a feeling that's something you're going to have to get used to if you plan on seeing more of that young lady," said Bruce in amusement.

"Is it weird that I find her being klutzy kinda cute?" Steve pondered.

Bruce laughed. "No, just be careful, the guys and I aren't completely convinced she's not working for Hydra."

"That's ridiculous," Steve snorted. "Olivia is really sweet, she'd never intentionally hurt anyone."

"But she seems to be on a roll at unintentionally hurting you. How's the knee?"

Steve treated him to an annoyed sideways look. "You lot sure got an eyeful, huh? I can't believe I didn't see you watching us."

Bruce chuckled. "You had your hands full avoiding the next full body attack from your little Miss O'Brien. You two were very cute together. Did you ask her out again?"

"Kind of," said Steve. "Olivia's class invited me to come and visit them on Friday, so I'll see her then."

"And then what?"

Steve's arm was lying along the arm rest of the sofa and his fingers started a nervous tattoo. "I don't know. Do you think I should ask her out?"

"Do you want to?"

Steve paused. "I do."

"Then you should do it."

"I don't know how to date in this world." Steve grimaced. "Heck, I didn't know how to date in my world."

"But you've been on dates before," Bruce pushed him. "Right?"

"Before I used to double date with Bucky but they never went too well. Then I became Captain America and there was the war and everything and well, I fell for Peggy and we never managed to get it together before it was too late." Steve trailed off. "I'm not that experienced with women."

"How inexperienced are we talking here?" Bruce quizzed him. "I mean, you've had sex, right?"

Steve didn't look at him and then there was a long, uncomfortable silence.

"Oh," said Bruce at last, "I see."

A pink coloured tinged Steve's cheeks. "I know, it's weird, right, I'm a freak?" he said bitterly.

"You're not a freak," said Bruce quickly. "You're just someone who has an interesting past with that whole being cased in ice for seventy years thing in the middle of it. That kind of thing is going to play havoc with any guy's love life."

Steve's head dropped back on the sofa. "What am I going to do?" he groaned up at the ceiling. "If I take a woman out, they're going to expect me to know what I'm doing and I just don't. How can I expect Olivia or any woman to take me seriously when I'm such an idiot? I'm going to screw everything up if I try and go on a real date in this world." Steve lifted his head from the sofa and gave a frantic look at Bruce. "Don't tell the others," said Steve quickly, "particularly Tony, he'll never let me live it down."

"Your secret is safe with me," Bruce promised him. "Besides, it's nobody's business but you're own."

Tony's head suddenly appeared from under a floor tile just in front of the sofa. "You know, it hurts my feelings that you'd think I'd make fun of you not having had sex, Steve."

The two men jumped violently at his sudden appearance.

"Holy crap!" Bruce exclaimed. "How long have you been down there?" He shook his hand where he'd spilled some coffee from the fright Tony had given them both.

"Not long."

"I thought you'd gotten out of the ceiling hours ago," Bruce grumbled. "I thought you knew your way around this building of yours."

"I did and I do, just thought I'd check out a few things while I was in there," said Tony easily as he hauled himself out of the floor and replaced the floor tile. He straightened up and dusted himself down.

"We were having a private conversation," said Steve in annoyance. "You should have coughed or something."

"Do you know what you need?" asked Tony, ignoring the other man's censure.

"Privacy?' suggested Steve dourly.

"You need a guy's night out," said Tony confidently. "We'll go out, you can get the lay of the land and get your confidence up. We'll make a night of it. I'll introduce you to some lovely ladies, we'll do a little dancing, a lot of drinking and you'll be an expert at women by the morning, I promise. What do you say?"

"I say that is the worst idea I've ever heard," said Steve flatly. "No way."

"Come on," Tony cajoled him, "the Avenger's need some team building and this would be perfect."

"I'm not taking the other guy into a night club and mixing that with alcohol," said Bruce in horror. "Forget it, Tony."

Tony rolled his eyes and sat down on the coffee table across from them. "Come on, Grandpa, loosen up a bit, why don't you?"

Bruce glared at him. "Because people could die, that's why I don't."

"Look, you, me, the Capsicle, Thor, we'll hit the town and just hang," said Tony easily. "I promise you, it'll be low key and tasteful."

The other two men just stared at him.

"Okay," Tony relented, "it's probably going to be over the top and debauched, but I feel like that's just what the doctor ordered."

"If that's true I think it's time to change doctors," said Bruce, unconvinced.

"Steve just needs to get some practice in with the fairer sex, then he won't be so worried about the whole thing," Tony argued.

Steve fixed him with a disapproving look. "I guess you've slept with a lot of women, Stark?"

"Define a lot?" Tony countered.

Steve's brow furrowed as he seemed to think about that for a moment. "More than six," he announced at last.

Bruce couldn't help but admire how Tony managed to keep a straight face when he answered.

"In that case," said Tony steadily, "yes, I have slept with a lot of women by that definition, Steve."

There was another knock on the door. "Come in," called out Bruce and Thor walked into the room. Bruce nodded approvingly. "At least you used the door, Thor, much appreciated."

Thor frowned, looking a little confused. "You are most welcome, Bruce Banner," he said slowly.

"We're going out for a boy's night out tonight," Tony informed him. "Time to iron your best cape and make yourself pretty."

Thor shook his head. "I cannot, Tony Stark," he said firmly. "I have decided to travel to Norway to see Jane Foster and declare my intentions."

"Intention declaring is a big thing," Tony observed. "You'll probably need a run up at that, like a guy's night out."

"I do not believe that to be the case, Tony Stark."

Tony made an exasperated noise. "Look, I'm trying to build a team here."

"By getting us all drunk and associating with loose women?" asked Steve darkly.

Tony pointed an excited finger at him. "Yes, thank you, Steve, that's it exactly."

"What about Pepper?" Steve argued. "How is she going to feel about all this?"

"Pepper trusts me, she knows I only have eyes for her."

Bruce looked at him in surprise. "Really?"

Tony issued him a displeased look. "You don't have to sound so shocked."

"It's just that you've got quite the reputation as a love 'em and leave 'em kinda guy," Bruce pointed out. "If I was Pepper, I don't know how I'd feel about that."

"If you were Pepper I'd kill myself," said Tony flatly.

"Charming."

"Here's the deal, we need this," said Tony, not backing down. "At the moment we're just these guys who cohabitate and we're not a real team yet. This would be good for us, as a team."

"I told you I'm out," said Bruce firmly. "The other guy and alcohol and crowded spaces don't mix."

Tony gave him a disapproving look. "You know, you use the fact you occasionally morph into a green giant with possibly unlimited power and anger management issues, capable of causing untold carnage, as an excuse to not do a lot of things." He didn't let Bruce answer. "And Thor, you're about to take a big step. I don't know what declaring your intentions means in Asgard, but on Earth, it's a big deal. You need your friends to rally round and send you off into the great unknown in style." Thor tilted his head and seemed to be considering that but Tony had already moved onto Steve. "And you, Cap, you need to develop some moves because the ones you've got so far are in a word, embarrassing. Think of this as training for the real thing. You're a soldier, you love all that stuff. Think of tonight as a boot camp for living life in the 21st century."

The others looked at each other, obviously having trouble coming up with an argument for all that Tony was saying. It didn't matter anyway because Bruce knew that Tony was just going to keep on nagging them until he got his own way.

"I feel redundant in saying this is a bad idea," Bruce grumbled.

Tony grinned. "That's how you know we're all going to have fun tonight, B. Trust me, guys, we're going to have a blast."

oooOOOOooo

Tony whistled as he walked down the halls of the Avenger's Tower and pulled out his cell phone. He punched in number one on the speed dial. It was picked up almost right away. "Just so you know," he said before the other person could speak, "you've missed your chance to go out with me tonight, I've made other plans."

Tony could hear the smile in Pepper's voice. "Is that right? Should I be jealous?"

"The guys and I are hitting the town," said Tony happily.

"The guys as in Thor, Bruce and Steve?" asked Pepper sceptically. "How did you manage to talk them into that?"

"I can be very persuasive if I need to be."

"Apparently," she laughed.

"I just wanted to ring and let you know," said Tony.

"Are you asking my permission?" she asked in amusement.

"Do I need to?"

"No, of course not, just try and be gentle with the other guys. They're not used to your kind of lifestyle."

"I'll ease them in gently."

"No, you won't."

Tony chuckled, loving that she knew him so well. "I just think we all need to let our hair down, get them chatting to some pretty girls."

"I see, and what will you be doing while all this chatting is going on, Mr. Stark?"

"Missing you," said Tony huskily. He paused. "You know you can trust me, right, Pep? There is no other woman for me than you."

"I know, I was there while you did all that exhaustive testing of every other woman in the country to arrive at that conclusion."

"You make me sound like a man whore," Tony protested.

"Well, you didn't get paid, so I guess that description isn't technically true."

He grimaced. "Sorry."

"Tony, we weren't together then, you have nothing to apologise to me for, some of those girls, maybe, but not me. Besides, I hate to shatter any illusions, but I wasn't a virgin either when we got together."

"I know, but I'm the best you've ever had, right?" he asked cheekily.

Pepper laughed. "Someone is fishing for compliments."

"I'm hearing a yes in your voice."

"Can you also hear a 'please be careful tonight and don't overdo it' in my voice as well?" she asked indulgently.

"Love you," said Tony.

"You too."

Tony hung up as he walked into his and Pepper's apartment. "Jarvis, I need some reservations."

"Very good, sir, I think it's a mistake for the Avengers to venture out on a night of debauchery when there is so much going on with Senator Kidston trying to shut down the initiative and Noble Maniatis still on the loose."

Tony made an annoyed face. "Not those kinds of reservations. I meant I need you to make some bookings for me. Tonight is happening, we'll worry about the other stuff tomorrow."

"Tomorrow may come sooner than you think, sir," Jarvis warned him.

"Way to be a downer, Jarvis."

"Thank you, sir, I do my best."

"I wasn't complimenting you."

"It sounded like you were."

"I was being sarcastic."

"Really, sir, the thought never occurred."

Tony pursed his lips at that last rejoinder. "One of us isn't funny anymore, Jarvis," he said in annoyance.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, sir, I still find you very amusing."

"You're getting another tune up," Tony threatened him.

"I shall do my best to contain my excitement, sir. The last time worked out so well for everyone involved. I'm sure this time can only go just as splendidly."

"Mute," Tony snapped. Damn, out sarcasmed by an AI unit. He need this night out more than he thought...

A/N: Everyone put on your dancing shoes, because we're going out par-tay-ing tonight! Should be fun. ;)