The awards ceremony opened with the press in attendance, microphones clustered on the podium and cameras catching every movement, from the heroes assembled on the right-hand side, to the recently appointed Secretary of State.
"I think I speak for everyone when I say that I am personally deeply thankful to the Avengers and their allies for going above and beyond the call of duty to protect our world.
"Captain Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Dr Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton, Thor Odinson, King T'Challa of Wakanda, Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Scott Lang, Sargent James Barnes, Loki Odinson, and those who have asked to keep their identities out of public record, Spiderman, the Sorcerer Supreme and his associates, Starlord and his associates.
"For your outstanding bravery in the face of dire circumstances; We thank you."
He cleared his throat and an aide stepped to his left with a slim wooden box.
"We are here tonight to recognize the exceptional actions of one remarkable woman. Sharice Wilder, known to most as The Angel. In the battle against this alien enemy, Ms. Wilder fought fiercely, protecting her brothers-in-arms and defending our planet with her own sweat and blood. When all seemed lost, she stepped between Thanos and us and she died to end the fight for our world." His voice grew thick on the word 'us' and he swallowed several times.
A child in the front row of seats blew a kiss at the Secretary of State and he pulled out a tissue and dabbed at his eyes for a moment. "My granddaughter," he said by way of explanation to the crowd, who awed and then laughed as she turned up the corners of her mouth with her fingers, clearly telling her grandad to 'smile.'
He chuckled wetly and clearing his throat, continued to speak. "We are fortunate that Sharice Wilder is still with us today, and I am delighted to present these awards to her in life. Please step forward Ms. Wilder."
Shay dutifully obeyed, standing on the bit of masking tape that marked her first stage direction. A signal sounded and the President was introduced, he gave a brief acknowledgement and then took the first medal from the box opened to him.
Speaking clearly for the audience the President displayed the medal before facing Shay. "For an especially meritorious contribution to the security and national interests of the United States and to world peace, I award to Sharice Wilder, the Presidential Medal of honour, with distinction."
Shay bowed her head as the ribbon was placed around her neck.
The president turned and retrieved the second ribbon from the box the Secretary of State still held. "For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of her life, above and beyond the call of duty, I award to Sharice Wilder the Medal of Honor."
A second ribbon joined the first. Another man stepped forward, was introduced as the Head of the United States department of Homeland security. The final medal was lifted from the box.
"On behalf of the Department of Homeland Security and as approved by the President of the United States, the Purple Heart is awarded to Ms. Sharice Wilder for grievous injury received in battle."
Shay moved to the second stage marking, and shook hands with the President, the head of Homeland and the Secretary of State as the camera's flashed.
Dinner ended without mishap, the tables cleared and rolled away by men in black and white suits. Loki stepped in, offering Shay his arm to cover for her flinch when one of them got a little too close with a tray of champagne flutes.
"For the Lady." He said, his body between her and the accidentally offending waiter, he handed her a glass first, and then took one for himself. "Thank you, sir."
The waiter backpedaled with an expression flickering between fear and confusion.
"No Asgardian mead for you?" Shay teased, watching Steve talk to Bucky a few meters away. He was shifting uncomfortably in his military uniform and she knew he felt out of place, but Steve was an anchor and he kept his friend from drifting with easy conversation. She looked back at Loki, realised he had followed her gaze.
"Sargent Barnes is a lucky man." Loki smiled gently as he spoke. "As for the mead, I've been ordered to be on my best behaviour." He shot a glare at his brother though his expression held no real heat. "Not that it was necessary. But I did think it best that Thor and your super-soldiers not get tipsy tonight."
"And Thor agreed?" Shay asked, knowing Thor usually had a flask or two on his person.
"I swapped it for vodka."
"So that's what you and Nat were up to last night!" Shay laughed as the band began to play.
"You knew?" Loki looked momentarily surprised and then sighed, begrieved. "of course, you knew."
"The attempt at masking your intent was… interesting."
"Inadequate." Loki shook his head, disappointed. then he looked up again, cocked his head and squinted his eyes at her. "You knew we were making mischief and yet, you didn't intervene?"
"There was no malice in it." Shay answered simply.
Sam was leading a beautiful brunette onto the dance floor where several couples already swayed to the rhythm, and Loki dropped Shay's arm, setting their glasses on a passing tray and offering her his hand instead.
Shay's smile turned to suspicion as a man approached her from behind.
"You've recruited another murderer I see." The voice was low, degrading her with its tone, speaking through a false smile. "Building your own team of miscreants? You know, I warned the president to keep a collar on you."
Shay shuddered, refusing to turn, leveling her gaze on Loki and using every ounce of sense to keep him from gutting the man behind her with the blade she could see shimmering just inside his suit sleeve.
I can handle him.
Who is this pathetic worm, speaking to you this way?
He is just a toothless, old snake; he can't hurt me. I will deal with him.
Loki looked unsatisfied, but the shimmering blade vanished and he stepped away.
"Keeping your murderous pets on a tight leash, I see. You magical types seem to slip out of restraints too easily, I'd be careful if I were you."
Shay turned, to see Thaddeus Ross at her side. Her face was schooled into a neutral expression that would have made Nat blanche,
He smiled, thinking that he'd landed another blow.
The fool.
He was too busy looking at Shay to see the way Loki was distracting Thor from the confrontation, or to see Steve and Bucky struggling to hold Sam back, who'd left his partner on the dance floor.
"I thought you were fired, but I guess government thugs get off easy too." Shay answered, her smile as fake as his, though there was something sharp in it that made him shift from one foot to the other.
But he rallied and shook his head, "I resigned, my retirement was overdue as it was. I stayed, you know, to try and clean up some of the mess you all were making. Thought I could help set things right." He sighed in a self-satisfied manner. "Sooner or later, you're going to slip up, Wilder. Somebody will catch you-" he waggled his fingers in a mime of magic, "-manipulating something you aught not. And when that day comes, I'll be there to watch your fall, and I'll make sure that your pets go down with you."
He grinned toothily at her, exultant as she glared her anger at him. Shay resisted, bolstered by the calm and deadly presence of Loki at the edge of her mind. Ross wanted her to lash out, to lose control and attack him with magic in front of all these dignitaries.
Nat was circling around behind him, murderous intent behind her disinterested façade. Shay moved quickly, elbowing Ross in the gut just as Nat put an arm around his shoulders.
Just loud enough to be heard over the music, Nat spoke in a patronizing tone. "Had too much to drink, haven't you Mister Ross." And in a deadly low whisper to match the pinching hold she had on the pressure point above his collarbone, "that was incredibly stupid," loudly, "We'll get you a car, don't worry." And a whisper, "Shay asked us not to kill you, she didn't think you were worth it." She 'helped' him past the dance floor and out the door. "Just a little fresh air, and you'll be right as rain, Sir."
Nat dropped him into the backseat of the car and baring her teeth, she concluded with, "I disagree, After all, its biblical- an eye for an eye…" and slammed the door shut in his sputtering face,
Bucky stepped between Shay and the glass door through which she was watching Nat nervously. "She'll be fine."
"That's not what I'm worried about." Shay muttered back, leaning around him to see Nat returning alone.
"See, she's good," Bucky said, bowing his head to Nat as she passed. "Now I've got something to ask you, something I've been waiting a long time to ask."
There was a playfulness in his tone that surprised her, given the previous moment's tension.
"You do, do you?" Shay returned lightly.
"I do." Bucky nodded with determination. "Miss Wilder, would you care to dance with me?" he offered her his hand, palm up. "You promised me a yes, I haven't forgotten."
"Well, when you say it like that, how can I say no?" Shay answered cheekily, but slipped her hand into his, and let him lead her to a quiet corner of the room as a new song began. "A waltz? Who exactly bribed the band this time?"
Her question was answered by a nod from Steve, who grinned from near the musician's platform. Sam with his date, and Bruce and Nat cut a wide path between them and the other dancers and Tony was spinning Pepper around the center of the dance floor in a way that drew everyone else's attention, if only to keep from being run over.
Shay turned her attention back to Bucky, smiling to let him know she was teasing, "as much as I'm enjoying this, did I really wait this long just for you to ask me to dance?"
Bucky hummed. "Bit of a letdown, huh?"
"A bit." Shay laughed gently, and stepping into the twirl Bucky orchestrated for her.
"How about I take you out, on a date, to make up for it?"
"Better be a great date, or we'll have to try again." Shay answered, looking through her lashes at him.
"In that case, I might just make it terrible on purpose." Bucky proposed, pretending seriousness. "Don't look at me like that." He chuckled at her pretend outrage. "When you give a man motivation like that, what'd you think would happen?"
"Motivation?"
They'd stopped dancing some time ago, too busy flirting to realize it, until Bucky stepped closer to Shay. He cupped her face with one hand, biting his lip and looking at her like she was the moon and no stars could ever catch his eye again.
Huskily, he said, "I'd be very happy to go on bad dates with you, for the rest of my life."
"That sounds awfully serious Sargent Barnes." Shay said and she kissed him. When they broke apart, she added breathlessly, "I'd like that. Very much."
The End.
The epilogues- epilogue:
Thaddeus Ross made it home safe from the party, though the suit was unsalvageable.
Sam marries the brunette and adopts her six-year-old daughter as his own.
Steve goes into disaster recovery work and meets a woman who challenges him, they bicker and argue about logistics and paperwork, but attack real problems like they've been doing it together all their lives. It takes a year and a half for Steve to ask her out, and five months to convince her to marry him.
Wanda recovers from her grief and eventually starts working with displaced children, ends up adopting a trio of siblings that would otherwise be separated.